College basketball will want to tune in when the #2 Baylor Bears (16-0, 8-0 Big 12) match up with the #6 Texas Longhorns (11-3, 5-2 Big 12) in a top 10 showdown on Tuesday night. The Big 12 conference contest was initially scheduled for December 13th but postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Wednesday’s tipoff is at 7 p.m. EST inside the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX. Baylor is a 6-point favorite over Texas in their only meeting against each other this season.
What to Know – Baylor Bears
Baylor is one of just three teams remaining with an undefeated record as the calendar turns to February. The Bears have rolled through opponents this season, winning 14 of 16 games by 11 or more points.
Baylor sits atop the conference standings with a 2.5 game cushion and stepped away from conference play to dismantle the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, 84-72.
The Bears score an average of 87.3 points per game on offense and surrender 62.4 points of defense. Baylor’s 24.8 scoring margin is the highest in the nation on top of the team’s 3-point percentage (.434).
Baylor features four players that score in double figures, led by guard Jared Butler (16.8 ppg). The team’s second-leading scorer is guard MaCio Teague, who averages 15.0 ppg. Guard Davion Mitchell (12.8 ppg) is also coming off a career game scoring a career-high 31 points last week against Kansas State.
This season the Bears are an impressive 12-4 against the spread with a 4-1 mark in road contests. Baylor is 6-2 ATS in conference play and 5-1 ATS against Texas in their last six games.
What to Know – Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns enter after falling by one (80-79) last week to rival Oklahoma, playing with only eight scholarship players and without their head coach Shaka Smart. Texas expects to be back with their full roster and head coach against the Bears.
UT sits in a tie for second place in the league standings and has had a week off from competition after their scheduled game against Kentucky over the weekend got canceled.
Texas pours in 76.4 points per game and gives up 66.2 per game on the defensive end. Like the Longhorns, the Bears showcase a balanced attack on offense with a handful of starters averaging double digits.
Guard Andrew Jones leads the Longhorns attack scoring 14.3 ppg. Jones has scored in double figures in all but two games this season and has led Texas in scoring in four of the last five games. Guards Courtney Ramey (13.9 ppg) and Matt Coleman III (13.1 ppg) add additional weapons on offense for the Longhorns’ charge.
Texas comes into the matchup with a 3-7 record ATS and 1-4 record over their last five. The Longhorns sport a 1-7 ATS at home and are 2-5 overall in conference games.
The Pick is In
What is expected to be a great basketball game will not disappoint when these two teams take the floor Tuesday night. The Longhorns’ three losses have all come versus ranked opponents and are 3-3 against ranked teams. Baylor has not had much to sweat about this season, but expect the Longhorns to play inspired and keep this one close until the very end.
The Pick: Texas Longhorns +6
