A top-10 matchup is on deck when the #5 Kansas Jayhawks (23-4, 12-2 Big 12) clash with the #10 Baylor Bears (23-5, 11-4 Big 12) this weekend. Kansas and Baylor are the top two teams in the league, with the Jayhawks holding a 1.5 game lead over the Bears with a week of the regular season remaining.
Saturday’s Big 12 contest tips off at 8 p.m. EST inside the Ferrell Center in Waco, TX. Baylor is a 3.5-point favorite, and the over-under total is at 149.5 points.
What to Know – Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks carry a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown, winning their last three by an average of 15.3 points. Kansas has a grueling schedule to close out the regular season, playing their final four games over eight days.
Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 80.0 points per game behind 49.8% shooting from the field and 36.6% shooting from the 3-point line. The Jayhawks’ defense ranks last in the league, surrendering 68.2 points per game, 41.8% shooting from the floor, and 30.0% shooting from beyond the arc.
Ochai Agbaji poured in 23 points, and the Kansas Jayhawks matched their season-high scoring total in a 102-83 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday. Kansas was unconscious offensively, hitting 64.1% of its shots from the field and nailing 15 treys. Christian Braun added 20 points for Kansas.
The Jayhawks are 13-14 against the spread and 4-4 ATS on the road. Kansas is 4-1 ATS in their previous five contests against the Bears.
What to Know – Baylor Bears
The Bears still have a shot at the regular-season conference title, and a victory Saturday over Kansas would be a step in the right direction. The defending national champions have won four of its last five games, heading into the final three games of the conference schedule.
Baylor is second in the conference scoring 77.1 points per game, hitting 46.7% of its shots from the floor and 35.4% of its shots from deep. On defense, Baylor limits opponents to 63.0 points, 42.5% shooting from the field, and 29.9% shooting from three.
It took overtime, but Adam Flagler scored a season-high 29 points, and the Bears downed Oklahoma State, 66-64 in overtime on Monday. Flagler hit seven of the Bears’ nine 3-point field goals. James Akinjo hit the go-head basket with 19 seconds left in overtime to take a two-point lead and the Cowboys’ 3-point attempt in the closing seconds failed.
Baylor is 14-13-1 ATS with an 8-7 mark ATS at home. The Bears are 2-6 ATS over their last eight games.
The Pick is In
Kansas crushed Baylor in their first meeting this season and appears to be playing their best basketball at the right time. Expect the two top-scoring offenses in the Big 12 to put up some points, and for Baylor shoot much better than they did in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are a scary team to bet against even on the road, so we won’t.
Betting Pick: Kansas Jayhawks +3.5
