A huge matchup at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence is on tap this coming Saturday, as two of the top teams in the Big 12 in the Baylor Bears and the Kansas Jayhawks will square off for what could be a preview of the conference’s championship game. Going into the meeting, NCAAB Futures price Baylor at +2300 to win the 2020 NCAA Championship while Kansas is listed right behind Gonzaga as the second favorite (+1000) to win the Tournament.
Betting on the Baylor Bears (11-1 Overall / 1-0 Conference)
The Bears sure do love those “grind out” wins. They had another one of those last Saturday, when they scored a 59-44 home win over the Texas Longhorns. Guard Macio Teague led the Bears with his 21 points, but he probably should have done a better job choosing his shots as he was only 5 for 16 from the field. That’s also something the rest of the Bears should have done, as the team shot just 31.3 percent from the field. Then again, the Bears can win games in which they shoot badly, as they make up for it with their grit and defense. The Bears are ninth in the nation as of this writing with just 58.9 points allowed per game. They are also ninth on KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency with opponents scoring just 87.9 points per 100 possessions. What makes it harder for opponents to score against Baylor is the Bears’ extremely slow pace. The Bears are 215th in the nation in adjusted tempo.
Baylor is 2-0-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last three road games against the Jayhawks.
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (11-2 Overall / 1-0 Conference)
After finding themselves down at the half at home against the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Jayhawks dug deep and came up with a strong performance in the final 20 minutes of the game to come away with a 60-53 win in Lawrence. Big man Udoka Azubuike led the way for Kansas with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds to go with six blocks and a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field. Azuibuike’s toughness down low will be crucial in countering Baylor’s style of play. In Azubuike, the Jahyawks have a bruiser who can’t be bullied inside. On the season, Azubuike is averaging 13.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks are also loaded on offense. In fact, Kansas has the leading scorer in the Big 12 in the form of Devon Dotson, who is putting up 18.5 points per game. As a team, Kansas is 28th in the nation with 78.3 points per outing.
