The Baylor Bears have lost their spot atop the AP Poll rankings after back-to-back losses, and they will not look to make things worse, as they go up against the upset-seeking West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown. Will the Bears break out of their slump? Or will the Mountaineers add to Baylor’s woes? Check out our preview below of this Baylor-West Virgnia Big 12 matchup.
All of a sudden, the Bears are on a losing skid. And what’s even more shocking is that Baylor’s two losses over its last two games happened in Waco. After losing to the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Jan. 11 , 65-52, the Bears fell prey to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at home last Saturday, 61-54. Baylor, which is one of the most lethal offensive teams in the nation, has now failed to score more than 65 points in two games. The Bears might just need a new atmosphere to get back into their usual rhythm, even if that means being away from home. On the season, the Bears are averaging 79.9 points per game on 48.1 percent shooting from the field, both top-20 numbers in Division I basketball. When it comes down to offense, West Virginia doesn’t have the firepower of the Bears, who could break out of their slump as soon as this Tuesday in Morgantown.
Baylor is 8-3 against the spread in its last 11 games as the road team, dating back to 2020.
West Virginia is coming off a tough 85-58 wallopping at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence last Saturday. The Mountaineers kept in step with Kansas in the first half but got totally outclassed in the final 20 minutes of the contest in which they got outscored by the host team, 52-28. The upcoming assignment against the reigning national champions on the road isn’t giving West Virginia a reason to feel big about its chances to rebound right away – but Baylor’s form does. The Bears’ offense has soured of late, with Baylor shooting just 41.1 percent from the field in the loss to Texas Tech and just 31.0 percent in the defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers are a pretty stingy defensive team as well, as they are 21st in the nation with just 93.2 points allowed per 100 possessions and 11th national in opponents’ turnover percentage.
West Virginia is 5-2 against the spread in its last eight home games.
