The Iowa State Cyclones sent the defending champion Kansas Jayhawks careening out of the tournament picture on Friday and inched closer to their first Big 12 Tournament title since 2000. Standing in their way are the Baylor Bears, who are hell bent on taking home the school’s first tournament title since joining the Big 12 in 1995.
Read on for everything you need to know to bet this huge tournament championship game at Top Bet.
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Baylor Bears vs. Iowa State Cyclones (March 15, 9:00 PM EST)
Line: Baylor Bears (+2.5) at Iowa State Cyclones (-2.5); total 149.0
Betting on the Baylor Bears
Add Texas to the growing list of teams that have been victimized by Baylor’s recent surge of elite play. The Bears reserved a seat in the Big 12 championship after dismantling the Longhorns in the conference semis, 86-69. The victory strengthened Baylor’s campaign for an at-large berth in case it loses in the championship game, as it was the Bears’ 10th top 50 RPI win. The Bears are now 6-0 SU in their last six games and 4-1 ATS in the last five.
Awaiting the Bears in the title match is no. 16 Iowa State, a team they beat 74-61 on March 4th. Brady Heslip rocked Iowa State with five three-pointers in the second half of that game, the last one sparking a 13-0 run by Baylor late in the game. The defense also did its homework as the Bears put the cuffs on Big 12 top scorer Melvin Ejim, limiting him to just six points.
Betting on the Iowa State Cyclones
Georges Niang was bloodied on the way to scoring a game-high 25 points to lead the Cyclones to a 94-83 win over Kansas in the conference semifinals on Saturday. However, Niang was hardly the only one who played well. The other four starters scored in double-figures, including DeAndre Kane, who knocked down five triples and scored 20 points, and Melvin Ejim, who added 19 more.
After claiming their first conference finals berth since 2000, the Cyclones pushed their records to 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games. Without Joel Embiid roaming the shaded area for Kansas, the Cyclones made a living inside and scored 36 points from the paint. From outside, the Cyclones weren’t too shabby, either. They drilled 11 of their 19 three-point attempts, their most since losing to Baylor on March 4, when they made a dozen treys.
Prediction – Baylor Wins
Baylor will continue its hot streak by winning the program’s first Big 12 Tournament championship and covering +2.5.
March Madness is here: bet on college basketball with Top Bet as the best tournament in sports works towards its conclusion April 7th.
