No. 6 Baylor has been on fire for over a month now, and its 30-point demolition of Creighton finally has the country standing up and taking notice of the team as a threat to go all the way. Can the Bears ride this hot streak to the Final Four, or will No. 2 Wisconsin weasel its way into the Elite Eight at Baylor’s expense?
Read on to get into the action at bet on this high-stakes March Madness tilt at Top Bet sportsbook.
Line: No. 6 Baylor Bears (+3.5) at No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (-3.5); total: 137.0 – view lines here
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
[sc:finalfour240 ]No. 2 Wisconsin was on the ropes after allowing Oregon to race to a double-digit lead by halftime, but the Badgers recovered in the second half to come away with an 85-77 win.
All five starters scored 12 or more points for the Badgers, whose offense is still efficiently executing in the tournament. Wisconsin has hit double-digit threes in both games thus far, while shooting close to 50% overall from the field.
Wisconsin has the depth and versatility to cause all sorts of problems for the Baylor defense. 7-0 forward Frank Kaminsky is a three-point threat that can drag one of Baylor’s two big men away from the basket, freeing the paint for the likes of Sam Dekker and Traevon Jackson.
Betting on the Baylor Bears
Baylor continued its outstanding March by absolutely mauling No. 3 Creighton, 85-55, the third-biggest blowout ever by a No. 6 seed. They improved to 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS in nine games this month.
After a two-game malaise wherein they shot just 40% from the field and 28% from three, the Bears offense finally awoke against Creighton. Baylor beat the ultra-efficient Bluejays at their own game by shooting a lights-out 64% from the field and a scorching 11-18 (61%) from three. Meanwhile, their defense has held tournament opponents to an abysmal 9-45 (20%) from beyond the arc.
Baylor will have a decided advantage inside against Wisconsin with the frontcourt duo of Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson manning the paint; the two are averaging 30 points combined in two tournament games. The Bears have also outrebounded their opponents by double-digits in both games.
Prediction
It’s really easy to be bullish about the Bears against the Badgers. Baylor has the bodies to bang inside, and when the threes are falling from outside, this team looks borderline unstoppable. The Bears can so easily blow Wisconsin out, but at the very least, they look good to keep it close and cover as +3 underdogs.
