The Baylor Bears (9-0 SU, 7-2 ATS) and Oklahoma Sooners (6-2 SU, 4-3-1 ATS) have combined to score an average of just over 115 points in their last three head-to-head matchups. The Bears look to beat the Sooners for the sixth straight time when they host their Big 12 rivals Wednesday night.
- Date/Time: January 6, 9 p.m. ET
- Arena: Ferrell Center
- TV Coverage: ESPN 2
- Sportsbook Odds: Baylor -11.5 | O/U 150.5 (Line History)
- Oklahoma vs Baylor Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
This line not surprisingly opened with the No. 2-ranked Bears as an 11.5-point favorite, looking to cover for the eighth time in 10 outings this season. The total opened at 150.5 and has since gone up a point.
Oklahoma News & Notes
Lon Kruger enters his 10th year as the head coach of the Sooners, who are looking for their fourth consecutive winning campaign in the Big 12. Seniors Austin Reaves and Brady Manek average 15.5 and 13.6 points per game respectively to lead a very mature ball club.
In fact, Kruger has the privilege of running out four seniors among his starting five, which is unheard of in any major conference. Those seniors, though, haven’t had the best experience against Baylor, with the Sooners having lost their last five games against the Bears.
Offensively, the Sooners rank 41st in the nation in scoring and are 18th in free-throw shooting. Although they rank in the bottom half of the country in most defensive categories, the Sooners have held their last five opponents to 71 points or less.
Baylor News & Notes
The Bears go into this contest as the second-highest scoring team in college basketball, which would explain the high total for this game. Regression is a word that comes to mind, though, when looking at their relatively easy schedule to date.
Baylor is averaging over 92 points per game but has played only one ranked team so far this season. That scoring average will likely have gone down considerably by the end of this month as competition gets stiffer.
Like the Sooners, the Bears are led by upperclassmen. Junior guard Jared Butler and senior guard MaCio Teague average 16.0 and 15.9 ppg respectively. Complementing the offense, Baylor also ranks among the leaders in most defensive categories.
Betting Pick: UNDER 151.5
Based on Baylor’s offensive statistics so far this season, the OVER seems like the obvious pick. Wrong. This line is severely inflated due to Baylor’s offensive showings against inferior competition. With two very experienced starting lineups that are more than familiar with each other, expect the UNDER to hit for the sixth straight time in this matchup.
- Baylor ranks 2nd in the country at 92.89 ppg.
- Oklahoma is 0-5 SU and 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 vs Baylor.
- Baylor is 7-2 ATS on the season.
