The semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament will tip off on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden with the No. 3 BYU Cougars taking on the No. 2 Baylor Bears in the betting matchup.
BYU knocked off No. 1 Southern Miss in the quarterfinals of the NIT last time out, winning 79-62 as a 5.5-point underdog on the betting lines in the contest. Baylor is coming off a 79-68 win over No. 4 Providence in which they covered an 8-point spread.
The Bears sport records of 21-14 and 15-15 ATS heading into this battle, while the Cougars have 24-11 and 16-17-1 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 16-12-1 for the Bears and 12-15-2 for the Cougars.
View BYU vs Baylor Odds and Stats.
Baylor vs BYU Betting Lines: Baylor was favored by three points early in the week at Sportsbook while the total was sitting near 153 at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Bears rated this week at No. 19 and the Cougars sitting at No. 54. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 82-80 result in favor of the Bears.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Baylor's No. 22 nationally ranked offense (76 points per game) against a Cougars defense that sits as the No. 245 at 69.3 PPG. The Bears have been averaging 45.9% from the field, more than the Cougars have managed so far this season (45.8% on average).
Defensively, BYU features the nation's No. 251-rated defense on the road, allowing 72.6 points per game. Baylor, meanwhile, comes in at No. 26 nationally in scoring at home.
Last time out for BYU, they were a 79-62 Sportsbook as they battled Southern Miss on the road. They covered in the match as a 5.5-point underdog. Tyler Haws went off for 25 points and added 5 rebounds, leading BYU over Southern Miss, 79-62, on Wednesday at Reed Green Coliseum.
Last time out for Baylor, they were a 79-68 Sportsbook as they battled Providence at home. They covered in the match as an 8-point favorite. The Bears got a terrific 26-point effort from Cory Jefferson as Baylor defeated Providence 79-68 on Wednesday at Ferrell Center.
A few Cougars at Bears trends to consider:
Baylor is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baylor's last 6 games
