>
— Monday, February 21st Baylor Bears @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
The No. 7 Baylor Bears look for some revenge while also trying to stay in the Big 12 title hunt as they head to Oklahoma State on Monday. The Bears (22-5, 10-4) are two games behind Kansas in the loss column, while the Cowboys (13-13, 8-8) sit in sixth place. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
These teams met on January 15 in Waco when the Bears were ranked No. 1, and the Cowboys pulled off a 61-54 stunner for their first-ever road win against the top-ranked team. Last year they met three times, with Baylor winning both regular-season games, but OSU won at the Big 12 Tournament. Baylor has won six straight in Stillwater and 11 of the last 15 overall.
Bears Battling Toward March
The Bears are 14-12-1 ATS this season, and the over is 14-12-1 in their 27 games. They are 9-3 away from home and 6-3 in true road games after losing at No. 11 Texas Tech last week. Baylor is 1-3 in their last four road games, with the other losses coming at Alabama and Kansas.
Baylor ranks 39th in the nation at 77.5 ppg and 37th in shooting at 47.1%. They shoot 35.6% from 3-point range and may need to rely more on the perimeter game after losing big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua to a knee injury last week. Defensively, Baylor allows just 63 ppg, ranked 32nd in the nation, and they are 38th in 3-point defense, allowing 30.1% shooting.
In the home loss to OSU in January, the Bears scored just 54 points and shot 31% from the field. LJ Cryer led the team with 18 points, while Matthew Mayer had 16. No other player scored more than five points as the Bears lost by seven.
LJ Cryer leads Baylor with 13.5 ppg while James Akinjo averages 13.2, and Adam Flagler is at 13.0. Jeremy Sochan is the active rebounding leader at 6.2, while Akinjo leads the team with 5.8 apg. Flagler (56) and Cryer (52) have both made more than 50 3-pointers on the season, and each shoots better than 40%.
Cowboys Defensive Oriented
Oklahoma State is 9-16-1 ATS this season, and the total is 13-13 in their 26 games. They are 9-5 at home this season with three straight wins dating back to a January 26 loss to Iowa State. They are 2-7 against ranked teams this season with a home win over Texas and the win at Baylor.
Oklahoma State averages 70 ppg on the season, ranked 210th in the nation, and they shoot just 30.2% from deep, 328th in the country. They allow 67.3 ppg and rank 25th in FG% defense at 39.7.
In the win at Baylor, Bryce Thompson led the Cowboys with 19 points while Bryce Williams had nine points, five rebounds, and six assists. Oklahoma State shot 45% from the field and held Baylor to just ten 2-point field goals in the game.
Avery Anderson III leads the team in scoring at 11.8 ppg, with Thompson also in double figures at 10.9. Moussa Cisse leads the team with 5.9 rpg, while Isaac Likekele leads the team at 3.5 apg. Keylan Boone has made a team-best 35 3-pointers, but none of the regulars are shooting better than 33% from deep.
Betting Analysis
- Baylor Bears -4.5 (-110) moneyline -200
- Oklahoma State Cowboys +4.5 (-110) moneyline +170
- Total: 138.5. Over -110. Under -110
With games against Kansas and Texas in the next eight days, Baylor cannot afford another slipup if they want to stay in the Big 12 race. With bigger aspirations, the defending champs have what it takes to put together a big run, and there’s no better time to start than against a .500 team that already beat you this season.
The Cowboys lack the offensive firepower to stay with the Bears and will need to replicate the 61-54 win from January, easier said than done.
Betting Pick: Baylor -4.5 (-110)
For more NCAAB betting picks and previews, check out our picks page.