The Big 12 grind rolls on for two of the conference’s top teams when No. 11 Baylor (19-6, 8-4 Big 12) visits No. 25 BYU (18-7, 6-6) on Tuesday night. The Bears are a projected 3-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology released on Tuesday, with the Cougars falling to a 6-seed after dropping a road game at Oklahoma State over the weekend.
Still, BYU’s gym has been most unwelcoming to visitors, as the Cougars boast a 13-2 home record on the season, including 10-5 against the spread. As such, they’re currently favored by over Baylor despite trailing the Bears by two games in the Big 12 standings. The OVER/UNDER is .
Baylor has won five of six and has been a great spread bet this season at 15-7-2 ATS. It’s only played six road games all year — all Big 12 matchups. The Bears have split those six games overall but covered in five. Neither team comes in with much of a lean when it comes to OVER/UNDERS on the year.
Live betting odds for Baylor vs. BYU: Point spread, moneyline, total
Here are the spread, moneyline and total points live odds for Baylor vs. BYU at the best online sportsbooks.
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Baylor Bears betting news
Scott Drew’s squad is an absolute force offensively, ranking fourth in the country in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric. Senior point guard RayJ Dennis does a little bit of everything for the Bears, averaging 13.4 points, 6.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds. Freshman wing — and potential NBA lottery pick — Ja’Kobe Walter averages 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Walter was the eighth-ranked recruit in the 2023 class per ESPN.
Yet another highly touted freshman anchors the Bears’ frontcourt. Seven-footer Yves Missi averages 11.1 points and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds while shooting 64.6% from the floor. Missi, a four-star recruit and the nation’s sixth-best center prospect when he arrived at Baylor last summer, is also projected by The Athletic to be an NBA first-rounder this year.
These two teams met in Waco in early January, an 81-72 comeback victory for Baylor. Senior forward Jalen Bridges helped erase a nine-point second-half deficit with 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting, going 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
For BYU to turn things around in the rematch, it’ll need to take care of the ball. The Cougars turned the ball over 14 times against just five for Baylor in the first matchup. Those lost possessions were crucial for an offense that was otherwise efficient, shooting 49.1% for the game, 37.5% from three and 78.6% from the line.
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BYU Cougars betting news
Only Houston and Cincinnati have managed to get out of Provo with a win this season, thanks largely to an offense that comes in narrowly ahead of Baylor at 83.4 points per game. Kenpom loves both of these teams, with BYU’s adjusted offensive efficiency ranked No. 8 and both schools ranked top-16 overall (Baylor 12, BYU 16). Neither team ranks in the top five in adjusted defensive efficiency, however.
The battle of two unrelenting offensive attacks played out in the first matchup, which BYU led 39-33 at the half and by nine early in the second. But BYU suffered a couple of uncharacteristic scoring droughts and the Bears climbed back into the game in front of the home crowd, pulling away late.
BYU starts five players who average double-digits in scoring, led by 6-foot-7 senior guard Jaxson Robinson (13.8 PPG). The scoring options run deep, and so do the creative passers. BYU ranks third in the country in assists per game (19.1), with guards Dallin Hall (4.8 APG) and Spencer Johnson (3.4 APG) joined by center Aly Khalifa (4.1 APG) in facilitating open looks.
Junior guard Trevin Knell shoots 40.7% from three, and BYU puts up the second-most three-pointers in the country at 32.4 per game. This is a great shooting team whose starters are also excellent at the line — a recipe for NCAA Tournament success.
Baylor vs. BYU player props at FanDuel Sportsbook
Here are some of the top player prop markets for Baylor vs. BYU from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jayden Nunn player props
- 11.5 points OVER (-125) / UNDER (-105)
Yves Missi player props
- 12.5 points OVER (-105) / UNDER (-125)
Ja’Kobe Walter player props
- 14.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
Jaxson Robinson player props
- 12.5 points OVER (+100) / UNDER (-130)
Fousseyni Traore player props
- 10.5 points OVER (-105) / UNDER (-125)
Dallin Hall player props
- 9.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
Jalen Bridges player props
- 10.5 points OVER (-120) / UNDER (-110)
RayJ Dennis player props
- 13.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
Trevin Knell player props
- 10.5 points OVER (-120) / UNDER (-110)
Baylor vs. BYU prediction:
The Big 12 has been a nightmare for road teams all season — not a single team has posted better than a .500 record in the conference. BYU is one of the few units in the country with the offensive firepower to keep up with Baylor, but the Bears haven’t lost by more than four points since December. Giving up four-plus points is just too much for a Cougars side with defensive limitations facing a battle-tested roster featuring multiple future pros.
Pick: Baylor
