The Baylor Bears (10-3) can extend a 10-game home winning streak when they meet the Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-4). Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 5 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Bears are hoping to rebound after their 102-74 loss to Kansas on Saturday. Taurean Prince was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-48 win against TCU on Saturday. Jeff Newberry was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Baylor, a substantial 10-point favorite, takes on Oklahoma State. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 136 points. While the Bears have a good Straight Up (SU) record (10-3), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with a 1-6 record. They have a solid 8-2 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (1-5). The Bears are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .745 from the free throw line. The rebounding edge goes to the Bears in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.1 boards per game. Baylor is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.75. Turning to the defensive side, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Bears, who rank 24th in the country in steals per game with 8.5.
Over on the other bench, the Cowboys have 9-4 SU and 7-4 ATS records. The Cowboys convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 13th in the nation at .759. The Oklahoma State defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 6.0 field goals from three-point range per game. Blocking shots is an area where Oklahoma State has excelled. The Cowboys average 5.5 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Cowboys victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. On the other hand, Baylor holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Baylor held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Oklahoma State never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Baylor, ATS Winner – Baylor, O/U – Under
Notes
Baylor is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games.
Baylor is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Baylor is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oklahoma State.
Baylor is 7-1-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Oklahoma State.
Baylor is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State is a perfect 1-0 SU against conference rivals, while Baylor is a winless 0-1 SU against its foes.
Oklahoma State scores an average of just 71.5 points per game (ranked 227th). Baylor ranks 75th in points allowed, giving up 66.3 points per game.
Oklahoma State averages 73.7 points per away game (ranked 92nd). Baylor allows 60.6 points per home game (ranked 52nd).
The Baylor Bears rank 23rd for their offensive rating of 116.5. The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a defensive rating of 94.1 (ranked 41st).
On average, Baylor has 69.6 possessions per game and scores 1.165 points on each possession. Oklahoma State has both fewer possessions (66.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.079).
The Oklahoma State Cowboys average an effective field goal percentage of 49.4% this season. The Baylor Bears are 3-2 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.4% or greater.
The Baylor Bears average 18.0 three point attempts per game, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys attempt 17.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Baylor is 4-2 and Oklahoma State is 2-1.
The Baylor Bears rank fifth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.75, while the Oklahoma State Cowboys rank outside the top 100 (156th) with an A/TO of 1.08.
Baylor, the 36th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 41.1 rebounds per game. Oklahoma State does worse, ranked 125th with 38.2.
Baylor averages 8.5 steals per game, ranking 24th in the country. Oklahoma State is a losing 1-2 when it gives up at least 8 steals.
