Baylor Bears at Kansas State Wildcats Betting Preview
Wednesday night features a Big 12 showdown as the No. 10 Baylor Bears (19-4, 7-3 in Big 12) take on the Kansas State Wildcats (12-10, 4-6 in Big 12). The Wildcats will host this one at the Fred Bramlage Coliseum, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
Baylor is trying to bounce back after losing to No. 8 Kansas, the top seed in the Big 12, 83-59 on Saturday. In the loss, Adam Flagler led the Bears with 16 points while Kendall Brown added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Kansas State has now won back-to-back games after victories over Oklahoma State and TCU. In their last game, at TCU, they took down the Horned Frogs 75-63.
In the win, Nijel Pack scored a game-high 20 points while Mark Smith had a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds.
Baylor is the favorite despite playing on the road. They are -245 to win while the Wildcats’ moneyline sits at +198. The spread features Kansas State +6, and the over/under for total points is 135.5.
More Odds
Baylor has the better odds between the two of winning the National Championship. They have the eighth-best odds at +1600. Kansas State is +25000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
On the offensive side, Baylor has been the stronger of the two teams. They rank 24th in scoring averaging 77.9 points per game (72.9 on the road). The Wildcats rank 249th averaging 67.5 points per game (70.2 at home).
It is Baylor again that holds the advantage defensively. They rank 23rd in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents just 62.3 points per game (67.7 on the road). Kansas State ranks 28th, allowing 63.3 points (60 at home).
Baylor Looking To Get Back On Track
While the Baylor Bears started the season off really strong, they have sputtered a bit as of late. In fact, they have lost two of their last three games and will look to get back on track against a surging Kansas State team on Wednesday.
Baylor is hopeful to get leading scorer LJ Cryer back from a foot injury, but he is questionable leading up to this one. In 18 games this season, he has averaged 13.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
If he is unable to play, the Bears will look to James Akinjo (12.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.1 steals), Adam Flagler (12.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists), Kendall Brown (10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists), and Matthew Mayer (9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals) to pick up the slack.
Kansas State Looks For Revenge
This will be the second time these two teams have locked up this season. In the first outing, the Wildcats were embarrassed on the road as they lost 74-49 at Baylor. On Wednesday, they will look to repay the favor as they play at Fred Bramlage Coliseum, where they are 8-4 this season.
Leading the way for the Wildcats’ offense is sophomore guard Nijel Pack. He is averaging 17 points on 46% shooting. He is also adding 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
The Wildcats have two others averaging double digits in guards Markquis Nowell (11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals) and Mark Smith (11.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals).
Take Baylor To Win And Cover
For as well as Kansas State has played recently, they just don’t match up well with Baylor. They are outsized, and Baylor can be elite at both ends of the floor.
Obviously, it would be a huge blow for Baylor if Cryer is still out, but the Bears still should have enough to get the job done even without him.
Take Baylor to win and to cover the 6-point spread.
