The No. 6 Baylor Bears (15-2, 3-2 Big 12) visit the West Virginia Mountaineers (13-3, 2-2) Tuesday at WVU Coliseum for a 5 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we look at Baylor vs. West Virginia odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Baylor has dropped to No. 6 after holding the top spot for a few weeks following consecutive home losses to conference foes Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Bears are led by James Akinjo, a senior guard who transferred from Arizona.
West Virginia did receive some votes to break into the top 25 although it remains on the outside looking in. The Mountaineers are coming off a 26-point road loss to Kansas, but they have recently defeated Oklahoma State — one of the two teams that defeated Baylor. West Virginia is led by junior guard Taz Sherman.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Baylor at West Virginia odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Baylor -270 (bet $270 to win $100) | West Virginia +210 (bet $100 to win $210)
- Against the spread (ATS): Baylor -6.5 (-105) | West Virginia +6.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Baylor at West Virginia odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Baylor 72, West Virginia 68
Money line
PASS on the money line.
I like Baylor to win but I’ll pass on their money line odds at -270 in a road game and on a two-game losing skid. Similarly, WVU’s last performance was far from convincing, so betting an upset at +210 isn’t wise either.
Against the spread
BET on WEST VIRGINIA +6.5 (-120).
While its most recent showing was pitiful, it was on the road against the best team in the conference.
West Virginia’s premier struggles come in defending big men as they only consistently play one player over 6-foot-7 — 6’10” F Isaiah Cottrell — and even he only averages 16.5 minutes per game.
Baylor, while gritty on the defensive side, is similar in the fact that they’re primarily guard-led. This will be a battle of star backcourts, and I’ll take the Mountaineers and the better scorer — Sherman — to cover.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the OVER 138.5 (-110).
The Bears rank first in the conference in three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made. They like to get out and shoot early and often and they’re 9-7-1 O/U this season.
The Mountaineers star-studded backcourt with two premier sharpshooters will more than likely also be letting it fly. WVU is 3-1 O/U in conference games.
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @nathanbeighle_ on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]