The No. 2 Baylor Bears (18-0 overall, 10-0 Big 12) visit the 19th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (17-8, 11-6) Saturday night. Tip-off for the conference showdown is set for 8 p.m. ET at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
Below, we analyze the Baylor-Kansas odds and lines, with NCAA college basketball picks and predictions.
Seven Big 12 teams are ranked in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. Two – Baylor and No. 8 Oklahoma – are in the top 10.
The Bears sit atop the Big 12 standings, while the Jayhawks are third, just percentage points behind West Virginia (16-6, 9-4).
Baylor at Kansas: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Baylor -225 (bet $225 to win $100) | Kansas +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
- Against the spread/ATS: Baylor -4.5 (-115) | Kansas +4.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 142.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Baylor at Kansas: Three things to know
- Baylor showed a bit of rust and escaped what would have been one of the biggest upsets of the season with a 77-72 home victory against last-place Iowa State Tuesday. The Bears, 24-point favorites, hadn’t played since Feb. 2 due to a COVID-19 pause. Against the Cyclones, they trailed by as many as 17 in the first half (32-15) and were tied at 68-all with 2:51 to go. Junior G Jared Butler’s 17.1 points per game lead four Bears in double figures.
- Kanas had a 5-game win streak snapped with a 75-72 overtime loss at No. 16 Texas Tuesday. The Jayhawks, who led 43-32 at the half, let this one slip away. Kansas, which pushed as a 3-point underdog, opened OT with a 3 by sophomore G Christian Braun and led 72-70 with 1:41 left before Texas scored the final five points. Junior G Ochai Agbaji’s 13.8 PPG leads five Jayhawks in double figures.
- Baylor beat Kansas 77-69 in mid-January but came up a “hook” short of covering as an 8.5-point home favorite. The Bears, who received a season-high 30 points from Butler, jumped out to a 41-28 halftime advantage and led by 5 or more points the rest of the way.
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Baylor at Kansas: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Kansas 79, Baylor 75
Money line (ML)
Back KANSAS (+180) with a HALF-UNIT wager.
The Bears are the better team and will go deeper in the NCAA tourney, but this is a tough spot for head coach Scott Drew’s crew.
The Jayhawks, 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games, are coming off a tough loss, while the Bears still might have some of the “rust” that appeared in Tuesday’s ugly victory vs. Iowa State.
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Against the spread (ATS)
KANSAS +4.5 (-105) is worth a FULL-UNIT play. Along with the reasons mentioned above, the underdog is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 of this series.
Baylor, which has never swept Kansas in the regular season, has won 2 of the past 3 in the series, but only covered the spread once.
ATS: Baylor 13-5 | Kansas 12-11-1
Over/Under (O/U)
Bet the OVER with a HALF-UNIT. 142.5 (-110) is just too low a number for these two. Baylor averages 86.4 PPG to rank second in the country (behind Gonzaga’s 93.2 PPG). Kansas averages 73.6 PPG.
O/U records: Baylor 10-8 | Kansas 13-11
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
| JOHNNY PARLAY’S RECORD | W-L | SP | ROI |
| College hoops since Jan. 1 | 60-45-1 | 28-25 | +11.95 |
| 2020-21 College hoops | 75-62-1 | 33-35 | +5.225 |
| 2021 record (all sports) | 75-54-1 | 38-27 | +23.25 |
| *–SP: Strongest plays; ROI: Return on investment | |||
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