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The New Orleans Privateers (2-4) and Baylor Bears (4-2) clash in a pre-holiday matinee Wednesday in Waco. The opening tip from Foster Pavilion will be at 2 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the New Orleans vs. Baylor odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
New Orleans last played Friday, when it won 93-87 in an overtime tussle against favored-by-18 Tulane. The Privateers shot a season-best 50% from the floor, and they got a big 31-point, 8-rebound performance from G James White. UNO is playing its fifth straight game abroad in a stretch that has the squad away from its home hardwood of Kiefer Lakefront Arena for 11 in a row.
Baylor, which is No. 14 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, is coming off a Thursday loss to current-No. 9 Tennessee (77-62 as a 4½-point underdog) in the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas. The setback came after a double-overtime win over current-No. 20 St. John’s Wednesday. Prior to Thursday’s loss, the Bears had averaged 102.3 points per game over their previous 3 contests.
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New Orleans at Baylor odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college basketball odds Lines last updated at 9:28 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: New Orleans +3300 (bet $100 to win $3,300) | Baylor -10000 (bet $10,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): New Orleans +35.5 (-105) | Baylor -35.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 150.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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New Orleans at Baylor picks and predictions
Prediction
Baylor 90, New Orleans 61
Moneyline
No interest. PASS.
Against the spread
New Orleans has twice in the last 3 seasons been an underdog of 30 points or more. And the Privateers earned ATS wins in both.
UNO is similar in talent level to a Tarleton State squad Baylor routed 104-41 Nov. 17. But the Bears went 15-for-32 from distance in that game and hauled down offensive boards of field-goal misses at a greater-than-50% rate.
This contest Wednesday sends these 2 programs into a holiday week and is the lone BU game in a 4-game stretch between Nov. 21-Dec. 4 that does not have the Bears squaring off against a BartTorvik top-25. Might Baylor get caught napping, at least to the point of allowing a couple runs for the Privateers? The spread here is a big number.
New Orleans is perhaps just good enough in avoiding turnovers and defending the perimeter to keep this one in the 25-to-30-point range.
BET NEW ORLEANS +35.5 (-105).
Over/Under
The Over has gone 4-1 across BU’s last 5 games when favored by 25-plus.
The Bears are a slightly slower-than-average five on the pace meter. But the efficiency advantage at both ends here will be significant. The Privateers had it hammered home in their high-scoring game against Tulane that any stand they can make, even in short runs, can be leveraged by their faster-than-average tempo. The Over has gone 3-1 the last 4 times New Orleans was an underdog of 15 points or more.
FanDuel Sportsbook offers a better total for the Over bettor here: BACK THE OVER 149.5 (-110).
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