Norfolk State vs Baylor NCAA Tournament First Round odds, tips and betting trends

The top-seeded Baylor Bears (26-6) and the No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans (24-6) will meet on Thursday to compete for a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Baylor is favored by 20.5 points in the opening round matchup, which begins at …

The top-seeded Baylor Bears (26-6) and the No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans (24-6) will meet on Thursday to compete for a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Baylor is favored by 20.5 points in the opening round matchup, which begins at 2:00 PM. Here are the insights you need when filling out your bracket for this 1-16 matchup.

Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.

Baylor is 16-15-1 against the spread this season compared to Norfolk State’s 19-10-1 ATS record. The Bears have gone over the point total in 18 games, while Spartans games have gone over 11 times. The two teams average 151.6 points per game, 14.1 more points than this matchup’s total. Over the past 10 games, Baylor has a 4-6-0 record against the spread while going 7-3 overall. Norfolk State has gone 6-4-0 against the spread and 9-1 overall in its last 10 matches.

Ahead of watching this matchup, here is everything you need to know about Thursday’s college hoops action.

Norfolk State at Baylor odds, spread and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list.

  • Spread: Baylor -20.5
  • Total: 137.5
  • Moneyline: Baylor -6471, Norfolk State +1664

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Norfolk State at Baylor odds, spread, & more

Prediction

Baylor 77, Norfolk State 63

Moneyline

  • The Bears have won 26 of the 30 games they were the moneyline favorite this season (86.7%).
  • Baylor has won all four games it has played as a moneyline favorite with odds of -6471 or shorter.
  • The Bears have a 98.5% chance to win this contest based on the moneyline’s implied probability.
  • The Spartans have won three of the six games they’ve played as underdogs this season.
  • Norfolk State has played as an underdog of +1664 or more once this season and lost that game.
  • The Spartans have a 5.7% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.

Against the spread

  • The Bears record 12.8 more points per game (76.5) than the Spartans allow (63.7).
  • Baylor has a 15-11-1 record against the spread and a 25-2 record overall when scoring more than 63.7 points.
  • Norfolk State has a 13-7 record against the spread and a 19-4 record overall when allowing fewer than 76.5 points.
  • The Spartans’ 75.1 points per game are 11.5 more points than the 63.6 the Bears allow to opponents.
  • Norfolk State has put together a 13-5-1 ATS record and a 20-2 overall record in games it scores more than 63.6 points.
  • Baylor is 16-10-1 against the spread and 25-2 overall when it allows fewer than 75.1 points.
  • The Bears have totaled 412 more points than their opponents this season (12.9 per game on average), and the Spartans have scored 341 more points than their opponents (11.4 per game).

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Over/Under

  • The average implied total for the Bears this season is 75.8 points, 3.2 fewer points than their implied total of 79 points in Thursday’s game.
  • This season, Baylor has scored more than 79 points in 11 games.
  • The Spartans’ average implied point total on the season (74.5 points) is 15.5 points higher than their implied total in this matchup (59 points).
  • This year, Norfolk State has scored more than 59 points in a game 27 times.

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