Tag: Ferrell Center

Texas Tech at Baylor college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing Monday’s Texas Tech Red Raiders at Baylor Bears sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-11, 9-7 in Big 12) play the Baylor Bears (25-3, 14-2) in their final regular-season meeting Monday at Ferrell Center at 9 p.m. ET. We analyze the Texas Tech-Baylor odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Texas Tech at Baylor: Three things you need to know

  1. Baylor has lost two of its past three games, which includes a 64-61 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks Feb. 22, and an upset loss at the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday by a 75-72 score.
  2. Texas Tech has lost back-to-back games, including an embarrassing home upset at the hands of the Texas Longhorns by a 68-58 score Saturday. The losses caused the Red Raiders to fall out of the USA TODAY Sports’ men’s basketball coaches poll and has them currently in third place in the Big 12.
  3. Baylor has beaten Texas Tech, both outright and against the spread, in three of their previous four meetings, including 57-52 victory in the first game of the season (Jan. 7).

Get some action on this college basketball matchup or others by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

Texas Tech at Baylor: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 3 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Baylor 72, Texas Tech 61

Moneyline (ML)

These two squads have similar attributes. They’re very good defensively—Baylor (-334) ranks fifth in the nation in opponent points per game and Texas Tech (+260) is 29th. They’re both average offensively—the Bears rank 169th in PPG for and the Red Raiders are ranked 134th.

Where Baylor has a decided edge is in the rebounding matchup. Texas Tech is ranked 291st in rebounds per game and Baylor is 58th in opponent rebounds per game. Plus, Baylor has a plus-5.9 rebound per game differential compared to Texas Tech’s minus-0.4 rebound per game differential. In what should be a defensive battle, this rebounding advantage could be major. This has caused me to not respect the Red Raiders’ upset potential so we’ll PASS ON THE MONEYLINE.

Against the Spread (ATS)

BAYLOR -7.5 (-106) is the only way to go if you’re betting the spread. The Bears have the best against the spread record versus ranked opponents in the Big 12 with a 5-2 ATS record and are tied with Kansas for the best ATS record against conference opponents at 11-5. Also, Texas Tech (+7.5, -115) doesn’t bounce back well from losses, at least not against the bookmakers’ lines, as they are 3-7 ATS following a loss. 

Over/Under (O/U)

Let’s TAKE the OVER 129.5 (-115) for the following reasons. First, the Over being set at -115 means the market is betting the Over and BetMGM is trying to get some balance in their Texas Tech-Baylor total handle. Second, the Over is 5-0 in the Bears’ last five games following a straight-up loss and 6-1 in the Red Raiders’ last seven games following an ATS loss. Third, the Over has cashed in two of the last three Texas Tech-Baylor contests.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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West Virginia Mountaineers at Baylor Bears college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing West Virginia Mountaineers at Baylor Bears sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The West Virginia Mountaineers (18-6, 6-5 Big 12) visit the rival Baylor Bears (22-1, 11-0) Saturday in the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, for a 4 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the West Virginia-Baylor odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

West Virginia at Baylor: Three things you need to know

  1. Baylor is on pace for its best season and its first 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament in the Scott Drew era. In 17 seasons under Drew, Baylor’s highest seed for the tournament was No. 3 in 2010, ’12 & ’15, but the Bears have never won the Big 12 title.
  2. Bob Huggins is looking to get West Virginia back into the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season. 2018-19 snapped a four-year streak of the Mountaineers playing in March Madness.  
  3. Baylor has beaten West Virginia in their last two meetings but the Mountaineers have covered three out of the last four games. 

Get some action on this college basketball matchup or others by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

West Virginia at Baylor: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Baylor 65, West Virginia 62

Moneyline (ML)

This game will be close because of both team’s defenses (more on that in a second) but what causes me to lean toward West Virginia is its frontcourt mismatch. The two RSCI top-100 ranked recruits in West Virginia’s starting lineup—Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver—lead the Mountaineers in points and rebounds per game. Tshiebwe stands at 6-foot-9 and Culver 6-10; and no one in Baylor’s starting lineup is listed taller than 6-8. West Virginia can use its size to dominate the glass and Baylor out of the paint.

But, I will PASS ON THE MONEYLINE (West Virginia +195/Baylor -239) here because of West Virginia’s 3-5 road record playing a Baylor team that is undefeated (11-0) at home.

Against the Spread (ATS)

The Bears are favored at -5.5 (-110) in what will likely be a defensive match. Per updated stats on NCAA.com, West Virginia is 14th in the nation in opponents scoring, fifth in opponent’s field-goal percentage and third in opponent’s 3-point FG%. But don’t sleep on a Bears defense that ranks fifth in opponent’s PPG, 16th in opponents’ FG% and 61st in opponent’s 3-point FG%. They are going against a West Virginia offense ranked 159th in PPG, 239th in FG% and 319th in 3-point shooting. Plus neither team will be able to ice the game away with their poor free-throw shooting. The Mountaineers are 328th in the nation from the charity stripe, while the Bears are ranked 205th.

BET WEST VIRGINIA +5.5 (-110).

Over/Under (O/U)

If the handicap for the line is a defensive battle keeping the game close, then UNDER 130.5 (-121) is the only thing that makes sense here. The extra vig on the Under makes me a feel a little better because it means the market is seeing a similar game as I am. Furthermore, West Virginia’s Over/Under record is 2-6 on the road and Baylor has a 4-7 O/U record at home.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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