Baylor vs BYU Betting Lines: Cougars Small Home Favorites
Cougars Struggling Against Spread in Big 12
The No. 11 Baylor Bears visit the No. 25 BYU Cougars in one of the better games of the day. The Bears have won two straight after a loss at Kansas. The Cougars are looking to bounce back from a road loss to Oklahoma State. Baylor won the first meeting between the two teams in January behind the 25 points of Jalen Bridges. But the Cougars have been just 6-7 ATS for the last three years, and they are looking to avenge a road loss. The Baylor vs BYU betting lines have the Cougars favored by four points, and the total on the game is at 155.
Bears vs Cougars 
Day/Time:
Location: University Credit Union Pavilion; Moraga, Calif.
Streaming: ESPN
Baylor Looking For 20th Win
The Bears are 19-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play. Baylor will be hard to leave out of the NCAA tournament bracket with a few more victories. The Bears have played the 15th-toughest schedule in the country, according to the KenPom strength of schedule rankings.
Baylor has been a good team to bettors this year, going 16-7-1 against the spread. The Bears are 7-4-1 ATS in Big 12 Conference play and 3-2 as an underdog. Baylor has been pretty solid away from home this year, going 11-7-1 against the spread and 12-6 straight-up. The Bears are 13-11 in totals on the season.
Baylor has the No. 1 offense in the Big 12 Conference, according to the KenPom efficiency ratings. The Bears are the slowest-paced team in conference but are No. 5 in 3-point shooting and No. 4 in 2-point field goal percentage. Baylor helps its cause by being No. 3 in offensive rebounds and getting to the foul line. The Bears don’t make many turnovers and are solid from the foul line.
Baylor is a pretty average team on defense. The Bears rank No. 9 in the KenPom efficiency ratings. The Bears allow a high percentage of shots in conference games. But Baylor also forces some turnovers and does a decent job of preventing offensive rebounds. The Bears are better than average when it comes to keeping teams off the foul line.
Cougars Like to Play at a Quick Pace
BYU’s game plan is to get up and down the court. The Cougars are No. 2 in the Big 12’s adjusted pace ratings, so there’s a definite contrast of styles here. But the Cougars have made their style work and are 18-7 on the NCAAB season. BYU is just 6-6 straight-up in conference games and 3-9 against the spread.
The Cougars played a pretty soft non-conference slate. BYU is 14-11 against the spread on the season and 10-5 at home. Despite scoring 83.4 points per game, BYU is just 12-13 in totals on the season.
The Cougars are the best 2-point shooting team in the conference. But BYU also puts up more 3-pointers than any team in the Big 12. The Cougars are No. 9 in 3-point percentage in conference games.
But BYU must feel shooting so many shots from the outside keeps defenders honest and allows for some easier inside shots. The Cougars are average in turnover percentage and offense rebounds. BYU also doesn’t get to the foul line too much.
The BYU defense has struggled at times. The Cougars are allowing 35.5% on 3-point attempts in conference games. The 2-point defense is better, although BYU doesn’t force many turnovers and sends teams to the foul line too much.
What to Expect
Both teams are going to look to do what they do best. Baylor will look to play a slowdown game. The Cougars want to run, especially at home. The elevation in Provo is 4,550 feet, and BYU is used to it. Visiting teams aren’t, and that plays a role in BYU’s home success.
Both teams have their own strengths and weaknesses, but both are solid overall. The odds to win March Madness on Baylor are +4000 and the Cougars are +5000. Those could change depending on the outcome of this game.
Who to Bet On?
The Baylor vs BYU betting lines of Cougars -4 is pretty much where you would expect it. Baylor might be a shade better on a neutral court. But this is a revenge game for BYU and the Cougars have a strong home court advantage.
The Bears do have Houston at home up next and might be caught looking ahead a bit. Even though this is a conference game, there’s no real rivalry between the two schools since this is BYU’s first year in the Big 12.
The Baylor vs BYU betting linesof 155 on the total is a tough one to call. Both NCAAB teams are better offensively than on defense. But Baylor wasn’t very good from the field in the first game and still scored 81 points. The Cougars shot better, but also had 14 turnovers to five for the Bears. Baylor’s pace makes it hard to back the over in this spot.
Value-wise, the Cougars -4 are probably the side you want to be on. It’s a bigger game for BYU, who has a tougher hill to climb to the NCAA Tournament than Baylor.
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