Big 12 Basketball Conference Odds: Baylor, Kansas Favored
Texas Longhorns Will Push Top 2 Teams in Big 12
The Big 12 basketball conference odds show a definite case of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ entering this season. Five teams are at odds of +800 or lower, while the other five teams are at odds of +2500 or greater.
The Big 12 Conference will be strong once again this season. The Sagarin college basketball ratings have the Big 12 as the second-toughest conference in the country. With three teams in his top 12, it’s little wonder he likes the conference.
The Big Two
Two teams stand out above the others, who happen to be the co-favorites in Big 12 basketball conference odds;Kansas and Baylor. The conference winner should be one of these two teams but don’t overlook Texas.
Baylor (+200): The Bears were upset in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament by North Carolina. Baylor was a 5.5-point favorite in the college basketball point spreads, but dropped the game in overtime.
This season they’ll try to redeem themselves. The Bears return five players who averaged more than 17 minutes a game last year.
Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer were two of the team’s top three scorers last year. But the big basketball news for Baylor was the signing of Keyonte George, a 6-foot, 4-inch guard who can do it all.
George was rated as one of the top seven high school seniors in the country last year.
Kansas (+200): The Big 12 basketball conference odds have the defending national champions at +200, which is fair considering the strength of Baylor and Texas. It’s never easy to repeat but Kansas has the pieces in place to make a run at it.
Kansas had one of the top five recruiting classes in the nation and brings in Kevin McCullar from Texas Tech. McCullar averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Red Raiders last season.
The Jayhawks didn’t land the big one when it came to recruiting. But three recruits were rated among the top 40 high school seniors last season.
Gradey Dick was the highest rated at No. 20.Kansas will need the freshmen to play key roles this season after losing its top two scorers. Leading rebounder Jalen Wilson is back, as is assist leader Dajuan Harris.
Best of the Rest
Texas (+325): There’s plenty of like about this year’s Texas squad. With its top two scorers returning, two talented transfers coming in and the addition of one of the top five freshmen in the country, the Longhorns are ready to make a run at the conference title.
The Longhorns could be a bit overlooked early on, making them a team to watch for your NCAAB picks and parlays.
Leading NCAAB scorer and rebounder Timmy Allen is back for his senior year. As is assist leader and second-leading scorer Marcus Carr. Tyrese Hunter comes in from Iowa State, where he averaged 11.0 points and 4.9 assists as a freshman.
Sir’ Jabari Rice averaged 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds for New Mexico State last season in a down year. Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris are both 5-star recruits, with Mitchell ranked in the top five nationally.
Texas Tech (+800): There’s a big drop-off in the Big 12 basketball conference odds once you reach Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are a good team but they’ll have a tough time keeping up with the others.
Texas Tech lost its top three scorers from last season and had a good, but not necessarily great, recruiting class. The Red Raiders will need contributions from its transfers and they landed some good ones. Texas Tech was ranked as having the best transfer class in the nation.
TCU (+800): The Horned Frogs are getting some attention early in the Big 12 basketball conference oddsdue to returning their top six scorers from last season. That’s a good thing, however, as TCU has little coming in to help. A below-average recruiting class and not much help in the transfer department will have TCU leaning heavily on last year’s group.
That may not be a bad thing, however, as TCU reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. But while other basketball teams improved, but Horned Frogs stayed pat. That might not be enough in the Big 12 Conference this season.
Follow us on Twitter
