Kansas State Wildcats at Baylor Bears Betting Preview
With only a handful of regular season games remaining in the Big 12 schedule, both Baylor and Kansas State head into Tuesday night’s matchup looking to get back in the win column and gain some much-needed late season momentum. For the Wildcats, wins have been tough to come by as Kansas State has dropped seven consecutive games and currently sits in last in the conference. Baylor, on the other hand, had won an impressive 23 games in a row before being tripped up at home against conference rival Kansas. In order to keep pace with the Jayhawks atop the Big 12 standings, Baylor will need a win on Tuesday night over Kansas State.
Kansas State Hoping to Claw to Victory
This season has certainly not gone as planned for Bruce Weber’s club, as the Wildcats have salvaged just two victories in 14 Big 12 games to this point in the season. Kansas State also hasn’t won a true road game since November 9th, so the odds are certainly against the boys from Manhattan to pull off the shocker. They were competitive with Baylor when the two met at Bramlage Coliseum earlier in the month, falling by just six points a tightly contested game. For a gritty bunch that has lost its last five road games by 11 points or less each, Kansas State will look to keep Baylor within striking distance in the hopes of pulling an upset.
Forward Xavier Sneed has been one of the lone bright spots on a struggling Kansas State offense, as the talented senior is averaging 14.3 points per game on the year. Guard Cartier Diarra is the only other Wildcat to average double-figures in scoring this season (12.9 ppg), as Kansas State has struggled to find much offense this season. On the year, the Wildcats average just 64.3 points per game, the lowest mark in the Big 12 and amongst the worst in the country.
Bears Look for Bounce-Back Win
As Baylor prepares to enter Tuesday night’s contest coming off a loss for the first time in more than three months, the Bears have very little to hang their heads about. Currently sitting at 13-1 and just a half-game out of the top spot in the Big 12, Baylor has much to play for over the final few regular season games. Despite entering as a massive favorite on Tuesday night, it’ll take a total team effort to get back in the win column. The 9-18 Kansas State bunch may be the perfect opponent for Baylor, who have an opportunity to notch a much-needed win and regain some momentum that was lost following this past weekend’s devastating loss.
Baylor’s two best players this season have been guards Jared Butler and MaCio Teague. With the talented tandem averaging just under 30 points per game combined, Baylor’s efficient offense has averaged just over 70 points per game on the year. The true strength of this Bears team has been their defense, which has given up just 58.4 points per game on the season, good for third-best in the country. When taking on an offensively challenged team like the Wildcats, Baylor has a strong opportunity to hold its fifth consecutive opponent under the 65-point mark.
Even with a double-digit spread, the discrepancy in talent between these two squads is quite evident. I predict Baylor comes out fired up and looking for someone to take its frustrations out on following the Kansas loss. Unfortunately the Wildcats, Kansas State will bear the brunt of that force as they enter one of the toughest venues in the nation. Give me Baylor by a huge margin on Tuesday night for an important bounce-back game for the Bears. Take the Baylor Bears -14 at www.a1pph.com our favorite pay per head bookie site.