The No. 7 Baylor Bears are unbeaten in their first 13 games, with a 4-2 spread record in the span’s six ‘board’ battles. Scott Drew’s squad opens Big 12 Conference play in Monday’s matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies, who are on a 0-5 ATS slide.
Sportsbooks opened Baylor as a 13-point home favorite, while
first listing the ‘total’ at 122. Early NCAA basketball betting wagers on the Bears and ‘over’
lifted the numbers to 13 ½ and 124 ½, respectively.
Bears survive in tight win
Baylor’s latest victory came in Wednesday’s 54-52 win as a 7
½-point home favorite against the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Bears guard Pierre Jackson delivered a clutch layup with 31 seconds remaining,
giving his squad the late lead.
Jackson finished with a team-high 14 points, while adding three
assists. Baylor’s Quincy Acy notched eight rebounds and three of his
team’s four blocks, while adding one steal.
The tight affair’s combined 106 points plunged below the ‘total’
of 142, bringing the ‘under’ to 3-2 in the Bears’ last five ‘board’
games. Baylor was held to 34.5 percent field shooting, while sinking
11-of-17 free throws.
Aggies upset by Rice
Texas A&M was unable to rally in a Dec. 22 defeat against the
Rice Owls, dropping the contest, 65-58, as an 8 ½-point home favorite. The Aggies fell behind at halftime, 33-26, while allowing Rice to connect on
47.7 percent of its field buckets.
Aggies forward David Loubeau logged team-highs of 14 points and
six rebounds off the bench. Loubeau’s mate Dash Harris and Khris
Middleton united for six assists, while finishing with 13 points each.
The contest’s combined 123 points ducked below the closing ‘total’
of 126, making the ‘under’ cash at 4-1 in the Aggies’ last five ‘board’
affairs. Texas A&M was outrebounded, 35-24, while draining 3-of-13
from beyond the arc.
The Aggies bounced back in Thursday’s 76-58 home win against the
‘non-board’ Div. II Arkansas Tech Golden Suns. Texas A&M’s Ray Turner
piled in 15 points and 15 boards, recording his second double-double in five
games.
Back Texas A&M to keep it close
Monday’s tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET), with ESPNU providing
the national television coverage.
I am placing my NCAA basketball pick with Texas A&M and the points, looking
for the Aggies to stay within covering range. Baylor has had two straight
scares in its win streak, pulling out both duels by just a bucket, with the
overvaluing of the Bears continuing from the NCAA Basketball odds makers in this spot.
The Aggies have also been overvalued, but get a quantum leap of
points from the sports books here. Texas A&M is 5-2 ATS in its last
seven Big 12 Conference battles from last season, while also logging a 5-2
spread mark in its last seven meetings against Baylor.
Harris is presently ranked fifth in the conference for the Aggies
in assists (4.4 APG), while Turner is the Big 12’s third-best shooter (63.9
percent). The duo and their mates have united to hold foes to a stingy
55.8 PPG and 35.7 percent field shooting.
Baylor
should be in for a tougher than expected test here and could finally hit the
wall after the team’s emotions continue to drain. The Bears are 0-4 ATS
in their last four home games against teams with losing road records, with
another un-cashed ticket looming in this spot.
My Pick: Texas A&M & the points