The Baylor Bears are hosting the Texas Longhorns tonight in Big 12 College Basketball action. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the betting odds for the game have the Bears favored to pick up the victory tonight.
Shaka Smart and the Texas Longhorns have already gone 3-1 this year against ranked teams, a victory here would give them a fourth. Baylor, though, is the hottest team in the Big 12 right now in picking up seven wins the last eight games overall. The Bears have risen to the 16th overall spot in the RPI rankings to date and all four of their losses have come to teams that are ahead of them in the RPI — No. 1 Oklahoma at home in addition to road games at No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Kansas and No. 12 Texas A&M.
While the RPI is not the official rankings for college basketball, it can often times be a better overall judge of teams. Baylor is playing very strong right now and the only loss the last eight games was to Oklahoma.
Texas is also playing some solid basketball under coach Smart, the Longhorns are 20th overall in the latest RPI and they have played a very strong schedule, the fourth-toughest in the country. Three early-season losses, all to Top 50 RPI squads, has Texas with a win/loss ratio that doesn’t look spectacular, but note they have been playing solid since the turn of the calendar, winning six of nine. Consecutive wins over TCU and Vanderbilt at home have the Longhorns feeling good, but this contest on the road at Baylor will be a very tough battle. Texas is just 2-3 in true road games this season, Baylor has just the lone home loss to the Sooners.
This should be an exciting game and certainly a big one for the conference race. Baylor is 6-2 and atop the Big 12 with Oklahoma and West Virginia. Texas finds itself tied with Kansas and Iowa State at 5-3 in league play.
The edge goes to Baylor. They are playing strong basketball right now and have been tough to beat at home.
Free Pick: Baylor
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