The No. 25 Oklahoma Sooners take on the No. 12 Baylor Bears in a high-profile Big XII matchup on Tuesday, February 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN.
Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 Big XII) grabbed a 66-62 win over Oklahoma State in their latest game. Forward Jalon Moore led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds. The Sooners rank 25th overall at KenPom and 18th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They let up 66.1 points per game (35th in the nation) on 39.8% shooting (14th in the nation). Their three-point defense has locked down the perimeter this season, which will serve them well against this Baylor team.
The Sooners’ offense is led by guard Javian McCollum, who averages 14.2 points per game. They lack much scoring depth and don’t have one outsized scorer to the detriment of their offense, which is limited to scoring 77.3 points per game (67th in the nation).
Baylor (17-6, 6-4 Big XII) fell to No. 4 Kansas in a close game on Saturday, breaking their three-game winning streak. They came close to staging a late comeback, but fell 64-61. The Bears rank 14th overall at KenPom and seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency. Led by guard Ja’Kobe Walter, they average 82.1 points per game (21st in the nation). They are among the best three-point shooting teams in the country, making 40.7% from the perimeter (3rd in the country).
Five Baylor players average in the double digits in scoring. Their defense tends to fall short at time, as they allow 70.6 points per game (120th in the nation). In their latest loss to Kansas, they beat the Jayhawks handily at the boards, grabbing 42 rebounds to Kansas’ 25, but struggled to hold onto the ball, turning it over 21 times.
Oklahoma vs. Baylor odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Baylor -6.5
Total: 144
Moneyline: Baylor -298, Oklahoma +240
Pick: Oklahoma +6.5
Oklahoma’s three-point defense is what is leaning me their direction here. Baylor relies on their perimeter a fair amount, although they do have more scoring depth than the Sooners. Both of these teams have had plenty of close finishes this season, which is indicative of the Big XII conference race as a whole. While the Sooners don’t have too many big scorers, they may be able to take advantage of Baylor’s ball insecurity from their latest game.