The seventh-ranked Houston Cougars are in Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears at 1:00 p.m. ET. Houston is 14-1 this season, while Baylor has a 10-4 record. Houston is 3-2 against Baylor in their all-time series and has won the previous three matchups.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Houston is a -4.5-point favorite with the game’s over/under sitting at 143.5 points. Here is my best bet for today’s Houston vs. Baylor college basketball matchup.
Houston vs. Baylor (1:00 p.m. ET)
Houston’s lone loss came on November 25 against Tennessee, 76-73. But since then, the Couygars have won eight consecutive games with their last victory coming against No. 14 Texas Tech. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings is leading Houston in scoring with 16.1 points per game. Emmanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan round out Houston’s elite backcourt.
The Cougars’ offensive rating is only 28th in the country, but their defensive rating is sixth-best. During their current winning streak, Houston has allowed 67 or fewer points in seven of eight games. Although Houston averages only 77.3 points per game, it hasn’t mattered, as they have forced opposing teams to play at their pace.
Baylor has lost two straight games against TCU and Iowa State. Before that, Baylor won four consecutive games against lower-level competition. Baylor has struggled against the tougher competition they have faced this season. The Bears are No. 34 on KenPom and have the 16th-best offensive rating in the country. Baylor averages 90.7 points per contest, with Cameron Carr leading the team with 20.7 points. Freshman Tounde Yessoufou scores 18 points with six rebounds a game. Baylor’s scoring average is a little inflated because it hasn’t performed as well against higher-level competition. They scored 78 points against Washington, 81 against Creighton and St. John’s, 91 against San Diego State, 71 against Memphis, 63 against TCU, and 60 against Iowa State.
This is a high-level guard matchup between Houston and Baylor. Even though Baylor has a solid backcourt, Houston’s has more big-game experience with Sharp and Uzan, while Fleming has not played like a freshman. This season, Houston has won 11 of their 14 games by at least five points.
