Baylor vs. West Virginia College Basketball prediction, preview
Simply put, Baylor is not a good team right now. The Bears have been a pure fade recently, and that holds particularly true on the road, which they will be in Morgantown on Saturday afternoon.
Baylor got steamrolled at home in the second half by TCU last Saturday, then went on the road and gave a lifeless effort on Wednesday against Cincinnati. The Bears are now just 1-7 in their last eight games, and 1-7 ATS in those outings. Baylor is 1-4 on the road this season, and Wednesday’s loss dropped it to 0-7 when priced as the underdog this season.
On the flip side, West Virginia has been really solid in this role. The Mountaineers are 12-2 when going off as the favorite this season, and a perfect 13-0 at home including a win over Kansas. Baylor has shown life at times on offense, due to the talent on the roster. But when matched up against a good defense, we see the Bears pack it in and play down to the competition — like the 57 points this week at Cincy.
WVU will do more of the same, ranking 36th on KenPom on defense, and playing at a snail’s pace — 361st in adjusted tempo. None of this works in Baylor’s favor. And what do the Bears hate to do? Play any defense — Baylor ranks 122nd on Kenpom on the defensive side of the ball.
There’s just not much to like about this Baylor team right now. Going on the road and playing no defense against a team that will be locked in defensively at home in a difficult place to play in. Not to mention the pace will drain the life out of the Bears. Give me WVU to improve to 14-0 at home.
CBB Pick: WVU -2.5 (-110)
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