The No. 3 Baylor Bears will meet the No. 14 Colgate Raiders in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Here’s how both teams have done this season ahead of this matchup, along with odds for the game.
Baylor Bears
NET: 14
KenPom Overall: 14
KenPom O: 6
KenPom D: 62
Record: 23-10
Strength of Schedule: 1
Conference: Big 12
Conference Record: 11-7
Quad 1 Record: 10-9
Baylor has made it back to the Big Dance and is gunning to make it past the first weekend for the first time since its national championship run in 2021. The Bears once again held their own through a tough Big 12 slate, finishing near the top of the standings in the difficult league. They were battle tested against elite opponents as the only team in the conference that finished with more Quad 1 victories than them was Houston.
The backcourt duo of Ja’Kobe Walter and RayJ Dennis will be players to watch for Baylor as Walter averaged roughly 15 points per game while Dennis was an effective distributor with around seven assists per game. 7 ‘0’’ freshman center Yves Missi also warrants attention in the paint.
Colgate Raiders
NET: 125
KenPom Overall: 145
KenPom O: 211
KenPom D: 104
Record: 25-9
Strength of Schedule: 340
Conference: Patriot
Conference Record: 16-2
Quad 1 Record: 0-2
Colgate is back in the NCAA Tournament and it has become one of the regular mid-major participants in the Big Dance. This is Raiders’ fifth NCAA bid in the last six seasons and it most likely would’ve been six straight had the 2020 tourney not been canceled by COVID-19. Aside from a few hiccups, Matt Langel’s crew once again stormed through the Patriot League and dominated Lehigh 74-55 in the tournament championship last Wednesday.
The team was led by sophomore guard Braeden Smith, who earned Patriot League Player of the Year by averaging 12.5 points, 5.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Senior forward Keegan Records also earned all-conference honors with 10.9 points and 6.3 boards per night.
2024 March Madness: Baylor vs. Colgate odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Baylor -12.5, Colgate +12.5
Over/Under: 137.5
Moneyline: Baylor -675, Colgate +490