Kansas had its 10-game winning streak turn into a two game losing streak over the past week, including a disheartening 23-point loss at home on Saturday.
The Big 12 is relentless this season, though, and the gauntlet continues on Monday for the Jayhawks, as they hit the road to face Baylor on Monday night. The Bears are starting to look like their best self, winners of four straight including back-to-back road victories at Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Baylor has an elite offense but is its defense exploitable for the Jayhawks to get back on track?
Let’s check out the odds and make a bet:
Kansas vs. Baylor odds, spread and total
Kansas vs. Baylor prediction and pick
It’s been well documented how well Kansas has responded off of a loss under Bill Self, 88-14 straight up, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday when it got ran off the floor at home, so take every trend with a grain of salt.
With that being said, this is a good matchup for Kansas, who won’t have to worry about Baylor on the interior and can utilize K.J. Adams as the lone big man for most of the game. The Bears are a perimeter oriented offense that has been humming on offense while grabbing nearly 38% of available offensive rebounds.
However, Kansas has the ability to switch on the outside with Adams and are owed some shooting regression (teams are hitting more than 37% of their three’s against the Jayhawks in conference play). This game is going to come down to isolation matchups for Baylor and while they certainly can win, the scheme is there for KU to stay at the very least within a bucket in this one.
On the other side, Baylor’s no-middle defense has been vulnerable in Big 12 play, allowing foes to shoot 56% on two-point shots and are bottom 20 in the country in defending the rim. Jalen Wilson has been a monster in conference play, averaging over 21 points per game, and Adams is a nifty finisher himself. If Kansas limits turnovers, the offense should get what they want inside.
I think this number has drifted too wide on KU and I’ll buy the dip after an overtime loss at Kansas State and a no show on Saturday against TCU. You rarely get the Jayhawks as a dog, don’t miss the opportunity here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.