Baylor Bears vs Arizona Wildcats NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/14/25
Planning on watching today’s Bears and Wildcats game? Catch the action at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ, as the Wildcats hosts this showdown at 11:00 ET on ESPN. The odds for this Big 12 conference game currently have Arizona as the -5.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 149 points.
BAYLOR BEARS VS ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Baylor Bears +5.5
This game will be played at McKale Center at 11:00 ET on Tuesday, January 14th.
WHY BET THE BAYLOR BEARS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-72 in favor of the Wildcats.
- Even though we have Arizona winning straight-up, we like Baylor at +5.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 149 points, and we like the under with a projected 147 points.
Can Baylor Pull Off A Win at McKale Center?
Baylor improved to 10-4 on the season with a 72-66 win over Arizona State on Saturday. The Bears were -6.5 favorites going into the game, but they didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 138, just under the O/U line of 141.5.
Baylor took control early, leading 32-20 at halftime, but they allowed Arizona State to score 41 points in the second half while putting up 29 points of their own.
Baylor put up 72 points in their last game, shooting 43.1% from the field and hitting 38.1% from beyond the arc (8/21). Their effective field goal percentage stood at 50%, and they connected on 66.7% of their free throws (14/21).
Josh Ojianwuna was perfect from the field, going 6/6 and grabbing 17 rebounds. BJ Freeman led the team with 22 points, while Norchad Omier added 19 points, shooting 58.3% overall and 50% from three-point range (2/4).
Despite giving up 66 points, Baylor’s defense held their opponent to just 36% shooting from the field, including 41% on two-point attempts. The Bears limited their opponent to 22 made field goals on 60 attempts.
From beyond the arc, Baylor’s defense allowed 7 threes on 24 attempts, a 29% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 22 times, where they converted 15, shooting 68%. Baylor gave up 12 offensive rebounds.
Will Arizona Pull Through as the Favored Home Team?
Arizona improved to 10-5 on the season with an 88-80 win over UCF on Saturday. Playing at home, the Wildcats were -17 favorites but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game reached 168, surpassing the over/under line of 155.5.
Arizona led 45-42 at halftime and added 43 points in the 2nd half while holding UCF to 38 points after the break.
Arizona put up 88 points in their last game, shooting 46.7% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 53.3%. They hit 39.1% from beyond the arc, connecting on 9 of 23 attempts, and were strong from the free-throw line, making 23 of 29 for 79.3%.
Keyshawn Hall led the way with 22 points and 5 assists, despite shooting just 41.2% overall and 16.7% from three. Caleb Love added 16 points, hitting 4 of 7 from deep, while Darius Johnson contributed 18 points, though he shot just 30% from three.
Arizona’s defense struggled, giving up 80 points on 46% shooting. They allowed 19 two-point field goals on 37 attempts, a 51% success rate.
From beyond the arc, Arizona’s opponents hit 9 threes on 23 attempts, shooting 39%. They also sent them to the line 29 times, where they converted 23 free throws, a 79% rate.