Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
Baylor Bears (12-5) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-7)
Week 11 of the 2022-23 college basketball season continues Tuesday, January 17, with the Baylor Bears taking on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 Conference showdown at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
The tip-off is set for 9:00 PM ET, and the Red Raiders aim for their third straight victory over the Bears. Texas Tech opens as a slight 1.5-point home fave with a total of 147.0 points, so let’s take a closer look.
After dropping their first three games in conference play against Iowa State 77-62, No. 17 TCU 88-87, and Kansas State 97-95 in overtime, the Baylor Bears (12-5; 8-9 ATS; 2-3 conf.) have won two straight contests at West Virginia 83-78 and to Oklahoma State 74-58. Last Saturday, the Bears held the Cowboys to 23 first-half points and led wire-to-wire, covering a 7.5-point spread in front of the home fans.
Baylor dominated Oklahoma State on both sides of the ball. While the Cowboys made just 38.3% of their field goals (7-for-33 from deep), the Bears shot 46.3% from the field (9-for-24 from deep) and posted a nice 18/11 assist-to-turnover ratio. Junior guard LJ Cryer led Baylor with 16 points, junior forward Jalen Bridges and senior forward Flo Thamba notched 12 points apiece, while senior guard Adam Flagler accounted for 11 points and eight assists.
Full highlights from tonight's win in Waco ????#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/9TZrZuqwwB
— Baylor Men's Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 15, 2023
Baylor is No. 19 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 16 in the KenPom rankings. The Bears own the eighth-highest offensive rating in the country, tallying 117.8 points per 100 possessions. They make 9.5 triples per game (23rd in the nation) on a 36.1 percentage clip (85th) while handing out 16.5 assists a night (25th). The Bears allow 98.7 points per 100 possessions (77th) on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc (186th), and their defense ranks 269th in free-throw rate.