Cameron Carr and the Baylor Bears welcome the TCU Horned Frogs to the Forster Pavilion on Saturday for a 5 p.m. CT tip on ESPN. TCU (12-7, 2-4 Big 12) is coming off a three-point win against Oklahoma State in snapping their four-game losing skid since hanging a 69-63 win on the Bears (11-7, 1-5 Big 12) earlier this month. Baylor is coming off back-to-back losses at Kansas (80-62) and Texas Tech (92-73) at home in a 1-5 start to Big 12 play.
TCU vs. Baylor Odds and Over/Under
The spread opened up at Baylor -3.5 points and an over/under of 150 total points. The line has moved by Saturday morning to Baylor -4, but the over/under has come down slightly to 148.5 or 149 total points.
Top Storyline: Buried in the Bottom Half
Scott Drew‘s Baylor teams are typically never this low in the Big 12 standings by late January, but the Bears find themselves buried with TCU in the bottom half of the table after a poor month at home (0-3). Both programs have played three top-25 opponents over their last five-game stretch.
Match Up to Watch: David Punch and James Nnaji
Boos rained down on midseason Baylor addition James Nnaji when the former NBA Draft pick made his college debut in Fort Worth earlier this month. He’ll potentially line up against TCU’s leading scorer, David Punch, in the frontcourt. Punch is coming off back-to-back 20-plus point performances. Nnaji recorded just minutes on the floor against Texas Tech on Tuesday.
Prediction: TCU 70, Baylor 68
TCU got its official wake-up call following a one-possession loss at Utah, and they’re headed to Waco with a blueprint on the Bears. Punch proved too much to handle for Baylor’s defense, and, should Nnaji be limited again, that concern falls to Caden Powell. Even with a home crowd in its favor, Baylor let Texas Tech pour on 17 triples earlier this week in a 19-point embarrassment. Should the Bears get a hero game out of Carr, they’ll have a chance, but my trust is with TCU, the third-best turnover generator in the conference.
