No. 5 Missouri Tigers at No. 3 Baylor Bears
Saturday, 1/21/12, 2:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Baylor -3.5
Current Betting Line: Baylor -4.5
Opening Total: 147.5
Current Total: 147.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Missouri is set for its fifth top-five matchup in program history with both teams coming in with 17-1 overall records. The Tigers are 2-2 overall in top five games, including a 1-1 mark on the road. The team has bounced back from its only defeat in rattling off three wins in a row, including a 70-51 win over the Texas A&M Aggies as 15-point home favorites. Total players will find that the program has gone ‘under’ the number in four of its last five games. Missouri is 17-39 ATS in its last 56 road games.
The Tigers and Bears have met 23 times, with Missouri holding a slight edge at 13-10, including wins in three of the last four meetings. Bettors will find that the squad has covered the last four games in the series, which directly followed six-spread defeats. Senior guard Marcus Denmon was named as one of 25 finalists for the John R. Wooden National Player of the Year Award, leading the team in scoring 17.8 points per game and also grabbing 5.5 rebounds a contest.
Baylor suffered its first loss of the 2011-12 campaign in dropping a 92-74 contest to the Kansas Jayhawks as 6.5-point road underdogs, while the team has gone ‘over’ the total in its last four contests. “It’s one game,” commented Bears head coach Scott Drew. “If you let it affect you and affect the next game, then you have no chance of being successful in the league.” Sophomore forward Perry Jones III is also gaining some similar recognition to Denmon, being named to the same midseason list. Baylor is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 home games.
The Bears are just 28-141 all-time versus ranked opponents, including an 11-47 mark during the Drew era. Baylor will be looking to tally its 11th straight home win, which would tie for the second-longest Ferrell Center win streak. Since the start of the 2007-08 campaign, the program is 23-11 in Big 12 Conference home games. There’s no question that this lengthy team may have a problem guarding Missouri on the perimeter Saturday, as its hard to match up with a four-guard lineup.
Bettors will likely back the Tigers due to their 4-0 ATS mark in the last four meetings, while the Bears are 4-9 ATS following a straight-up loss.
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