Free Picks: Baylor aims to Annihilate Wisconsin’s Tournament Hopes

The Baylor Bears overcame some early jitters and rolled over the Hartford Hawks. They now turn their attention to the Wisconsin Badgers who rode a red-hot Brad Davison over North Carolina and look poised to give the Baylor Bears a scare. However, let us not forget, these Baylor Bears are a different beast.

Ferociously intense, Baylor forces turnovers by putting constant pressure on their opponents and that pressure starts on the offensive glass. Relentless and rigorous, Baylor grabs 11.4 offensive rebounds per game and has been averaging 14.5 second chance points per game over their last six games. Usually sound rebounders Wisconsin could be susceptible to this increased pressure and could be forced into playing a sped up pace, something which is foreign to Wisconsin’s culture.

Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew, has eight players he trusts starting with signature Baylor Upperclassmen; Jared Butler, Macio Teague and Davion Mitchell, down to transfers Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Adam Flagler. They are built for March. They shoot the three better than anyone at 41.4% and they gain extra possessions with a turnover margin of +5.3 per game. Some will see Wisconsin as a perfectly built team to upset the Bears, but it is important to remember, Wisconsin has struggled against quality teams.

Yes they beat North Carolina, but they played poorly in Quad 1A games at 3-9 SU and 4-7-1 ATS. They have played better lately, but Baylor is battle tested. They are 6-1 in Quad 1A games, with their only loss coming at Kansas, after coming off of a Covid pause. Their trio of Butler, Teague and Mitchell, particularly shine when the lights get brighter, all scoring better in Top 50 quality games. Look for Baylor to pour in points against Wisconsin, one of my free NCAAB picks is Baylor over 71.5 points (-115 Bet10).

Baylor has scored over 71 points in all but three games this season and will continue their scoring proficiency against Wisconsin. Finally, it has been established that I like Baylor to win this game, but the question becomes by how much? NCAAB odds currently have Baylor set as 6.5 points favourites, Baylor has won by eight or more points 20 times this season, so this line makes me quite comfortable. My best bet is Baylor -6.5, ride the Bears and watch them make Wisconsin speed up, taking them out of their comfort zone.

• The Over has cashed in 15 of Baylor’s 25 games this season
• Baylor is 15-10-0 ATS as favourites this season
• The Over has cashed in 15 of Wisconsin’s 30 games this season
• Wisconsin is 3-3-1 ATS as underdogs this season