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Kansas vs. Baylor Odds, Picks, Predictions College Basketball: Can Jayhawks End Skid?

Shane Jackson

Last Updated: January 23, 2023 2:50 PM EST • 2 min 55 sec read.

Guard Keyonte George of the Baylor Bears handles the ball during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Guard Keyonte George of the Baylor Bears handles the ball during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images via AFP.

The Kansas Jayhawks travel to Waco to face the Baylor Bears in a Big 12 battle on Monday. Read on for our Kansas-Baylor college basketball pick based on the top NCAAB odds.

After being ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, Kansas has started to stumble down following its two conference losses last week. KU (16-3, 5-2 Big 12) came up short in overtime at Kansas State before suffering an 83-60 beatdown by TCU in Allen Fieldhouse. 

Life doesn’t get any easier for the Jayhawks, who have a quick turnaround for their road test with a hot Baylor team. The Bears (14-5, 4-3) have won four in a row after a slow start to league play and are priced as a short favorite to defeat the defending champs in tonight’s battle.

Here is our best Kansas vs. Baylor college basketball pick (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our college basketball best bets for Monday!

Kansas vs. Baylor Game Info

Date: Monday, Jan. 23, 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Ferrell Center, Waco, TX

Kansas vs. Baylor Odds

Kansas vs. Baylor Odds Analysis

Oddsmakers tried to sneak the betting lines out for Monday’s slate during the NFL action on Sunday, but we were paying attention. Baylor opened as a 3-point favorite, and the line touched as high as 3.5 before settling in around the 2 and 2.5 range as of Monday morning.

The total hasn’t moved much since opening at 149.5. BetMGM is still hanging the original number, but most other sportsbooks are sitting at 149. That means those wishing to bet the Under should definitely do so at BetMGM.

Both teams are 11-8 to the Over entering Monday’s matchup, but the home team has fared better against the spread. Baylor is 9-9-1 ATS, while Kansas is 7-12 and has been a team we have bet against routinely here at Sportsbook Review. Are we doing so again?

Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.

Kansas vs. Baylor Pick

Baylor ML vs. Kansas (-130 via Caesars, DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We are betting against the Jayhawks once again. I’m making this a four-star bet because this is not the opportune time for Kansas to be facing a team like Baylor on such a short turnaround.

The Jayhawks gave up 83 points in back-to-back losses last week, and Bill Self was extremely critical of his team’s defensive effort after the game on Saturday. KU is 10th in 3-point defense since conference season began, surrendering plenty of open looks in the process. TCU, a team that notoriously can’t shoot from deep, hit eight 3-pointers in the 23-point victory.

Kansas will probably get things resolved on that end of the floor, but not against this Baylor team with just 48 hours of preparation. The Bears rank No. 2 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. They have an effective field-goal percentage of 53.8%, which ranks 37th in the country. Baylor’s backcourt trio of Keyonte George (future NBA lottery pick), Adam Flagler, and LJ Cryer are capable of making any defense look silly.

These Big 12 battles are never easy, with 15 of the 35 games being decided by four points or fewer in regulation or going to overtime. That mark ranks No. 1 in the entire nation, per Kenpom, and is why we prefer playing Baylor on the Moneyline instead of sweating out the spread.

Kansas vs. Baylor Best Odds

Caesars, DraftKings (-130)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
-130-134-140-130-135

The best price to bet on Baylor to win outright is at both DraftKings and Caesars. Yet the rest of the sportsbooks are all offering reasonable prices, too, as I’d be willing to play this at -140 or better ahead of Monday’s matchup.

At -130, Baylor has an implied probability of 56.5% to win this game. Bart Torvik gives the home team a 61% chance of victory, projecting a 77-74 win for the Bears. Torvik’s numbers are probably closer to the true price for this game, which is why we are backing Baylor on the ML.

Kansas-Baylor pick made 1/23/2022 at 10 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Shane Jackson
After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Kansas in 2017, Shane Jackson covered college sports for a few years before moving to Las Vegas to pursue a career in sports betting. He created sports betting content for WynnBET and served as a sports gambling content director for Bet Chicago Sports. Shane’s favorite sports to watch and bet on are NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA, WNBA, and golf. Follow Shane on Twitter (@SJacksonBET) to get access to all of his betting analysis.