OK State vs Baylor Odds and Picks
- The top-seeded Baylor Bears battle the No. 5 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals
- The Pokes have won seven of their last eight, the lone loss being an 81-70 defeat to the Bears last week
- Read below for odds, analysis, and our best bet for this matchup
The top-seeded Baylor Bear (22-1, 13-1 Big 12), who are trying to win the program’s first-ever Big 12 Conference Tournament this week, take on the No. 5 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys (19-7, 11-7 Big 12) in the semifinals on Friday, March 12, in Kansas City.
Tip is set for 6:30 pm ET at T-Mobile Center.
Scott Drew’s team knocked off Mike Boynton’s bunch both times they played in the regular season: an 81-66 win in Stillwater on Jan. 23 and that 11-point victory March 4 in Waco.
Now, Baylor looks for win number three against Oklahoma State on Thursday as favorites.
Oklahoma State vs Baylor Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State | +9 (-110) | +360 | O 151 (-106) |
| Baylor | -9 (-110) | -460 | U 151 (-116) |
Odds as of March 11 at FanDuel.
More Than Just Cade
While Cade Cunningham rightfully gets the majority of the accolades for the Cowboys, the Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year has company in the OSU talent department. Cunningham and sophomore Avery Anderson III had nearly identical stat lines against West Virginia on Thursday in a 72-69 victory in the tourney quarters.
Both had a team-high 17 points and two steals, while Anderson also had four rebounds and three assists. But Anderson’s all-around effort was indicative of a Cowboy team that appears to peaking at the right time. As Cunningham noted, the Cowboys got big rebounds late, Bryce Williams nailed clutch free throws down the stretch and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe defended WVU’s last-second attempt to tie the game in the closing seconds of the three-point win .
Oklahoma State just beat West Virginia in Big 12 tourney. Cade is a stud, but Avery Anderson continues to show he’s a more than capable sidekick.
And this team should be a No. 3 seed on Sunday.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 11, 2021
The Pokes now have eight wins over AP top-25 teams — the most in college basketball this season. That’s also the most the program has had since the 2003-04 season — when OSU, went to the Final Four. Boynton’s team may be young. But it has the roster talent to compete and, quite possibly, upset the Bears.
Three Amigos
Standing in Oklahoma State’s way is a Baylor team that captured its first regular conference title since 1950 and beat Kansas State 74-68 in the conference tourney quarterfinals. BU has been led all season by the exceptional trio of Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell — and the three amigos came up huge again Thursday.
Teague had a game-high 24 against the Wildcats, while All-Big 12 First-Teamer Mitchell poured in 23 and fellow all-conference first-teamer Butler finished with 18.
The Bears and their three-headed monster have only slipped up once this season. Kansas beat Baylor 71-58 at Allen Fieldhouse Feb. 27 in what was only the program’s second game back following a three-week COVID pause. Teague had 18 and Mitchell had 13 in Lawrence, but Butler only accounted for five. At this point, that defeat feels like an anomaly.
With Baylor’s Big 3 humming like they were Thursday, the Bears will be tough to beat.
Defending Your Life
Yes, Baylor saw its 19.7-point average margin of victory (second only to Gonzaga’s 23.0 point differential) drop slightly due to Thursday’s six-point win over the ‘Cats. But the Bears are rated in the top-four nationally of four different offensive categories on KenPom (third in offense adjusted efficiency, second in offense effective field-goal percentage, fourth in offensive rebounding percentage and first in three-point percentage) for a reason.
It’s that final stat — Baylor makes nearly 11 three-point shots per game — that stands out. If Oklahoma State can somehow defend the perimeter even slightly better than it has in the previous two outings against BU, the Pokes have a shot to pull off the upset. The Bears were 10-for-24 from distance in the first matchup and 9-for-22 in the second one. If Boynton can get those numbers down just a bit more, watch out.
.@CadeCunningham_ RISES UP and the COWBOYS TAKE THE LEAD 📈#NewEra | #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/c31QmASPXR
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) March 11, 2021
On the other side, it will be interesting to see how Drew defends the 6-foot-8 Cunningham. Due to his height, the marvelous freshman has the ability to see over most defenders. Will Baylor incorporate a series of ball screens against OSU? Or will the likely top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft spot cutters and distribute? The defense on both sides will determine each team’s respective tourney lives.
In games like this — with two standout offenses, I’m tempted to take the bait and go with the over. But Baylor is on a mission this season. The Bears will cover and advance.
The pick: Baylor -9 (-110)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
