It is amazing how many times the team sitting at #1 when conference play begins end up starting to slide once the competition becomes a little stiffer. It was the Baylor Bears who had that #1 spot at the end of non-conference play, but they are in danger of starting to drop after losing their last game, and now having to go on the road to face a Kansas State Wildcats team that is a legitimate threat. A pair of losses to ranked teams might not send the Bears spiraling too far down the rankings, but it could be enough to plant some serious seeds of doubt moving forward, especially in a Big-12 conference that looks as though it is going to be ultra-competitive this season. Kansas State may be sitting in the middle of the pack in the college basketball conference, but they have a 13-3 record overall, and will be looking to cling to a top 25 ranking after taking a loss in their most recent game against Texas Tech.
Here’s A Closer Look At The College Basketball Betting Odds: Bears At Wildcats
When: Saturday, January 14 at 4:30 PM EST
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV: ESPNU
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
NCAAB Odds: TBA
Why bet on the Baylor Bears
Seeing the Bears lose their first game of the season may have come as a surprise to some, but there were plenty of people who saw it coming. The Baylor Bears had eked out wins in their two games prior to that loss, and those wins came against teams that are a little further down the depth chart in the Big-12 conference. This is going to be the first real test of the season for the Bears, as it will be the first time we get to see how they react to a little bit of adversity. They were pounded by the West Virginia Mountaineers in their first loss of the season, and another big loss to a ranked opponent may just plant the seeds of doubt in a team that looked supremely confident until earlier this week.
Why bet on the Kansas State Wildcats
The loss to Texas Tech in their last game has to be disappointing for a team that pushed Kansas to the limit in a 90-88 loss a couple of days prior. The Wildcats have struggled to find consistency since starting conference play, going 2-2 to this point. Kansas State have 3 losses on the season, but all of those have come on the road. When playing in their own building, they are a perfect 9-0, although they are just 2-2-1 ATS in lined games during that run. They have yet to take a ranked team down this season, but their performance against the Kansas Jayhawks proves that they are definitely up to the task.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
This is a crucial game for both teams, especially since both are coming off losses. Losing back to back games would not be the end of the world for either of them, but it becomes tougher to get back into a positive run once the rot sets in. I like the Wildcats to win in a close one.
