West Virginia vs Baylor CBB Hoops Handicapping
West Virginia arrives in Waco on Tuesday off a heartbreaking loss to No. 10 Oklahoma State, but will catch a break as they look to notch a win over a struggling Baylor squad that was ranked No. 13 before dropping all the way out of the Top 25 following four consecutive losses. [ad-4468020]
Date/Time: 7 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014
Venue: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Broadcast: ESPN2
Spread: -5.5 Baylor
Over/Under: OFF
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Meanwhile, the Mountaineers (11-9) dropped four of their last five contests, including an 81-75 setback to the Cowboys last time out.
Led by the backcourt tandem of sophomore Eron Harris (21 points and a team-best 17.6 per game) and junior Juwan Staten (19, 17.3) West Virginia played the Pokes tough, but once again like so many other games this season, fell short, especially on the front line.
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And even though WVU have shown signs of improving, with the likes of sophomore guard Terry Henderson’s (12.3 points) recording a career-high 28 points in an 87-81 victory over Texas Tech on Jan. 22. Consistency continues to be a problem, as Henderson followed up that performance on Saturday, scoring just eight points on one-for-10 from the field.
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In the meantime, Baylor who was considered a strong contender to win the Big 12 title in the preseason Coaches’ Poll, have fallen mightily and is currently riding its longest losing streak since a six-game slide during the 2008-09 season.
The Bears (13-6) woes continued this past weekend with a 74-60 loss to Texas, which if not for reserve senior guard Gary Franklin, who led Baylor with 14 points, could have been a lot worse at the final buzzer.
Baylor’s offense continues to struggle, averaging 70.6 points in Big 12 conference play — after scoring 78.8 in the first 13 contests.
Senior forward Cory Jefferson leads Baylor in scoring and rebounding, but his numbers have dipped during the team’s slide.
Free Pick: Baylor-West Virginia is 5-1 all-time in games played in Texas, with an 80-60 loss at Baylor on Feb. 13, 2013.
The Bears have hit a lull, but have the talent to win games. If they can get it together, I expect Baylor to end their funk with a tight win here at home, as its defense and rebounding should have no problem containing West Virginia’s anemic offense.
