To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, two clashes of top-25 and Big 12 powers are up for bettors’ consideration. Unlike Puxatawney Phil, there’s no reason to shy away from the Baylor basketball betting lines on Wednesday night.
The ninth-ranked Lady Bears host No. 18 Oklahoma while No. 25 Kansas State plays at No. 11 Iowa State nearly simultaneously. The lines at FanDuel and other sportsbooks are live well in advance of both contests.
Baylor basketball betting odds vs. Oklahoma, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
FanDuel has Baylor a 5.5-point favorite as of Wednesday afternoon. That book’s total for the game is 156.5. Baylor comes in having won its past five straight up and is undefeated in eight home games while Oklahoma is on a fresh winning streak with wins in its past two games while going 5-1 on the road.
This is the second meeting of these conference foes this season and in less than a month’s time. On Jan. 12, the Sooners defeated the Lady Bears 83-77 in Norman. The statistics paint a picture of a clash of strengths.
Oklahoma’s 85.9 points per game rank as the second-highest average in the country. This is largely due to their volume of possessions, averaging 82.7 per 40 minutes. That is also the second-best figure in the nation.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s scoring average is also in the top 20 of the nation and they have averaged more points for every 100 possessions than the Sooners. So while Oklahoma gets more chances, the Lady Bears have been more efficient with theirs.
Thus, this game could come down to a handful of key defensive plays. Baylor seems to have a little bit of an edge there. For example, they have allowed opponents to shoot 36.6% from the field compared to Oklahoma’s 39.9%.
Whether that’s enough to cover is what bettors need to decide. For bettors on the total, whether that 156.5 is low depends on how much faith you have in the Lady Bears’ defensive efficiency against the Sooners in Waco.
Defensive efficiency is what another ranked Big 12 team will need on its home court. It faces an obstacle of historical proportions.
Kansas State at Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. ESPN+
When the Wildcats take on the Cyclones in Ames Wednesday night, they’ll once again look to junior center Ayoka Lee to lead the offensive charge. Lee recently broke the record for points by a single player in an NCAA women’s basketball game.
K-State has gone 1-1 since then, while Iowa State has won each of its last two games. The Wildcats are an even 4-4 straight up as a road team this season. The Cyclones have gone 10-1 outright at home.
Key to covering for both teams will be Iowa State’s long-range shooting. The Cyclones have shot 37.6% from behind the arc so far this season, good for eighth in Divison I. Four of Iowa State’s five regular starters average attempting at least four 3-point baskets per game.
FanDuel has the Cyclones a 7.5-point favorite with the shorter odds of -105 on Kansas State to upset that margin. FanDuel’s total on the game is 135.5. These two teams have only reached 67 points or more in two of their last four combined games, though.
The only other contest on tap for Wednesday, Feb. 2 that includes a top-25 team is No. 10 UConn at Creighton. That game tips at 7:30 p.m. ET and FanDuel has the Huskies a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 133.5 on the game.
