Washington State vs Baylor Odds, Picks and Predictions: WSU Can't Stop the Bears' Offense

The American Airlines Center will host a Sunday night college basketball game, with the Washington State Cougars and Baylor Bears squaring off in Dallas, Texas.

Washington State has lost three of its last four games and sits at 4-5 on the season. Baylor has won consecutive games — including a neutral site win over Gonzaga — and is 7-2 on the year.

Will the Cougars be able to overcome their recent struggles and pull out a win in a virtual road environment? Read our college basketball picks and predictions for Washington State vs. Baylor below to find out. 

Washington State vs Baylor best odds

Washington State vs Baylor picks and predictions

It's certainly been a disappointing start to the season for head coach Kyle Smith and the Washington State Cougars, having already lost three games outright as favorites. Their best win to this point came against Detroit Mercy, which is ranked 158th in the NET rankings. 

One of their biggest issues is their inability to score, ranking 201st in the country at 71.6 points per game. They have failed to reach 70 points in five of their nine games this season and rely way too heavily on the deep ball to light up the scoreboard. 

Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears have certainly been battle tested. They have played neutral site games against Virginia, UCLA, and Gonzaga and played a true road game against Marquette, going 4-4 SU over those four tough games.

The Bears have no problem piling up points and rank 14th in the country in scoring offense (84.6 ppg). Like the Cougars, the Bears shoot a ton of 3-pointers, but with a lot more success. They rank seventh in the country at 10.4 3-pointers made per game. 

Baylor may not have the best defense out there (195th in points allowed per game), but they allow just 18.6 attempted threes per game. That matches up well against a team that likes to let it fly, averaging 24.0 attempted threes per contest. 

With Washington State relying on the deep ball to get its offense going, I like Baylor to do everything it can to take that way. On the other end, the Bears should be able to get whatever they want offensively and pull away from the Cougars rather quickly.

My best bet: Baylor -9 (-110 at PointsBet)

Washington State vs Baylor spread analysis

Baylor has already faced a Pac-12 opponent this season and it was likely the best team in that conference in UCLA. The Bears won that game through great offensive performances from LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler., who combined for 50 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. 

Cryer missed the last game against Tarleton State but is expected to be ready to go on Sunday. The Bears also get some great contributions from their star freshman, Keyonte George, who was a Top-10 ranked recruit. George is averaging 15.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists thus far on the season. 

This trio of offensive firepower will just be too much for the Cougars to handle. Washington State allows their opponents to shoot 43.8% from the field and score 63.8 points per game. That is with a schedule that has yet to feature a ranked opponent. Baylor is entering this game ranked 11th in the country. 

Washington State may be without their third-leading scorer in this matchup as well. The Cougars are 0-4 against the spread in their last four games against an opponent with a winning percentage above .600 and 1-8 ATS in their last nine neutral-site games. These trends will continue Sunday with another ATS loss.

Washington State vs Baylor Over/Under analysis

These teams are true counterparts in the Over/Under column. Washington State games are 6-3 in favor of the Under and Baylor games are 6-3 in favor of the Over. The Under is 5-0 in the Cougars' last five games following a straight-up loss and 11-1 in the Cougars' last 12 Sunday games. 

Meanwhile, the Over 7-2 in the Bears' last nine games following a straight-up win and 8-0 in the last eight Bears’ games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points. Therefore, something must give in this matchup. I think it will lean in Baylor’s favor towards the Over. 

Baylor will want to push the tempo on offense and get up a ton of shots. The Bears excel in shooting and know that the Cougars will not want to get into a 3-point shooting contest. The Bears may force it a bit too much and give Washington State some easier chances to score in transition as well. Give me the Over here. 

Washington State vs Baylor betting trend to know

Washington State is 1-8 in its last nine neutral-site games. Find more College basketball betting trends for Washington State vs. Baylor.

Washington State vs Baylor game info

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