Back Bears In Big Time Battle

Houston vs. Baylor, 12:00 ET

Oh man, what a day we have ahead of ourselves! College basketball gets to take over our Saturday and we have a ridiculous amount of games today to enjoy. It starts as early as 12:00 ET and runs as late as an 11:59 ET tip off in Hawaii. It doesn't get much better than this and we are ready to pounce on the games here with multiple looks in some of the bigger contests this Saturday. Today, I am looking toward two of the best teams in the nation as we look for a play between Houston and Baylor. 

Houston is one of those teams that gets a ton of disrespect from the general public, but has a very high ranking and has put together a really good campaign. On the year, they are 23-3 on the season and 10-3 within the conference. The reason most people don't like them is due to the fact that they aren't a big offensive team. They are kind of boring to watch and play really good defense. On the season, they are only allowing 55.3 points to opponents in games. Still, despite that narrative, they are scoring 73.9 points per game and have hit that number in three of their past five games. The most recent loss that they've had was against Kansas in Kansas and they dropped that game by 13 points. The only losses they've experienced this season have been on the road. Even when they lose, the games are competitive and close. They dropped their other two games by a combined five total points. Going on the road for this one could be quite the challenge considering that they will have an early start time for their body clocks and have to play a tough opponent. If Houston wants to win this one, they will need to win three key areas (outside of scoring more points, of course) rebounding, turnovers, and three throws. They don't shoot free throws particularly well, shooting just 68.2%. They do control the turnovers and have only 8.7 per game. Rebounding could be an issue as this will need to be a team approach. 

Iowa State Cyclones F Milan Momcilovic defends Houston Cougars G Damian Dunn at Hilton Coliseum. 

Baylor is probably coming into this game rather annoyed and maybe even angry. This has been a very tough stretch of the season as they've played a ranked opponent in five of their past six games and still have today's game, and two more in their last five games of the season. That means they will play eight ranked teams in their last 11 games. If they come out with a 6-5 record, I think you have to look at that as a win. Anything better is even more beneficial for the team. Baylor is coming off two straight road games, one where they beat West Virginia by 13 points, and one they lost to BYU by seven points. Being at home, they should have one of their better efforts. They have lost one home game this season. It was a triple overtime loss to TCU. Outside of that, they've been strong at home even if they aren't overly dominant against the opponents. Baylor should be able to win the rebounding battle, but they might lose the turnover battle in this. If they can keep Houston off the glass and give themselves some extra opportunities, that will set them up for a good chance to take this game. I also think they will shoot better at home than they do on the road. They are shooting 39.6% for the season from beyond the arc and I think if they can rotate the ball enough, they should shoot close to that. 

This will be one of the best games of the day, and it kicks off our Saturday. It may look a little boring at times, but trust me, there is a lot going on and basketball strategy is very much in play within this game. I'm taking Baylor in this one. I know that Houston is one of the best teams in the nation, but I think this is a bad spot for them and one that Baylor will be able to exploit them. Back the Bears in this one. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024