One of the best offensive teams in the country meets one of the best defensive teams when the Baylor Bears and Colgate Raiders collide on Friday at the FedExForum in Memphis. The Bears (23-10) average 80.5 points per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 32nd in the nation. Meanwhile the Raiders (25-9) give up just 63.2 points per game, which leads the Patriot League and is 10th in the country. The winner of Friday's game will meet either No. 6 seed Clemson or No. 11 seed New Mexico in a second round game on Sunday.
Tipoff is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET. The Bears are favored by 15 points in the latest Baylor vs. Colgate odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 137.5. Before making any Colgate vs. Baylor picks, you need to check out the college basketball analysis from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Baylor vs. Colgate and just locked in its picks and March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for Colgate vs. Baylor:
- Baylor vs. Colgate spread: Bears -15
- Baylor vs. Colgate over/under: 137.5 points
- Baylor vs. Colgate money line: Bears -1148, Raiders +717
- BAYL: The Bears are ninth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (38.8)
- COLG: The Raiders rank 10th in the country in scoring defense (63.2 points per game)
- Baylor vs. Colgate picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Baylor can cover
Baylor coach Scott Drew knows how to win in the NCAA Tournament. In 11 tournament appearances under Drew, the Bears are 19-10, which includes winning the national title in 2021. They enter this year's tournament as one of four teams to win at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of the last four tournaments (along with Gonzaga, Houston and Kansas). By contrast, Colgate is 0-6 all-time in the tournament.
In addition, Baylor will face a Raiders team that is below-average offensively. Colgate ranks 238th in the nation in scoring offense (71.5 points per game). The Raiders also are 209th in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted offensive efficiency metric (104.6 points per 100 possessions). See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why Colgate can cover
Colgate has a capable playmaker in point guard Braeden Smith. A 6-foot sophomore from Seattle, Smith ranks 25th in the country in assists per game (5.8) while also scoring a team-best 12.5 points per game. After earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors during the regular season, Smith averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in three Patriot League Tournament games en route to being named tournament MVP.
Smith and the Raiders will face a Baylor team that has gone cold from beyond the 3-point arc recently. Since the Bears' top 3-point shooter, Langston Love, got hurt on Feb. 6, Baylor has shot just 35.3% on 3-pointers. That's well below the 40.8% the team shot prior to Love's injury. Love has been ruled out for at least the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Baylor vs. Colgate picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 149 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can see the picks only at SportsLine.
So who wins Colgate vs. Baylor, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Baylor vs. Colgate spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 148-106 roll on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
