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USATSI

The No. 10 Baylor Bears will look to keep the heat on in the Big 12 Conference regular-season race when they take on the visiting No. 20 Texas Longhorns on Saturday. The Bears (20-4, 8-3), who are just one-half game behind the first-place Kansas Jayhawks, are 11-2 at home this season, although they are just 2-2 against ranked opponents. The Longhorns (18-6, 7-4), who are riding a two-game winning streak including a win over the first-place Jayhawks, are just 2-5 on the road and 3-4 against ranked foes. Baylor has dominated the series since 2016, going 10-1 in its last 11 games against Texas. Baylor's LJ Cryer (foot) is considered questionable for this matchup.

The game from Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, is scheduled to tip off at noon ET. Texas is averaging 68.7 points per game, while Baylor averages 77.8. The Bears are six-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Baylor odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 130. Before locking in any Baylor vs. Texas picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Texas vs. Baylor, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Baylor vs. Texas:

  • Texas vs. Baylor spread: Baylor -6
  • Texas vs. Baylor over-under: 130 points
  • Texas vs. Baylor money line: Baylor -260, Texas +210
  • TEX: The over is 4-0 in the Longhorns' last four road games against a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600.
  • BAY: The Bears are 12-3-1 against the spread in their last 16 games following an ATS win

Why Baylor can cover 

Freshman guard Kendall Brown is making a big impact, averaging 10 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is connecting on 62.8 percent of his shots from the floor and 72.5 percent of his free throws. Brown leads the team in dunks with 31 on the year, and has had four dunks in a game four times. He has registered 24 assists over the past 10 games, more than tripling his average over the previous 12 games. In his last six games, he is averaging 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 30 minutes per game.

Also powering the Bears is senior guard Matthew Mayer, who averages 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists per game. Over his last eight games, Mayer is averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 22.1 minutes. He has scored in double figures in 10 of 23 games as a starter and in 31 of 116 games during his collegiate career. He scored all nine of his points in the final 3:27 as the Bears rallied from nine down with 10 minutes left to win against West Virginia on Jan. 31.

Why Texas can cover

The Longhorns are led by senior forward Timmy Allen, who is coming off a 24-point performance in Monday's win over Kansas. In that game, he also grabbed nine rebounds and had one assist and one block. For the season, Allen is averaging 11.8 points, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is connecting on 53.2 percent of his field goals and 71.4 percent of his free throws. In 109 career games, including 106 starts at Utah and Texas, he has registered 1,605 points, 693 rebounds and 312 assists.

Senior guard Marcus Carr, who is an 80.8 percent free-throw shooter, is averaging 11 points, 3.5 assists, 2.2 rebounds and one steal per game. He has played in 116 career games, including 109 starts, during his time at Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Texas. His four-year career totals include 1,626 points, 561 assists and 423 rebounds. He has reached double-figure scoring 79 times and topped the 20-point mark 24 times. Carr recorded a season-high 25 points, going 11 of 12 from the line, in 36 minutes against Kansas State on Jan. 18.

How to make Baylor vs. Texas picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 139 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Texas vs. Baylor? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,300 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.