Kansas Jayhawks vs. Baylor Bears Betting Odds, College Basketball Pick

The third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (23-3, 11-2 Big 12) will try to beat the fourth-ranked Baylor Bears (22-4, 9-4) for the 10th straight time Saturday when they visit Waco as small road underdogs. The Jayhawks have won nine in a row over the Bears dating back to 2014, going 7-2 against the spread during that stretch.

Point spread: The Bears opened as 1.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

Why the Jayhawks can cover the spread

Kansas holds a massive mental edge in this matchup due to its recent dominance in the series and much longer history as the conference's best team since its inception.

No school has been able to top the Jayhawks in the Big 12 since 2004 when the Oklahoma State Cowboys won the league. Kansas has either won or tied for the regular-season championship each of the past 12 years, and other teams in the conference know that.

Why the Bears can cover the spread

Baylor may not be able to end the reign of the Jayhawks in terms of Big 12 titles, but the Bears can certainly put some doubt in their minds heading into the NCAA tournament with a big victory here at home.

Baylor was projected as a top seed going into the week but lost to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 84-78 on Monday as a 2.5-point road favorite. The Bears had won their previous two games both straight up and against the spread, and they have also covered the past two meetings despite losing both SU.

Smart pick

Kansas has been fortunate to play five of the previous six meetings at home along with six of the nine during its series winning streak. But there has been another constant in this matchup lately, and that has been lower-scoring games. The under is 7-1 in the past eight meetings, with both teams scoring more than 68 points only once over that period.

The under is also 4-1 in Baylor's last five overall and 5-1 in the past six for the Jayhawks on the road. The best play on this game is to go under the total again.

Betting trends

The under is 4-1 in the Bears' last five games.

The Jayhawks are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against the Bears.

The under is 7-1 in the last eight games between the Jayhawks and Bears.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.