College Basketball Betting Lines – February 14: Bears-Jayhawks

Carrie Stroup here with your College Basketball betting lines for February 14 including the Bears vs. Jayhawks early game.

BAYLOR BEARS (18-6) at KANSAS JAYHAWKS (20-4)

Sportsbook.ag Line: Kansas -7

No. 8 Kansas looks to improve to 2-0 over No. 16 Baylor this season with a win in Lawrence Saturday.

No. 8 Kansas is coming off of a 73-51 victory as a 10.5-point road favorite at Texas Tech on Tuesday. The Jayhawks have won-and-covered in two of their past three games and have won six of their past seven SU. One thing this team is doing very well is playing defense, as it has not allowed an opponent to shoot 42% or better from the field since Jan. 17 against a very good Iowa State offense. The Jayhawks have held their opponents under that shooting number in 12 of their past 13 games, which is truly remarkable.

No. 16 Baylor lost 74-65 as a six-point home favorite against Oklahoma State on Monday. It was a bad loss for the Bears, who had won-and-covered in their previous three games. Baylor has shot 46% or better in four straight games, so Kansas may be up for a tougher task defensively in this one.

These teams last met on Jan. 7, when the Jayhawks beat the Bears 56-55 as 2.5-point road underdogs. Kansas has dominated this head-to-head series lately, winning-and-covering in three straight and seven of the past nine games played between these teams. The Jayhawks have been even more dominant against the Bears in Allen Fieldhouse, where Baylor has never beaten Kansas.

Something to keep an eye on is that Baylor is 4-1 SU and 3-1 ATS when coming off of a SU loss. The Bears are, however, just 6-5 SU and 5-6 ATS against Big 12 opponents. Kansas, meanwhile, is 10-0 SU and 7-3 ATS as a home favorite this season. The team is also 9-2 SU and 7-4 ATS versus the Big 12. G Dee Durham (Wrist) is out indefinitely for the Bears and the Jayhawks are not currently dealing with any injuries.

The Bears are a solid offensive team, putting up 70.0 PPG (110^th in NCAA) on 43.4% shooting (190^th in NCAA). What this team really is, however, is tough. Baylor is averaging 41.2 RPG (2^nd in NCAA) and allows just 59.3 PPG (24^th in NCAA) thanks to 4.3 BPG (87^th in NCAA) and 7.4 SPG (66^th in NCAA).

F Rico Gathers (11.2 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 1.0 BPG) is a monster for the Bears inside. The big man is excellent around the rim and uses his size like few others in the nation can. In a loss to Oklahoma State on Monday, Gathers had 16 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. He’s now had a double-double in three straight games and four of the past five. Gathers did struggle against Kansas in the last meeting between these teams. He finished that game with just nine points (3-for-10 FG), but he did grab 14 rebounds. Baylor will really need its big man to finish around the rim in this one.

F Taurean Prince (12.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG) is the leading scorer for the Bears. Prince had 20 points in the loss to Oklahoma State on Monday and he’ll need to be similarly effective against Kansas on Saturday. He’s lethal from the outside (40% 3PT), but was ineffective the last time he saw the Jayhawks. Prince played just 27 minutes in that game and had eight points (3-for-7 FG, 1-for-2 3PT. Baylor needs Prince to be more aggressive this time around.

G Kenny Chery (11.6 PPG, 3.9 APG, 1.7 SPG) caught fire in his last meeting with Kansas. Cherry couldn’t miss in his 35 minutes of action, finishing that game with 25 points (8-for-14 FG, 4-for-7 3PT), three assists and two steals. He’ll need to do his part once again in this one, but his team will also need him to do a better job as a distributor.

F Johnathan Motley (8.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.7 BPG) could be the x-factor in this game. The freshman plays just 22.2 MPG but he leads the team in shot-blocking and will need to protect the rim in this one. He struggled shooting the last time he played Kansas, finishing the game with two points (1-for-5 FG). He did block three shots and grab eight rebounds in his 31 minutes of action.

The Jayhawks are an extremely balanced team, scoring 72.2 PPG (71^st in NCAA) on 44.2% shooting (136^th in NCAA) and allowing just 64.3 PPG (123^rd in NCAA). Like Baylor, Kansas can really hit the glass with 38.9 RPG (19^th in NCAA). The Jayhawks also move the ball extremely well, averaging 14.4 APG (60^th in NCAA).

F Perry Ellis (12.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG) is the leading scorer for Kansas, and he really struggled the last time he played Baylor. Ellis had just four points (2-for-8 FG) and three rebounds in that game and will need to do a lot better this time around. He has an old school game and thrives in his ability to take the ball to the basket. He should be in for a good performance in this one, as he’s now gone for 10+ points in four straight games and seven of his past eight.

G Frank Mason III (12.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG) is one of the best shooters on this Kansas team and he can really get hot from the outside (44% 3PT). Mason has had eight assists in two of his past three games, and his ability to shoot and distribute the ball keeps defenses honest. He had 11 points and five assists the last time he played Baylor and the Jayhawks will need him to play a similar type of game on Saturday.

G Wayne Selden Jr. (10.0 PPG, 3.0 APG) had nine points and four assists the last time these teams met. The guard really started the season slow, but he has been scorching as of late. Over the past four games, Selden Jr. is averaging 16.3 PPG and has shot the ball very well in those contests (16-for-25 3PT). His confidence is through the roof and he should be in for a big performance against the Bears.

F Jamari Taylor (4.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG) provided a huge spark in the win in Baylor, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks before fouling out. He has an extremely high motor and will need to bring a ton of energy in this game on Saturday.

F Cliff Alexander (8.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.4 BPG) has gotten inconsistent minutes this season, but he is a very capable scorer inside for this team. He had 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks against Texas Tech on Tuesday and will certainly be an x-factor if he is to see big minutes on Saturday.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter