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The Baylor Bears will play their first game of the season as the top-ranked team in the country as the defending champs have gotten off to a hot start. They will play a tough road matchup with the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night.
Baylor is coming off a 57-36 victory over the Villanova Wildcats with a fantastic defensive effort. The Bears are the top-ranked team in KenPom overall, and they rank inside the top five in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Baylor has nine players averaging double-digit minutes per game, and we haven’t seen much of a drop off from last year’s team.
Oregon snapped a two-game losing streak by crushing the Portland Pilots earlier this week to improve to 6-5. The Ducks are much better offensively than defensively, but they don’t seem to have a go-to guy who can go out and put up big numbers every night. Oregon’s top scorer is Will Anderson, who is going for 11.8 points per game.
How to watch Baylor vs. Oregon
When: Saturday, December 18th, 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, OR
TV: ESPN2
Where to live stream online: WatchESPN, ESPN app
Live updates and stats: At DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds
Spread: Baylor -7
Total: 137.5
The Pick
Baylor -7
Oregon at home is a different team. However, the Ducks have simply not been up to the mark this season. A .500 group with big losses to Houston and BYU is not the team you want to back against the defending national champions. Take the Bears against the number here.
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