Baylor vs. Oklahoma State Prediction, Game Preview

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State prediction and game preview. The Bears try to avoid a third consecutive defeat when they visit the upset-minded Cowboys on Wednesday night.

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State Game Preview

When: Wednesday, Feb. 8 – 7 p.m. ET
Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
TV Broadcast: ESPNU

Baylor went from the No. 2 team in the country with only one defeat to a three-loss squad in a matter of four days. A five-point loss at Kansas is nothing to be ashamed of, but a home defeat to Kansas State is another issue. The Bears shot 38.5 percent from the field against the Wildcats in a 56-54 loss as they scored 20 points below their season average and seven fewer than their previous season low.

Johnathan Motley was the only Bear to finish in double figures with 17 points while adding 14 rebounds, although that’s not completely surprising considering Manu Lecomte is his only teammate scoring in double digits at 12.3 points per game. But Baylor is going to need more from its supporting cast in order to leave Stillwater victorious.

Oklahoma State has won five in a row and is coming off an 82-75 win at then-No. 7 West Virginia on Saturday. The Cowboys’ hot stretch follows a six-game losing streak that included a tough 61-57 loss at Baylor on Jan. 7 when they led by five at halftime.

Jeffrey Carroll is averaging nearly 20 points per game since the calendar flipped to 2017 and scored exactly that many against West Virginia. If Carroll and Phil Forte get hot, the Cowboys might be looking at another upset victory.

Baylor Wins If …

… someone other than Motley and Lecomte step up. Motley had a double-double and Lecomte finished with 17 points in the first meeting with Oklahoma State, but the Bears also got 11 points off the bench from Terry Maston. Motley and Lecomte didn’t shoot well against Kansas State, which ended up being Baylor’s downfall as it shot 38.5 percent as a team. The Bears lean heavily on that duo, and they’ll need production from elsewhere just to be safe.

Oklahoma State Wins If …

… Juwan Evans keeps getting to the free throw line. Evans’ 142 free throws attempted rank second in the Big 12 among guards behind only Kansas’ Frank Mason III. What’s more is that he’s made 79.6 percent of them. Evans is averaging 21.3 points per game over his last four with 27 points coming from the line. He’s also shooting 50 percent from the field despite going 5 for 20 in a win over Oklahoma, when he went 11 for 16 from the charity stripe. If Evans stays aggressive and keeps picking up free points, the Cowboys should at least hang tough.

Matchup To Watch

Forte vs. Lecomte

The battle between 5-foot-11 guards could be the deciding factor. Both look to score first – Lecomte is averaging 4.3 assists and Forte 1.5 – and will be going at each other all night. If they cancel each other out, it’ll come down to which team gets the most production elsewhere.

Betting Odds

Spread: Oklahoma State -2
Over/Under: 148.5