Arizona vs Baylor Free Pick, CBB Free Picks, CBB Predictions 2/17/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- Feb 17
- 2 min read
ARIZONA @ BAYLOR (BAY -1.5, 151.5)
CBB ODDS, CBB PREDICTIONS, CBB PREVIEWS
WILDCATS @ BEARS 2/17/25
In a thrilling turn of events, Baylor and Arizona, former preseason top-10 teams, are set to face each other on the basketball court once more this season. Both have had a rollercoaster journey this season, marked by winning streaks, injuries, and occasional absences from the national rankings. Both teams are solid contenders in the NCAA Tournament picture.
Their much-anticipated rematch is slated for tonight in Waco, Texas. The last time they met was in Tucson, Ariz on Jan. 14, where a yet-to-be-ranked Arizona got the win against then 25th-ranked Baylor by a score of 81-70.
This time around, Arizona's standing has considerably improved. At 17-8 overall and 11-3 in the Big 12, the team now ranks 13th in the nation. On the other hand, Baylor (16-9, 8-6 Big 12) remains unranked but boasts a formidable home record of 12-1. The Bears are fresh off an exhilarating 74-71 overtime win against West Virginia on Saturday.
Arizona faces a challenging period ahead. They have lost their last two games against Kansas State and Houston. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, is pulling no punches when talking about the coming matchup with Baylor. He acknowledges the immense pressures of their recent schedule and is challenging his team to bring their A-game to the court against Baylor.
The Wildcats' recent struggles have largely been due to their three-point shooting game. Despite having a lineup not heavily dependent on the long ball, Lloyd admits there's room for improvement in Arizona's shooting. Over their last three games, the Wildcats have shot a dismal 19 percent from behind the arc. For the season, Arizona ranks 299th in the nation shooting 31.3 percent from three-point range.
On the Baylor side, they have the chance to secure back-to-back victories for the first time since late January. Simultaneously, they have been juggling a series of injuries throughout the season. The team's beacon of consistency is Norchad Omier, who had his 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds against West Virginia.
Arizona possesses the third-highest scoring offense in the Big 12 at 81.3 points per game, while Baylor follows closely in fifth place with 79.1. In terms of scoring defense, Arizona ranks No. 9 allowing 69.5 points, with Baylor trailing at No. 10 allowing 69.9 points.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
NORCHAD OMIER OVER 0.5 THREES
Omier is the Bears leading scorer averaging 15.7 points per game. Omier doesn’t shoot a ton of threes and he only hits 30.2 percent of his long balls. The Baylor star has just one three-pointer in his last four games, but before this drought Omier hit at least one three in 10 consecutive games. He’s due and in the last game against Arizona Omier did hit one.
