The topsy-turvy 2021-22 NCAA men’s basketball season continues, as another round of upsets saw Gonzaga, the preseason #1 ranked team, back on top of the poll, knocking off Baylor after the Bears had held the top spot for five weeks. Baylor’s losses to then-#18 Texas Tech and unranked Oklahoma State – both at home – marked the first time Baylor had lost two straight at home in almost six years. Gonzaga (14-2, 3-0 West Coast Conference) has now won seven in a row after routing BYU and Santa Clara last week. Throughout the top 25, 13 teams lost last week – with nine of those losses coming on Saturday alone. Eight ranked teams fell to teams outside the top 25.
Let’s look at the latest poll as well as some College Baketball betting opportunities coming up in college hoops.
NCAA News: Men’s College Basketball Top 25 Analysis and Betting Opportunities
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga | 14-2 |
| 2 | Auburn | 16-1 |
| 3 | Arizona | 14-1 |
| 4 | Purdue | 14-2 |
| 5 | Baylor | 15-2 |
| 6 | Duke | 14-2 |
| 7 | Kansas | 14-2 |
| 9 | UCLA | 11-2 |
| 10 | Houston | 15-2 |
| 11 | Villanova | 13-4 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 14-3 |
| 13 | LSU | 15-2 |
| 14 | Michigan State | 14-3 |
| 15 | Iowa State | 14-3 |
| 16 | USC | 14-2 |
| 17 | Illinois | 13-3 |
| 18 | Texas Tech | 13-4 |
| 19 | Ohio State | 11-4 |
| 20 | Xavier | 13-3 |
| 21 | Providence | 14-2 |
| 22 | Loyola-Chicago | 13-2 |
| 23 | Texas | 13-4 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 11-5 |
| 25 | Connecticut | 11-4 |
#5 Baylor at West Virginia
Tuesday, January 18 | 5:00 pm ET, ESPN2
This is an intriguing game, because Baylor has dropped two in a row and now heads to one of the toughest road environments in college basketball. West Virginia (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) has beaten Kansas State and Oklahoma State at home in conference play, but they have lost to Texas and Kansas by a combined 40 points on the road. That loss to Kansas came on Saturday, as the Jayhawks played a slow first half but then erupted after the intermission to roll, 85-59. Kansas was up 33-31 at halftime but then torched the Mountaineers after the break, outscoring West Virginia in the paint, 54-20, and stacking up 23 assists, many coming on alley-oop dunks. West Virginia’s top scorer, Taz Sherman, who averages almost 20 points per game, went just 1 of 9 from the field, including 0 of 5 from behind the arc. He had just five points and two boards on the day. Malik Curry stepped up with 23 points, making all 11 of his free throws, but West Virginia could not handle the Kansas onslaught.
Baylor (15-2, 3-2 Big 12) saw Oklahoma State pull off the historic feat of handing a top-ranked team its second consecutive home loss. The Cowboys lost by 10 at West Virginia on Tuesday – and then beat Baylor on the road on Saturday. Baylor was down by as many as 17 points during the second half but made it 55-54 with 1:21 left, as L.J. Cryer knocked down a pair of free throws. However, Baylor would not score again after that 14-2 run had drawn them close. Baylor guard Adam Flagler turned the ball over on two straight possessions in the game’s last 26 seconds, and the Bears would not score again. You would have to think that Baylor will have some frustrations to work out on Tuesday night, but will they be able to take them out on another tough toad team? I’m willing to bet on it.
Take Baylor -6.5: Bet the Game Today
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