NCAAB
Monday, February 17
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Game of the Day: Oklahoma State at Baylor
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Oklahoma State Cowboys at Baylor Bears (-4, 145)
While Marcus Smart was powerless to stop Oklahoma State from dropping its sixth straight game over the weekend, Baylor’s Kenny Chery put on a show many expect from the Cowboys’ star. The Bears, who host the Cowboys in a battle between the two most disappointing teams in the Big 12 on Monday, snapped a four-game home losing streak with Saturday’s double-overtime win against Kansas State. Chery finished with 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to post the sixth triple-double in school history.
Chery’s career game could serve as salt in the wound for Oklahoma State and Smart, who sat out Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma and will miss Monday as he completes his three-game suspension for shoving Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr on Feb. 8. The Cowboys are in the midst of their longest losing streak since 2008 after beginning conference play with a 4-2 mark and, like Baylor, face an uphill battle to qualify for the NCAA Tournament without a strong finish. Oklahoma State could help its cause with a win on the road, where it is 1-5 in league play.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
LINE HISTORY: The Bears are early 4-point faves.
POWER RANKINGS: Oklahoma State (-9.1) - Baylor Bears (-1.0) - Home Court (-3.0) = Oklahoma State -5.1
INJURY WATCH: Oklahoma State - Marcus Smart (Out - suspension)
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (16-9 SU, 8-13 ATS, 13-8 O/U): Phil Forte III entered Saturday 41-of-41 from the foul line at home, but went 1-of-4 as the Cowboys missed 10 of their 22 free throws in a 77-74 loss. Four of the team’s last five setbacks have been by six points or fewer and fatigue may be playing a factor as the starters have played 341 of a possible 400 minutes over the last two games. “We had some tired guys out there…they're down. This is as down of a locker room that I've seen,” coach Travis Ford told reporters after the game.
ABOUT BAYLOR (16-9 SU, 7-11-1 ATS, 11-7 O/U): Isaiah Austin – the Bears’ athletic 7-1 center – took advantage of an undersized Kansas State front line with a career-high nine blocks and could enjoy similar success against the Cowboys, who do not give regular minutes to a player taller than 6-8 Kamari Murphy. Brady Heslip, who drained half of Baylor’s season-high 16 3-pointers in Wednesday’s rout of Texas Christian, went 1-of-8 beyond the arc on Saturday. Heslip had knocked down 26 of his previous 49 3-point attempts since joining the starting lineup five games earlier.
TRENDS:
* Home team is 12-3 ATS in the last 15 meetings.
* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Baylor.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Cowboys are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Cowboys are 0-7 ATS in the last seven meetings in Baylor.
CONSENSUS: 64.5 percent of the wagers are on Baylor -4.
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Oklahoma State running out of options without Smart
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Oklahoma State went from national title contender to one of the coldest teams in the country heading toward the postseason.
The Cowboys, who have dropped six straight games SU and ATS, have transitioned from Top-10 status to the Big 12 basement over the course of the past few weeks. Things have bottomed out for the Cowboys, missing star point guard Marcus Smart for the final game of a three-game suspension heading into Monday’s game against the Baylor Bears. Early odds in Las Vegas have OSU as a 4.5 point underdog in Waco.
Already losers of three in a row before Smart's ban for shoving a fan, the Cowboys were going through a rough patch. Smart’s value was estimated to be around three points to OSU’s pointspreads, but he could be worth even more after watching the Pokes struggle in the first two games of his suspension.
“So talented defensively, and that’s what Okie State will miss the most when he is out the next three games,” Michael Perry of Sportsbook.ag told Covers when Smart was first suspended last week.
Game 1 without Smart was a disaster for OSU. It came out flat on the road against a tough Texas Longhorns team that ran them out of the gym in the first half, jumping out to an early 54-33 lead on the way to an 87-68 blowout win. Le'Bryan Nash stepped up to fill the absence of Smart's scoring with 23 points, but it was nowhere near enough to help them end the losing streak.
Saturday night was a better performance at home against the Sooners, but Smart's reported three-point value may have held true in a 77-74 loss to Oklahoma. Three Cowboys finished in double digits, including Markel Brown, who led the team with 26. But a lack of stops allowed the Sooners to sweep the season series with a road win.
Going into Monday night's clash with Baylor, bettors should be wary of the Cowboys. The absence of Smart has exasperated the team's obvious issues but also exhausted them physically, trying to make up for Smart’s contributions on both ends of the floor. That could be even more evident with a quick turnaround and only one day off between Saturday’s loss and Monday’s game in Waco.
The Cowboys have just two ATS victories in their last 10 games and are a woeful 8-13 ATS on the season. Even with Smart in the lineup, Oklahoma State is 0-4 ATS in its last four meeting with Baylor and has failed to cover in its last seven trips to the Ferrell Center.
Monday, February 17
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Game of the Day: Oklahoma State at Baylor
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Oklahoma State Cowboys at Baylor Bears (-4, 145)
While Marcus Smart was powerless to stop Oklahoma State from dropping its sixth straight game over the weekend, Baylor’s Kenny Chery put on a show many expect from the Cowboys’ star. The Bears, who host the Cowboys in a battle between the two most disappointing teams in the Big 12 on Monday, snapped a four-game home losing streak with Saturday’s double-overtime win against Kansas State. Chery finished with 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to post the sixth triple-double in school history.
Chery’s career game could serve as salt in the wound for Oklahoma State and Smart, who sat out Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma and will miss Monday as he completes his three-game suspension for shoving Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr on Feb. 8. The Cowboys are in the midst of their longest losing streak since 2008 after beginning conference play with a 4-2 mark and, like Baylor, face an uphill battle to qualify for the NCAA Tournament without a strong finish. Oklahoma State could help its cause with a win on the road, where it is 1-5 in league play.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
LINE HISTORY: The Bears are early 4-point faves.
POWER RANKINGS: Oklahoma State (-9.1) - Baylor Bears (-1.0) - Home Court (-3.0) = Oklahoma State -5.1
INJURY WATCH: Oklahoma State - Marcus Smart (Out - suspension)
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (16-9 SU, 8-13 ATS, 13-8 O/U): Phil Forte III entered Saturday 41-of-41 from the foul line at home, but went 1-of-4 as the Cowboys missed 10 of their 22 free throws in a 77-74 loss. Four of the team’s last five setbacks have been by six points or fewer and fatigue may be playing a factor as the starters have played 341 of a possible 400 minutes over the last two games. “We had some tired guys out there…they're down. This is as down of a locker room that I've seen,” coach Travis Ford told reporters after the game.
ABOUT BAYLOR (16-9 SU, 7-11-1 ATS, 11-7 O/U): Isaiah Austin – the Bears’ athletic 7-1 center – took advantage of an undersized Kansas State front line with a career-high nine blocks and could enjoy similar success against the Cowboys, who do not give regular minutes to a player taller than 6-8 Kamari Murphy. Brady Heslip, who drained half of Baylor’s season-high 16 3-pointers in Wednesday’s rout of Texas Christian, went 1-of-8 beyond the arc on Saturday. Heslip had knocked down 26 of his previous 49 3-point attempts since joining the starting lineup five games earlier.
TRENDS:
* Home team is 12-3 ATS in the last 15 meetings.
* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Baylor.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Cowboys are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Cowboys are 0-7 ATS in the last seven meetings in Baylor.
CONSENSUS: 64.5 percent of the wagers are on Baylor -4.
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Oklahoma State running out of options without Smart
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Oklahoma State went from national title contender to one of the coldest teams in the country heading toward the postseason.
The Cowboys, who have dropped six straight games SU and ATS, have transitioned from Top-10 status to the Big 12 basement over the course of the past few weeks. Things have bottomed out for the Cowboys, missing star point guard Marcus Smart for the final game of a three-game suspension heading into Monday’s game against the Baylor Bears. Early odds in Las Vegas have OSU as a 4.5 point underdog in Waco.
Already losers of three in a row before Smart's ban for shoving a fan, the Cowboys were going through a rough patch. Smart’s value was estimated to be around three points to OSU’s pointspreads, but he could be worth even more after watching the Pokes struggle in the first two games of his suspension.
“So talented defensively, and that’s what Okie State will miss the most when he is out the next three games,” Michael Perry of Sportsbook.ag told Covers when Smart was first suspended last week.
Game 1 without Smart was a disaster for OSU. It came out flat on the road against a tough Texas Longhorns team that ran them out of the gym in the first half, jumping out to an early 54-33 lead on the way to an 87-68 blowout win. Le'Bryan Nash stepped up to fill the absence of Smart's scoring with 23 points, but it was nowhere near enough to help them end the losing streak.
Saturday night was a better performance at home against the Sooners, but Smart's reported three-point value may have held true in a 77-74 loss to Oklahoma. Three Cowboys finished in double digits, including Markel Brown, who led the team with 26. But a lack of stops allowed the Sooners to sweep the season series with a road win.
Going into Monday night's clash with Baylor, bettors should be wary of the Cowboys. The absence of Smart has exasperated the team's obvious issues but also exhausted them physically, trying to make up for Smart’s contributions on both ends of the floor. That could be even more evident with a quick turnaround and only one day off between Saturday’s loss and Monday’s game in Waco.
The Cowboys have just two ATS victories in their last 10 games and are a woeful 8-13 ATS on the season. Even with Smart in the lineup, Oklahoma State is 0-4 ATS in its last four meeting with Baylor and has failed to cover in its last seven trips to the Ferrell Center.
