Baylor vs. Kansas Picks and Predictions: Friday Big 12 Basketball
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri Jan 16, 2026, 9:58 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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For whatever reason, the Baylor Bears and Kansas Jayhawks meet at Allen Fieldhouse tonight, instead of being a part of Saturday's massive college hoops slate. Regardless, Scott Drew and the Bears are looking to take down the Jayhawks, something they've done successfully the last two times the teams have played. However both of those games were in Waco. Can the Bears pull off a miraculous upset against the Jayhawks in Lawrence? I doubt it, but let's get into our favorite picks.
Best Bet: Kansas -7.5 (-109) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
Baylor Bears vs. Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Basketball Insights
Scott Drew has just one win at Allen Fieldhouse in his 20+ years as coach of the Bears
The Baylor Bears started the season 10-2 with losses to No. 14 St. John's on a neutral site and to Memphis on the road. However, one could argue that those were their only real tests in non conference play. And it showed when they got to the Big 12, because Baylor lost their three opening conference matchups. Now, two of those were to No. 3 Iowa State and to No. 7 Houston, but still, they got smacked in the face. However, they are coming off a 15 point win in Stillwater. And the Jayhawks might be coming down to Earth.
The Jayhawks are probably coming off their best win of the year, handing No. 2 Iowa State their first loss by 21 points as four point underdogs. But Kansas is just 2-2 in conference play, losing both games on the road, and somehow miraculously surviving their home opener against TCU. Can the magic of Phog Allen help them stay hot against Baylor? Or will the Bears be able to catch Bill Self's team sleeping after a big win on Tuesday?
Matchup Information – Baylor vs. Kansas – January 16
- Venue & Location: Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, KS)
- Date: Friday, January 16, 2025
- Kick Off: 8:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: FOX
Baylor vs. Kansas Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of January 16, 2025 at 9:20 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Baylor +7.5 (-111)
- Kansas -7.5 (-109)
Moneyline
- Baylor +265
- Kansas -345
Total
- Over 155 (-113)
- Under 155 (-107)
Baylor vs. Kansas NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Can Bill Self make sure his team is ready for Baylor after annihilating Iowa State at home?
Baylor vs. Kansas Prediction: Kansas Wins and Covers, Under 155
Best Bet: Kansas -7.5 (-109) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Now, in the spirit of transparency, I did not actually book the Jayhawks on the spread. What I did take, was the Jayhawks ML paired with the DePaul Blue Demons ML tonight against Marquette for +101. You can call that the ole Up Your Units Homer Parlay as we expect both Colby Marchio and I's favorite college hoops teams to get the job done at home.
Kansas looked VERY good on Tuesday. Even after their loss, the Cyclones are an extremely good basketball team, and are still a national championship contender. But they proved how tough it can be to try to get a win inside Allen Fieldhouse. In fact, the Baylor Bears have won just one time in Lawrence, a couple months before the world shutdown in 2020. But remember, some of those Bears players were a part of the 2021 National Championship team the next season. The personnel was much different. This time, it will not be easy.
Sure, one could argue that the Jayhawks are coming off a "Super Bowl" win over the No. 2 team in the country. But it's Allen Fieldhouse people. Bill Self wins over 94% of his games at the Phog, and tonight they should have no problem adding another one to their record.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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