Scott Drew and the No. 8 Baylor Bears get the Monday college basketball schedule underway with a home contest in the afternoon. Baylor opened the 2021-22 season with a comfortable win in its opener, with the Bears aiming to recapture the magic that led to a 2021 national championship. In the team's second game, Baylor hosts the Nicholls Colonels. Nicholls is 3-0 on the season, including a 1-0 road record.
Tipoff is at noon ET in Waco, Texas. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Bears as 23.5-point home favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 145.5 in the latest Baylor vs. Nicholls odds. Before making any Nicholls vs. Baylor picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Baylor vs. Nicholls and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Nicholls vs. Baylor:
- Baylor vs. Nicholls spread: Baylor -23.5
- Baylor vs. Nicholls over-under: 145.5 points
- Baylor: The Bears are 20-11 against the spread in the last 31 games
- Nicholls: The Colonels are 11-13-1 against the spread in the last 25 games
Why Baylor can cover
The Bears enjoyed a breezy win in the opener and, dating back to last season, Baylor has an impressive statistical profile. The Bears were No. 2 in the country in offensive efficiency last season, with top-tier marks in myriad categories. Baylor led the nation in 3-point shooting at 41.3 percent, and the Bears also led the Big 12 in 2-point shooting at 54.4 percent. The Bears finished in the top five in the country in offensive rebound rate at 37.3 percent, and Baylor has the athletic and physicality advantage in this matchup.
On defense, the Bears ranked near the top of the country in adjusted efficiency, with a top-five national mark in turnover creation rate at 24.4 percent. Baylor creates havoc with on-ball pressure, headlined by a 12.8 percent steal rate, and the Bears are also very good at contesting shots. Opponents shot just 32.9 percent from 3-point range and 48.7 percent from inside the arc against Baylor last season.
Why Nicholls can cover
The Colonels are enjoying success in the early going, picking up a road win over Northern Iowa and scoring 100 points or more in the last two games. Nicholls is paced by senior guard Ty Gordon, who led the team in scoring last season, and Gordon is averaging 18.3 points per game in the first three contests. This season, Nicholls is shooting 60.6 percent on 2-point attempts, and Nicholls shot 53 percent on 2-point shots for the 2020-21 season. Nicholls also led the Southland Conference in turnover rate last season, giving the ball away on only 17.7 percent of possessions.
On defense, Nicholls is holding opponents to a 33 percent effective field-goal shooting mark this season, and the Colonels are also grabbing more than 80 percent of available defensive rebounds. Nicholls posted a 20.7 percent turnover creation rate with a 11.6 percent steal rate last season, and the Colonels contest shots well, including the fact that opponents shot only 47.5 percent on two-point attempts in 2020-21.
How to make Baylor vs. Nicholls picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting 151 points. It also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can get the model's pick only at SportsLine.
So who wins Nicholls vs. Baylor? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,200 on its college basketball picks the last four years, and find out.