Undefeated Arizona Is a 5.5-Point Underdog at Baylor – Picks & Odds

• Arizona is 9-0 and off to its best start since the 2014-15 season
• Freshmen Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion, and Josh Green lead the Wildcats
• Baylor guard Jared Butler has been a breakout star in his sophomore season

Undefeated #12 Arizona is a 5.5-point underdog in its road game of the season against #18 Baylor at 12:00 PM ET this Saturday (Dec. 7) at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

#12 Arizona vs #18 Baylor Odds

Odds as of Dec. 6 

No. 12 Arizona (9-0) is off to its best start since winning its first 12 games of the 2014-15 season. Meanwhile, No. 18 Baylor (6-1) has notched five consecutive victories since losing to Washington on Nov. 8 in Anchorage, Alaska.

There could be plenty of empty seats for this one at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. The Baylor football team’s matchup against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game kicks off nearly 100 miles away in Arlington at approximately the same time the basketball game tips off.

Baylor fans if you aren't planning on being in Dallas for the football game we would love your support in the Ferrell for a Top 20 matchup!! Tickets are free!! #1TGF #SicEm pic.twitter.com/ydg2g0d2Hd

— Scott Drew (@BUDREW) December 5, 2019

Baylor is offering free admission in hopes that it can at least get a decent crowd. Regardless of how many people are in the stands, though, this figures to be an intriguing matchup between two teams with title hopes as evidenced in the 2020 NCAA Tournament odds.

Arizona Freshmen Have Been Fabulous

After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012, Arizona coach Sean Miller brought in a highly-touted recruiting class. The youngsters have lived up to the billing as the Wildcats’ top three scorers are freshmen – forward Zeke Nnaji and guards Nico Mannion and Josh Green.

Nnaji is averaging 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while making a sizzling 73.4 percent (58 of 79) of his field-goal attempts. The 6-foot-11 Nnaji has scored at least 16 points in seven games.

The most highly regarded of the recruits, Mannion, is scoring 16.1 points a game and dishing an average of 5.8 assists.

The fiery redhead is the type of player who seems to live for big moments. An example came Nov. 28 when he drove the length of the floor to score the winning basket with two seconds left in a 93-91 victory over Pepperdine in the first round of the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, Calif. (See clip above.)

Green, an Australian, has averages of 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds while making the transition to American basketball.

Butler is Baylor’s Breakout Star

Sophomore guard Jared Butler is off to a fine start for Baylor, averaging a team-high 19.4 points a game while shooting 52 percent both on overall field goal attempts (45 of 87) and 3-point tries (26 of 50). He has been the Bears’ leading scorer in six of their seven games after posting a 10.2 average last season.

The only other Baylor player scoring in double figures is junior guard MaCio Teague. He has a 14.9 average in his first season since transferring from North Carolina-Asheville.

Baylor has been winning despite limited contributions from standout junior forward Tristan Clark. He underwent knee surgery last January then underwent a non-invasive surgical procedure on the knee last month.

Clark has missed two games and is averaging just 6.0 points, which is 8.6 below last season’s average.

Both Teams Tournament-Tested

Baylor coach Scott Drew is a big believer that teams who have success during holiday tournaments usually play well in March because of their ability to play well on consecutive days.

If that theory is true, then Arizona and Baylor might make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams won eight-team tournaments during Thanksgiving weekend.

Arizona downed Pepperdine, Penn and Wake Forest on the way to winning the Wooden Legacy. The MVP award went to Mannion, who had 49 points and 22 assists.

Sean Miller on Arizona winning the Wooden Legacy championship and the Wildcats’ depth: pic.twitter.com/C9BPI6Rp7Y

— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) December 5, 2019

Baylor captured the Charleston Classic by beating Ohio, Coastal Carolina and Villanova. Butler was the MVP as he scored 53 points in the three games.

Baylor Won Last Season’s Matchup

The teams met in Tucson last season and Baylor pulled a 58-49 upset as a seven-point underdog. The Bears limited Arizona to 36-percent shooting and held a whopping 46-14 rebounding advantage.

The rematch figures to have a different look, though. Both teams’ offenses are playing more efficiently than their defenses, according to statistics at KenPom.com.

Arizona is 5-4 against the spread this season but failed to cover as the favorite in all three games of the Wooden Legacy. Baylor is 4-3 ATS.

While Arizona and its touted freshmen are playing their first true road game, the number seems a little high on this game.

The pick:  Arizona +5.5 (-110)