With Win Over West Virginia, Baylor’s National Championship Odds Remain at +1000

• No. 1 Baylor beat No. 14 West Virginia 70-59 on Saturday, earning their sixth win against a Top-25 opponent this season
• Baylor remains at +1000 to win the NCAA Championship while West Virginia holds steady at +4000 despite the loss
• See below for a breakdown of both teams March Madness prospects following Baylor’s victory

No. 1 Baylor passed another test on Saturday afternoon, beating No. 14 West Virginia 70-59. The win was their sixth over a Top-25 opponent this year and they’ve now won 22 games in a row. Despite yet another impressive victory, the Bears National Title odds didn’t budge, staying at +1000.

2020 NCAA Tournament Odds

Odds updated Feb. 16th.

Baylor Rides Big Second Half Charge To Cruise By West Virginia

It was a relatively easy night for the Bears, who were supposed to get a stiff test from the Mountaineers. Baylor closed as a five-point favorite as they were playing without the team’s second-leading scorer MaCio Teague.

The Bears were mostly in control in the first half, building a 19-point lead, but West Virginia closed the gap down to 11 by halftime. Coming out of the break, Baylor went on a 20-3 run to build a 28-point lead as West Virginia missed their first 11 shots of the half and Baylor never looked back.

Baylor is allowing 58.4 PPG, a record setting pace:

Fewest PPG Allowed in a Season – Big 12 History

'06-07 Texas A&M 59.4
'18-19 Texas Tech 59.5
'18-19 Kansas St 59.6
'06-07 Oklahoma 59.6

Baylor has now won 22 straight, tying the longest win streak in Big 12 history. pic.twitter.com/LmvC22G6XZ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 15, 2020

The Mountaineers were sloppy with the basketball, turning it over 22 times, which tied a season high. This capped off a rough week for them as they’ve now lost three in a row.

Mountaineers Tumble As Losses Pile Up

The Mountaineers have been fading for the last month as they are just 4-5 in their last nine games after starting the season 14-2. It’s been a particularly bad week for them as they lost at Oklahoma last Saturday, lost at home to No. 3 Kansas on Wednesday and then lost at No. 1 Baylor on Saturday.

Top Plays from Baylor's blowout win over West Virginia pic.twitter.com/GyoARuYXPQ

— Grayson Grundhoefer (@GrayGrundhoefer) February 16, 2020

Road games continue to be an adventure for them as they are just 3-6 in away games this season. That’s a big concern as we approach the NCAA Tournament where all of the games are played on neutral sites. The big issue is the offense, which scores 76.5 points per game at home but loses over 10 points off that average (66.3) when playing on the road.

West Virginia will slip in the rankings but it won’t be a big drop. They weren’t expected to win on Saturday in Waco and they met those expectations.

Baylor Continues To Shine

Bettors waiting for Baylor to slip will have to wait a little bit longer. They collected their nation-leading sixth win over a Top-25 opponent on Saturday and have now tied the Big 12 record for consecutive wins with 22. They’ve been atop the AP Poll for four straight weeks.

DIIIIIIRTY MAYER!!!
pic.twitter.com/bsRj2PJ2un

— Shane Fay (@BaylorExec) February 15, 2020

However, if you’re planning to bet on Baylor to win it all, I’d wait. There’s no question that this team has been impressive but they’ll probably lose at least once in their last stretch to end the season. They’ll host No. 3 Kansas next Saturday and also still have road games at No. 24 Texas Tech and No. 14 West Virginia.

If they win all of those games, their 2020 National Championship odds will only shorten slightly as they’re already among the favorites. If they lose though, they’ll drop down a notch and that will give you a better chance to buy-in.