2011-12 Baylor Bears NCAA College Basketball Betting Odds
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
by WagerWeb Sportsbook
Off the longest NCAA Tournament run in school history the previous season, last year was a disappointment for the Baylor Bears. They finished just 18-13 overall and 7-9 in the Big 12, not even qualifying for any postseason tournament.
However, Baylor has won 91 games since the start of the 2007-08 campaign, including an 11-5 record in postseason play (Big 12, NCAA, NIT). The Bears are also 30-4 at home over the past two seasons.
BU brings back six of its top seven scorers from a year ago. The Bears will have their top three rebounders on the court again and 86 percent of their rebounding return overall. Sophomore Perry Jones III started a Baylor freshman-record 30 games in 2010-11. He led the team in hooting at 54.9 percent en route to becoming the first player in program history to earn USBWA Freshman All-America honors. Junior forward Quincy Acy had nine double-doubles a year ago and scored in double digits 23 times. He shot 73.7 percent from the field over his last three contests, with 25 rebounds.
Head coach Scott Drew is entering his ninth campaign at Baylor, tied for the second-longest current tenure in the Big 12 (Bill Self, KU). Drew is averaging 22.8 wins over the last four seasons.
With Kansas and Texas losing their whole teams to graduation and the NBA draft, Drew returns the best NBA prospect of the bunch in Jones III, probable top-10 pick who turned it all down to return to Waco. Jones’ return, along with an eye-catching recruiting class that includes a top-five player in Quincy Miller, makes Baylor a sexy preseason pick, which is something that has been happening at Baylor for a while.
The Baylor Bears are stocked with big men and thin on the perimeter. Jones III, Quincy Acy, Miller and Anthony Jones give Baylor about as diverse a group of 6-7 to 6-11 guys as you’ll find anywhere. If Baylor can put together a decent season from its backcourt, the big guys could carry the Bears a long way.
Ultimately, the Bears’ talent should overwhelm most Big 12 teams. But the operative word there is “should.” Baylor has had one of the league’s most gifted rosters for a few years and doesn’t have a heck of a lot to show for it.
Season opener: Nov. 11 vs. Texas Southern
Wager Web Sportsbook odds to win national title: +3000
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anthony jones - baylor bears - ncaa tournament - perry jones iii - quincy acy - quincy miller - scott drew
