A Notable Narrative About Texas-Baylor
The Longhorns desperately need to pull off this upset
Baylor (21-1) at Texas (14-9)
Monday 2/9/20, 9:00pm EST
TREND: Texas has gone 9-4 straight-up at home, but just 4-9 ATS.
STORYLINE: “At 4-6 in conference play and 14-9 overall, the Longhorns need wins - and quality wins - to help their chances to make the Big Dance at this point. Texas entered this back-to-back stretch of home games against Texas Tech and Baylor needing at the very least to get a split to set up a run for the tournament. Now that split will require a win against the No. 1 team in the country on Big Monday. ‘The schedule is what it is, obviously,’ (Shaka) Smart said. ‘Baylor is a terrific team and they are having a phenomenal season. It's a great opportunity, but that means we have to play at a really really high level for 40 minutes.’
A signature win over Baylor would certainly help, but the math isn't in Texas' favor down the stretch. Most believe the team needs at least five more conference victories and probably a couple in the Big 12 Tournament to get on the right side of the bubble at this point. While talk about the postseason continues to swirl, Smart is trying to keep things as simple as possible for his players. ‘(We have to) Win, just win,’ Smart said. ‘I mean we talked a lot about it (the overall standings) coming into this game. Yeah, particularly with Texas Tech coming in one game ahead of us in the standings. Our guys are very aware of where we are and where we stand and what we need to do.’” - Chris Dukes, Sports Illustrated (2/8/20)
QUICK-HITTER: Texas’ NCAA Tournament hopes are most likely reliant on a straight-up victory and upset over Baylor in this contest. Will that desperation result in a victory? Click the button below to instantly unlock our model’s best bet for this game!
