Baylor vs. Minnesota Prediction, Odds, Key Player to Watch for College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

The College Basketball Crown is set to begin on Wednesday night with eight teams across four conference scheduled to go to battle in a three-round single elimination tournament.

The Baylor Bears and Minnesota Golden Gophers will face each other in a quarterfinal matchup tonight in a Big 12 vs. Big Ten showdown.

Baylor struggled in conference play this season, but they did go 3-3 in their final six games with wins against the likes of UCF, Arizona State, and Utah. Meanwhile, Minnesota had a huge win against Michigan State back on February 4, and got another big win against UCLA on February 28, but they didn't do enough with the rest of their schedule to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Let's take a look at the odds and my best bet for tonight's game.

Baylor vs. Minnesota Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Baylor -3.5 (-115)
Minnesota +3.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Baylor -178
Minnesota +148

Total

OVER 148.5 (-112)
UNDER 148.5 (-108)

Baylor vs. Minnesota How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, April 1
Game Time: 10:30 pm ET
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena
How to Watch (TV): FS1
Baylor Record: 16-16
Minnesota Record: 15-17

Baylor vs. Minnesota Betting Trends

Baylor is 4-1 ATS in its last five games
The OVER is 4-1 in Baylor's last five games
Baylor is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games vs. Big Ten opponents
The UNDER is 6-3 in Minnesota's last nine games
Minnesota is 4-16 ATS in its last 20 games vs. Big 12 opponents

Baylor vs. Minnesota Key Player to Watch

Cameron Carr, G - Baylor Bears

Cameron Carr is averaging 19.2 points per game this season, along with 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He's also a dangerous three-point shooter, hitting his threes at a rate of 39.4%. Minnesota is going to have to figure something out to find a way to slow him down if the Golden Gophers want to pull off the upset.

Baylor vs. Minnesota Prediction and Pick

While Baylor may have an advantage in this game when you look at the records, the underlying metrics actually give the nod to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota ranks 60th in effective field goal percentage and 140th in defensive efficiency. Baylor, by comparison, ranks 72nd and 257th in those two metrics.

Keep an eye on the three-point shooting of Minnesota tonight. They rank 31st in the country in three-point shot rate, with 47.2% of their shots coming from beyond the arc. Now, they face a team that allows its opponents to shoot 35.5% from three-point land, which ranks 283rd in college basketball.

I'll back Minnesota as an underdog tonight.

Pick: Minnesota +3.5 (-105) via FanDuel

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