How to watch, prediction for Baylor basketball's showdown with No. 7 Houston

Baylor got out to a hot start this season, but the Bears have fallen in their first two Big 12 games this year. Baylor lost to both TCU and Iowa State -- two games the Bears had chances to win --and now with being winless in the conference, Baylor needs to get on the right side of things.

But it won't be easy on Saturday. The Bears will host Houston, the No. 7 ranked team in the nation, and the Cougars are one of the better defensive teams in the country. Baylor has gotten out to slow starts, and the Bears need to start much faster to beat a team like Houston.

Here's how you can see the game, our prediction, and more.

How to watch

Day: Saturday, Jan. 10
When: 12 p.m. CT
TV: Peacock
Announcers: John Fanta and Jess Settles
Radio: Baylor Sports Media Network
Where: Foster Pavilion (Waco, TX)

Leading Players

Baylor

Points: Cameron Carr - 20.7 PPG
Rebounds: Caden Powell - 8.4 RPG
Assists: Obi Agbim - 3.7 APG
Steals: Tounde Yessoufou 2.3 SPG
Blocks: Cameron Carr - 1.7 BPG

Houston

Points: Kingston Flemings - 16.1 PPG
Rebounds: Chris Cenac - 7.7 RPG
Assists: Kingston Flemings - 5.0 APG
Steals: Kingston Flemings - 2.1 SPG
Blocks: Joseph Tugler - 1.7 BPG

Prediction

Baylor G Cameron Carr — Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Trent Knoop

Houston allows just over 60 points per game and Baylor has started poorly on the offensive end of the court in recent games. The Bears have some firepower, but if Baylor is going to continue to miss shots, not execute, and miss bunnies -- don't expect to compete with a Houston team that will contend for a national title.

Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou have to be on their A games, and James Nnaji has to dominate down low when he gets into the game. I expect the Bears to be better and make the game competitive at home, but the Cougars are just too good -- and Baylor is still trying to mesh.

Final score: Houston 67, Baylor 60

Jacob Haddadin

I predict that Houston will get the win on the road at Baylor. While Baylor showed flashes of being able to compete with elite teams against Iowa State on Wednesday, they simply do not have the size or defense that Houston does. I predict that Baylor keeps it close for the first 30 minutes of the game, but then Houston pulls away on the back of their star freshman guard, Kingston Flemings.

Final score: Houston 71, Baylor 64

Game Notes

With BU hosting 3/3 Iowa State and 7/7 Houston this week, it marks the first time BU has played two top-10 teams in back-to-back games at home.

The last time BU took down UH at home was Feb. 22, 1995, winning 97-89.

The last time the Bears took down a top-10 team at home was 3/2/24 vs. #7 Kansas, 82-74.

Baylor is 35-28 against ranked teams over the last seven seasons, including a 17-7 mark at home.

Baylor is 93-31 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2011-12 season.