KenPom Predicts No. 18 BYU at No. 14 Baylor

BYU hits the road to take on Baylor in a ranked matchup

Author:
Casey Lundquist
Publish date:
Jan 9, 2024 10:57 AM EST

On Saturday night, BYU basketball dropped its first home game of the season in the Big 12 opener against Cincinnati. After a few days off, BYU will face Baylor on the Road. The Bears 12-2 this season and coming off an overtime win over Oklahoma State. Their two losses have come against Michigan State and Duke.

KenPom, the industry leader in college basketball analytics, predicted BYU-Baylor. KenPom gives BYU an 44% chance to win with a projected final score of 78-77.

As of this writing, BYU is ranked 9th in KenPom while Cincinnati is ranked 14th.

Game Information

BYU (12-2) vs Baylor (12-2)
Tuesday, January 9
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. MT
Waco, Texas
Foster Pavilion

Trey Stewart Basketball vs Cincinnati — Credit: BYU Photo

BYU in the Polls

On Monday, the new AP poll for college basketball was released and BYU dropped eight spots from no 12 to no. 18 after losing at home to Cincinnati. BYU will look to bounce back on Tuesday night on the road at Baylor. The Bears are ranked 14th in the updated AP poll.

BYU is one of six Big 12 teams in the AP top 25. They are joined by Houston (2) Kansas (3), Oklahoma (9), Baylor (14), and Texas (25). It's also worth noting that San Diego State is now ranked no 19 in the country. The Aztecs are 13-2 this season. One of their two losses came against BYU.

BYU is looking for its first conference win as a member of the Big 12. Saturday's loss to Cincinnati was a sneak peek of how challenging the conference slate will be. BYU's offense was not as free-flowing, the shots were more contested, and offensive rebounds were harder to come by.

Below is the full AP top 25.