How to watch Utah basketball vs. Baylor: TV channel, game time and preview

Utah heads down to Waco, Texas, where it'll close out the regular season with a matinee matchup against Baylor on Saturday.

The Runnin' Utes (10-20, 2-15 Big 12) enter the matchup coming off a loss to Colorado, while the Bears (15-15, 5-12 Big 12) are a few days removed from a road loss to Houston.

Here's what you need to know about Saturday's contest, including how to watch it and the latest betting odds.

How to Watch Utah vs. Baylor

Date: Saturday, March 7
Game Time: 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT
Where: Foster Pavilion | Waco, Texas
How to watch (TV): Peacock
Radio: ESPN 700
Live stats feed: www.statbroadcast.com
KenPom prediction: Baylor 84, Utah 73

Odds, Spread and Total for Baylor vs. Utah

Spread:

Utah: +11.5 (-105)
Baylor: -11.5 (-115)

Moneyline:

Utah: +450
Baylor: -630

Total: 151.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Utah vs. Baylor Preview

It's been a bumpy first year at the helm for Alex Jensen, though his Utah squad has one last opportunity to earn a win in a hostile environment before heading off to Kansas City, Missouri, for the Big 12 conference tournament next week. For that to happen, it'll require the Utes breaking the vicious cycle of mental lapses and turnover tendencies that have followed them on every road trip so far this season.

Getting off to a better start than it did in its 92-78 loss to Colorado would go a long way for Utah in its matchup with Baylor as well. The Utes got outscored by the Buffaloes, 28-8, over the final 10 minutes of what was easily the most disappointing first half of basketball Jensen's group has put together in his short tenure as head coach. It was so bad, in fact, that Utah still lost by double-digits despite shooting 73.9% from the field, including 6-of-7 (85.7%) from 3, and committing one turnover in the second half.

Needless to say, the bar for improvement on Saturday isn't set very high. A halftime lead would be a big leap for the Utes, considering they've been up on the scoreboard going into the break of a road game just twice this season. One of those instances came during their victory at West Virginia last month, when Utah jumped out to an 18-8 lead in the first few minutes of regulation en route to a 61-56 win in Morgantown.

It's especially important for Utah not to fall behind early Saturday because, while it's not facing the same Baylor teams that competed for national championships in years past, the Utes are going up against a Bears squad that's been able to hang with the league's top teams as of late.

In the last month, Scott Drew's crew has put up quite a fight at Houston before falling apart down the stretch; held a halftime lead on Arizona in a 7-point loss; and nearly pulled off a stunning come-from-behind win at Iowa State in a 3-point defeat from Ames. During that same stretch, the Bears rallied from down eight at halftime to beat Arizona State in Waco, and pulled out an impressive road win over a likely NCAA Tournament team in UCF behind a 26-point performance from stud sophomore wing Cameron Carr.

Like the Utes, though, the Bears commit too many turnovers (11.8 per game) and don't do enough defensively to turn the tides in their favor. Baylor allows 77 points per game (No. 260 in the country) and checks in at No. 114 in the nation in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.

Utah lags behind Baylor in both of those categories, as the Utes give up 78.6 points per contest (No. 309) and and rank No. 195 in defensive efficiency. They've been better on that end of the floor as of late, though the effort hasn't been as consistent as Jensen and his staff would probably like at this point in the season.

Where Utah is really going to need to buckle down and be physical is on the glass. Despite rolling out a smaller lineup than most teams, Baylor is No. 16 in the country in offensive rebound rate (37.6%) and No. 2 in the Big 12 in margin (+4.7 on average). The Utes, meanwhile, are one of three teams in the conference with a negative rebound margin (-1.2) and give up offensive boards 31.2% of the time (No. 213 in the country).

A win for the Bears would put them in position to earn the No. 13 seed in the conference tournament if Oklahoma State loses to Houston (10 a.m. MT, CBS). Utah is locked into the No. 16 seed regardless of Saturday's results.

Players to Watch

Utah

Terrence Brown: The 6-foot-3 guard leads Utah in points, assists, steals, field goals made and free throws, and ranks as one of the Big 12's best scorers with 19.9 points per game. He's two points away from being the first player in program history to record 600 points and 100 assists in a single season.

Don McHenry: The fifth-year senior is the Utes' best 3-point shooter on volume (39.4% on 6.1 attempts per game) and is No. 11 in the Big 12 with 17.2 points per game. He's scored at least 14 points in six straight games heading into Saturday.

Keanu Dawes: The 6-foot-9 junior does a little bit of everything for the Utes. From filling up the scoring column efficiently to grabbing a couple handfuls of rebounds, he can provide whatever his team needs on any given night.

Baylor

Cameron Carr: The 6-foot-5 wing leads the Bears in scoring and ranks No. 6 in the Big 12 at 18.9 points per game. He's shooting 51.1% from the field, 39.9% from 3 (5.6 attempts per game) and 79.9% from the free-throw line. After finishing with a quiet 11 points against Houston, he'll likely look for his shot early and often on Saturday.

Tounde Yessoufou: The former five-star recruit has been an instant-impact freshman for the Bears, averaging 17.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 32.3 minutes per game. He recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career in a 20-point, 12-rebound effort against Houston last time out.

Caden Powell: The 6-foot-10 Rice transfer provides Baylor with the size it needs to be one of the better rebounding teams in the Big 12 as the Bears' only starter taller than 6-foot-6. His 6.4 rebounds per game paces the team.

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.