The Baylor Bears and Colgate Raiders face off in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Basketball Tournament. This Baylor basketball team is not one of the best teams that the school has ever had, but it has one of the best players in the country. Ja’Kobe Walter is currently projected to be a high pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and will probably be the best player on the court in most games. For Colgate, they are in their fourth straight NCAA Tournament and are looking for their first win in school history in the big dance.
Below, we will preview this NCAA Tournament college basketball game, giving a Baylor vs Colgate prediction and other March Madness expert picks. Which school will win and keep their hopes of winning the championship trophy alive?
Baylor vs Colgate Prediction and March Madness Expert Picks
2024 NCAA Tournament
No. 3 Baylor Bears (23-10) vs. No. 14 Colgate Raiders (25-9)
Date: Friday, March 22, 2024
Time: 12:40 PM EST
Venue: FedEx Forum — Memphis, TN
Coverage: TruTV
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Baylor vs Colgate March Madness Odds
All college basketball betting odds for Kansas vs Samford can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: BAY: (-1200) | COL: (+750)
Point Spread: BAY: -13.5 (-110) | COL: +13.5 (-110)
Total: 138.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
KenPom Rankings | Bracketology
KenPom Rankings are from KenPom.com
| Team | Rk | AdjO | AdjD | AdjT |
| Baylor | 14 | 122.5 (6) | 100.2 (64) | 65.6 (281) |
| Colgate | 145 | 104.7 (211) | 102.5 (104) | 66.2 (253) |
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Baylor vs Colgate College Basketball Trends
- Baylor is 11-2 in non-conference college basketball games this season.
- Colgate is 6-7 in non-conference college basketball games this season.
- The OVER is 17-15 in Baylor basketball games this season.
- The OVER is 12-21 in Colgate basketball games this season.
- Baylor is 8-2 in NCAA Tournament games since 2019.
- Samford is 0-3 in NCAA Tournament games since 2019.
Baylor vs Colgate Prediction | March Madness Expert Picks
The Baylor Bears had a really good year on the offensive side of the ball this season. Walter led the team, scoring 14.2 PPG. Adding to Walter was transfer RayJ Dennis, who averaged 13.3 PPG on 48.1% shooting this season. In total, the Bears had six players who scored in double digits this season. As a whole, the Bears shot incredibly well from the three-point line, cashing in 38.8% of their threes (ninth in the country). As for the defense, the Bears did a good job keeping their opponents off of the boards. Opposing teams averaged just 29.3 RPG (third in the country) against the Bears.
Out of the last four Colgate teams that made the NCAA Tournament, this may be the worst of the four. They averaged just 71.5 PPG (244th in the country) this year. While those scoring numbers aren’t great, the Raiders do hit shots when they get them (47% from the field and 36.1% from three). As has been the case for most of the season, the Raiders have won games due to their defense. They give up just 63.2 PPG (11th in the country) and allow opponents to shoot just 40.8% from the field (30th in the country). This season, the Raiders have allowed 70+ points just 10 times.
While the Colgate Raiders have played some of the best defense in the country this season, those strong defensive performances have come against a bad conference. Looking at their non-conference play, the Raiders have lost to Syracuse, Yale, Harvard, Arizona, Illinois, Iona and Cornell. Those aren’t great losses for a team trying to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Don’t overthink this one, there is a reason Baylor is a 13.5-point favorite. For our Baylor vs Colgate prediction, we are picking the Baylor Bears to win and move on in the NCAA Tournament.
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