Baylor Bears vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/16/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, January 16, 2026

Venue:  Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Baylor +6.5, Kansas -6.5; Over/Under:  155.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Baylor +6.5, Kansas -6.5; Over/Under:  155.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Baylor +6.5, Kansas -6.5; Over/Under:  155.5 points

Baylor Bears:  11-5 (1-3) (11th place, Big 12)

Kansas Jayhawks:  12-5 (2-2) (9th place, Big 12)

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Baylor Bears:  2-3  last 5

Kansas Jayhawks:  3-2  last 5

Baylor is entering this game with an 11-5 record overall, a 1-3 record in conference games, and they are 1-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their last game. Tounde Yessoufou led the team in points in that game with 23 while Michael Rataj was next on the team with 19. Cameron Carr led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Michael Rataj led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 59.3% from the field, 52% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 88.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 74.6 PPG against them. Baylor has an ATS record of 7-8 this season and their O/U record is 9-6.

Kansas is entering this game with a 12-5 record overall, a 2-2 conference record, and they are 7-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Iowa State Cyclones in their last game. Tre White led the team in points in that game with 19 while Darryn Peterson was next on the team with 16. Jamari McDowell led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Tre White led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 50.8% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.8 PPG against them. Kansas has an ATS record of 10-7 this season and their O/U record is 6-11.

The current betting odds have Kansas listed as a 6.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kansas has looked good in their games this season with their 12-5 record overall, but their 2-2 conference record has them right in the middle of the Big 12. They have looked a lot better on their home court though with their 7-1 home record this season. Meanwhile, Baylor has looked good in their games this season with their 11-5 record overall, but their 1-3 conference record has them in the bottom half of the Big 12. They have been a bad road team so far too with their 1-2 road record this year. Baylor has looked terrible lately as they are 2-3 in their last 5 games and have struggled a lot since starting conference play. They finally got their first win in the Big 12 with a road win over Oklahoma State in their last one, but Kansas is starting to turn the corner now themselves. Kansas is only 3-2 in their last 5 games and they haven't been at their best this season. They aren't ranked in the top 25 at the moment and have taken some bad losses under their belt already, but they do have the talent to compete at a high level in the Big 12, along with one of the best players in the entire nation. Kansas is going to have plenty of opportunities in the Big 12 to get big wins and right the ship, and they are going to come into this game with a ton of momentum after handing Iowa State their first loss of the season in a blow out their last game. Look for Kansas to start turning the corner now after that big win as they start to figure things out. The best way to place a bet here is on Kansas to cover the spread in this game. 

Baylor Kansas Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, January 16, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Kansas 77 Baylor 66.

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Baylor Bears: 3-10 ATS as a road underdog or pick. 0-4 ATS in a road game where the total is 150 to 159.5. 18-25 ATS versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 9-5 UNDER as a road underdog or pick. 22-14 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game.

Kansas Jayhawks: 7-4 ATS as a favorite. 6-3 ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 14 turnovers/game or less. 39-24 UNDER as a favorite. 23-15 UNDER after playing a home game. 29-18 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game.

Baylor Bears:  M. Perez (F) Out - Knee. M. Soyoye (C) Out - Redshirt. J. White (G) Questionable - Foot. D. Skillings (G) Questionable - Lower Body. J. Bodo Bodo (C) Questionable - Arm. A. Iguodala (G-F) Out - Redshirt.

Kansas Jayhawks:  None.

"Yeah, I think because most of the year we've been at seven. So you're used to being in those situations. Last year, we got to, what, eight for four minutes or five minutes of the season. So eventually, we'll get there. And I know until that time, any experience you can lean on can be helpful. And hopefully, everyone knows when you have a shorter rotation, you just got to be smarter with fouls." - Scott Drew after his team’s win against Oklahoma State in their last game. 

“I thought our intensity level was at a different level than it’s been any time this year.” - Bill Self after his team’s win against Iowa State in their last game. 

O. Agbim 

C. Carr 

M. Rataj 

D. Skillings 

T. Yessoufou

F. Bidunga 

M. Council 

D. Peterson 

B. Tiller 

T. White

PPG: Cameron Carr (20.3)

APG: Obi Agbim (3.5)

Reb/G: Caden Powell (7.9)

PPG: Darryn Peterson (21.8)

APG: Melvin Council Jr. (4.9)

Reb/G: Flory Bidunga (8.8)

Coaches:

Baylor Bears: Scott Drew (23rd season)

Kansas Jayhawks: Bill Self (23rd season)