The Baylor Bears take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Cincinnati is favored by 4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. The total is set at 147.5 points.
Here’s my Baylor vs. Cincinnati predictions and college basketball picks for January 28, 2026.
Baylor vs Cincinnati Prediction
My Pick: Cincinnati -4.5
My Baylor vs Cincinnati best bet is on the Bearcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Baylor vs. Cincinnati Odds
| Baylor Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -115 | 146.5 -110 / -110 | +170 |
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -105 | 146.5 -110 / -110 | -205 |
- Baylor vs Cincinnati spread: Cincinnati -4.5
- Baylor vs Cincinnati over/under: 146.5 points
- Baylor vs Cincinnati moneyline: Baylor +170, Cincinnati -205
Baylor vs Cincinnati College Basketball Betting Preview
Baylor Basketball
It's hard to lose a game when three players scored 20 points or more, but Baylor did that last game, falling 97-90 against TCU. That put the Bears at 11-8 overall and 1-6 in the Big 12.
It's been a long season so far for Scott Drew's bunch, and it may be even longer if it loses on the road at Cincinnati.
Offensively, Baylor has the worst free throw shooting team in conference play, and it turns the ball over the most.
Defensively, the Bears don't turn teams over, they can't guard the 3-point line and they allow offensive rebounds.
It's bad.
Cameron Carr is one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball, but it's completely irrelevant given his supporting cast.
Carr ranks in the 91st percentile on catch-and-shoot jumpers, with an efficient field goal percentage of 66%. He also ranks in the 94th percentile on contested jump shots, where he has an insane 70% efficient field goal percentage.
Carr is going to score around 20 points against Cincinnati, as he has in almost every Big 12 game.
So, who steps up to help him for Baylor? Tounde Yessoufou has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games for Baylor and continues to show flashes offensively. He's the one to watch against Cincinnati.
He's shown to be turnover-prone at times, but if he can take care of the ball, then Baylor can win this game.
Cincinnati Basketball
Cincinnati comes into this matchup at 10-10 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12 after its 82-68 loss at Arizona State. It wasn't too long ago that Cincinnati upset No. 2 Iowa State at home, but it's since dropped two straight.
This is a scrappy defensive team. The Bearcats rank ninth in the country in defensive efficiency and are one of the better 2-point defenses in the Big 12.
Their downfall is their offense, ranking last in offensive efficiency, efficient field goal percentage and 3-point percentage in Big 12 play.
Baba Miller leads the team with 13.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and is coming off a 23-point, nine-rebound performance.
But that's not why he's my X-Factor. Instead, that's due to his passing ability at 6-foot-11.
In five out of the last six games, Miller has recorded four or more assists. Though Cincinnati ranks at the bottom on offense, Miller is still able to create offense by scoring or facilitating, and if he can continue that, then Cincinnati will win this game.
Baylor vs. Cincinnati Betting Analysis
Cincinnati is 10-2 at home this season, with one of those two losses being a 67-60 defeat to Houston.
One thing this Cincinnati team does consistently well is guard, and it's facing a Baylor team that struggles to produce consistently outside of Carr.
All of Cincinnati's wins this season have been at home. I trust its defense to make Baylor struggle, while Miller continues to be a do-it-all player on the offensive end for the Bearcats.
My Pick: Cincinnati -4.5
