NCAA Basketball: Best bets for 2021-22 regular-season power league titles
By Ian Mumm
Big 12: Baylor Bears +450
Despite the expectations Baylor garnered in the preseason on a national level last season, the Bears were still priced equal to Kansas at +180 in conference play. Making any other team in the Big 12 an outright favorite would’ve been surprising, given the track record held by the Jayhawks in both the regular-season (15) and conference titles (8) under head coach Bill Self.
Due to the stranglehold, the program has maintained over the conference since 2011-12, average odds (Even/-005) in the Big-12 are the lowest of the Power 6 conferences and limit the scale of return on your money.
With the signing of Remy Martin and roster continuity for Kansas this offseason, the “favorite” tag and accompanying odds have returned. While equivalent odds for Baylor, following their national championship in 2021, do not sit on the same level as the conference heavyweights it’s understandable when noting the losses of Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler, and MaCio Teague.
A significant talent gap to patch this year, but the retention of Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer in addition to the signings of Kendall Brown, Langston Love, and James Akinjo put Baylor back where they need to be.
The Bears are set to remain highly competitive this season, but even then they won’t need to be perfect to capture the regular-season title. Despite the Jayhawks’ dominance in the conference-title race, the program has only captured titles by an average of two wins per season since 2011-12 leaving room for another team to capture a share of the crown or take it outright. Baylor still holds significant experience on their roster from last year’s team and they have the capability to repeat their performance from 2021 with their new rotation.