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How to watch Texas basketball vs. Baylor: Odds, matchups, injuries and more

Texas basketball can notch its first season series sweep in multiple games against a ranked opponent in the Big 12 on March 4 against No. 11 Baylor in Waco.

By Andrew Miller

Max Abmas, Texas basketball
Max Abmas, Texas basketball / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA
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Texas basketball (19-10, 8-8 Big 12) and head coach Rodney Terry are looking for a regular season sweep of the No. 11 Baylor Bears (21-8, 10-6 Big 12) on March 4 in Waco.

This is an important matchup for the Longhorns for a few reasons. First, it is the final road game of the regular season for the Longhorns. It is an opportunity for Terry and the Longhorns to get a major resume booster while sweeping the regular season series against an in-state conference foe.

Secondly, this is the final Big 12 regular season matchup between Texas and Baylor. The Baylor faithful in Waco are sure to be rowdy for this contest against the Longhorns.

Third, this game serves as a potential launchpad for the Longhorns to get better seeding for the Big 12 Tournament and on Selection Sunday. Texas is technically still able to finish as high as third in the Big 12 standings if it tops Baylor and the Oklahoma Sooners to conclude the regular season.

If Texas loses both games against Baylor and Oklahoma, it could fall as far as 11th in the Big 12 standings entering the conference tournament.

Here’s a look at the TV/streaming information and game time as Texas travels to Waco to face No. 11 Baylor at Foster Pavilion on March 4.

How to watch Texas basketball vs. Baylor

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN app

Radio/Audio Stream: Longhorn Radio Network/Sirius XM 380

Game time: 8 p.m. CT

Live stats: StatBroadcast

Jon Sciambi, Fran Fraschilla, and Kris Budden will call the game between Texas and Baylor in Waco on ESPN in primetime on March 4.

Craig Way and Eddie Oran will call the game on the radio broadcast on Longhorn Radio Network.

Texas is 96-68 in the all-time series against Baylor. While Baylor has dominated the recent history of this series against Texas in the last decade or so, the Longhorns have found more success in the last few meetings.

Texas has won two of the last three matchups against Baylor, including the first matchup between these two teams this season in Austin on Jan. 20, by a score of 75-72.

Texas basketball projected starting lineup vs. Baylor

  • G: Tyrese Hunter, Junior (10.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.2 APG)
  • G: Max Abmas, Senior (16.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.3 APG)
  • G: Ithiel Horton, Senior (6.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.9 APG)
  • F: Dillon Mitchell, Sophomore (10.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.5 APG)
  • C: Dylan Disu, Senior (16.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.7 APG)

Baylor projected starting lineup vs. Texas

  • G: Rayj Dennis, Senior (13.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG)
  • G: Jayden Nunn, Junior (10.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG)
  • G/W: Ja'Kobe Walter, Freshman (14.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 APG)
  • F: Jalen Bridges, Senior (11.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 APG)
  • C: Yves Missi, Freshman (11.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.4 APG)

Texas basketball injury report vs. Baylor

There are no reported injuries for the Longhorns entering this matchup on the road against Baylor.

Betting odds for Texas basketball vs. Baylor

Texas is a 6.5-point underdog against Baylor on March 4, and the Bears are favored in the money line (-320) over the Longhorns (+260), per FanDuel. The over/under is 146.5 points.

Baylor is the No. 14 ranked team in adjusted efficiency in Division I, per KenPom. Texas, meanwhile, ranks 26th in the nation in adjusted efficiency.

KenPom gives Texas a 29 percent chance of beating Baylor and projects the final score of this game to be 78-72 in favor of the Bears.

Led by standout freshman guard Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor has multiple high-level scorers Texas must worry about defending in this game. Baylor has six players scoring in double figures this season, the most of any Big 12 team.

This is a team that can score the ball at a high level, averaging over 75 points per game in conference play (second in the Big 12). Baylor can shoot the three-ball effectively (39 percent on the season), control the paint, and get to the free-throw line at a high rate. The Bears average nearly 23 free-throw attempts per game in conference play, most in the Big 12.

Baylor has some holes defensively, but some of their strengths play into Texas's weaknesses. The biggest weakness for the Longhorns that the Bears can exploit is Texas's struggles rebounding the basketball.

Texas kept the battle on the boards close with Baylor the first time these teams matchup up this season. But Baylor ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounding percentage since the Bears fell to the Longhorns on Jan. 20. It will be a challenge for Texas to hang with Baylor on the glass in this pivotal game in Waco.

A major key to success for the Longhorns in this game, outside of winning the battle on the glass, is backcourt scoring. Terry got a combined 36 points from senior guard Max Abmas and junior guard Tyrese Hunter in the Jan. 20 win over Baylor.

Hunter's 21 points were instrumental to Texas's narrow two-point win over Baylor. But he hasn't scored over 20 points since that win over the Bears and has only scored over 15 points one other time in the last couple of months.

Final score prediction: Baylor-80, Texas-70

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