Auburn vs. Baylor Odds & Betting Predictions - November 8, 2023

I’ll take a big swing here on a highly touted freshman in his first game. Walter reportedly put up 15 in a scrimmage vs Gonzaga, and 22 vs A&M. Yes, those were scrimmages - but both teams seemingly ran their main guys for big minutes. But here’s what we know - Walter was a top 10 recruit and a projected lottery pick/big 12 preseason freshman of the year. Baylor lost 46 ppg from last season’s starting back court. Even if Walter doesn’t start, he should be in line for a 25+ minute role off the bench (he started the scrimmage vs Gonzaga, without RayJ Dennis, and came off the bench vs A&M). He’s heralded as the best scorer in this freshman class. Auburn essentially turned over its team outside of Broome. Short spread, and both teams implied at 70+ points. I see Walter becoming a 15+ ppg scorer on this team, so even in a potential bench role to start the season, I have him at 12 tonight.

Fell asleep and missed the (+2) here. But I think Auburn holds the edge across the board given what each team lost and brings in. Baylor lost 3-headed monster of Flagler/Cryer/George + Flo Thamba down low. Depth could be an issue for a team that brings in an entirely new backcourt aside from Langston Love (6th man probably) and JTT could deal w/ foul trouble. Ja’Kobe Walter & RayJ are good, but I don’t see them doing enough vs a good Auburn D Auburn loses their backcourt but it was one that couldn’t score. Stil have a firecracker in KD Johnson but brings in Denver Jones, a huge get. Biggest difference here is the return of Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams. Frontcourt loaded for Tigers, and Baker-Mazara should also flawlessly transition given his previous D1 exp and winning a JUCO chip last year

God we are so back and it feels so good