The Baylor Bears take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set for 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS.
Mississippi State is favored by 1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -125. The total is set at 145.5 points.
Here are my Baylor vs. Mississippi State predictions and college basketball picks for March 21, 2025.
Baylor vs Mississippi State Prediction
My Pick: Baylor +1.5 (Play to PK)
My Baylor vs Mississippi State best bet is on the Bears spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Baylor vs Mississippi State Odds, Lines
| Baylor Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -105 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | +105 |
| Mississippi State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -115 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | -125 |
- Baylor vs Mississippi State spread: Mississippi State -1.5
- Baylor vs Mississippi State over/under: 145.5 points
- Baylor vs Mississippi State moneyline: Mississippi State -125, Baylor +105
- Baylor vs Mississippi State best bet: Baylor +1.5 (Play to PK)
My Baylor vs Mississippi State NCAAB Preview
I’m hopping on Baylor against Mississippi State.
I’m not a big Baylor guy, but I like the Bears’ offensive skill against more chaotic, undisciplined defenses.
That’s Mississippi State to me. The Bulldogs don’t profile that well on the defensive end. They generate plenty of blocks and steals, but they haven’t been able to get consistent half-court stops aside from that, and teams have ripped them apart from the 3-point line (36% on high volume, 314th nationally, per KenPom).
Baylor takes care of the ball and has great guard play. I don’t think the Bears will fall into Mississippi State’s trap by throwing it away.
On the other end of the court, Mississippi State is uber Josh Hubbard dependent. While he’s an offensive weapon that can go nuclear, he’s also a more undersized guard and a defensive liability. Baylor has multiple bodies to throw at Hubbard on both ends of the court for 40 minutes.
At the same time, Mississippi State has folded against the upper-echelon teams on the schedule — the Bulldogs are 3-8 against KenPom top-30 opponents this season and failed to pick up many marquee SEC wins.
I also trust Scott Drew more than the Bulldogs. Drew is a coach with legit tournament success. At the same time, Chris Jans’ Bulldogs were pantsed in last year’s first round by Michigan State.
I think Baylor can do the same this year.
