\
Free NCAA Hoops Pick: Hawks vs. Bears CBB Odds
Looking for Hartford Hawks vs. Baylor Bears NCAA basketball free picks & CBB odds? CBB betting sees the Hawks taking on the Bears on Friday March 19, 2021 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all college basketball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily basketball predictions like this Hawks Bears matchup.
2021 NCAA Basketball Handicapping
(15-8) #16 Hartford Hawks vs. #1 Baylor Bears (22-2)
Date: Friday March 19, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
CBB Moneyline Odds: Hartford N/A , Baylor N/A
CBB Betting Odds: Baylor -25
CBB Betting Total: O/U 140.5
The No. 1 seed Baylor Bears will take on the No. 16 seed Hartford Hawks in the First Round of the South Region on Friday in Indianapolis.
Baylor went 22-2 during the regular season and is ranked third in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. Hartford is 15-8 and won the American East Tournament.
Hartford Hawks
The Hartford Hawks went 8-6 in the American East during the regular season and finished fourth in the conference. The Hawks won all four games of the American East Playoffs, extending their winning streak to five games overall to secure the NCAA automatic bid. In the conference championship, Hartford defeated UMass Lowell 64-50 last Saturday as a two-point favorite.
Traci Carter, a 6’1 senior, led the team with 19 points in the victory. Carter is second on the team with 11.7 ppg on the season but first with 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Austin Williams, a 6’4 senior, leads the team with 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
According to KenPom, Hartford is 192nd in the country, 254th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and 127th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Their strength of schedule is 304th.
Baylor Bears
The Baylor Bears went through the Big 12 regular season with a 13-1 record, which was by far the best record in the conference. The Bears’ lone blemish during the regular season was a 71-58 loss to Kansas on February 27 as a 4.5 point road favorite. After winning in the first round they were upset by Oklahoma State 83-74 in the conference semi-finals. Macio Teague finished with a game-high 17 points; Mark Vital grabbed 15 boards in the loss.
For the season, All-American junior Jared Butler leads the team with 17.1 points and two steals per game, followed by honoable mention All-American Macio Teague with 16.2 ppg and 3rd team All-American Davion Mitchel follows with 14.1 points and a team-best 5.4 assists per game. Mark Vital averages 6.0 ppg and 6.8 rebounds on the season but has averaged 13.3 boards over the last three contests.
Baylor is the fourth-best team in the county, according to KenPom, behind only the other #1 seeds Gonzaga, Michigan, and Illinois.
CBB Betting Trends:
- Baylor is 3-4 ATS in last 7 games
- Baylor is 6-2 ATS against non-BIG 12 teams
- Baylor OVERS are 7-1 in last 8 games
- Hartford is 4-0 ATS In last 4 games
- Hartford is 4-0 SU in last 4 games
- Hartford OVERS are 3-2 in last 5 games
Free Hartford Hawks vs. Baylor Bears NCAAB Prediction:
Baylor has hammered non-conference competition this season, covering the spread in six of their eight games against non-Big 12 opponents. The two games where Baylor did not cover were an 84-72 win as a 13.5 point favorite against Auburn and a 105-75 win over Alcorn State as a 44 point favorite, not exactly bad performances. However, the Bears defeated Louisana Lafayette, Washington, Stephen F Austin, Arkansas Pine Bluff, and Central Arkansas, each by at least 30 points.
The Baylor Bears didn’t really have much motivation to win the Big 12 tournament; however, I expect that the loss to Oklahoma State woke them up and will bring out the best in them for the big dance. The talent gap is too wide for Hartford to be competitive, so I like Baylor to cover the huge number.
4* Free CBB Betting Pick: Baylor -25
If you’re looking for more College basketball picks like this Hartford Hawks vs. Baylor Bears matchup we’ll be providing 4* free college basketball predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NCAAB Hoops picks!
Register here for a FREE CBB Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!