We have a marquee Big 12 matchup going down in Waco on Saturday as the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks hit the road to battle the No. 15 Baylor Bears. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will air on ABC. Kansas defeated Baylor 64-61 in their first matchup on February 10.
Kansas (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) had its 19-game home win streak snapped on Tuesday, falling to BYU in a 76-68 setback. The Jayhawks led by 10 early in the second half before the Cougars began chipping away and chipping away, finally pulling ahead with under four minutes to go. Hunter Dickinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has missed four of the last five games with a knee injury and is considered questionable for this showdown.
Baylor (20-8, 9-6 Big 12) ended a two-game skid by toppling rival TCU in a 62-54 win this past Monday. Both teams struggled from the field by shooting under 38% but the Bears were able to create separation with a 19-2 run in the second half. Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi both offered up 16 points in the win. Langston Love has missed most of the last month with injuries and is considered questionable heading into today’s contest.
Kansas took the first matchup between these squads and a huge factor in that was forcing 21 Baylor turnovers throughout the game. It was a missed opportunity for the Bears as they dominated the Jayhawks on the boards 41-29.
According to KenPom, KU enters this matchup leading the Big 12 in effective field goal percentage, two-point shooting percentage, and offensive block rate. The team should make sure to take advantage of that as BU ranks 12th in the conference in all of those categories on defense. In turn, Baylor enters this game with the most efficient offense in the league.
What this game means for Kansas
Tuesday’s loss effectively ended Kansas’ hopes for an outright Big 12 regular season title as it can now only hope for a share of the league crown if everything breaks its way. However, the Jayhawks are still in line to claim one of the double byes in the Big 12 Tournament, but doesn’t have much room for error. A victory here would both keep them on track towards that goal and give them their seventh Quad 1 win of the season.
What this game means for Baylor
Just like Kansas, Baylor is also in line for a double-bye in the Big 12 tourney with a win and can’t afford any more setbacks if it wants to claim one of those spots. The Bears suffered a home loss to first-place Houston last Saturday and needs to defend its home turf this afternoon.
Kansas vs. Baylor odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Baylor -6
Total: 145
Moneyline: Baylor -250, Kansas +205