By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
There’s nothing like coming back to play a home game against a bitter rival to make a team forget about a frustrating road trip.
Well, that’s the mindset No. 9 Baylor should take into Saturday’s game against No. 8 Texas at the Ferrell Center. The game sold out two weeks ago.
The Bears understand their hopes for winning much less sharing a third consecutive Big 12 title are on life support. At 9-6, they trail co-leaders Kansas and Texas with three games to play.
While those odds are not great, it’s not impossible task given how brutal the Big 12 has been. However, the Bears recognize the best they can do is to win out and finish 12-6 and hope Texas and Kansas come back to them.
Here’s who these three teams have remaining:
>Baylor meets Texas, travels to Oklahoma State for Big Monday and is home to Iowa State March 4.
>Texas plays Baylor, travels to TCU Wednesday and is home to Kansas March 3.
>Kansas faces West Virginia Saturday, plays host to Texas Tech Tuesday and then travels to Texas.
Then there’s the wild card Kansas State, which it also 9-6 and owns the tiebreaker against the Bears because it swept the season series. If Baylor can’t catch the Jayhawks or Longhorns but finish the regular season tied with the Wildcats, that will impact their Big 12 tournament seed.
Obviously, the Bears can control what they can control by winning what’s in front of them. That starts with Texas.
Finally, there is the issue of the NCAA tournament. Current bracketology has Baylor as a No. 3 seed. But that can change between the end of the regular season and what the Bears do in the Big 12 tournament.
As for this team, the offense hasn’t been a real issue as Keyonte George (16.9), Adam Flagler (15.6) and LJ Cryer (14.9) continue to lead and combine for nearly 10 assists per game. When they get hot – especially from the arc – they can be a terrifying trio to guard. Baylor is the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team (36.6).
But it’s been the low post defense that was the issue on the winless trip to Kansas. To be frank, Baylor’s defense just isn’t as good as it has been in previous season because there is no rim protector or enforcer.
Kansas State scored 42 of its 75 points in the paint Tuesday. Kansas was equally successful last Saturday. Baylor is last in the Big 12 in field goal defense (45 percent) and is ninth in scoring defense (69.9).
Overall, Texas is not a dangerous 3-point shooting team at below 35 percent. However, leading scorer Marcus Carr (17.0) is at 39 percent and second-leading scorer Sir’Jabari Rice is at 37.
Texas beat Baylor Jan. 31, 76-71, in Austin because it was better on the 2-point field goals. The Longhorns were 18-33 (.545).
However, the Bears did a great job against Carr holding him to a season-low five points. They need to repeat that performance.
And the Bears must do the usual solid work on the offensive glass. They have the Big 12’s best offensive rebounding percentage (35.6). They also need to take care of the ball. The Bears commit the second fewest turnovers per game in the conference (12.0).
It’s not March but it sure feels like it.
STORY LINES
• No. 9 Baylor puts its six-game home win streak on the line against No. 8 Texas in a Saturday matinee on ESPN.
• Fans who bring a pair of new or gently used shoes to donate on Saturday will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win custom pair of Nike ID shoes.
• Saturday is the 261st series meeting – the most-played rivalry in Baylor history dating back 107 years.
• BU is 12-2 in its last 14 games vs. Texas since Feb. 20, 2016 (5-0 in Waco, 6-2 in Austin, 1-0 in KC).
• The Bears have won six of the last seven meetings in Waco with the last loss coming Feb. 1, 2016.
• Baylor is 22-9 vs. Texas since snapping a 24-game series losing streak at the 2009 Big 12 Championship.
• This is the fourth-straight meeting where both programs are ranked, the longest such streak in series history.
• BU has won six of the last seven series meetings when Texas was ranked.
• Baylor is 80-22 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2011-12 season, and the Bears have Advanced deeper into postseason play than any of Texas' 23 Division I teams in five of the last nine seasons.
• The Bears are aiming to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the Longhorns for the first time since 2014.
Publisher
There’s nothing like coming back to play a home game against a bitter rival to make a team forget about a frustrating road trip.
Well, that’s the mindset No. 9 Baylor should take into Saturday’s game against No. 8 Texas at the Ferrell Center. The game sold out two weeks ago.
The Bears understand their hopes for winning much less sharing a third consecutive Big 12 title are on life support. At 9-6, they trail co-leaders Kansas and Texas with three games to play.
While those odds are not great, it’s not impossible task given how brutal the Big 12 has been. However, the Bears recognize the best they can do is to win out and finish 12-6 and hope Texas and Kansas come back to them.
Here’s who these three teams have remaining:
>Baylor meets Texas, travels to Oklahoma State for Big Monday and is home to Iowa State March 4.
>Texas plays Baylor, travels to TCU Wednesday and is home to Kansas March 3.
>Kansas faces West Virginia Saturday, plays host to Texas Tech Tuesday and then travels to Texas.
Then there’s the wild card Kansas State, which it also 9-6 and owns the tiebreaker against the Bears because it swept the season series. If Baylor can’t catch the Jayhawks or Longhorns but finish the regular season tied with the Wildcats, that will impact their Big 12 tournament seed.
Obviously, the Bears can control what they can control by winning what’s in front of them. That starts with Texas.
Finally, there is the issue of the NCAA tournament. Current bracketology has Baylor as a No. 3 seed. But that can change between the end of the regular season and what the Bears do in the Big 12 tournament.
As for this team, the offense hasn’t been a real issue as Keyonte George (16.9), Adam Flagler (15.6) and LJ Cryer (14.9) continue to lead and combine for nearly 10 assists per game. When they get hot – especially from the arc – they can be a terrifying trio to guard. Baylor is the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team (36.6).
But it’s been the low post defense that was the issue on the winless trip to Kansas. To be frank, Baylor’s defense just isn’t as good as it has been in previous season because there is no rim protector or enforcer.
Kansas State scored 42 of its 75 points in the paint Tuesday. Kansas was equally successful last Saturday. Baylor is last in the Big 12 in field goal defense (45 percent) and is ninth in scoring defense (69.9).
Overall, Texas is not a dangerous 3-point shooting team at below 35 percent. However, leading scorer Marcus Carr (17.0) is at 39 percent and second-leading scorer Sir’Jabari Rice is at 37.
Texas beat Baylor Jan. 31, 76-71, in Austin because it was better on the 2-point field goals. The Longhorns were 18-33 (.545).
However, the Bears did a great job against Carr holding him to a season-low five points. They need to repeat that performance.
And the Bears must do the usual solid work on the offensive glass. They have the Big 12’s best offensive rebounding percentage (35.6). They also need to take care of the ball. The Bears commit the second fewest turnovers per game in the conference (12.0).
It’s not March but it sure feels like it.
STORY LINES
• No. 9 Baylor puts its six-game home win streak on the line against No. 8 Texas in a Saturday matinee on ESPN.
• Fans who bring a pair of new or gently used shoes to donate on Saturday will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win custom pair of Nike ID shoes.
• Saturday is the 261st series meeting – the most-played rivalry in Baylor history dating back 107 years.
• BU is 12-2 in its last 14 games vs. Texas since Feb. 20, 2016 (5-0 in Waco, 6-2 in Austin, 1-0 in KC).
• The Bears have won six of the last seven meetings in Waco with the last loss coming Feb. 1, 2016.
• Baylor is 22-9 vs. Texas since snapping a 24-game series losing streak at the 2009 Big 12 Championship.
• This is the fourth-straight meeting where both programs are ranked, the longest such streak in series history.
• BU has won six of the last seven series meetings when Texas was ranked.
• Baylor is 80-22 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2011-12 season, and the Bears have Advanced deeper into postseason play than any of Texas' 23 Division I teams in five of the last nine seasons.
• The Bears are aiming to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the Longhorns for the first time since 2014.
