Anything can happen in the most competitive conference in college basketball, and the Kansas Jayhawks better be on upset alert for their trip to Waco on Saturday. The Jayhawks are tied atop the Big 12 standings as they go for yet another league title. But the Baylor Bears have looked like an improved team over their last two outings and they won a big game Tuesday at Oklahoma State, the same team that beat Kansas just last week.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, February 10, 2018, at 2 p.m. ET at the Ferrell Center. The game will be televised live on CBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
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Kansas rebounded from a home loss to Oklahoma State by knocking off TCU on Tuesday. The Jayhawks moved back into a tie at the top of the Big 12 standings, but it hasn’t been easy. Nine of their 11 conference games have ended with a single-digit margin and the Jayhawks are 5-6 ATS in their 11 Big 12 games.
They might be the best 14-10 team in the country and Baylor finally moved out of the Big 12 basement by winning consecutive games for the first time since before league play started. The Bears have played a number of close games, coming out on the losing end by two points to Oklahoma and three points at Kansas and West Virginia. Over their last nine Big 12 games, the Bears are 7-2 ATS and they’ve cashed the over four times in their last five outings.
Matchup to Watch
Scott Drew isn’t worried when he has to go to his bench. Baylor reserves outscored their OSU counterparts 22-6 in the last game with Nuni Omot accounting for 14 of those points. Omot and Terry Maston both played more than 21 minutes and the bench has been a big part of Baylor’s recent success.
Over the last three games, Baylor’s bench has scored 95 points compared to just 14 for the opponent’s reserves. Omot and Maston each average better than 20 minutes of run time and the Bears go eight deep. The depth could be a problem for Kansas, which relies on its starting five for a bulk of the team’s minutes and scoring.
Last Meeting
It could be a sign that the Bears are closing the gap on Kansas, but it was still their 11th straight loss to the conference bully. Kansas overcame a late deficit behind Malik Newman and defeated Baylor 70-67 back on Jan. 20. It was the closest the Bears had come to beating KU during their losing streak.
The Phog didn’t faze the Bears, who clawed back from a dreadful start. Trailing 18-5 early, Baylor turned up the defensive pressure and started hitting some shots to get within five points at the middle of the second half. Baylor then went on a 16-4 run and scored on nine straight possessions.
Baylor led 61-56 with over four minutes left, but Newman scored seven points down the stretch and the Bears failed to convert on their end. The outcome may have been different if Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. didn’t foul out and Manu Lecomte was better than 3 of 12 from the floor.
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Baylor is lurking near the bottom of the conference standings, yet they are just a few stops and buckets away from being a contender. The Big 12 is so competitive that the 4-7 Bears could be a favorite when they host the first-place Jayhawks.
And with back-to-back wins for the first time in league play, it appears as though the Bears have figured out how to win games. They also have a chance to avenge that earlier loss in Lawrence, when they held a late lead but failed to execute down the stretch. Lecomte needs to stay out of foul trouble and the bench could be the deciding factor.
But the Jayhawks sit at the top because they are good. Their backcourt of Newman and Devonte’ Graham, along with Svi Mykhailiuk and Lagerald Vick were a big problem for the Bears in the first meeting and they will be again in what is another close Big 12 game.
College Basketball Odds: Kansas 78, Baylor 76
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