Game: Kansas vs. Baylor
Date & Time: Saturday, February 22nd, 2020, 12:00 (EST)
Location: Ferrell Center
The Line: Baylor -2 , O/U 128.5
TV Channel: ESPN
CBB Season Record: 156-107 – 59.3%
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Baylor Bears Preview
It’s the biggest game of the regular season between Kansas and Baylor. Baylor is ranked number one in the AP Poll while Kansas is ranked at three. Baylor has won 23 straight games and will host 3 Kansas in Waco, Texas.
Still, the Jayhawks have their own win streak going on. Kansas is riding an 11-game winning streak of their own. One team is going down. The other will be labeled as the nation’s best team.
Kansas is coming off a dominant performance over Iowa State, scoring 91 points in a 91-71 win at home. Devon Dotson scored 29 points on 11 of 14 from the field while Marcus Garrett brought down eight rebounds and six assists in the game. If Kansas is able to score anywhere close to 91 points, the Jayhawks will be in perfect shape.
Devon Dotson averages 18.4 points per game for the Jayhawks while big man, Udoka Azubuike nears a double-double per game with 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Azubuike is 73.3 percent from the field as all his shots come close to the basket. Marcus Garrett averages 4.6 assists per game and turns the ball over just 1.7 times per game in 32 minutes of game action.
Baylor averages 58.2 points against the opposition. This means that teams are scoring 58.2 points per game against Baylor. Baylor has one of the best defenses in the nation and that’s propelled them to 24-1 on the season.
Baylor’s last game was on the road as they faced off against Oklahoma and won, 65-54. Oklahoma was just another victim to Baylor’s defense. In Baylor’s last three wins against Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas, they’ve allowed fewer than 60 points per game.
Jared Butler, Baylor’s leading scorer, scored 22 points on 8 of 20 from the field at Oklahoma to help lead the Bears to victory. Freddie Gillespie totaled a team-high 10 rebounds to beat his season average of 8.8 while Davion Mitchell had four assists in that game.
Kansas averages 75.5 points per contest and allows 60.7 points against on the season. The one thing that the Jayhawks have on Baylor is their shot selection and percentage. Kansas shoots 48.8 percent from the field while Baylor shoots just over 43 percent on the year. If Kansas can beat the Baylor defense, Kansas could end up on top on the road. Baylor averages 71.2 points per game and allow 58.2 points against. Both teams average about 38 rebounds per contest.
Kansas Jayhawks vs Baylor Bears Key Stats
- KU are 11-2 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Baylor.
- BAY are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
- Under is 41-16-1 in KU last 58 road games.
Kansas Jayhawks vs Baylor Bears Betting Lines
- Baylor Bears are favorites (-2)
- The Over/Under is set at 128.5
Kansas Jayhawks vs Baylor Bears Prediction
Something’s got to give in this game. The under seems like a given due to the fact that both defenses have been tremendous and both teams will come out a little scared to shoot in such a big game. Tension could also get the best of these teams. We saw what happened to Kansas against Kansas State at the end of that match-up.
In Kansas’ last two games they’ve scored an average of 89 points per game but those games were at home. On the road, Kansas hasn’t scored nearly as much. However, in their last two road games against West Virginia and TCU, Kansas held their opponents to an average of 47.5 points per game. Baylor’s offense isn’t nearly as flashy as Kansas’. Kansas has the better offense and can match Baylor’s toughness on the defensive end.
What Baylor’s done this season has been incredible. These two teams are still the nation’s best no matter the winner. Baylor defeated Kansas on the road on January 11, 67-55. They held Kansas to 55 points and found a way to score 67 points against a great Kansas defense. Kansas shot 39.2 percent from the field and just 26.7 percent from the three point line. Kansas still won the rebounding battle.
It’s hard to beat a team twice, especially against a top caliber team like Kansas. If Baylor’s able to accomplish this feat, the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament would be reserved for Baylor. But Kansas likely won’t shoot under 40 percent in this game. They’ve been heating up offensively and their defense has really buckled down, especially on the road. Take Kansas to win this time around as a road underdog.
