🏀 GAME PREVIEW: vs. Baylor
LAWRENCE, Kan. – A top-five tilt is set for Saturday, Jan. 11 in Allen Fieldhouse when No. 3 Kansas (12-2, 2-0) hosts No. 4 Baylor (12-1, 2-0). The Jayhawks and Bears will tip off at 12 p.m. (CT) on CBS, with Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (analyst) set to call the action.
GAME INFORMATION:
#3/3 Kansas vs. #4/4 Baylor
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 11 at 12 p.m. (CT)
Where:Â Allen Fieldhouse
Listen:Â Jayhawk Radio Network
Watch: CBS
- Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst)
TIPOFF
- Kansas leads the overall series with Baylor, 32-5, including a 17-0 mark in meetings in Lawrence, 16-0 in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas has won two-straight and 13 of the last 14 matchups against Baylor.
- No. 4 Baylor is the highest-ranked team to come to Allen Fieldhouse since the 2016-17 season when No. 2 Baylor lost to KU 73-68, on Feb. 1, 2017.
- KU has won nine-straight contests against AP top-five foes in Allen Fieldhouse, with eight of those under Bill Self.
- Kansas is 14-2 (87.5%) against AP top-10 teams in Lawrence under Bill Self. The 87.5 winning percentage is the best in the NCAA since 2003-04.
- KU has won 20 of its last 23 regular-season games against AP top-10 teams.
- Kansas is the top-scoring team in the Big 12 at 79.4 points per game, while Baylor is first in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 58.4 ppg. KU is first in scoring margin at +18.4, while BU is second at +15.9.
- KU is ranked No. 1 in the NET rankings through games of Jan. 8. The Jayhawks’ strength of schedule is also No. 1 nationally. Kansas is the only school with five Quadrant 1 wins. KU is 5-2 against Q1.
- KU ranks second nationally with a 28-game homecourt winning streak. Gonzaga leads the nation at 32 and VCU is third at 21.
- Kansas is No. 3 in the latest national polls. Kansas has been ranked in each of the last 210 Associated Press polls, the longest streak in the nation. The Jayhawks have also been inside the top-10 in 95 of the last 109 AP polls.
- Kansas’ two losses in 2019-20 have been by a combined three points and both against ranked foes.
- With its win over West Virginia on Jan. 4, KU won its conference opener for the 29th-consecutive season, a streak which started in 1991-92.
- Through 13 games, five different Jayhawks – Devon Dotson, Isaiah Moss, Udoka Azubuike, Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack – have posted 20 or more points in a game this season.
Bill Self previewed the Jayhawks’ matchup with the Bears at his weekly Press Conference.
NOTES:
TOP-TEN TILT TIDBITS
With the top-10 match-up between the No. 3 Jayhawks and No. 4 Bears set to take center stage at Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, it’s time to look at Kansas’ impressive track record against top-10 squads over the last 16-plus years, especially when playing on its home floor.
- The Jayhawks are 14-2 against AP top-10 teams in Allen Fieldhouse under Bill Self. The 87.5 winning percentage in those outings ranks as the best win rate of its kind in the NCAA since 2003-04.
- Expect a tight game Saturday, as eight of the previous 16 top-10 contests on James Naismith Court were decided by five points or less, including four that went to overtime.
- KU has won nine-straight games against top-5 teams in Allen Fieldhouse. This streak is tied for the longest such streak in the NCAA since 1996-97.
- Bill Self’s Kansas teams are 8-0 vs. AP top-5 teams in Lawrence.
- The last time a top-five tilt was featured at Allen Fieldhouse was one Feb. 1, 2017, when the No. 3 Jayhawks topped No. 2 Baylor, 73-68.
- The Jayhawks have won 20 of their last 23 regular-season games against AP top-10 teams. Under Bill Self, KU is 40-21 against top-10 opponents, a figure that includes postseason play.
ABOUT BAYLOR
Located in Waco, Texas, with an enrollment of 18,033, No. 4/4 Baylor is 12-1 on the season and its 11-game winning streak is third-longest in NCAA DI after its 57-52 win at No. 22/21 Texas Tech on Jan. 7. The Bears are coached by Scott Drew who is 328-210 in his 17th season at BU and 348-221 in his 18th season overall.
Baylor averages 74.2 points per game and has a plus-15.8 scoring margin, which is second in the Big 12 behind Kansas’ plus-17.9. The Bears 58.4 points allowed per game leads the conference and are ninth nationally. Baylor is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 35.8 and averages 14.0 assists, 8.6 steals and 5.0 blocked shots per game. The Bears force 16.1 turnovers per game and rank 31st nationally with a plus-3.5 turnover margin.
Sophomore guard Jared Butler leads Baylor in scoring at 16.3 points per game, which is sixth in the Big 12. Butler has made a team-high 35 3-pointers, is second on the team with 38 assists and third with 19 steals.
THE KANSAS-BAYLOR SERIES
The Kansas-Baylor series dates back to 1951 with the Jayhawks leading 32-5. Kansas has won 13 of the last 14 in the series and holds an 18-3 advantage in the last 21 meetings. One of Baylor’s three wins in that stretch came, Feb. 10, 2018, 80-64, in Waco. Kansas is 17-0 against Baylor in Lawrence, including a 16-0 record in the Allen Fieldhouse.
Since the inception of the Big 12, KU is 30-5 against Baylor — 28-3 in regular-season play and 2-2 in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 24-5 all-time against Baylor, including a 24-4 mark while at Kansas. BU’s Scott Drew is 4-24 versus Kansas.
Expect a close game, as seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by eight points or less, with five of those by five points or fewer. Dating back to 2014, four of the last six meetings in Lawrence have been decided by 10 points or less.
LET’S GET DEFENSIVE
The 2019-20 Jayhawks are have turned in some impressive defensive numbers through their first 14 games of the season, something that has been a staple for Bill Self’s KU squads. Kansas has held 10 of its 14 opponents this season to below 40% shooting, including each of the last four foes and six of the last seven. KU has also held 10 opponents to 30% or less from beyond the 3-point arc. Additionally, the Jayhawks are also forcing 15.7 turnovers per game and nabbing 9.1 steals per game.
In Bill Self’s first 16 seasons at Kansas, the Jayhawks have finished among the top-three Big 12 teams in field goal percentage defense 14 times and finished lower than fourth just once. Nationally, Self-coached Jayhawks have ranked eighth or higher nine times in field goal percentage defense and have ranked in the top five on eight occasions, including first in 2005-06 and 2012-13.
SERIES HISTORY:
vs. Baylor: KU leads 32-5
Current Streak: Win 2
Longest KU Win Streak: 11 (2014-18)
Longest KU Losing Streak: N/A
Last 10 Games: 9-1
In Lawrence: KU leads 17-0
In Waco: KU leads 13-3
Neutral Sites: Tied 2-2
Under Bill Self: KU leads 24-4
First Meeting: Dec. 3, 1951 (W, 57-46)
Last Meeting: March 9, 2019 (W, 78-70)
Largest Margin of Victory: 47 (94-47, Jan. 28, 1998)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 23 (58-81, March 9, 2013)
UP NEXT:
The Jayhawks will journey to Norman to meet the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Tipoff from Lloyd Noble Center is slated for 8 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.
Kansas is 148-68 all-time against Baylor, including a 52-44 advantage in Norman. The Sooners have won three of the last five meetings with the Jayhawks inside Lloyd Noble Center, however, KU has claimed 18 of the last 22 overall matchups with OU dating back to 2006.
