No. 2 Baylor defeats No. 9 Kansas 77-69 to extend undefeated start
Final: No. 2 Baylor 77, No. 9 Kansas 69
Fueled by one of the best performances of All-America candidate Jared Butler's career, No. 2 Baylor continued its undefeated start to improve to 13-0 on the season and 6-0 in Big 12 play with a 77-69 win over No. 9 Kansas, avenging a home loss to the Jayhawks the last time the two teams met, last February in Waco.
Butler finished with 30 points, the second-most in his career, on 10-of-14 shooting, including seven 3-pointers. MaCio Teague added 13 points and Davion Mitchell chipped in 10 as the Bears shot 53 percent from the field, 47 percent from behind the arc and 92 percent from the free throw line.
Baylor leads 65-58 at the last media timeout
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua's physical layup puts Baylor up 14
Kansas cuts the deficit to seven
Kansas center David McCormack picks up fourth foul
Halftime: No. 2 Baylor 41, No. 9 Kansas 28
After reviewing a last-second jumper from Kansas big man Mitch Lightfoot, which the officials ruled to have been attempted after the halftime buzzer sounded, the two sides ran to the locker room with No. 2 Baylor leading 41-28. The Bears's defense was stifling, as they forced seven turnovers, including five steals.
Baylor guard Jared Butler led the way with 17 first-half points, including a 4-of-5 effort from 3-point range, while Kansas's Christian Braun scored a team-high 14 points with four 3-pointers.
Jared Butler's fourth 3-pointer forces Kansas timeout
Davion Mitchell hits 3-pointer after lethal pass fake
Jared Butler hits third 3-pointer of first half
Bill Self calls timeout with Baylor leading 16-5
Baylor leads 11-5 at the first media timeout
Kansas center David McCormack picks up second foul with 17:02 to play in first half
Baylor jumps out to 8-2 start
No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 9 Kansas is underway
Monday night's top-10 clash between No. 2 Baylor (12-0) and No. 9 Kansas (10-3) is underway in Waco. The Bears entered the day alone in first place in the Big 12 with a 5-0 conference record, while the Jayhawks are 4-2 in the Big 12.
Baylor-Kansas is less than an hour from tipoff
No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 9 Kansas: Game preview
Kansas won the Big 12 last season with a 17-1 record, while Baylor finished second, and the two Big 12 powers split their two regular-season meetings. The Bears won 67-55 in Allen Fieldhouse in January, amid a streak of 23 consecutive wins, while Kansas got revenge in late February, when it won 64-61 in Waco.
Now, the two teams, both ranked in the top 10, will meet in the same gym where they last played, almost 11 months ago. Baylor, the home team, is ranked No. 1 in the NET, No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 2 on kenpom.com, while Kansas is No. 19 in the NET, No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 15 on kenpom.com. By any metric, these are two of the best teams in the country.
Baylor owns the No. 1 adjusted defensive efficiency in the country as the Bears limit opponents to an average of 86.4 points per 100 possessions, per kenpom.com, while they score 118.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranks fourth nationally. Likewise, Kansas's strength is on defense, with the No. 10 defense and the No. 23 offense.
The Bears are 12-0 on the season and 5-0 in conference play, and they've already beaten No. 22 Illinois by 13 points on a neutral court and No. 12 Texas Tech by eight points on the road. Kansas won eight games in a row after a season-opening loss to No. 1 Gonzaga, but the Jayhawks have since lost two of their last four games, to Texas and Oklahoma State.
No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 9 Kansas: Date, time, how to watch
Two of the top three teams in the Big 12, and two of the top 10 teams in the country, No. 2 Baylor and No. 9 Kansas, will meet on Monday, Jan. 18. Here's all the information you need to know to watch the game.
Date: Monday, Jan. 18
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Waco, Tex.
TV channel: ESPN