Kansas Survives Against Baylor to Win 18th Straight at Home
In a highly anticipated ranked vs. ranked Big 12 matchup, the fourth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks defeated the thirteenth-ranked Baylor Bears to improve to 13-0 in Allen Fieldhouse this season. Kansas looked like the only team ready to start the game, as the Jayhawks jumped out to a 13-point lead less than 10 minutes into the game. The Bears had been coming off an emotional victory against Texas Tech on Tuesday, and it looked as though they might get blown out of the building from the jump. The talented freshmen duo of center Yves Missi and guard Ja’Kobe Walter had something to say about that, though. Behind the two teenagers, Baylor cut the deficit to just six by halftime and were comfortably in the game throughout the second half despite not leading in this one besides the first two minutes.
Kansas played a tight seven-man rotation, as they were missing senior transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. due to injury. Center Hunter Dickinson (pictured) led the way for the Jayhawks with 15 points, but it was a balanced offensive attack that saw five Jayhawks score eight or more points. Yves Missi finished the contest with 21 points and eight rebounds and was 9-12 from the free-throw line. His freshmen counterpart Ja’Kobe Walter put up 17 points to go along with eight rebounds and hit numerous timely shots when the offense was sputtering at times. Baylor’s 21 turnovers to Kansas’ eight was a large reason why the Jayhawks were able to maintain their lead throughout the game.
The Jayhawks improve to 19-5 on the season, and 7-4 in Big 12 conference play. They are currently third in the conference with seven games to play. They will travel to Lubbock to play Texas Tech on Monday. The Baylor Bears drop to 17-6 and 6-4 in conference action and continue to find continuity with their youth and transfers. They will go home to play the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday. Both teams continue to seek resume-building wins as they look towards March. Kansas is currently projected as a number one seed, while Baylor is projected as a four/five seed.
