WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009
#25 Baylor Bears (14-2) vs #3 Kansas Jayhawks (16-1)
The No. 25 Baylor Bears hit the road in a Big 12 contest against No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Wednesday evening.
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The last time these two teams met the Bears rallied to a 71-64 win in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals on Mar 12, 2009.
Junior guard LaceDarius Dunn has scored at least 20 points for the third consecutive game knocking down 25 including the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 11 minutes left in an 83-70 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday. Anthony Jones contributed 16 points in the win that improved the Bears conference record to 2-1. The Bears are good at hurting you in a couple of ways. Dunn along with senior guard Tweety Carter are also capable inflicting damage from the perimeter while Michigan transfer Ekpe Udoh offers an imposing presence defensively with his shot-blocking and rebounding skills. Baylor leads the Big 12 with a plus-11.5 rebounding advantage and has held every opponent to fewer than 40 boards.
Kansas had to overcome a sloppy start on their way to an 89-63 rout of Texas Tech on Saturday. Marcus Morris had 20 points and eight rebounds while Xavier Henry and Cole Aldrich had 14 points each in the win. The Jayhawks held Texas Tech to 32.8 percent shooting in their 10th win by a margin of 25 or more points. Kansas dominated the glass with 48-37 advantage including 19 offensive rebounds the Jayhawks converted into 20 second-chance points. They also dominated the Red Raiders inside, netting 34 points in the paint.
The odds makers have the Jayhawks at –15 ½ -point favorites in this one.
The Bears match up well with Kansas and LaceDarius Dunn can match the outside production of the Jayhawks’ various bombers. However, Baylor is usually a weaker team on the road.
Winning at Allen Fieldhouse is next to impossible so I expect a tight one with the Jayhawks eeking out a narrow margin victory.
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