The Kansas Jayhawks face off against the Baylor Bears in the third round of the Big 12 tournament at Sprint Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Jayhawks played well in their last game, dismantling Kansas State 85-63 in the 2. Perry Ellis was the team’s leading scorer with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Bears, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-61 win against Texas in the 2. Taurean Prince claimed his sixth double-double of the season with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Frank Mason III has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Jayhawks. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Kansas currently ranks ninth in the nation in offensive efficiency and Baylor is 28th in defensive efficiency. Also, the Bears’s 20th-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 115.0) will face off against the 12th-ranked defense of the Jayhawks (defensive efficiency of 97.1).
The Jayhawks have emerged victorious in both games against the Bears this year, including a decisive 85-63 victory in their last matchup. Prince put up a double-double in the victory with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Notes
In its last game, Kansas won by a margin of 22 points. Baylor is 6-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Kansas has a 13-1 record in blowouts.
The Baylor Bears rank 20th for their offensive rating of 115.0. The Kansas Jayhawks have a defensive rating of 97.1 (ranked 12th).
The Kansas Jayhawks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the nation with a FG% of 49.5%. The Baylor Bears have split their games this season (4-4) when opponents record a similar or higher FG%.
The Baylor Bears rank higher based on their field goal percentage (39th) than their effective field goal percentage (86th), while the Kansas Jayhawks rank the same for both metrics (seventh).
Baylor ranks among the best in the nation in assists at fifth (18.1 assists per game). Kansas is ranked 35th with 16.0 assists per game.
Kansas, the 84th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.2 per game. Baylor does worse, ranked 101st with 4.0.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Baylor ranks 12th. Kansas ranks 59th in defensive rebounds.
Though Baylor is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 20.1% (ranked 10th), Kansas has a superb 10-2 record SU when it has a TO% of 20.1% or greater.
