The Baylor Bears began the week with a hard-fought 57-52 win over Texas Tech. They followed up Tuesday’s performance with another stellar showing, ending KU’s 27 game home winning streak.
The Bears limited the Jayhawks to a season-low 39.2% field goal percentage resulting in 55 points. The Bears were able to shut down KU big man Udoka Azubuike, as Doke only scored 6 points on 3-6 shooting. Baylor forward Freddie Gillespie was able to front Azubuike, forcing the Jayhawk guards to beat them. Their gameplan worked to form, as the Jayhawks went 4-15 from three-point range (0-6 in the second half). Conversely, the Bears shot 8-19 (42.1%) from deep.
Jared Butler led the Bears with 22 points on 8-19 shooting. Butler consistently made KU guard Marcus Garrett uncomfortable on the defensive perimeter, something not many guys have been able to do.
With the victory, Baylor moves to 13-1 overall and 3-1 in conference, good for a first-place tie. The Bears seem to be in the driver’s seat early on, but there’s a lot of basketball left to be played. After two straight road games, the Bears will head back to Waco to host Iowa State Wednesday night (8 PM ESPN+).
KU falls to 12-3 overall and 2-1 in conference. The Jayhawks will hit the road for two straight against Oklahoma on Tuesday night (8 PM ESPN) and Texas next Saturday.