Count on Kansas to get revenge on Baylor in Big 12 clash

For the second time this season, Kansas and Baylor are set to face off Saturday in a top-10 clash that could go a long way toward deciding the eventual Big-12 champion.

The Bears won the first meeting between these two teams on Jan. 23, but the Jayhawks are favored to win this rematch at Allen Fieldhouse, where they’ve lost just one game all season.

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Here’s how we’re betting Saturday’s contest, which tips off at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

For a brief moment, it looked like Kansas’ season was starting to spiral after a three-game losing streak that culminated with that six-point road loss to Baylor. But we’ve seen a different team over the last month.

Since that loss, the Jayhawks have won five of their last six games — all coming by at least eight points after Tuesday’s 11-point win at Oklahoma State. That followed up a 23-point win at Oklahoma, which was Kansas’ biggest win in conference play and came on the heels of a statement home win against Texas.

Meanwhile, I still have questions about Baylor’s bona fides on the road, as the Bears have played just seven true road games all season. The results have been uneven at best: three of those contests resulted in outright losses, while their four road wins this year have come by a combined 18 points after last Saturday’s four-point squeaker at TCU.

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Now they’ll head to Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks have won 18 of their last 19 games and boast a staggering 304-17 record (94.7%) under Bill Self. Baylor was blasted by 24 points in its last game in that building, which followed a 13-point loss at Kansas the year before.

Keep an eye on Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick, who was just about the only bright spot for Kansas’ offense in that Jan. 23 loss at Baylor. He scored 24 points in that one, and he’s since dropped 21 points against Texas and a career-high 26 points in Tuesday’s win in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

If the freshman sharpshooter can heat up on Saturday, that’ll pay dividends for a Kansas offense that shot just 5-of-19 from deep (26.3%) in these teams’ previous meeting. I’d expect that number to tick up at home, where the Jayhawks are well-positioned to deliver payback to the Bears and maintain their hold atop the Big-12 standings.

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