No. 13 Baylor looks to get back on the winning track when it hosts talented and tough No. 25 Oklahoma on Tuesday in a Big 12 Conference game in Waco, Texas.
This is the only time this season that the two rivals will meet and the final scheduled time for them to play as members of the Big 12. The Sooners will move to the Southeastern Conference in July.
The Bears head home after a 64-61 loss at No. 4 Kansas on Saturday. Baylor (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) received 21 points and eight rebounds from freshman center Yves Missi in the setback, which snapped a three-game winning streak. It was the Bears’ fourth loss this season by four or fewer points.
Ja’Kobe Walter added 17 points but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. Walter’s miss came after teammate Jayden Nunn failed to convert a potential game-tying jumper from the corner, and a Kansas missed one-and-one free throw that gave Baylor a final chance.
Trailing by double digits with under seven minutes to play, the Bears made it a one-possession game with a run that included two 3-pointers by Walter, another by Nunn and four free throws by Missi.
Baylor outrebounded Kansas 42-25 but also tied a season high with 21 turnovers in the loss. The Bears were playing without their third-leading scorer Langston Love (ankle).
“That was really the difference in the game,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We’ve got to do a better job. You’re not going to beat anybody quality, let alone Kansas at Kansas, with 21 turnovers. That’s plain and simple. We’ve been really good at taking care of the ball. We didn’t see this coming.”
Tuesday’s contest will extend a streak to four game against ranked teams for Baylor.
The Sooners travel to Waco after a gritty 66-62 win at home over rival Oklahoma State on Saturday. Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5) has won three of its past four contests, but just one of the games in that stretch — a win over No. 21 BYU last Tuesday — was against a team ranked in the top 25.
Jalon Moore led Oklahoma with 15 points for the Sooners, who held on despite being assessed three technical fouls in the game and making just two field goals over the final nine minutes.
“I didn’t expect anything less from Oklahoma State playing their tails off,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “Physical, physical, high energy — played unbelievably hard, and I didn’t expect anything else from Oklahoma State. It wasn’t the prettiest thing. There were so many ebbs and flows.”
Oklahoma racked up a season-high nine blocks in the win, including a career-high four by Moore, who also grabbed eight rebounds. Defense was also the key as the Sooners held Oklahoma State to 30.6 shooting from the floor and just a 3-for-18 performance from beyond arc.
“I felt like mentally we were able to stay together,” said Moore, who had one of the technical fouls. “We were able to fight through those techs. It was just emotion. I play with passion, and I got a big dunk, and I said some things that got me a tech, but I didn’t let that affect the rest of the game.”
–Field Level Media
