NORMAN, Okla. – In the 24-year history of the Big 12 Conference, there have been one national champion, three runners-up and 10 Final Four teams. 
            But, the top-ranked Baylor Bears have done something that none of those teams were able to accomplish. 
            Jared Butler hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points to help Baylor (24-1, 13-0) defeat the Oklahoma Sooners, 65-54, Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center in running the Bears' winning streak to a Big 12-record 23 in a row. 
            "You don't have a lot of opportunities to make history, and that's what we had tonight," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team broke the previous record set by the 1996-97 Kansas team. 
"I didn't even know about the streak, but you never thought something like that would be broken with the Big 12, the way it's been the last how many years. It's been the No. 1 conference in the country six-straight years because everybody is good and everybody beats everybody."
            The Bears, who haven't lost since Nov. 8, stayed a game ahead of third-ranked Kansas (23-3, 12-1) heading into Saturday's 11 a.m. showcase matchup at the Ferrell Center that's attracted ESPN's College GameDay. 
            "I think Coach Drew did a good job making sure we were locked in on this game," Butler said. "And then, this game was important because it's the longest win streak (in Big 12 history). We had a chance to make history. I think that was a big thing for us and for Baylor and for just the culture and all the hard work we've put in. That's why were able to lock in on this game."
            In a first half of runs, Baylor reeled off 12 unanswered points to go up 28-15 on a Devonte Bandoo jumper with 4:20 left. Butler started the run with a 3-pointer and also had a three-point play with a layup and follow free throw, scoring six of his eight first-half points in a 2 ½-minute stretch. 
            "Road games are tough, especially when you're the No. 1 team in the country," Butler said. "You've got to be tough-minded, and I think all our guys were tough-minded the whole time. They missed some calls, we missed some shots, but we stayed tough-minded."
            Brady Manek scored seven of his 11 points in a 9-0 run that cut OU's deficit to 28-24 before a Matthew Mayer offensive rebound and putback that gave the Bears a six-point cushion at the break. 
            Manek, who scored 21 points in last month's 61-57 loss to Baylor in Waco and came in on a scoring tear, was just 1-of-6 from 3-point range and 4-of-11 overall. 
            "We just tried to make it as difficult as we could," Drew said. "He got some good looks, and we were blessed that they didn't go in, because normally they do. That's the tough thing about the Big 12 is it's hard to be on every night. That's what's been amazing with the streak for us, we've had different people step up each and every night, because nobody can be on for 23-straight nights. It takes a team. You have to have chemistry."
            OU (16-10, 6-7) pulled within 39-38 on a jumper by Kristian Doolittle, who scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the second half. Doolittle missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Sooners the lead, and they never got that close again. 
            In a decisive 13-2 run that pushed the lead back to double digits, Tristan Clark had bookend buckets for the Bears. Clark had one of his better stints of the season with eight points, four rebounds and a block in 13 minutes off the bench. 
            "Second half, he really got us some big rebounds, had some big baskets and really played good defense," Drew said of Clark, who was 4-of-6 from the floor. "That was a spurt where it was Freddie (Gillespie), Tristan and Matt Mayer, and we were able to kind of reopen that last lead."
            Gillespie chipped in with six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, while Mark Vital had 10 points and six boards. 
            The Bears survived their second-straight game without junior guard MaCio Teague, who suffered a wrist injury in last week's road win at Texas.  
            "When you've been in the league for 17 years, you can appreciate the history," Drew said. "For what these guys have been able to accomplish with all the great teams and great coaches, to be in the record books is special."
            Prior to Saturday's marquee matchup against Kansas, Baylor will host ESPN's College GameDay from 10-11 a.m. at the Ferrell Center. Host Rece Davis will be joined by analysts Jay Bilas, LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg for the hourlong show. 
            Baylor becomes the first school since Michigan State in 2015-16 to host the GameDay program for both football and basketball in the same academic year. 
            "It's a great tribute to our athletic department and our university," Drew said. "I know we didn't win the football game (against Oklahoma, on Nov. 16), but I think we won the hearts of a lot of people in the nation."