13/13 BAYLOR BEARS (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)	13/13 BAYLOR (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) vs. 4/4 Kansas (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) Feb. 10, 2024 • 5:00 p.m. CT Lawrence, Kan. • Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)  LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN Talent: Dan Shulman (pxp), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Jess Sims (reporter) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst) National Radio: Westwood One Talent: Ryan Radtke (PBP), Jim Boeheim (analyst) SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 119 or on the SXM App Baylor Social Media:
	4/4 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) Location: Lawrence, Kan. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Bill Self (Ok. State, 1985) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
In a Big 12 Conference where six teams are listed in the polls and 10 of 14 are in the top 40 in the NCAA basketball's NET rankings, Scott Drew calls Baylor-Kansas just "another game."
 
The fourth-ranked Jayhawks (18-5, 6-4), coming off a 75-70 overtime loss to in-state rival Kansas State, will host the No. 13 Bears (17-5, 6-3) on Saturday in a 5 p.m. matchup at historic Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., that pits two of the last three national championship teams.
 
"We're the winningest Power 5 program (over the last four years), they're the second-winningest Power 5 program," said Drew, whose team has split the last eight games with Kansas but is just 1-19 all-time at Allen Fieldhouse.
 
"We understand how important it is to win your home games and how important it is to steal a couple on the road. So, this is another game. They have great fans, they know when to cheer, when to get loud, when to have an impact on the 13 people on the floor. But we're just going to control what we can control. When we've done that up there, we've been successful. When we haven't, we haven't."
 
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua was sitting out as a transfer from UNLV in 2020 when the Bears rode the hot hands of Jared Butler and MaCio Teague to a stunning 67-55 win over then-No. 3 Kansas for their first (and only) win at Allen Fieldhouse. But the message to his younger teammates, similar to Drew's, is that "this is just a court, just another arena."
 
"Yes, they have great history," said the 6-8 graduate forward. "But at the end of the day, it's just a basketball court. Been there, won there. It's going to be a great team against another one."
 
But VCU transfer Jayden Nunn (9.8 ppg) said he "came to Baylor to play in this type of atmosphere" with a packed crowd of 16,300. Not only is this an ESPN broadcast, with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Jess Sims on the call, but College GameDay is in Lawrence for the 12^th time since the show began in 2004-05.
 
"They told me it's crazy, it's a great atmosphere," Nunn said. "I'm just looking forward to the experience. I know how hard they say it is to win. I'm just grateful for this experience and opportunity to play at Allen Fieldhouse."
 
While Kansas is in the unfamiliar place of looking up in the Big 12 standings – going 3-3 over the last three weeks – Baylor has the longest current winning streak in the league at three-straight and sits just a half-game behind league-leading and fifth-ranked Houston (20-3, 7-3).
 
Of course, the Jayhawks are just a half-game behind the Bears and are one of 11 teams that are no more than two back in the loss column. Even for the Big 12, this is crazy.
 
Kansas is led by preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and all-American Hunter Dickinson, a 7-foot-2 transfer from Michigan who is averaging 18.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
 
The Bears will use a rotation of Tchamwa Tchatchoua, freshman 7-footer Yves Missi (10.5 ppg, 5.8 rebounds) and 6-10 sophomore Josh Ojianwuna (5.3 ppg, 3.4 rebounds) to try to slow down Dickerson.
 
"I think it's a blessing to have three quality big men like we have," Drew said. "At the same time, Hunter is a walking double-double. And great players, you're not going to stop. You just want to contain and make it as difficult as possible."
 
Kevin McCullar Jr., who spent his first three seasons at Texas Tech, is averaging a team-high and career-best 19.5 points to go with 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
 
"I think he deserves a lot of the credit," Drew said of McCullar, who was more of a defensive specialist at Tech. "He's worked hard on his game. Their coaches deserve a lot of credit, putting him in positions to be successful. And that's one of the blessings of having guys stay in college. As you can see, they continue to grow and mature. That's why we coach. You want to be a part of that and see that."
 
Kansas will play its first game at Baylor's new Foster Pavilion on March 2 in a nationally televised game on ABC. The Bears' challenging schedule continues with road trips to West Virginia and 21^st-ranked BYU sandwiched between home games against Oklahoma (on Tuesday) and No. 5 Houston on Feb. 24.


 STORY LINES

• No. 13 BU heads to Lawrence for a third-straight top-25 showdown, against No. 4 Kansas on ESPN. Lawrence is also the site of ESPN's College Gameday on Saturday morning. 

• Saturday is the 46th all-time series meeting, with KU holding a 36-9 series advantage, but the two have split the season series in each of the last five seasons, the only Big 12 team to do so in that span.

• One of these two teams has claimed the last four Big 12 Titles ('20: KU, '21: BU, '22: BU/KU, '23: KU)

• Baylor is 4-4 against the Jayhawks in the last eight meetings, Baylor's four regular-season wins against the Jayhawks since 2019-20 are tied for the most among any Big 12 team.

• The Bears are one of just four teams to win at Allen Fieldhouse in the last five seasons. (Kentucky, Texas, TCU)

• Baylor and Kansas are two of the three teams to be a 3-seed or higher in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments.

• The Bears and Jayhawks are two of just four teams to win a game in four-straight NCAA Tournaments.

• Baylor is a nations-best 30-12 against ranked teams over the last five seasons. 

• BU's 121-29 record since 2019-20 is the best among Power Six teams in that span (Kansas is 2nd 129-31).

• Baylor's 312 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (350).

• BU and KU are the only Power Six schools to win 18+ games every year since 2008.

• Baylor is 68-52 in Big 12 road games since 2012, second-best in the league behind only Kansas (74-48).

• Baylor is 12-3 in its last 15 games against AP top-10 teams.

• BU's 60-21 Big 12 record over the last five seasons is the second best record of any power-conference team during that span (Kansas).

• The Bears have now been ranked in the top-10 for a fifth-straight year, one of just four programs (Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas) to accomplish that feat.

• In the last meeting, the Bears built a 17-point first-half lead and led by 13 at the break, only to see the Jayhawks storm back, outscoring the Bears by 29 in the second half for the 16-point win. 

• Last time out, Baylor used a 13-0 run and a game-high 21 points from RayJ Dennis to down No. 23 Texas Tech for the Bears' third-straight win over the Red Raiders.

• The win gave Scott Drew his first win over a former assistant coach, as McCasland served under Drew at Baylor from 2011-2016.

• The Bears are third in the nation in 3-point FG% (40.3), fourth in offensive efficiency (122.1) and lead the Big 12 in points per game (83.7).

• Ranked in the AP Top-25 for 23-straight weeks, BU is riding the nation's eighth-longest active streak and the third-longest in the Big 12 (Houston 78, Kansas 57).

• Langston Love is averaging 12.8 points per game in Big 12 play, most in the league among players with no starts.

• BU has had six players win Big 12 Sixth-Man of the Year, no other conference school has more than two.

• Dennis ranks second in the Big 12 in assists per game (6.4), with the Bears getting 14.2 points per game from Ja'Kobe Walter to lead the offense, the most among Big 12 Conference freshmen.