Baylor @ Oklahoma State preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 6, 2019 ) Oklahoma State 67, Baylor 64

Second-ranked Baylor has seized first place with a perfect start in the Big 12 and owns 13 straight wins overall. The Bears will try to stay ahead of the pack and avoid a letdown when they visit one of the two teams without a win in conference play in Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Baylor followed up its impressive 12-point win at No. 7 Kansas with a 68-55 victory over Iowa State on Wednesday to keep alive the second-longest winning streak in the country. "We have a group of guys that learn from experiences and are humble enough to take coaching and apply it in the game and realize each game is important," Bears sophomore guard Jared Butler told reporters. The Cowboys averaged 43.7 points in losing their first three Big 12 games before dropping a 76-64 decision to Texas at home Wednesday night. They shot better than 40 percent from the floor for the first time in conference action and had their best percentage from beyond the arc (40.0) since Nov. 13, but it wasn't enough to avoid a seventh defeat in the last nine games.

TIME: Noon ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT BAYLOR (14-1, 4-0 Big 12): Butler scored 22 points in the win over the Jayhawks and 19 against the Cyclones to boost his team-leading average to 16.9. Junior guard MaCio Teague, who ranks second on the squad with 13.8 points per game, will be looking to rebound after shooting 0-for-7 in Wednesday's win. Senior forward Freddie Gillespie chips in 9.3 points and a team-leading 9.3 rebounds after recording 14 and 11, respectively, against Iowa State for his sixth double-double of the season.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (9-7, 0-4): Twin brothers Kalib and Keylan Boone provided a nice boost off the bench in the loss to Texas as the talented freshmen combined for 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds. None of the starters scored in double figures as guards Lindy Waters III (team-leading 11.8 points per game) and Isaac Likekele (11.1) finished with nine points apiece, but coach Mike Boynton sees everyone getting on the same page soon. "I'm encouraged that our kids are in a positive frame of mind, believing that they can get this thing turned around," he told reporters. "I do believe that we're getting better."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bears sophomore G Davion Mitchell is averaging 12.8 points while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor over his last six games.

2. Cowboys sophomore F Yor Anei averages 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in Big 12 play after posting marks of 11.1 and 5.7 in non-conference action.

3. Oklahoma State snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series with a 67-64 win at Baylor last March 6 behind 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Likekele.

PREDICTION: Baylor 69, Oklahoma State 56