Texas Christian @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Texas Christian 64, Baylor 90

Top-ranked Baylor tries for a program-record 18th straight victory when it hosts TCU on Saturday in a Big 12 game. The Bears are coming off a 67-53 win at Iowa State on Wednesday as they continue to showcase a defense that is fifth nationally at 58.3 points allowed - 54.9 in conference games - and has bought into coach Scott Drew's system.

"We're blessed to have great guys that really take (defense) seriously," Drew told reporters. "... When you're switching as much as we are, everybody has to guard. Otherwise, you're going to fall apart, and they're going to find the weak link." The Bears are off to their best conference start since the 1947-48 team began 10-0 in the Southwest Conference and went on to lose the national championship game to Kentucky and Adolph Rupp, and are 9-0 this season at the Ferrell Center. "You can't win the Big 12 if you don't win your home games," Drew told the media. "What you love when you come up here is you've got those students that come in here an hour and a half before the game. We look forward to seeing our students an hour and a half before." The Horned Frogs have lost two straight and four of their last five after a 62-61 setback to Texas on Wednesday.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT TCU (13-7, 4-3 Big 12): Desmond Bane paces the team in scoring (16.5 points) and assists (3.5) while contributing 6.4 rebounds, and leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 44.1 and 3-point field goals made per game (2.8). Kevin Samuel (11.5 points, club-high 8.8 rebounds) shoots 67.1 percent from the field - sixth nationally - and his 10 double-doubles lead the Big 12 after he recorded two in his last three games. RJ Nembhard averages 12.4 points and has recorded 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists over his past two contests.

ABOUT BAYLOR (18-1, 7-0): Freddie Gillespie averages 10 points and 9.2 rebounds - 11.7 and 9.4 in conference games - after recording 12 and nine Wednesday. Mark Vital (6.1 points, 6.4 rebounds) has 27 boards in his last three contests and averages 7.6 in Big 12 games. Jared Butler averages 15.4 points but hasn't reached that number in the last three contests while shooting 10-for-32 from the field.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Bears' winning streak is the second-longest active one behind No. 4 San Diego, which is 22-0.

2. Samuel, a sophomore, has 130 career blocks and is on pace to shatter the school record of 171 set by James Penny in 1998 and matched by Vladimir Brodziansky in 2018.

3. Baylor has won 12 of 15 meetings since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.

PREDICTION: Baylor 72, TCU 58