West Virginia @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 23, 2019 ) West Virginia 75, Baylor 82

When the offense struggled against Texas, No. 1 Baylor relied heavily on one of the top defenses in the nation to continue its historic season. The Bears look to extend the school's program-record winning streak to 22 when No. 14 West Virginia comes to town Saturday.

Baylor's four-guard offense was held to 34 percent shooting, but the Bears smothered Texas' offense in a 52-45 win on Monday. The Longhorns were held to their fewest points in a home game since a 51-43 loss to Kansas State on Jan. 8, 1983, and it was the lowest point total in coach Shaka Smart's five seasons (44) at Texas and fewest in his 11 years as a collegiate head coach. "There's going to be nights when you don't shoot it well, and you have to have some kind of staple," said Baylor guard Jared Butler. "I think that for us is our defense. It's a lot more fun when you shoot it well and playing good defense, but I'm just glad we got the win." West Virginia, for the second time this season, couldn't hold a six-point halftime lead against Kansas, this time leading by nine with 13:31 left before a five-minute scoreless stretch did them in Wednesday.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: None

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (18-6, 6-5 SEC): The Mountaineers shot 31.7 percent from the floor four days after shooting 31.6 percent in a 10-point loss at Oklahoma. "You aren't going to win when you don't make shots," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "We didn't make shots inside, we didn't make shots outside and we turned the ball over at the most inopportune times." Freshman Oscar Tshiebwe (11.6 points, 9.1 rebounds) led West Virginia with 14 points and nine rebounds, but he picked up his third foul with 13:10 remaining and the lead start dwindling shortly thereafter.

ABOUT BAYLOR (22-1, 11-0): MaCio Teague scored 11 points and Devonte Bandoo added 10 off the bench for the Bears, who limited the Longhorns to 30.5 percent shooting, including 3-of-17 from long-range. The Bears' defense ranks fourth in the nation (86.3 points per 100 possessions) and have two players averaging in double figures: Butler (15 points) and Teague (14.4 points). "We have a lot of moving parts and a lot of people who have come together from a lot of different places out there," Butler said. "That just shows how special it is. I think you can go 11-0 and 22-1 if you have the right group of guys. It's not about talent, it's not about special abilities, it's just about being the people we are."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Baylor swept the series last season but the Mountaineers won the previous three meetings. The Bears are 4-3 vs the Mountaineers when both are ranked.

2. West Virginia is 3-3 when playing the AP top-ranked team, including a win over Baylor on Jan. 10, 2017.

3. Bears F Freddie Gillespie leads the Big 12 in conference games in offensive rebound percentage (16.6) and turnover rate (6.8), and he ranks sixth in 2-point percentage (57).

PREDICTION: Baylor 69, West Virginia 62