Baylor @ Oklahoma preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 20, 2020 ) Oklahoma 57, Baylor 61

Baylor finds itself on the verge of making Big 12 history, but putting its name in the record books might take a backseat to a more important short-term goal at the moment: maintaining a one-game lead on Kansas in the conference race entering their showdown with the Jayhawks this weekend. The top-ranked Bears set their sights on a 23rd consecutive victory Tuesday when they visit Oklahoma.

Even with second-leading scorer MaCio Teague sidelined Saturday, Baylor easily handled No. 18 West Virginia 70-59, holding the Mountaineers to 34.4 percent shooting from the field and forcing 22 turnovers. The Bears' 22-game winning streak matches the run made by the 1996-97 Jayhawks - led by future NBA players Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz, Jacque Vaughn and Scot Pollard - in the inaugural season of the Big 12, while Baylor's 12-0 start in conference action is a program best. Picking up the record-breaking win doesn't figure to come easy against the Sooners, who boast three of the league's top 11 scorers and an 11-1 record at home this season. Oklahoma is coming off an 87-70 loss at third-ranked Kansas over the weekend but gave Baylor all it could handle in the first meeting on Jan. 20 before settling for a 61-57 loss in Waco.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT BAYLOR (23-1, 12-0 Big 12): Teague (14.4 points, 5.0 rebounds) is considered day-to-day after his consecutive-games streak was snapped at 90, and coach Scott Drew suggested after Saturday's game that his junior guard will continue to sit until the inflammation in his right wrist subsides and he can be "effective." Sophomore Matthew Mayer (4.0 points) more than adequately replaced the production Teague typically provides, tallying a season-high 13 points and career-high eight boards in only 17 minutes off the bench. Leading scorer Jared Butler (15.3 points) bounced back from a rough night offensively in last Monday's victory at Texas, finishing 8-for-11 from the field - including 5-of-7 beyond the arc - en route to a 21-point performance versus the Mountaineers.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (16-9, 6-6): Kristian Doolittle (15.5 points, team-high 9.1 rebounds) has produced three of his seven 20-point efforts over the last three games after going off for 27 versus the Jayhawks and was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday. Brady Manek (team-high 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds) entered Saturday as the top 3-point shooter in the Big 12 but was saddled with early foul trouble, which limited him to seven points on 1-of-6 beyond the arc in 24 minutes. Austin Reaves (14.1, 5.0) has been unable to reach his season scoring average and/or make 40 percent of his field-goal attempts in six of his last eight games - a stretch that began with a 3-for-17, eight-point effort at Baylor last month.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oklahoma is 6-2 all-time against the AP No. 1 team in the country at home, although Tuesday marks the first time in 23 years such a team will be paying a visit to Norman.

2. Baylor's four-point margin of victory in the first meeting is its slimmest in a conference game this season.

3. Doolittle has amassed 27 points and 12 boards in two of his last three outings. No other Big 12 player has reached both marks in the same game once this season.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 63, Baylor 62