Kansas State @ Baylor preview
T-Mobile Center
Last Meeting ( Jan 27, 2021 ) Kansas State 59, Baylor 107
The old adage in sports about it being hard to beat a team three times in a season doesn't really apply when the first two games were decided by an average of 39.5 points.
No. 2 Baylor will try to defeat Kansas State for the third time when they face each other in the second round of the Big 12 tournament on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas State (9-19), who defeated TCU 71-50 in the opening game of the tournament, gave up 100 points in a game for the first time in head coach Bruce Weber's nine-year tenure when they faced Baylor the first time, losing 100-69. The return match saw the Wildcats suffer the worst loss in school history, 107-59.
But the Wildcats, who have won four of their past five, are confident.
"We are a much-improved team since then," senior guard Mike McGuirl said. "We're going to be locking into the scouting report and listen to what the coaches are saying.
"We're a lot different (from the 48-point loss), but talking about it isn't going to do much. We've just got to do it."
McGuirl and Nijel Pack combined for 40 of K-State's 71 points against TCU, hitting all seven of the Wildcats' made three-pointers. They'll be counted on heavily against the Bears.
The Wildcats are playing with nothing to lose. If they get trounced by the Bears, it won't be because of a lack of effort. Weber is planning on using that with his team.
"We have nothing to lose," he said. "I know they're just happy to have the opportunity. We're just going to go play. Who knows? You've seen crazy things happen in March. I joked (with them), maybe if we make some shots, we're pretty good. We've just got to guard them."
Baylor (21-1) seems to have found its stride after struggling to find its rhythm following a three-week layoff due to COVID and a major winter storm that ravaged Texas. The Bears barely beat Iowa State in their first game back, and then suffered their only loss of the year at Kansas.
But since then, the Bears have won three straight games, all against ranked teams, to win their first regular-season conference title since 1949-50.
"I think fresh legs have helped with the shooting," head coach Scott Drew said prior to the start of the Big 12 tournament. "Defensively we're still trying to get back to where we were. Our guys are so experienced and know their bodies so well, those who were able to do individual workouts stayed sharp.
"Everyone's game continues to evolve and improve."
Baylor seems to have too much talent for Kansas State. The Bears have three players averaging 13.8 points per game or more: Jared Butler (17.1), MaCio Teague (15.8) and Davion Mitchell (13.8).
Butler and Teague landed on the all-Big 12 first-team. Mitchell and Mark Vital were named to the all-defensive team, and Drew was named the Big 12's coach of the year.
--Field Level Media