Baylor @ Kansas preview
Allen Fieldhouse
Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2021 ) Baylor 58, Kansas 71
Kansas has a tendency not to go too deep into its bench. Veteran coach Bill Self prefers whittling his rotation into a sleek, efficient unit by the mid-point of conference play.
Yet here are the No. 10 Jayhawks (18-3, 7-1) sitting first in the Big 12 and still juggling different combinations as they prepare for a showdown Saturday against No. 8 Baylor (19-3, 7-2) at Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas is coming off a 70-61 victory at Iowa State in which it played without the Big 12's top scorer, Ochai Agbaji (COVID-19 protocols), and the league's preseason player of the year, Remy Martin (knee).
Seldom-used backup Joseph Yesufu, a Drake transfer, offered his speedy and heady veteran presence to show off his capability.
"The kid was fearless," Self said. "There in the first half we only had one guy that could dribble against their pressure. So, getting Joe in there really helped take some pressure off."
Dajuan Harris, who often trades minutes with Martin, still contributed mightily while directing the floor, playing what Self termed his best game after providing 14 points, eight assists and four steals. If anything, the outcome proved Kansas could manufacture offense without its go-to scorer (Agbaji) and a versatile threat (Martin).
"We knew we had to do it as a unit," said the Jayhawks' Christian Braun, who added 13 points. "(Self's) most important message was, if you want to replace a guy that's the national player of the year, you have to do it collectively. There's not one person that can step up and score 20 more points than they normally do."
Agbaji, who averages 20.9 points, is expected to return against Baylor, though Martin could remain out while attempting to heal his nagging injury. Firepower should not be an issue since Kansas averages 80 points per game and Baylor 78.8 in a rugged league prone at times to defensive slugfests.
Both teams rebounded from disappointing losses in last Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge (against Kentucky and Alabama, respectively) and flexed their conference superiority earlier this week. Baylor is coming off an 81-77 victory over West Virginia in which the Bears played short-handed without LJ Cryer (foot) and Adam Flagler (knee).
"It's frustrating because you're 15-0 when you have everybody," Baylor coach Scott Drew said of a hot start that led to the Bears sitting No. 1 in the polls for five consecutive weeks.
"Then, you get people back and you lose people. A lot of the times, you find out the day of the game, so it's not like you get prep time. We'll just keep grinding."
Baylor overcame a 16-1 run that provided West Virginia a 39-31 lead at halftime. James Akinjo returned from a tailbone injury and netted 25 points, including five free throws in the final 90 seconds.
Akinjo ranks second within the Bears' balanced attack, averaging 13.6 points. Cryer carries a team-high mark (13.9) among seven scorers averaging at least eight points per game. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua leads a plus-7.4 rebounding advantage by averaging 7.2 boards and went 6-of-7 shooting for 14 points against West Virginia.
--Field Level Media