Texas @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 6, 2019 ) Baylor 72, Texas 84

Baylor will be looking for redemption on Wednesday when it hosts Texas, which snapped the Bears' six-game winning streak on Feb. 6 with an 84-72 victory. With leading scorer Kerwin Roach II (15 points per game) out of the lineup on Saturday, the Longhorns nearly erased a 17-point, second-half deficit against Oklahoma but fell just short in a 69-67 defeat.

Roach was suspended indefinitely on Friday for an undisclosed violation of team rules at a time when the Longhorns are fighting to keep alive their hope for an NCAA Tournament bid. “You have to be a big boy and take whatever your reality is and make the right decisions for your team or your guys,” Texas coach Shaka Smart told reporters as his team prepares to play a crucial part of its schedule without Roach. “There’s no question you want to be focused on how to get more rebounds than Baylor.” The Bears needed a late surge to get by last-place West Virginia on Saturday as they used a 16-5 run to end the game and escape with an 82-75 home victory. “I’m really proud of the last five minutes to win the way we did,” Baylor coach Scott Drew told reporters after leading scorer Makai Mason (15 points per game) was held to a season-low four points. “Makai had zero field goals and we win a game in the Big 12. When you have zero field goals from your leading scorer, it means other people are stepping up. That’s what makes a great team.”

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT TEXAS (15-12, 7-7 Big 12): In Roach’s absence, Jase Febres made his first start since Dec. 21 on Saturday and attempted all of his shots from 3-point range, finishing with a team-best 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting in a career-high 35 minutes. Jaxson Hayes led the second-half charge against Oklahoma as the freshman was 5-for-5 after the break and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and a career-high six blocks. Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman III contributed 11 points apiece on Saturday and combined for six assists and five of their team’s seven steals.

ABOUT BAYLOR (18-9, 9-5): Sophomore Mario Kegler recorded his first career double-double in Saturday’s win, scoring a personal-best 23 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Mark Vital notched his second double-double as he set a career high with 15 points and recorded a team-best 14 boards. Devonte Bandoo registered his ninth double-figure scoring performance of the season – and fourth in his last five games – as he finished with 22 points in 33 minutes off the bench.

TIP-INS

1. Hayes leads the Big 12 in field-goal percentage in both conference play (76.1 percent) and overall (74.8).

2. The Longhorns’ five Big 12 road losses have been by an average of 3.2 points.

3. Baylor is fourth in the league in overall scoring offense (72.2 points) but first during conference play (73.6).

PREDICTION: Baylor 77, Texas 72