Oklahoma State @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2019 ) Baylor 73, Oklahoma State 69

Baylor seems to have done more than enough to cement an NCAA Tournament berth and will try to avoid a slip-up Wednesday night at home against last-place Oklahoma State in a Big 12 matchup. The Bears saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in Saturday's 66-60 loss at 17th-ranked Kansas State, but they've still reached double digits in league victories for the sixth time since joining the Big 12.

Baylor made the Big Dance in each of those previous five instances and coach Scott Drew knows that his current unit won't get very far in March unless it cleans up its act a bit. "I think we can play a lot better as far as the turnovers go," he told reporters after the Bears had 19 giveaways against the Wildcats. "I thought their physicality, credit them for doing a good job causing us a lot of those turnovers. That's something, especially when you get closer to postseason, you've got to be better and tougher with the ball." The Cowboys took Baylor to the wire in the first matchup, but they've lost 11 of their last 12 conference games. Juniors Cameron McGriff and Curtis Jones scored 19 points apiece in Saturday's 72-67 loss to No. 14 Kansas.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (10-19, 3-13 Big 12): McGriff leads the Cowboys in scoring (12.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.5), posting 15 points and 10 boards in the earlier loss to Baylor. Jones, who hit all four of his 3-point tries Saturday, is averaging 15 points over his last two contests after recording four points per game over his previous six contests. Junior guard Thomas Dziagwa has pushed his scoring average to 11.6 with a 17.8 mark over the past five games.

ABOUT BAYLOR (19-10, 10-6): Senior guard and leading scorer Makai Mason (14.4) has been hampered by foot issues and it's having an impact. Since scoring a career-high 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting against TCU on Feb. 2, Mason is averaging 7.7 points while making a woeful 12-of-65 shots in a six-game stretch. Sophomore guard Mario Kegler (10.8 points) is the only other active Bear averaging in double digits in the scoring column and he's posted 20.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over the last three.

TIP-INS

1. Bears senior G King McClure scored a career-high 29 points in the first meeting.

2. Cowboys freshman G Isaac Likekele entered Tuesday fourth in the Big 12 in assists (3.8) after handing out six against Kansas.

3. Baylor has claimed seven consecutive matchups with Oklahoma State.

PREDICTION: Baylor 83, Oklahoma State 67