Texas Christian @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 5, 2019 ) Baylor 81, Texas Christian 85

Baylor looks to avenge an earlier loss to TCU and extend its winning streak to six games when the teams meet in Waco on Saturday. Baylor opened Big 12 play with an 85-81 loss to TCU but has used a balanced attack to move into a first-place tie in the conference.

Since losing sophomore Tristan Clark and his 14.3 points per game to a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 5, Baylor has seen seven players increase their scoring averages -- including senior guard Makai Mason, who scored 12 points in last Monday’s 77-47 win over Oklahoma. Mason is averaging 16.2 points over the past dozen games for the Bears, who lead the Big 12 in scoring offense (75.7) in conference games. “We play for each other,” Mason told reporters. “One guy’s not going to get it done every night. We've got to have multiple guys doing multiple things. So sharing the ball is a huge thing for us, and then I think our defense and rebounding is going to keep us in every game as well.” The Bears will need another complete effort against the Horned Frogs, who are eager to bounce back from last Saturday’s 84-65 loss to Texas Tech.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT TCU (15-5, 3-4 Big 12): After holding their previous four opponents to fewer than 70 points, the Horned Frogs allowed a season-high 84 points to Texas Tech. Sophomore forward Kouat Noi had 16 points while freshman center Kevin Samuel recorded his fourth double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Horned Frogs, who have won their last seven Big 12 home games dating back to last season but are 0-4 on the road in league play this season. Senior guard Alex Robinson ranks fourth in the nation at 7.4 assists per game but had just one against Texas Tech.

ABOUT BAYLOR (14-7, 5-2): Sophomore forward Mario Kegler is averaging 15.3 points and six rebounds over the last three games for the Bears, whose winning streak includes victories over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia and Alabama. Freshman guard Jared Butler scored 10 points in the win over Oklahoma and is averaging 12.7 points and 4.2 assists since moving into the starting lineup six games ago. Freshman wing Matthew Mayer scored 17 points off the bench in the team’s earlier loss to TCU and has made a case for more playing time over the past two games.

TIP-INS

1. Since TCU joined the Big 12, Baylor is 11-3 in the series with an average scoring margin of plus-13.2 points per game.

2. Baylor is 27-2 when leading at halftime since the start of the 2017-18 season – including 12-2 this season.

3. TCU ranks 10th in the nation with 17.6 assists per game.

PREDICTION: Baylor 74, TCU 71