Baylor vs. Wichita State: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

In a battle of top 25 programs, No. 8 Wichita State faces off against No. 16 Baylor. Who gets another big win for their resume for March Madness?

TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 2:00 p.m. ET. ESPNU

Arena: Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas

Gregg Marshall and the Wichita State Shockers (5-1) suffered their first loss of the season after surrendering a lead in the final minutes to Notre Dame in the Maui Invitational championship game. Wichita led the entire game, using the collective offense and defense that’s made them a preseason top 10 team. Unfortunately, no one player stepped up to quell the Irish’s comeback, which may just be the only concern about this team.

They had a chance to rebound earlier this week against an overmatched Savannah State. The final score was 112-66, with Samajae Haynes-Jones coming off the bench for a career-high 31 points. Rashard Kelly and Darnal Willis Jr. each posted a double-double in the blowout.

While the Shockers are coming off a win, the same can’t be said for Baylor (5-1), who lost earlier this week to another top 25 team in Xavier, 76-63. Star point guard Manu Lecomte struggled in this one, going 4/13 for 11 points. It was the third straight game where Bears failed to crack 70 points, a potential issue down the road that’s been exasperated by the injury to Terry Maston.

After breaking his hand, the second leading rebounder and third-leading scorer of the team Maston will be out indefinitely, very likely into conference play. That puts even more pressure on both Lecomte and center Jo Lual Aquil, to score even more points, something that opposing defenses know as well.

The matchup to watch will be at the point position between Lecomte and Landry Shamet of Wichita State, who both are contenders for their respective conference player of the year races. Shamet is bigger and more physical, so how the Belgium Baylor Bear operates will be key to his team’s offense.

Next: Cincy-Xavier by the positions

This is the last “difficult” game for Baylor in the non-conference schedule, so they’ll have time to recover while Maston is out. As for this game, there are not enough weapons for Baylor to win against a talented and experienced Wichita State team. After losing to Notre Dame, the Shockers can’t afford to let another opportunity of a top tier out of conference win slip away from their grasp. Expect the Shockers to pull off the road win.

Prediction: Wichita State 74 – Baylor 65