Texas at Baylor: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Texas and Baylor are two teams that are still finding themselves early in Big 12 play. Which player breaks through in what should be a low-scoring game?
Time: Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
TV Schedule: ESPNU
Arena: Farell Center in Waco, TX.
The Texas Longhorns 10-4 (1-1) have had two different kinds of games to start off conference play. In the first game, Shaka Smart’s team lost to Kansas in a shootout, 92-86, despite the best collegiate game Mo Bamba has played in a Longhorn uniform.
The game this week was a normal Texas game, as the team beat Iowa State by a score of 74-70. The frontcourt for the Longhorns was excellent in this one. Dylan Osetkowski had season-high 25 points while Bamba had another double-double with 10 points and 16 boards.
One thing to note about Texas, starting point guard Andrew Jones is still recovering from a wrist injury that kept him out for weeks before conference play. He’s easing back into the fold, scoring eight points in 11 minutes coming off the bench in their last game. His replacement in the lineup, Jacob Young, went scoreless after playing just eight minutes.
Jones was the team’s leading scorer before the injury, and for a team whose offense ranks in the 200s, him coming back to his normal self will be welcomed for the grind of conference play.
Baylor 10-4 (0-2) has been dealing with injuries themselves, but more so on the frontcourt. The Bears missed their third-leading scorer Terry Maston with an injury in late November before returning in the new year. An even bigger loss was Jo-Lual Acuil, who missed only one game, but the consequences proved big, with a 24-point loss to Texas Tech.
Both players were back in the last game versus TCU at home, with each having huge performances. Acuil had 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Maston came off the bench with 20 points and nine boards. Problem was, no one else contributed to the game, causing the Bears to lose 81-78 in overtime. This sounds harsh, but star point guard Manu Lecomte may have been better off missing this game. He shot just 1-for-11 from the field and has been really off since 2018 began.
Playing in the Big 12 this season is a double-edged sword because although there are a number of quality games to play, a number of losses can occur as well. For Baylor, a couple of teams in the non-conference have been worse than expected, and going 0-3 to start league play is a problem.
Next: Where Texas and Baylor are in latest Big 12 rankings
The Bears can match the Longhorn’s strengths, and I just can’t see Lecomte continue to struggle since Jones won’t be defending him. I’ll go with Baylor at home, solely because the team’s season is getting dire as the losses mount.
Prediction: Baylor 66 – Texas 62