Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Kansas holds strong at the top

By Jason Kinander

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - DECEMBER 01: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after making a three-pointer during the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Allen Fieldhouse on December 01, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - DECEMBER 01: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after making a three-pointer during the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Allen Fieldhouse on December 01, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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LAWRENCE, KS – JANUARY 20: Head coach Scott Drew of the Baylor Bears coaches from the bench during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on January 20, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS – JANUARY 20: Head coach Scott Drew of the Baylor Bears coaches from the bench during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on January 20, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

9. Baylor Bears (6-3)

Previous Ranking: No. 10

The downhill spiral that the Baylor Bears were on at the time of our previous rankings looks to have settled down. Baylor is healthy now and that health was on full display in a big nine-point win on the road against Arizona on Saturday. Makai Mason, a grad transfer from Yale, went off for 22 points while Mark Vital grabbed 16 boards. Mason is now averaging almost 15 points per game in his senior season.

Prior to the win, Baylor had really struggled to find an identity, beating mid-major teams while losing to Ole Miss and Wichita State. Baylor’s image is still pretty unknown, due in part to the fact that we just haven’t seen them fully healthy. However, the nation will get its chance to see a healthy Baylor squad before conference play, as the Bears will play host to Oregon. The Bears will have a chance to pick up their biggest win of the season against a team that started the season ranked and is a likely NCAA tournament team.

For now, its all about gaining experience for Baylor. There are still new faces in new places and those players won’t have the chance to get settled in, with just two games, including the Oregon game, remaining before conference play. But if Baylor can develop its on-court chemistry, they could be a sleeper team, especially with Mason at the helm. Baylor will host TCU to tip off conference play on Jan. 5.

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