Baylor vs. Oregon: 3 key storylines to watch in the matchup

On Friday, Baylor plays host to Oregon in a key non-conference tilt for both teams. Here are three storylines to watch as the game unfolds.

A couple of teams with decent records, but have been a little difficult to get the pulse of, for various reasons, do battle in Waco on Friday night when the 6-4 Baylor Bears play host to the 8-3 Oregon Ducks.

One thing these enigmatic teams have in common is that one of their losses have come at the hands of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Texas Southern Tigers. Baylor’s 72-69 loss came on opening night and Texas Southern was able to pull off the victory despite committing 18 turnovers, which is usually death to a low-major team in that environment. A couple of big reasons why is Baylor allowed the Tigers to shoot 48% from the field, while only shooting 3-11 from the free throw line and committing 19 turnovers themselves.

Oregon’s loss was a different story. Their 89-84 loss came just after Thanksgiving and was just one of those nights where the favorite was just outplayed by the underdog. Texas Southern once again shot just under 48%, but Oregon played well, outshooting the Tigers from the field, the free throw line, and from beyond the arc, they just got beat.

Since that loss, Baylor has reeled off some wins against lesser competition, aside from a win at Arizona on Dec. 15 and suffered a couple of eight-point defeats at the hands of Ole Miss and Wichita State. Oregon, on the other hand, has wins over a nationally ranked Syracuse and a good San Diego team, while they were knocked off by Iowa and undefeated Houston.

This is a key game for both teams as they look ahead to conference play and could use another resume-building win for post-season play. Here are three storylines to watch for in this one.