Baylor Basketball: Key takeaways from massive road win at Kansas

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 11: Mark Vital #11 and Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears congratulate MaCio Teague #31 after a basket during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on January 11, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 23: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

1. Baylor has the best backcourt in the Big 12

When it comes to ball-handlers, the Big 12 is home to some of the very best this season. Whether it’s Devon Dotson (Kansas), Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State), Jahmi’us Ramsey (Texas Tech) and Isaac Likekele (Oklahoma State), many teams have great individual lead guards. Individually, Jared Butler ranks right up there among them, particularly in the running for Conference Player of the Year. He had a game-high 22 points in the win over the Jayhawks and outplayed Dotson from the jump.

What gives Baylor the edge in terms of overall backcourts is Butler’s running mate, MaCio Teague. The UNC-Asheville transfer was averaging 14.5 ppg coming into the game and has reached double figures in all but two contests. In this game, he scored 16 points and had a team-high seven rebounds. Both he and Butler have been effective from the three-point to spread the court, making at least a few long balls a game.

Kansas had no answer for the starting backcourt and including 6’3 Auburn transfer Davion Mitchell, the Bears have the best all-around backcourt in the conference. It’s rare to shut all three of them down and when they combine for at least 40+ points, Baylor is almost impossible to beat. There’s not much perimeter depth for the team outside of Devante Bandoo, so those three so they’ll play 35+ minutes in big matchups. As long as Butler, Teague and Mitchell don’t get burnout in February/March, the Bears will keep rolling along.

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