The latest major Big 12 faceoff sees Baylor heading to TCU; can the Bears continue their hot streak or can the Horned Frogs finish a season sweep?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 11, 4:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Wayne, Texas
For Baylor (18-6), things are starting to get back on track at the right time. After a rough stretch back in early January, the Bears have now won eight of nine games and sit 7-4 in Big 12 play, putting them in really solid shape. This offense has been deadly, scoring at least 80 points in their last two wins, with the Bears boasting one of the nation’s deadliest backcourts.
It’s a three-headed monster leading the Bears and Baylor’s new weapon is freshman guard Keyonte George (17.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg). George just had 23 points in their most recent win over Oklahoma and might be the best young shooting guard in the nation. Senior guard Adam Flagler (15.4 ppg, 4.9 apg) has made 41% of his long-range shots this season while junior guard LJ Cryer (14.0 ppg) has had a major impact as well. Baylor is also getting great production from junior forward Jalen Bridges (9.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg), formerly of West Virginia, and has recently gotten Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua back from injury.
There’s no shortage of talent for the #14 team in the nation, a program that also sits 13th in KenPom and 11th in the NET. Baylor boasts the #1 offensive efficiency in the nation and continues to put impressive numbers even against a plethora of great Big 12 foes. With Tchamwa Tchatchou back as well, things could get even better for the Bears in the weeks ahead.
It’s the opposite story for TCU (17-7), who has dealt with some unfortunate injuries in recent weeks. The Horned Frogs are a very talented squad but have now dropped three of their last four games and sit 6-5 in conference play. TCU needs a solid win to get things back on track, but can they take care of business against a red-hot Baylor team?
Leading scorer Mike Miles Jr. (18.1 ppg, 3.0 apg) and center Eddie Lampkin remain injured and it’s uncertain when either will play again. A lot of the pressure falls on senior forward Emanuel Miller (13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg), who had 17 points in a loss at Oklahoma State last weekend. The Horned Frogs will also lean heavily on senior guard Damion Baugh (13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg), their leading scorer in another loss earlier this week.
TCU sits at #17 in the AP Top 25 and could fall out of the poll with another loss this week. They’re 24th in both KenPom and the NET and are still in solid shape in regards to postseason seeding, though taking a large swath of losses in February is never great. The outside shooting has been a major struggle this season for the Horned Frogs, and was even the case in their first matchup with Baylor, an upset win on the road over a month ago.
The first time these teams faced off, Miles scored 33 points and TCU survived, despite the Bears making 46% of their 3-pointers. Things are quite different this time, as Baylor is the team on a relative hot streak. Despite this game being played in Fort Worth, it’s hard to see how TCU is going to stop this hot offense without two of its most talented players.
The Horned Frogs need to take care of the basketball and get as many clean possessions as possible, especially if they have to keep pace with Baylor’s hot offense. Without Miles, it’ll be hard for that to happen unless Miller or Baugh have a breakout performance. George, who had 27 points for Baylor in that initial loss, is playing even better ball a month later and could be the star of the show in a revenge game. Expect Baylor to get that revenge even if any of TCU’s injured players are back in the lineup