Bracketology 2023: Kansas, Houston among top seeds with big games

No. 9 Baylor 20-6 (9-4) at No. 5 Kansas 21-5 (9-4)

Saturday, February 18, Lawrence, KS, 4:00 PM ET, ESPN

The biggest on the slate may take place in, surprise, the Big 12 when No. 9 Baylor travels to Lawrence to take on No. 5 Kansas. The Jayhawks have been in the No. 1 seed conversation but Scott Drew’s Bears are slowly making their way into that conversation thanks to winning 10 of 11 since losing at home to Kansas State. Despite having the same conference record as Baylor, the Jayhawks come into this game limping in comparison, having lost four of their last nine, including a six-point loss in Waco last month.

Resume wise both teams are ranked in the top 10 of the NET, but it’s Kansas that has a slight edge thanks to their nation-leading 12 quad 1 wins and the sport’s No. 1 strength of schedule. Here’s a stat that puts the strength of the Big 12 and Kansas’ schedule into perspective, by the time Selection Sunday comes around, Kansas will have played nearly four times as many quad 1 games as they have in the last two quads combined (6). Much like the Big 12 standings, when Kansas looks in the rearview mirror all they see is Baylor. The Bears are 10 in the NET, with a strength of schedule of 5th and the average NET of the teams they have lost to is just 16.

Their results metrics are in lockstep, ranking them 5th while the predictive ones see them as a top 8 team. This is a huge game in Lawrence, either Kansas moves closer to a No. 1 seed lock or Baylor really enters the conversation for that top seed line.