Live In-Game Updates: No. 11 Baylor Bears, No. 10 Texas Longhorns Face Off in Austin
With the top spot in the Big 12 on the line, No. 11 Baylor (16-5, 5-3) travels to the Moody Coliseum to take on No. 10 Texas (17-4, 6-2).
Depending on the outcomes of Iowa State at Texas Tech and Kansas State at Kansas, the winner of this game could get at least a share of first place. (Texas is currently tied with the Cyclones and Wildcats for first; Baylor is one game back, tied with TCU and Kansas.)
The Bears beat their SEC counterpart Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, knocking off Arkansas 67-64, while the Longhorns fell to No. 4 Tennessee by double digits. That win raised Baylor's win streak to six games, while Texas has lost two of its past four games.
The Longhorns have faced significant controversy this season, most notably including felony assault charges levied at then-coach Chris Beard. (Texas fired Beard on Jan. 5.)
Still, the Longhorns have managed to play up to lofty preseason expectations: they're 10-3 under interim coach Rodney Terry, and rank as a top-10 team in both the AP poll and KenPom.
Experienced guard Marcus Carr leads the team in assists (4.2 per game) and scoring (17.3 points per game), but he's not alone – Timmy Allen, Sir'Jabari Rice and Tyrese Hunter are all scoring double-digit points per game this season. The Longhorns rank 10th in adjusted offense, and the Bears rank second; both teams routinely score in the high 70s.
On the Baylor side, the Bears (and their six-game win streak) are riding high. But that's not the only six-game streak at stake. Baylor has won six straight over the Longhorns, including three double-digit victories. Texas hasn't played Baylor within six points since Feb. 27, 2019.
Baylor enters the game as four-point underdogs.
Under-16: Baylor 8, Texas 7. These are two of the best offensive teams in the country, and it's shown. Baylor is 2/2 from beyond the arc, while the Longhorns have snagged a pair of offensive rebounds and shot four free throws. Jalen Bridges leads all scorers with five points.
Under-12: Texas 20, Baylor 15. Both teams continue to get to their spots with relative ease. Baylor is 0/5 on mid-range jump shots; the Longhorns are 2/5 from mid-range. They also lead the rebounding battle, 11-7.
Under-8: Texas 26, Baylor 17. Every game, the Bears seem to have a random stretch of time where they can't hit shots. They've missed five of their past six shots, and have only made three field goals since 14:29.
Under-4: Texas 30, Baylor 28. LJ Cryer (10 points), Jalen Bridges (nine points) and Adam Flagler (six points) have led a three-man effort to keep the Bears in this game. The rest of the team is shooting 1/13 from the field.
HALFTIME: Texas 38, Baylor 36. Not the easiest half of basketball for the Bears, but Keyonte George hit a couple of shots down the stretch to keep it within two. TImmy Allen has been the difference-maker for the Longhorns; he's put up 12 points, four rebounds and three assists on 5/6 shooting.
Under-16: Texas 46, Baylor 39. The Bears turned the ball over as many times in the first four minutes of the second half (two) as in the entire first half. They're shooting 2/8 from the field in the second half.
Under-12: Texas 55, Baylor 48. The Bears have continued to miss shots (as the did in the first half), but have started turning the ball over (which they didn't). The Bears' field goal percentage has dropped to 36.0, and they've already turned the ball over five times this half. The Longhorns, meanwhile, have already matched their first-half total for three-pointers.
Under-8: Texas 59, Baylor 54. Slowly but surely, the Bears are clawing their way back into this game. They've finally started getting into the paint: in the past five minutes, 10 of Baylor's 12 points have come in the paint or at the line.
Under-4: Texas 68, Baylor 63. Baylor's secret weapon is now being used against them, as the Longhorns are shooting 6/14 from beyond three in the second half. (In the same time period, the Bears are 2/8 from beyond the arc.) Now, it's crunch time.
FINAL: Texas 76, Baylor 71. Keyonte George's deep three-point try was no good, and the Longhorns hit both free throws to ice it.
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