Baylor's Embarrassing Streak vs the Houston Cougars Continues
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For the second-straight year, the No. 5 Houston Cougars have swept the Baylor Bears during Big 12 conference play. Despite a strong first 20 minutes from Scott Drew's squad, the depth for Houston shined in the second half with the Cougars taking the contest 77-64.
With Wednesday night's win, Houston has now won five straight games against Baylor, bringing the all-time series to 5-2 in the Cougars' favor. Since Houston joined the Big 12, the Bears have yet to figure out how to beat Kelvin Sampson.
Baylor's struggles during Big 12 conference play have been surprising to say the least. The Bears made major headlines in the offseason with the signing of James Nnaji, a 2023 draft pick, but are now staring down a below-.500 regular season record. With one regular season game remaining, Baylor currently holds a 5-12 record in conference play.
Houston's dominance against the Bears — a program that’s been a Big 12 standard for years — only makes the gap feel wider. The Cougars once again used their suffocating defense to take control of the game, and the results are starting to become a pattern. Baylor hasn't just been beaten in the last two meetings — they've been handled, with the Cougars outscoring the Bears 154-119.
Houston Turned Up the Heat After Halftime
Baylor did its part to make the game against Houston interesting. A well balanced offensive effort earned the Bears a 35-35 tie heading into the break. The Bears shot a solid 48 percent from the field in the first half, knocking down 7-of-14 attempts from three-point range.
Cameron Carr, the sophomore guard for the Bears, looked especially sharp in the first half, hitting three of his four attempts from beyond the arc.
It was at the start of the second half that Houston flipped the game the way it so often does. The Cougars outscored Baylor 42-29 over the final 20 minutes, while slowly making it harder for the Bears to find open shots.
Houston's knack for elevating its level of play after halftime has become a theme in this matchup. For the fourth time in a row, the Cougars have become a completely different team in the second half against the Bears.
That second half surge was fueled by Houston getting more production from its frontcourt. Joseph Tugler, who scored just four points and recorded one rebound before halftime, helped the Cougars take control of the game with 10 more points and five more rebounds in the second half.
It's worth noting that five of the nine Houston players who saw the floor against Baylor finished with a plus/minus above 10. Tugler shined in that aspect with a team-high plus/minus of +22.
That kind of second-half jump is exactly what makes Houston such a dangerous draw this time of year. If the Cougars continue getting better as games go on, they'll be a problem in the Big 12 Tournament and a nightmare matchup once March Madness tips off.
