Kansas throttles Baylor to make its case to ascend to No. 1
The game that aired prior to Kansas-Baylor ran a bit long on Saturday afternoon, so a national TV audience didn’t join Kansas-Baylor until a few minutes after tip-off.
That proved to be far too late. By then, the only drama that remained was by how many points the Jayhawks would win.
Fueled by an energetic crowd, a barrage of 3-pointers and the scoring of Wayne Selden, Kansas disposed of No. 23 Baylor 102-74 in the Big 12 opener for both teams. The Jayhawks led 8-1 when the Bears called their first timeout, 13-3 at the first TV timeout and 24-4 when the Bears stopped play yet again, a plenty large enough advantage for them to coast their 14th straight home victory over Baylor.
When the next AP Top 25 comes out Monday afternoon, Kansas (12-1) could find itself at No. 1 for the first time since Feb. 14, 2011. Top-ranked Michigan State was the only team ahead of the Jayhawks in the most recent poll, and the Spartans suffered their first loss of the season at Iowa on Tuesday night.
If the Jayhawks ascend to the top spot, they may host a No. 1 vs. 2 matchup Monday night. Oklahoma will likely be No. 2 in the polls if it can preserve its unbeaten record by defeating fellow Big 12 contender Iowa State on Saturday night in Norman.
Kansas should enter that game brimming with confidence after making a statement Saturday that it’s still the team to beat in a rugged Big 12.
Selden continued his breakout campaign, sinking his first seven first-half shots en route to 24 points. Senior forward Perry Ellis added 17 points and six rebounds, sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and senior forward Hunter Mickelson provided a spark with six rebounds and three blocks.
Kansas never allowed Baylor to get any closer than 12 points despite foul trouble for perhaps their two most valuable players. Ellis picked up his second foul with more than seven minutes remaining in the first half and Mason went to the bench with three fouls less than a minute into the second half.
What might have been most impressive about Kansas’ dominance is that perhaps its three best NBA prospects contributed little. Cheick Diallo, Carlton Bragg and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk combined for 15 points in a total of 20 minutes.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
