Calling Saturday’s Big 12 showdown between No. 5 Kansas and No. 9 Baylor a tale of two halves wouldn’t even begin to do that game justice.
A trio of guards scored the first 42 points for the Bears, who jumped out to a 45-32 halftime lead in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks responded in a matter of minutes (5.5 to be exact) and grabbed a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Kansas controlled the game for the final 20 minutes en route to a 87-71 victory over Baylor.
After splitting the season series, Kansas (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) is now tied with Texas atop the conference standings. Baylor (20-7, 9-5) fell into second place with four games left to play, and ultimately had its four-game win streak snapped.
So what exactly led to Kansas outscoring Baylor, 55-26, in the second half? Well, there were a few different reasons.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Kansas basketball vs. Baylor
Box score: Kansas 87, Baylor 71
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It started on the defensive end. Baylor’s backcourt trio of Keyonte George, LJ Cryer, and Adam Flagler combined to score 42 of the team’s 45 first-half points. In fact, a 3-pointer by Jalen Bridges in the final minute of the first half was the first points scored by someone other than those three guards.
After the break, Bill Self elected to stop switching every ball screen. Instead, he asked Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr., both of whom suffered ankle injuries earlier in the week, to fight through screens and stay with their assignments.
Speaking of Harris, the play by KU’s point guard also proved to be pivotal. Harris took just one shot in the first half, but promptly scored the first points of the second half on a floater. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers against Baylor’s zone at one point. Harris was more aggressive on the offensive end, and it certainly showed.
After being down 13 at the break, Kansas grabbed a lead by the 14:29 mark on a Gradey Dick 3-pointer in transition via a pass from Harris. Moments later, Harris and Dick connected on an alley-oop in transition for good measure.
the hawks are heating up ♨️ pic.twitter.com/vwxOORZCSU
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 18, 2023
The flood gates opened after that, as the Jayhawks quickly stretched the lead out to double-digits. Even the 5.5-point spread was never in doubt.
Jalen Wilson led the team with 21 points in the win, while K.J. Adams added 17 points. Dick and Harris finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Kansas, which has won three in a row, will travel to TCU on Monday.
