Kansas-Baylor men’s basketball preview

No. 16 Baylor at No. 8 Kansas

▪ WHEN/WHERE: Noon today at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence

▪ TV/RADIO: CBS (Chs. 5, 13); KCSP (610 AM)

▪ ABOUT KANSAS (20-4, 9-2 Big 12): Kansas sophomore Brannen Greene is pacing toward the most efficient season from three-point range in program history. After hitting two of three three-ponters against Texas Tech, Greene is now shooting 52.3 percent (34 of 65) from deep. The KU single-season record is 50.5 percent, set by Kirk Hinrich in 2000-01. Greene also leads the Big 12, shooting 62.5 percent in conference play. But if Greene has been blistering, sophomore Wayne Selden has nearly matched him recent weeks. In late January, Selden cut his hair short, and he’s barely been missing since. In the Jayhawks’ last four games, Selden has hit 16 of 25 (64 percent) from three. For the season, Selden is now at 43 percent from three. But he hasn’t been able to match the efficiency from in close. On the season, Selden is shooting just 32.7 percent from inside the arc. “I think with that body and being able to get inside of people, I would think that he’d probably be a better finisher in closer to the basket,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Right now to me, Wayne is at a point in his career where he can become more complete than he ever has been.” If Selden and Kansas can win on Saturday, they will hold at least a two-game lead in the Big 12 with six games left. Kansas has never lost to Baylor in Lawrence, going 12-0.

▪ ABOUT BAYLOR (18-6, 6-5 Big 12): In Baylor’s 56-55 loss to Kansas on Jan. 7, junior big man Rico Gathers finished with nine points and 14 rebounds, including nine boards on the offensive glass. As a team, Baylor pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, and that could position the glass as a crucial battleground again on Saturday afternoon. “It’s as good an offensive rebounding team as maybe we have in America,” Self said of Baylor. Baylor appears to be an NCAA Tournament team, but coach Scott Drew would surely like to stay above .500 in the Big 12. The Bears, who often employ a zone defense, have been solid on defense, ranking 42nd nationally in defensive efficiency. But they have been most dangerous on offense. Entering the weekend, Baylor ranked 14th in the country in offensive efficiency and third in the Big 12 in offense during conference play. For the season, Baylor is shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range. Senior Royce O’Neale and junior Taurean Prince are each shooting better than 40 percent from long distance.

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Kansas-Baylor men’s basketball preview."