Kansas-Baylor basketball preview
6 p.m. Tuesday at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas
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TV/RADIO:ESPN2; KCSP (610 AM)
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ABOUT KANSAS (16-5, 7-1 Big 12):The Jayhawks return to the Lone Star State three days after suffering their first Big 12 loss in a lackluster performance at Texas. Kansas will attempt to regroup against a Baylor team that fell 78-68 at Allen Fieldhouse earlier this year. One player who would like to rebound: Freshman Andrew Wiggins, who was limited to two-of-12 shooting at Texas. Wiggins had 17 points and seven rebounds during the first game against Baylor, and he did most of his damage at the free-throw line, making 10 of 12. KU coach Bill Self said Wiggins settled for jumpers too much against Texas; could that spur Wiggins to drive more against Baylor? Freshman center Joel Embiid was also quiet against Texas, finishing with eight points on three-of-nine shooting. Sophomore forward Jamari Traylor is 23 for 30 (76.7 percent) from the field in his last 14 games. After its road game at Baylor, Kansas returns home to face West Virginia on Saturday before traveling to Kansas State for a Big Monday matchup.
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ABOUT BAYLOR (14-7, 2-6 Big 12):After a frustrating 1-6 start in the Big 12, Baylor broke through with a stunning upset victory at Oklahoma State on Saturday. The performance was even more surprising considering that starting point guard Kenny Chery missed the game because of a foot injury. Senior guard Gary Franklin had 11 points while starting in place of Chery, who could be limited against Kansas. Senior guard Brady Heslip had six three-pointers in Kansas’ 78-68 victory over Baylor on Jan. 20. Heslip, a native of the Toronto area, is shooting 47 percent from three-point range and has made 27 of 58 during Big 12 play. This is still the same Baylor team that notched victories over Colorado and Kentucky during the nonconference season. Baylor has also won two of its last four against KU, including an 81-58 beatdown last season in Waco.
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BOTTOM LINE:All thing considered, Bill Self probably would have taken an 8-1 record during the first half of the Big 12 schedule. But to get to 8-1, Self must avoid a second straight loss — something that rarely happens at Kansas.
| P | No. | Kansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| F | 34 | Perry Ellis | 6-8 | So. | 13.1 |
| C | 21 | Joel Embiid | 7-0 | Fr. | 11.2 |
| G | 22 | Andrew Wiggins | 6-8 | Fr. | 16.0 |
| G | 1 | Wayne Selden | 6-5 | Fr. | 10.5 |
| G | 10 | Naadir Tharpe | 5-11 | Jr. | 8.9 |
| P | No. | Baylor | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| F | 34 | Cory Jefferson | 6-9 | Sr. | 12.5 |
| F | 00 | Royce O’Neal | 6-6 | Jr. | 11.3 |
| C | 21 | Isaiah Austin | 7-1 | So. | 10.2 |
| G | 05 | Brady Heslip | 6-2 | Sr. | 11.7 |
| G | 01 | Kenny Chery | 5-11 | Jr. | 11.0 |
This story was originally published February 3, 2014 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Kansas-Baylor basketball preview."