KU basketball vs. Baylor live updates: Jayhawks lead 59-54 with 11:50 left in 2nd half
LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball’s 2022-23 regular season is continuing Saturday with a Big 12 Conference matchup at home against Baylor.
The No. 7 Jayhawks (21-5, 9-4 in Big 12) came in after a win on the road against Oklahoma State. The No. 9 Bears (20-6, 9-4 in Big 12) came in after a win at home against West Virginia. It’s the second time Kansas and Baylor have faced off this season.
Will coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks squad be able to avoid a regular season sweep at the hands of the Bears? Will Scott Drew’s Baylor squad be able to pick up a rare win inside Allen Fieldhouse? Kansas captured a win the last time these two teams played in Lawrence.
Follow along for updates:
Dajuan Harris Jr. is up to 10 points for Kansas, and all of those points have come in the second half. He now is close to a double-double, as he also has eight assists. As well as he's played this season, that hasn't been a common occurrence.
So far in the second half, Kansas has out-scored Baylor 27-9. The Jayhawks are shooting better than 60% from the field, while the Bears are under 40%. And Bill Self and the Kansas bench are thrilled.
With a Gradey Dick 3-pointer, Kansas has now taken the lead back from Baylor. That leads into another timeout from the Bears. And the Jayhawks continue to have a stranglehold on the momentum in this one.
Dick hasn't shot the ball all that well in this one, but he is up to 12 points. Dajuan Harris Jr. has been much more effective offensively in the second half, after not doing much scoring-wise in the first. And those are just two areas where things are going better for Kansas in the second half.
Kansas went on a 10-0 run to start the second half. Baylor just recently ended it with a couple free throws. And the Bears' bench doesn't look nearly as confident as it did when Baylor was up big on the Jayhawks in the first half.
Kansas isn't necessarily lighting it up, shooting the ball, in the second half. But the Bears haven't hit a shot from the field yet since they came out of halftime. And the Jayhawks have supplemented their effort with some free throws.
The Jayhawks are on a 6-0 run to start the second half, and that's led to a timeout for the Bears. With 18:39 left in the second half, Baylor's lead on Kansas is just 45-38 — so, seven points after it was at 13 points at halftime. And Allen Fieldhouse is rocking as the fans get back into this game.
There was a look of desperation on Scott Drew's face when he called that timeout. Kansas has all the momentum. Baylor needs to answer.
This is starting to get ugly, as Baylor's lead is up to 16 points with about three and a half minutes left in the first half. Keyonte George has been making some really tough buckets for the Bears. The Kansas Jayhawks are still searching for something to get some momentum from, as they're missing a number of easy opportunities as well offensively.
Right now, Baylor is 8-for-11 on 3s and Kansas is 1-for-11. Baylor has 20 rebounds to Kansas' 9. And those are just two of a number of areas where the Bears have the advantage.
The Boys are Back in Town. Welcome back, National Champs! #kubball pic.twitter.com/bzkj5svqAw— Brian Hanni (@BHanni) February 18, 2023
The only three players to score right now for Baylor have been from their star backcourt, meaning Keyonte George, LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler. And for a while Cryer and Flagler were the only ones who've scored. Cryer and Flagler both have 11 points, while George has six.
Kansas has an advantage on free throws right now, but Baylor is shooting well enough from the field that it's not mattered so much. What's really hurting the Jayhawks, is they are 1-for-9 on 3s while the Bears are 5-for-7. That trend won't serve Kansas well.
Baylor's hit a couple of 3s recently, and after the most recent one Bill Self called a timeout for Kansas. The Jayhawks are trailing 20-14 against the Bears with 11:56 left before halftime. Baylor is on a 6-0 run.
Something to continue to watch, is the fact the Bears have six second-chance points right now and the Jayhawks have none. Kansas has had some success offensively, but Baylor has been able to make up for some of its errors there. And that's not something the Jayhawks can allow to continue.
Gradey Dick just made a couple of big plays back-to-back, hitting a 3-pointer on one end and then forcing a turnover on the other. That has the Jayhawks up 9-7 with 15:44 remaining in the first half, with possession of the basketball after this break as well. Dick has five points already to lead Kansas.
On the other side, Adam Flagler has all seven points for Baylor. The Jayhawks will have to do more to slow him down. He's a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, with a make on his only free-throw attempt.
Tip-off goes to Baylor, and this one is underway ...#kubball— Jordan Guskey (@JordanGuskey) February 18, 2023
Looking at a potential tip-off time of 3:10 p.m. (CT) right now, per #kubball— Jordan Guskey (@JordanGuskey) February 18, 2023
All the scholarship players you'd expect to be going through warmups are, including Bobby, Kevin, Dajuan, Zach and Zuby.
Kyle and Cam are the two who are not.#kubball— Jordan Guskey (@JordanGuskey) February 18, 2023
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
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