Earlier this week, on CBS Sports Network, I was asked if I believe this will be the season Baylor wins its first Big 12 regular-season title. "I do not believe that," I said. But I also made it clear that that's only my answer because I think Kansas is going to win its 19th Big 12 regular-season title. And I emphasized that my opinion should not be interpreted as a criticism of the Bears because, like most others, I believe Baylor is a legitimate Final Four contender regardless of whether Baylor finishes behind KU in the Big 12 standings.
So Saturday's game should be fun.
It's Baylor vs. Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse -- a place where, yes, Baylor is 0-17 all-time. But the Bears seem like a reasonable threat to snap that streak in this one. And, if they do, they'll take early control of the Big 12 race and enhance a resume that's already in contention to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"We're here to make history -- and we've got the pieces," said Baylor guard Devonte Bandoo, according to kcentv.com. "We're very deep. It's going to be a great game ... and we've got the potential to come out of there with a W."
Kansas is No. 2 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Baylor is No. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBS or streaming on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App.
Saturday's Top 25 And 1
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Joel Ayayi finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 94-50 victory at San Diego. The Zags' resume features victories over Oregon and Arizona. | -- | 14-6 |
| 2 |  | Devon Dotson finished with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in Wednesday's 79-53 victory at Iowa State. The Jayhawks' two losses are away-from-home losses to top-20 teams by a total of three points. | -- | 13-4 |
| 3 |  | Tre Jones finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday's 73-64 victory at Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils will take an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's game with Wake Forest. | -- | 16-2 |
| 4 |  | Isaac Okoro finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 83-79 victory over Vanderbilt. The Tigers aren't scheduled to play a currently ranked team until they host Kentucky on the first day of February. | -- | 17-1 |
| 5 |  | Payton Pritchard finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Thursday's 74-73 victory over Arizona. The Ducks own five wins over top-40 KenPom teams - among them Michigan, Seton Hall and Memphis. | -- | 16-3 |
| 6 |  | Malachi Flynn finished with 19 points and four assists in Wednesday's 72-52 victory at Wyoming. This is the Aztecs' best start to a season since they opened 20-0 in the 2010-11 season. | -- | 11-5 |
| 7 |  | Davion Mitchell finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 57-52 win at Texas Tech. The Bears will take an 11-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Kansas. | -- | 11-6 |
| 8 |  | Jordan Tucker got 17 points off the bench in Friday's 70-58 victory at Providence. The Bulldogs' lone loss is a one-point loss at Baylor. | -- | 8-11 |
| 9 |  | Trent Forrest finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 78-68 victory at Wake Forest. Florida State is 16-2 in its past 18 regular-season ACC games. | -- | 13-5 |
| 10 |  | Cassius Winston finished with 27 points and six assists in Thursday's 74-58 victory over Minnesota. The Spartans will take an eight-game winning streak into Sunday's game at Purdue. | -- | 16-2 |
| 11 |  | Jordan Nwora finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 74-58 victory over Miami. The Cardinals will take a 3-1 ACC record into Saturday's game at Notre Dame. | -- | 15-5 |
| 12 |  | Collin Gillespie finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 64-59 victory at Creighton. Villanova is 7-1 in its past eight games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Marquette. | -- | 12-8 |
| 13 |  | Derek Culver finished with nine points and 12 rebounds in Monday's 55-41 victory at Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers' resume features wins over Ohio State and Wichita State. | -- | 13-5 |
| 14 |  | Ashton Hagans finished with 13 points, five assists and four steals in Tuesday's 78-69 victory at Georgia. The Wildcats will take a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game with Alabama. | 1 | 14-4 |
| 15 |  | The Buckeyes missed 22 of the 27 3-pointers they attempted in Tuesday's 67-55 loss at Maryland. Ohio State is 2-4 in its past six games with multiple losses to unranked opponents. | 1 | 11-8 |
| 16 |  | Obi Toppin was limited because of foul trouble but still finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 80-67 win at Saint Joseph's. The Flyers have the nation's highest effective field goal percentage. | 1 | 13-6 |
| 17 |  | The Terrapins finished with 17 turnovers and 11 assists in Friday's 67-49 loss at Iowa. Anthony Cowan missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in defeat. | 3 | 14-5 |
| 18 |  | Zavier Simpson finished with 22 points and nine assists in Thursday's 84-78 victory over Purdue. The Wolverines are the only team that's beaten Gonzaga. | -- | 14-4 |
| 19 |  | Jamarius Burton finished with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists in Thursday's 76-67 victory over Memphis. Wichita State's lone loss is a neutral-court loss to West Virginia. | -- | 11-7 |
| 20 |  | Ron Harper Jr. finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 72-61 victory over Penn State. Rutgers will take a six-game winning streak in Saturday's game at Illinois. | -- | 10-9 |
| 21 |  | The Nittany Lions finished with 14 turnovers and just nine assists in Tuesday's 72-61 loss at Rutgers. The loss snapped Penn State's five-game winning streak. | -- | 13-6 |
| 22 |  | The Red Raiders missed 16 of the 23 3-pointers they attempted in Tuesday's 57-52 loss to Baylor. It was just the second loss of the season for Texas Tech in games in which Jahmi'us Ramsey has played. | -- | 14-4 |
| 23 |  | Creighton squandered a double-digit lead Tuesday and lost 64-59 to Villanova. All four of the Bluejays' losses are to schools also ranked in the Top 25 And 1. | -- | 13-6 |
| 24 |  | Myles Powell finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 83-71 victory at Xavier. The Pirates will take a five-game winning streak into Saturday's showdown with Marquette. | -- | 6-13 |
| 25 |  | The Tigers missed 17 of the 21 3-pointers they attempted in Thursday's 76-67 loss at Wichita State. Memphis is now 10-2 without James Wiseman, who quit the team the week before Christmas. | -- | 14-4 |
| 26 |  | The Wildcats finished with 12 turnovers and 11 assists in Thursday's 74-73 loss at Oregon. Arizona is 2-4 in its past six games. | -- | 12-6 |
