If Baylor is going to lose before Selection Sunday, it's most likely to happen Tuesday night at Texas, where Scott Drew's team is only listed as a 5.5-point favorite. In other words, the biggest test left on the Bears' schedule is on tap.
"It's going to be a good game," said Baylor guard Davion Mitchell.
As always, we'll see about that. But there's no denying it's going to be an interesting game, mostly because Baylor's undefeated record will once again be on the line against a quality opponent, but also because it'll be Shaka Smart's first game back on the sideline since the Texas coach tested positive for COVID-19.
"This was not a walk in the park for me," Smart said when asked about his experience with the virus that forced him to miss last Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma. "When you go through that kind of stuff, it certainly swirls some things around your mind."
The Bears enter this matchup with a 16-0 record highlighted by 14 double-digit wins, among them a 13-point victory over Illinois and a 15-point victory over Oklahoma. They are No. 3 in adjusted offensive efficiency, No. 3 in adjusted defensive efficiency and the only team in the country that ranks in the top five of both categories. They're shooting a national-best 43.4% from 3-point range and rebounding 38.6% of their misses on the offensive end, which ranks fourth nationally. So they can beat opponents in a variety of ways, and badly when everything is clicking. Their five Quadrant 1 wins have come by an average of 11.8 points. Nobody has finished within seven points of them.
Baylor is No. 2 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Texas is No. 6. Their showdown is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. ET.
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Tuesday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Iowa, Virginia and Kansas. The Zags have won their eight West Coast Conference games by an average of 25.4 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 14 of their 16 games by double-digits. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Villanova is 3-0 with two wins over Seton Hall since returning from a COVID-19 pause. The Wildcats will take a nine-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at St. John's. | -- | 18-16 |
| 4 |  | Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 8-24 |
| 5 |  | Houston is 6-1 in the first two quadrants with a double-digit victory over Texas Tech. The Cougars will take an eight-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at East Carolina. | -- | 32-5 |
| 6 |  | Texas was missing three of its top eight players, and coach Shaka Smart, in Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma because of COVID-19 issues. The Longhorns are 6-3 in the first two quadrants with all three losses coming in the first quadrant. | -- | 21-13 |
| 7 |  | Ohio State is 6-1 in its past seven games with victories over Wisconsin and Illinois. The Buckeyes will take a three-game winning streak into Thursday's game at Iowa. | -- | 22-14 |
| 8 |  | Illinois beat Iowa on Friday to improve to 8-5 inside the first two quadrants. Four of the Illini's five losses are considered Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 29-9 |
| 9 |  | Iowa's loss at Illinois on Friday dropped the Hawkeyes to 6-4 in the first two quadrants. They'll take a two-game losing streak into Tuesday's game with Michigan State. | -- | 19-15 |
| 10 |  | Alabama's 10-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide is 9-3 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss coming to Western Kentucky. | 1 | 25-12 |
| 11 |  | West Virginia's two-game winning streak was snapped Saturday by Florida. The Mountaineers are 6-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses qualifying as Quadrant 1 defeats. | 1 | 9-23 |
| 12 |  | Texas Tech's two-game winning streak features wins over Oklahoma and LSU. The Red Raiders are 5-2 in their past seven games with the only losses in that stretch coming to Baylor and West Virginia. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 13 |  | Oklahoma's five-game winning streak was snapped Monday by Texas Tech. The Sooners are 5-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses qualifying as Quadrant 1 defeats. | 3 | 20-12 |
| 14 |  | Missouri avoided what would've been its first Quadrant 3 loss by edging TCU in overtime on Saturday. The Tigers are 6-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Illinois and Tennessee. | -- | 8-24 |
| 15 |  | Tennessee improved to 5-3 in Quadrant 1 opportunities via Saturday's blowout of Kansas. The Vols will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Ole Miss. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Virginia Tech improved to 6-3 in the first two quadrants via Saturday's double-digit win over Virginia. The Hokies will take a two-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Pitt. | -- | 19-15 |
| 17 |  | Virginia's seven-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers are 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 23-11 |
| 18 |  | Creighton's 3-1 record in Quadrant 1 opportunities is highlighted by wins over Seton Hall and UConn. The Bluejays will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Georgetown. | -- | 25-10 |
| 19 |  | Wisconsin is 3-3 in its past six games after Saturday's loss at Penn State. It was the fourth time this season the Badgers have lost as a favorite. | -- | 22-14 |
| 20 |  | Florida State's five-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Georgia Tech. The Seminoles are 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss to UCF. | -- | 17-16 |
| 21 |  | Purdue is 5-1 in its past six games with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Michigan. The Boilermakers have four Quadrant 1 wins and just one loss outside of the first two quadrants. | -- | 34-5 |
| 22 |  | UCLA is alone atop the Pac-12 standings with a 9-1 league record. The Bruins have two Quadrant 1 wins and zero losses outside of the first quadrant. | -- | 16-17 |
| 23 |  | Kansas is 1-4 in its past five games after Saturday's loss at Tennessee. The Jayhawks are 6-6 in the first two quadrants with all six losses qualifying as Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 23-11 |
| 24 |  | Florida's four-game winning streak features Quadrant 1 wins over West Virginia and Tennessee. The Gators are 2-2 in the first quadrant, 3-2 in the second quadrant. | -- | 24-12 |
| 25 |  | Louisville's 8-3 record in the first two quadrants includes victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Georgia Tech. Three of the Cardinals' four losses have come inside the first quadrant. | -- | 8-24 |
| 26 |  | North Carolina is 6-1 in its past seven games with victories over Syracuse, NC State and Pitt. The Tar Heels will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Clemson. | -- | 29-8 |
