Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Championship Sunday
The Baylor Bears and Texas Longhorns are taking the court Monday at the Moody Center. Tip-off from Austin, TX, is at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Longhorns are 3.5-point spread favorites and the game total is 150 points.
Baylor, 16-5 SU and 10-10-1 ATS, defeated Arkansas 67-64 Saturday in Waco. The Bears are on a six-game winning streak and are 5-3 in Big 12 play.
Texas, 17-4 SU and 8-13 ATS, lost 82-71 at Tennessee on Saturday. The Longhorns are 3-2 in their past five overall and 6-2 in Big 12 play.
The Bears beat the Longhorns twice last season. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 94-67.
Baylor's sixth straight win was of the non-conference variety, beating Arkansas in the SEC/Big 12 challenge. The Bears' last three wins are over Oklahoma, which spanked number-two Alabama by 24 on Saturday, Kansas, and the Razorbacks. They have racked up six Quad 1 victories and two Quad 2 victories this season for those interested in that sort of thing.
Baylor overcame a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Arkansas, outscoring its opponent 40-31 after the break. The Bears won despite a lackluster shooting performance (33.9%) while allowing the Razorbacks to hit 50.9 percent of their field goals. Instead, Baylor valued its possessions (eight TOs) and turned Arkansas over 15 times. The Bears were also efficient at the foul line, converting 21 of 24 free-throw attempts.
Anyone have a decibel meter? Pretty sure we just broke the glas s on that KEYONTE GEORGE TRIPLE!????
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BU 62, ARK 55 | 1:21 2H#SicEm | #CultureOfJOY pic.twitter.com/MnQwR1CF0i— Baylor Men's Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 28, 2023
Freshman guard Keyonte George led the team in scoring with 24 points. This season, he's averaging 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 steals in 29.6 minutes per game. Other Bears to watch include senior guard Adam Flagler (15.5 PPG, 4.9 APG, 42.5 3PT%), junior guard LJ Cryer (14.5 PPG, 40.2 3PT%), and junior forward Jalen Bridges (9.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 51.1 FG%).
The Bears score 78.8 points per game (36th) on 44.7 percent shooting (183rd), including 35.7 percent from three-point distance (98th). They hit 74.9 percent of their foul shots (47th) and average 32.0 rebounds (186th) with a +4 rebounding margin. Baylor is second nationally in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
The Bears allow 69.0 points per game (173rd) on 44.2 percent shooting (233rd), including 32.7 percent from long range (136th). They're 78th in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency and 62nd in assist-per-turnover ratio ( 1.20).