Game Thread: No. 1 Baylor Bears vs Oklahoma State Cowboys

The No. 1 Baylor Bears face off against the Oklahoma State Cowboys as they attempt to rebound from a hard-fought upset by Texas Tech on Tuesday.

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The Pokes bring in the 14th ranked defense in the country, per KenPom. Like so many teams in the Big XII, they excel at getting up into ball handlers and forcing turnovers. James Akinjo and Adam Flagler will have another challenge in front of them keeping the turnovers down and involving others in the offense.

Thankfully, Oklahoma State doesn’t boast quite as much size on the wing as Texas Tech. Jeremy Sochan is still listed as day-to-day, and his defense against large wings was greatly missed as the Raiders’ large wings bullied their way past Baylor’s guards.

We will be looking for Matthew Mayer and Kendall Brown to find some offensive flow today. The Bears are nearly impossible to stop when either of those two gets into a rhythm. If Sochan is out again, those two will play their share of power forward minutes in the three-guard lineups. That three guard lineup generated a lot of open looks against Tech but simply couldn’t knock them down.

This is the third game of the week for Oklahoma State, who had to make up a missed game against Tech just Thursday night. If the Bears bring energy, this game should be theirs. OSU struggles turning the ball over in live-ball situations, and that’s just where Baylor thrives. This game has blowout potential if Baylor can get on the break early and often.

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