QUICK PREVIEW
Tied with West Virginia for third place in the Big 12, No. 21/23 Oklahoma (17-6, 6-4) returns home after a pair of road games to host Baylor (14-8, 2-7) on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners, who have lost two games in a row for the first time this season, are looking for their fourth straight win over the Bears and 36th in the last 41 matchups. Baylor, which started the year 13-2 (ascended to No. 7 in the AP poll), has lost six of its last seven.
ON THE AIR
Saturday’s contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM "The Franchise" in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Sirius 113; XM 193) with Toby Rowland and Mike Houck calling the action. The game will be televised by ESPN2 with Dave Flemming and Jimmy Dykes announcing.
THE SERIES
Oklahoma owns a 40-10 series lead against Baylor and has won 35 of the last 40 meetings (includes a streak of 30 straight wins that was snapped four years ago). The Sooners possess a 19-4 series advantage in games played in Norman. OU is 31-5 against the Bears since the inception of the Big 12 Conference (15-2 at Lloyd Noble Center; average scoring margin in those 17 games is +18.5).
PREVIEWING BAYLOR
Picked third in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, Baylor (14-8 overall) went 12-1 in pre-conference play (lone loss to current No. 1 Syracuse in Maui Invitational title game) but is 2-7 in Big 12 games. The Bears have lost six of their last seven, with their lone win during the stretch coming last Saturday at then-No. 8 Oklahoma State (76-70). In Big 12 play, Baylor ranks ninth in scoring (68.4 ppg), fifth in scoring defense (72.7), ninth in field goal percentage (.405), third in 3-point field goal percentage (.364), last in free throw percentage (.643) and third in rebounding margin (+3.9 per game). It has been outrebounded just four times on the year.
Baylor sports a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging in double figures. Senior forward Cory Jefferson is averaging team highs of 12.6 points and 8.0 rebounds (ranks fourth in Big 12) on .521 field goal shooting and has seven double-doubles (tied for second in league). Senior guard Brady Heslip averages 11.3 points a contest while leading the league in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage (.468). Junior point guard Kenny Chery averages 10.6 points and 4.8 assists per game (fourth most in league) while shooting .851 from the foul line. He had team highs of 16 points and five assists against OU on Jan. 18. Sophomore center Isaiah Austin, a high school teammate of OU’s Je’lon Hornbeak, is averaging 10.0 points, 5.5 boards and a Big 12-leading 2.7 blocks per outing.
Scott Drew is in his 11th year as Baylor’s head coach and owns a 192-146 (.568) record at the school.
