Friday night in Lawrence felt like a flashback to a different era of Big 12 basketball. For the first time since December 1966, Baylor and Kansas stepped onto the hardwood at Allen Fieldhouse as unranked opponents. But don't let the lack of a number next to their names fool you. The atmosphere was electric, the stakes for Big 12 positioning were massive, and the baylor basketball box score tells a story of a game that was much tighter than the final 80-62 margin suggests.
Scott Drew’s squad walked into a hornets' nest. They left with their fourth conference loss, but also with a performance from Cameron Carr that should have fans in Waco feeling a bit more optimistic about the back half of the season. Honestly, if you just saw the final score on a ticker, you'd think it was a blowout from start to finish. It wasn't.
The First Half Rollercoaster
The game started as a nightmare for the Bears. Kansas, fueled by a rowdy home crowd, jumped out to a 19-4 lead before most people had even settled into their seats. It looked like Baylor was going to get run out of the gym.
Then, the script flipped.
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Baylor basically stopped the bleeding with a flurry of three-pointers. They went on multiple 8-0 runs, showing a level of grit that’s been hit-or-miss this year. Cameron Carr was the catalyst. He was unconscious from deep, eventually finishing the night with 24 points and five triples. By the time the clock hit the three-minute mark in the first half, Baylor actually held a 37-36 lead. It was a stunning turnaround.
But Allen Fieldhouse has a way of swallowing leads. Kansas closed the half on a 7-0 spurt, capped by a Darryn Peterson jumper that sent the Jayhawks into the locker room up 43-37. That momentum proved to be the turning point.
Deciphering the Baylor Basketball Box Score
If you look closely at the numbers, the discrepancy in the paint is what eventually sank the Bears. Kansas outscored Baylor 42-18 inside. That’s not just a stat; it’s a physical beatdown.
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The Individual Performances
- Cameron Carr: 24 points, 8-17 FG, 5-8 from three. He played 31 minutes and was the only reason Baylor stayed in striking distance during that first-half surge.
- Tounde Yessoufou: 20 points, 7-17 FG, 7 rebounds. The freshman played a team-high 38 minutes. His motor is incredible, but he struggled with efficiency as the Jayhawks' length started to bother him in the second half.
- Obi Agbim: 9 points on 3-8 shooting. He struggled to find his rhythm as the primary playmaker.
- Daniel Skillings: 0 points in 18 minutes. This was the most glaring hole in the box score. For a senior of his caliber, going 0-4 and failing to score is a massive blow to the team's offensive floor.
On the other side, Kansas was led by the duo of Peterson and Flory Bidunga. Peterson put up 26, while Bidunga was a monster with 23 points and 11 boards. When your opponent’s top two options combine to shoot 22-for-27 from the field, you’re basically fighting a losing battle.
Why the Second Half Fell Apart
Baylor’s offense hit a wall after the break. They started the second half making just 1 of their first 6 shots. Meanwhile, Kansas went on a 15-3 run. The Jayhawks' size—specifically Bidunga—became an unsolvable puzzle.
The Bears finished the game shooting 36% from the floor. You just can’t win at Phog Allen shooting like that. While the 11-of-29 (38%) from three-point land was respectable, it wasn't enough to offset the lack of easy buckets. Baylor only shot 10 free throws the entire game. They weren't getting to the rim, and when they did, they were met by a wall of blue jerseys.
Looking Ahead for Scott Drew
The loss drops Baylor to 11-6 overall and a concerning 1-4 in Big 12 play. This isn't the position anyone expected this team to be in by mid-January. However, the schedule offers a chance to breathe—sorta.
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They head back to Waco for a matchup against Texas Tech on January 20th. That’s a "must-win" if the term ever applied in January. Following that, they get a rematch with TCU at home. The path to the NCAA Tournament is getting narrower, but the talent is clearly there. If Carr and Yessoufou can get more consistent help from the veteran core like Skillings and Rataj, they have the firepower to string some wins together.
Actionable Insights for the Bears:
- Re-establish the Interior: Baylor has to find a way to score inside 15 feet. Relying on Carr to hit 30-footers isn't a sustainable winning strategy in the Big 12.
- Bench Production: The rotation felt thin on Friday. With several players logging DNP (Did Not Play), the starters looked gassed by the 10-minute mark of the second half.
- Defensive Rotations: Allowing 50.8% shooting from the field is a recipe for disaster. The perimeter closeouts have to be sharper to prevent the easy drives that lead to those lopsided paint points.