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The No. 2 Baylor Bears will host their conference rivals, the Kansas State Wildcats, in a Big 12 matchup on Wednesday night.
This is the second time that these two teams will play each other this season. The Bears won the first matchup in blowout fashion, 100-69.
The Baylor Bears continue to be one of the most dominant teams in college basketball and are once again the second-ranked team in the nation according to this week's AP Top 25 Poll.
Meanwhile, the Kansas State Wildcats have lost six games in a row and, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, have just a 1.1% chance to win this game.
Match Details
Fixture: Kansas State Wildcats vs Baylor Bears - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 27th, 2021, 9 PM ET
Venue: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Baylor Bears Preview
The Baylor Bears earned their fourteenth win of the season in an 81-66 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday.
The Bears are statistically the best team in basketball this season. They lead the country in defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com, allowing just 87 points per 100 possessions. They also rank in the top three for offensive efficiency, scoring 120.7 points per 100 possessions, via Kenpom.com.
If the Baylor Bears can continue to dominate both ends of the floor, they will blow out the Kansas State Wildcats for the second time this season.
Key Player - Jared Butler
Jared Butler is the most elite player for the Baylor Bears. The junior guard is in the middle of his best scoring stretch this season.
In the last two games, Butler has averaged 26 points on 67% shooting from the field, via Jon Rothstein.
In Butler's previous performance against the Kansas State Wildcats, he recorded 14 points and 13 assists — his highest assist total for the season.
Expect Butler to be the best player on the court against the Wildcats as the Baylor Bears look for their eighth win in the Big 12.
Baylor Bears Predicted Lineup
F Mark Vital, F Flo Thamba, G MaCio Teague, G Davion Mitchell, G Jared Butler
Kansas State Wildcats Preview
The Kansas State Wildcats are coming off a loss to the No.11 West Virginia Mountaineers, 69-47.
The Wildcats have been struggling to take care of the ball during their current losing streak. In the last three games, they have averaged 20.7 turnovers a game. That ranks them in the bottom three for all Division I teams, via teamrankings.com.
Here is what Kansas State's head coach, Bruce Weber, had to say about his team's 28 turnovers against the Mountaineers:
"That's the difference in the game. We have to play stronger, but we got our butts kicked."
The Kansas State Wildcats will need to play very well if they are to have a chance at handing the Baylor Bears their first loss of the season.
Key Player - Mike McGuirl
Mike McGuirl is the key player for the Kansas State Wildcats. The senior guard is the leading scorer for the franchise, averaging 11.9 points this season.
However, he scored just five points and had four turnovers against the Baylor Bears earlier this season,.
If the Kansas State Wildcats are to come away with an upset win on Wednesday night, McGuirl will need to redeem himself from his previous performance against the Bears and win his matchup against Jared Butler.
Kansas State Wildcats Predicted Lineup
F Selton Miguel, C Davion Bradford, G Mike McGuirl, G DaJuan Gordon, G Rudi Williams
Kansas State vs Baylor Prediction
The Baylor Bears will remain undefeated after sweeping the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears have too much firepower on offense and will run up the score against a Kansas State team that is struggling to take care of the ball.
Expect a big game from Jared Butler, who is coming off a 22-point performance in his last outing.
Where to watch Kansas State vs Baylor
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
