No. 17 Baylor beats No. 9 Kansas in last 2 champions matchup

Adam Flagler added 17 points while Jalen Bridges and Langston Love had 11 each for 2021 champions Baylor (15-5, 5-3) who weathered another tough night of shooting. The Bears were 37.1% out (23 of 62) two days after a 62-60 win in Oklahoma when they posted a season-low 36.2%.

Freshman Gradey Dick had 24 points for the Jayhawks while Jalen Wilson had 23. Kevin McCullar Jr. had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

Love converted a three-pointer game for the Bears with 14:32 left to give them the lead to stay after Kansas took their only lead 46-45 when Wilson hit a 3-pointer from the left wing waved. Love’s field goal and free throw started a 12-3 run that he capped with a 3-pointer.

KJ Adams made two free throws with 6 seconds remaining in the first half to put the Jayhawks within 41-34, as close as they could have been for about five minutes into the game.

After Wilson’s layup put Kansas within 11-7, Baylor had a 9-0 run that was cut short by Josh Ojianwuna’s two-handed putback dunk. That was the last time the Bears scored consecutive points at halftime, though Cryer hit three 3s within 83 seconds — the first two after 3s by Dick and Wilson and the third after two free throws by Dick.

Kansas: The other times the Jayhawks lost three straight runs under Self were in February 2005, February 2013 and January 2021. … Dick got his second foul just 3:13 into the first half and was limited to 11 minutes before breaking .

Baylor: The Bears got off to a quick start with a steal from Bridges that led to a fast break layup from Cryer before Flo Thamba played a three-pointer. Bridges then had another steal, this time in backcourt, although Cryer missed an open 3 that would have put it 8-0 just a minute into the game. … The Bears are 25-8 against top 25 teams over the last four seasons, the nation’s best mark.

Kansas plays Kentucky in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at the Rupp Arena on Saturday.

Baylor is home for his SEC/Big 12 Challenge game against Arkansas on Saturday. This is a replay of the 2021 Elite Eight game, which the Bears won 81-72 en route to winning their national championship.

AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll