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Game Day Vitals
- #10 West Virginia Mountaineers (23-7, Big 12 12-5, NCAA RPI 11) vs. #19 Baylor Bears (21-9, Big 12 10-7, NCAA RPI 24)
- Location: Ferrell Center (Capacity: 10,284) Waco, Texas
- Series Record: Baylor leads series 2-7
- Last meeting: WVU 80 - Baylor 69, WVU Coliseum, Feb 7th, 2016
- Vegas Lines: (+2.5) for the good guys, O/U: 149
- Date: Saturday, March 5, 2016, 2:00 pm ET
- Television: ESPN
- Online Streaming: WatchESPN
- Radio Affiliates
Opponent Information
- #19 Baylor Bears (21-9, Big 12 10-7, NCAA RPI 24)
- Head Coach: Scott Drew, 13th year at Baylor (247-165, .600), career - 14 years (267-176, .603)
- Last Result: Loss to OU in Norman, 73-71, March 1, 2016
- Official Baylor Athletics website
- SB Nation Baylor blog: Our Daily Bears
Interwebs
Game Preview
Alright, so, here's the Big XII Tournament Bracket as it stands on Friday afternoon. In bold are the locked in positions with Literally Hitler earning their 12th consecutive regular season title, Tubby = Good Coach at 7th, and K-State holding status quo at 8th. Western Virginia can clinch second with a win in Waco against Tennessee on Saturday. If the Mountaineers lose and Buddy Hield beats Hire Larry Brown, WVU falls on 3rd for a possible matchup against SXSW.
Aside from conference tournament silliness (although I may never stop calling Baylor "Tennessee"), a win in Waco would be a significant step toward the semifinals. Having both teams that swept you in the same side of the bracket is some bad luck, but not playing either of them in the quarterfinals would, of course, be optimal.
West Virginia largely dominated the Bears last month in a 80-69 victory that the score was closer than the game. If the Mountaineers can carry some of that momentum from the Texas Tech game into Saturday, WVU should have a very good chance to enter the Big 12 Tournament with a good win streak and a #2 by its name.
Prediction
WVU 80 - Baylor 73