KU basketball vs. Baylor recap: Jayhawks win 87-71 in Big 12 Conference matchup

LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball’s 2022-23 regular season continued Saturday with a Big 12 Conference matchup at home against Baylor.

The No. 7 Jayhawks came in after a win on the road against Oklahoma State. The No. 9 Bears came in after a win at home against West Virginia. It’s the second time Kansas and Baylor have faced off this season.

Was coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks squad able to avoid a regular season sweep at the hands of the Bears? Was Scott Drew’s Baylor squad able to pick up a rare win inside Allen Fieldhouse? Kansas captured a win the last time these two teams played in Lawrence.

Here's what happened:

FINAL: Kansas 87, Baylor 71

Kansas leads 80-67 against Baylor with 2:37 left in 2nd half

This game is effectively over. Kansas is up 13 points with a little more than two and a half minutes left. Even if Baylor was able to regain some momentum, there isn't enough time for the Bears to come back and beat the Jayhawks.

Kansas isn't too far away from having all five starters in double figures scoring. Kevin McCullar Jr. is four points away, with six for the game so far. And the MVP of them all has to be Dajuan Harris Jr.

Kansas leads 66-58 against Baylor with 7:48 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks haven't scored in about two and a half minutes, and they're still up eight points with a little less than eight minutes left in regulation. It's emblematic of a second half that's gone only Kansas' way, really. After trailing in this game by as many as 17 points, in the second half they've led by as many as 12.

Jalen Wilson has a double-double at 18 points and 11 rebounds. He and KJ Adams Jr. have been the Jayhawks' emotional leaders today on the court. And they're certainly doing a good job of that.

Kansas leads 59-54 against Baylor with 11:50 left in 2nd half

Dajuan Harris Jr. is up to 10 points for Kansas, and all of those points have come in the second half. He now is close to a double-double, as he also has eight assists. As well as he's played this season, that hasn't been a common occurrence.

So far in the second half, Kansas has out-scored Baylor 27-9. The Jayhawks are shooting better than 60% from the field, while the Bears are under 40%. And Bill Self and the Kansas bench are thrilled.

Kansas leads 50-49 against Baylor with 14:28 left in 2nd half

With a Gradey Dick 3-pointer, Kansas has now taken the lead back from Baylor. That leads into another timeout from the Bears. And the Jayhawks continue to have a stranglehold on the momentum in this one.

Dick hasn't shot the ball all that well in this one, but he is up to 12 points. Dajuan Harris Jr. has been much more effective offensively in the second half, after not doing much scoring-wise in the first. And those are just two areas where things are going better for Kansas in the second half.

Baylor leads 47-42 against Kansas with 15:55 left in 2nd half

Kansas went on a 10-0 run to start the second half. Baylor just recently ended it with a couple free throws. And the Bears' bench doesn't look nearly as confident as it did when Baylor was up big on the Jayhawks in the first half.

Kansas isn't necessarily lighting it up, shooting the ball, in the second half. But the Bears haven't hit a shot from the field yet since they came out of halftime. And the Jayhawks have supplemented their effort with some free throws.

Baylor leads 45-38 against Kansas with 18:39 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks are on a 6-0 run to start the second half, and that's led to a timeout for the Bears. With 18:39 left in the second half, Baylor's lead on Kansas is just 45-38 — so, seven points after it was at 13 points at halftime. And Allen Fieldhouse is rocking as the fans get back into this game.

There was a look of desperation on Scott Drew's face when he called that timeout. Kansas has all the momentum. Baylor needs to answer.

HALFTIME: Baylor 45, Kansas 32

Baylor leads 39-23 against Kansas with 3:32 left in 1st half

This is starting to get ugly, as Baylor's lead is up to 16 points with about three and a half minutes left in the first half. Keyonte George has been making some really tough buckets for the Bears. The Kansas Jayhawks are still searching for something to get some momentum from, as they're missing a number of easy opportunities as well offensively.

Right now, Baylor is 8-for-11 on 3s and Kansas is 1-for-11. Baylor has 20 rebounds to Kansas' 9. And those are just two of a number of areas where the Bears have the advantage.

Some former Kansas stars are here

Baylor leads 28-21 against Kansas with 7:20 left in 1st half

The only three players to score right now for Baylor have been from their star backcourt, meaning Keyonte George, LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler. And for a while Cryer and Flagler were the only ones who've scored. Cryer and Flagler both have 11 points, while George has six.

Kansas has an advantage on free throws right now, but Baylor is shooting well enough from the field that it's not mattered so much. What's really hurting the Jayhawks, is they are 1-for-9 on 3s while the Bears are 5-for-7. That trend won't serve Kansas well.

Baylor leads 20-14 against Kansas with 11:56 left in 1st half

Baylor's hit a couple of 3s recently, and after the most recent one Bill Self called a timeout for Kansas. The Jayhawks are trailing 20-14 against the Bears with 11:56 left before halftime. Baylor is on a 6-0 run.

Something to continue to watch, is the fact the Bears have six second-chance points right now and the Jayhawks have none. Kansas has had some success offensively, but Baylor has been able to make up for some of its errors there. And that's not something the Jayhawks can allow to continue.

Kansas leads 9-7 against Baylor with 15:44 left in 1st half

Gradey Dick just made a couple of big plays back-to-back, hitting a 3-pointer on one end and then forcing a turnover on the other. That has the Jayhawks up 9-7 with 15:44 remaining in the first half, with possession of the basketball after this break as well. Dick has five points already to lead Kansas.

On the other side, Adam Flagler has all seven points for Baylor. The Jayhawks will have to do more to slow him down. He's a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, with a make on his only free-throw attempt.

The game has started

Tip-off looks like it'll be a little later than scheduled

Here are the starters

No surprises in who's available for Kansas

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: KU basketball vs. Baylor recap: Jayhawks defeat Bears in Big 12 game