Big 12′s top teams go head-to-head: No. 1 Baylor hosts Kansas

By Cheryl Coward

Kansas forward Carolyn Davis defends Baylor center Brittney Griner during last season's Big 12 tournament. The Lady Bears won 88-51. Photo: Cheryl Vorhis.

Kansas at No 1 Baylor
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, 7 p.m. CT, Waco, Texas
TV: none
Stream (fee required): Baylor All-Access
Audio: Baylor IMG Network/kuathletics.com
Live Stats: GameTracker
Series: Baylor leads, 15-7

WACO, Texas – Just two days after a road win at Oklahoma, the No. 1 team in the nation and Big 12 leader Baylor (20-0, 7-0) hosts the conference’s second place team Kansas (16-3, 5-2). With Brooklyn Pope and Shanay Washington back in the rotation, the undefeated Lady Bears have strengthened a balanced lineup that continues to prove formidable for their opposition.

“They have incredible athletes in every position,” said Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale Thursday night after her team lost at home, 89-58, in front of 8,103 fans. “They come off the bench with incredible athletes.”

Six players scored in double-digits in the win over the Sooners including junior center Brittney Griner who finished with 18 points, six rebounds and seven blocks. Every Baylor player saw action except for Mariah Chandler.

While Oklahoma dropped to sixth place in the Big 12 after the defeat, Kansas is coming off of its second win over a top 25 team. The Jayhawks beat No. 21 Texas Tech Wednesday night, 62-43, led by junior forward Carolyn Davis with a season-high 34 points, the most by a Big 12 player this season.

Griner and Davis are the league leaders in points at 22.5 ppg and 18.5 ppg respectively. Griner is second in the Big 12 in rebounding (10.1 rpg) while KU’s Aisha Sutherland is third (9.3).

The two teams also rank high in the league in steals and assists. Baylor guard Odyssey Sims is first (3.6) and KU’s Angel Goodrich is second (3.4). Sims is No. 4 in assists (5.4 apg) while Goodrich holds the top spot (7.7 apg).

Baylor leads the all-time series between the two teams, 15-7. Since 2002, the Jayhawks have lost five straight in Waco. The teams last met in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City on March 9 and the Lady Bears won 86-51. Destiny Williams scored 21 points in that game.

Texas Connections

For several Kansas players, the trip to Texas will bring them to familiar territory:

• Carolyn Davis (Houston/George Bush HS)
• Monica Engelman and CeCe Harper (San Antonio/Madison HS)
• Chelsea Gardner (DeSoto/DeSoto HS)
• Catherine (Bunny) Williams (Duncanville/Duncanville HS)

First-year Kansas assistant A’Quonesia Franklin is a former Texas A&M player (2009).

Block Party

Baylor’s Griner has a Big 12 record 501 career blocked shots, ranks No. 3 on the NCAA Division I career top 10 list, and needs just three to surpass Michigan State’s Allyssa DeHaan’s 503 for the No. 2 spot.

KU’s Aishah Sutherland collected the most blocks by a Jayhawk in nine seasons with her six rejections against Texas Tech this week. She also pulled down the most rebounds in 30 years of program history on January 18 when she earned 22 at Oklahoma State.

Notes

• Sims and Griner were among the 20 student-athletes included on the midseason candidate list for the John R. Wooden award released Friday.
• Griner needs 55 points to reach the 2,000 point mark, she will be just the fourth Lady Bear to reach the milestone behind Suzie Snider Eppers (3,861), Sophia Young (2,480) and Maggie Davis Stinnett (2,027).
• KU is just one spot out of the ESPN/USA Today top 25 poll. The Jayhawks received 34 votes this week. In the AP poll, the Jayhawks garnered 12 votes. Baylor has spent 19 weeks at No. 1 in the AP poll, ranked eighth all-time.
• With its win at Oklahoma, Baylor posted its 12th straight 20-win season under Kim Mulkey and 18th all-time.