NCAA Men’s Basketball: Baylor Bears vs Kansas State Wildcats – Possible Lineups and Predictions

The Baylor Bears begin their Big 12 campaign tonight after a nine-day break. They took on Stephen F. Austin on December 9, and then their December 13 clash against Texas got canceled. Tonight, they face the Kansas State Wildcats as they attempt to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

The Wildcats season has been a mixed bag so far. After winning just one of their first five games, they’ve recorded back-to-back wins. Their last game was an impressive win against the Iowa State Cyclones in their first Big 12 game.

Expected lineup

Baylor will start with Jared Butler, Mark Vital, Davion Mitchell, Macio Teague, and Flo Thamba. Their lineup has been consistent so far and has been solid on both ends.

Butler was named the Big 12′s preseason player of the year and has been living up to the expectations. The junior guard is currently averaging 15.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, while shooting a superb 47% from three. Mitchell has also been on a tear, averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game. He is continuing his All-Defensive form this season as well.

Kansas State’s expected lineup will be Mike McGuirl, Dajuan Gordon, Nijel Pack, Selton Miguel, and Davion Bradford. Miguel was introduced in the starting lineup just two games back following unimpressive displays from Antonio Gordon. On the other hand, Bradford was instated into the lineup following an injury to Kaosi Ezeagu.

Senior McGuirl has been given the reins this season, and he has embraced this responsibility. He is averaging 13.4 points per game, while shooting 40% from three. Dajuan Gordon needs to step up following repeated poor outings. He is currently shooting just 35% from the field and 16% from three.

Can the Baylor Bears roar to victory?

The Bears come into this game as the favorites. They have been ruthless so far, and are winning by an average of almost 30 points in each game. Except for the first game where they conceded 82, they have been very solid on defense.

This will be a huge problem for the Wildcats who are already struggling offensively. Except for McGuirl, their other top 3 scorers are shooting lesser than 40% from the field.

The Wildcats defense has also been terrible, and will not be able to contain Butler. The Bears also have a weapon off the bench in Adam Flagler, who is their second best scorer. Both he and Butler will be expected to run riot and bring home the win for the Bears. It should be a comfortable victory for the #2 ranked team, as they aim to stay unbeaten.