No. 19 Kansas upsets No. 2 Baylor as Bears suffer first loss of the season

It took Baylor 19 games to finally check into the loss column, but on Saturday – against the program that had held a stranglehold over the Big 12 for the last two decades – the Bears, ranked No. 2 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, finally succumbed to defeat. 

It was 19th-ranked Kansas, a program that had won 16 of the past 17 regular-season Big 12 titles, that held off a late surge to take down Baylor, 71-58. No. 1 Gonzaga is now the only undefeated team in the country.

The Bears (18-1, 10-1) were impressive in their winning streak throughout 2020-21, playing in the third-best conference in the country according the the NCAA's NET metric. 

David McCormack paced Kansas with 20 points. Kansas was able to win despite committing 14 turnovers (compared to Baylor's three) and shooting 3-for-16 (19%) from three-point range.  Baylor leading scorer Jared Butler finished just 2-for-9 from the floor with five points. 

Kansas guard Marcus Garrett shoots against Baylor guard Adam Flagler in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. (Photo: Amy Kontras, USA TODAY Sports)

The loss won't hinder Baylor's NCAA Tournament hopes, as the Bears are close to locked in as a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday given their overall body of work that features the nation's second-best NET score and six Quadrant 1 (top-25 home, top-75 road) wins. 

The win will certainly bolster Kansas' tournament credentials. It's been an off-year for coach Bill Self's group. The Jayhawks haven't gone without a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2000. With the victory and other teams stumbling, KU could be in the mix to secure a No. 3 seed on March 14 – a feat that seemed impossible in the beginning of the month when KU had lost five of seven. 

Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson

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