Kansas Jayhawks Should Build on Key Victory

Last night the Kansas men's basketball team won their first real conference test 75-65 over the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. The victory came on the stage of ESPN's weekly "Big Monday" feature. The Jayhawks (18-4 ovr. 7-0 conf.) looked deserving of their new No. 21 ranking in the victory.

The Jayhawks started the first half slowly, but were able to hold the Baylor Bears to just 28 first half points, essentially keeping themselves in the game. Sherron Collins, who struggled to get going, swished a shot at the first half buzzer and Kansas took a 30-28 lead into the second half.

The Jayhawks then continued to play great defense and held Baylor's most formidable scoring threat, Curtis Jerrells, to no field goals. KU was able to put up 45 points in the second half, and had to endure a late pair of three-pointers from Baylor that cut the Jayhawks' lead to one. In the end, KU's scrappy play was just too much for the Bears, who suffered their fourth consecutive conference loss, placing them square on top of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

KU on the other hand, have won their last seven games, all of them being in conference. The Jayhawks will put their nation-leading home winning streak to the test again on Saturday when they take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on national television.

This Jayhawks team really has the potential to be an undefeated 12-0 when they travel to Norman to face the No. 2 ranked team in the nation in Oklahoma on February 23. KU still has a tough five games to navigate through on the way though, which includes back-to-back road games, the first in Columbia, MO on February 9, followed by a trip to take on the Wildcats in Manhattan, KS on Valentines Day.

Should Kansas come away with five victories in their next five games, the clash on Big Monday in Norman could have Big 12 regular season title implications. First things first though, the Jayhawks must keep the home winning streak in tact and beat the Cowboys on Saturday.