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Kansas basketball: Following postponement against Iowa State, the Jayhawks should set their concerns to Baylor on Monday

By Conner Becker

Dec 11, 2020; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self talks with players in a timeout during the second half against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2020; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self talks with players in a timeout during the second half against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Following Kansas basketball’s postponement of their home matchup against Iowa State, next on their agenda should be a closely approaching road trip in Waco, TX against the #2 Baylor Bears.

Kansas basketball will have a true road test against the Baylor Bears on Monday. After their recent postponement, they’ll have a couple of days to prepare for the conference leader.

Clocking in at #2 in the nation, Baylor will pose a major challenge for the Jayhawks. Combatting perimeter troubles and defensive concerns will be the major keys for Kansas going into Waco on Monday night.

While the Bears sit near the top of the conference in both offense and defense, their protection of the three-point basket lies around the middle of the pack. If Kansas can channel some action from the outside, it could be an avenue for the Jayhawks to find some success.

This will require Wilson, Braun, and Agbaji to move quite a bit and try to generate some opportunities. This will also demand support from David McCormack, who has been very productive in the last couple of games and will need to sustain the same action against Baylor.

The Bears’ offense is one of the most lethal in the country, averaging upwards of 89 points per game. With talent like junior guard Jared Butler and sophomore forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, this makes sense.

The duo averages 25 points per game and Butler has been the conference’s third-best scorer so far this season. Stopping Butler and Tchamwa Tchatchoua will be a tough task, as the two share a chemistry that can make powerful plays.

Getting guys like Marcus Garrett up and in Butler’s face will be a must. We can’t afford to let the Bears circulate the ball and find Jonathan, we will most likely lose that defensive battle in the paint.

If Kansas can sustain the defensive pressure, we should be able to stick in it given we garner some traction on offense. The Jayhawks have shown they can press on the gas, but let’s hope they don’t wait too long to do so against the Bears.

Starting fast has been something I’ve preached for this team all season and we’ve seen Kansas struggle to jump out in their last few games. The Jayhawks will need to do what they can to get shots to click if we want to keep up with Baylor.

Despite today’s cancellation for both Kansas and Baylor’s games, we should assume both programs will be able to play on Monday. Their postponements came as a result of Covid-19 concerns within their opponent’s programs and will now set their sights on their matchup Monday night.

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