Kevin McCullar returned to the Kansas basketball lineup to provide a bit of a spark. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as KU fell 82-74 at Baylor.
The first half was back and forth as the Jayhawks trailed 35-34 at halftime. Kansas started the second half on a roll taking, a 40-37 lead highlighted by two Kevin McCullar baskets. Baylor took the lead just under 15 minutes and never looked back, pushing their lead up to 13 before the Jayhawks tried to make a rally late, ultimately losing by eight.
This drops the Jayhawks road record to 2-6 on the conference season and 9-7 overall in Big 12 play. This marks the most losses in a conference season in the Bill Self era.
Kansas Basketball Player Ratings vs. Baylor
Tier 1: Big Jays
1. Kevin McCullar
Kevin returned after missing five of the previous five games. Kevin looked a bit slower in the first half but turned it up in the second half and looked closer to the Kevin we are familiar with. Kev went 0-for-5 from three and 9-for-19 overall. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three turnovers. Next week's games and the Big 12 tourney should provide an opportunity for Kevin to knock more rust off and be more in the flow for when the lights are the brightest in the NCAA Tournament.
2. Hunter Dickinson
Hunter was an efficient 9-for-12 from the field, including 1-for-2 from deep. His defense wasn't the best in the first half, as he was continually targeted but seemed to do a bit of a better job in the second half. Hunter finished with 20 points, six rebounds, two assists, four blocks, and two turnovers.