No. 10 Texas hosts No. 11 Baylor on Big Monday

For the first time since the last game at the Erwin Center, the No. 10 Texas Longhorns face the No. 11 Baylor Bears on Monday at the Moody Center looking to reverse recent trends in the series, the most-played rivalry in Baylor history.

Texas leads the all-time series 163-96, but Baylor is 12-1 against the Longhorns since 2016, with the only loss coming in Austin in 2019. The success of head coach Scott Drew against Texas dates back almost 14 years, however, with Baylor winning 22 of the last 30 games since breaking a 24-game losing streak against the Longhorns in the 2009 Big 12 Tournament.

Baylor enters Monday’s game at 16-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12 in the midst of a six-game winning streak since starting conference play with three straight losses. On Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the Bears beat the Razorbacks 67-64. Following last Monday’s win over Kansas, Baylor is 12-1 in its last 13 games against AP top-10 teams.

In KenPom.com’s adjusted efficiency metric, Baylor ranks No. 14 nationally with the No. 2 offense and the No. 79 defense, scoring 78.8 points per game and making 9.2 three-pointers per game. It’s a guard-centric team led by freshman Keyonte George, the one-time Texas target who is averaging 17.2 points per game, although he’s not playing with a high level of efficiency, hitting only 38.5 percent of his shot attempts from the field and averaging almost three turnovers per game. Adam Flagler averages 15.5 points per game and leads the team with 4.9 assists per game. The only other player to average in double digits is LJ Cryer at 14.5 points per game. Flagler and Cryer both shoot above 40 percent from three.

Texas has been difficult to beat at home in the augural season of the Moody Center with an 11-1 mark. Guard Sir’Jabari Rice is coming off a season-high 21 points in Saturday’s loss to Tennessee in Knoxville, while guard Marcus Carr is averaging 19.4 points per game under interim head coach Rodney Terry, including 44.2 percent from three and 84 percent from the free-throw line.

How to watch

Time: 8 p.m. Central

TV: ESPN

Radio: The Longhorns IMG Radio Network

Livestream: WatchESPN

Odds: Texas is an 3.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings. Odds/lines are subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.