The Missouri Tigers go into their next game as the fourth-ranked team in the United States. They are also 22-2 overall, 9-2 in the Big 12 Conference. The Tigers have won every game at home in Mizzou Arena this year.
Enter the sixth-ranked Baylor Bears. The Bears are 21-3 overall, 8-3 in the Big 12. Baylor's three losses have been among two teams--the Kansas Jayhawks twice and the Tigers once. Two of those losses have been at home.
The Bears and Tigers play their final meeting in the Big 12 regular season Feb. 11. A victory for Missouri will mean a two-team race for the top the Big 12. Should Baylor pull one out and hand Missouri its first loss at home this year, the three-way race for the Big 12 crown is still on.
Baylor is still smarting after its season sweep to Kansas was completed Feb. 8. The Jayhawks went down to Waco, Texas, and got out of there with a 68-54 drubbing of the home team. The Bears will be mad and hungry after the tough loss. Both losses to Kansas were by double digits.
The loss in Waco against Missouri was almost the same thing until the Tigers weathered a comeback by Baylor in the final minutes. Missouri eeked out an 89-88 win back in mid-January.
The Tigers seemingly have the advantage. They have two days' more rest than Baylor. Missouri has the easier schedule from here on out until the regular season is complete. Missouri's road games include tilts at Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The hardest game left for Missouri is a Feb. 25 date in Lawrence, Kan., against the Jayhawks.
Mizzou is also undefeated at home. They barely escaped from Norman, Okla., with a three-point victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. Every victory at home in the Big 12 thus far has been by double digits, with the exception of the three-point win against Kansas Feb. 4.
Home court advantage usually means a six-point swing. Add that to Missouri's prowess defending its home court and you have a recipe for making the Big 12 Conference a two-team race. I predict a 75-60 Missouri victory over Baylor. The Bears are running out of steam after their fantastic beginning. They can't seem to beat the better teams of the conference.
William Browning is a lifelong Missouri resident originally from St. Louis. He attended the University of Missouri in the late 1980s and is a fan of all Mizzou Tigers sports. He currently resides in Branson.
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