#18 Butler @ #11 Baylor

Who will WIN this matchup?

#18 Butler Bulldogs (9-0)

@ #11 Baylor Bears (7-1)

Current odds:

#18 Butler Bulldogs: (+200)

#11 Baylor Bears: (-250)

• The line for this game is Baylor by 5.5 points.

• Baylor played a home game against Arizona on Saturday, but it felt more like a road game due to the Arizona fans making the trip from Tempe and most of the Bears fans focused on the Big 12 football championship game starting at the same time. No. 11 Baylor, which prevailed thanks to an early 15-0 run and some tough defense, will host undefeated 19th-ranked Butler on Tuesday. “It felt like a road game,” said Baylor guard MaCio Teague, who led the Bears with 19 points in the 63-58 victory Saturday. “Especially when they did the, ‘U of, U of A,’ whatever they were doing. I heard it. It was pretty loud in there.”

• The joy is back at Butler too, as the Bulldogs seem to have rebounded from a 16-11 record and eighth-place finish in the Big East last season, beating its fourth straight major conference team and fifth of the season with a 76-62 win over Florida on Saturday. Butler, which still has a game with Purdue next week before beginning Big East play, was one of only eight Division I schools to win at least one NCAA Tournament game from 2015-18 until last season. “There is nothing better than a Saturday afternoon at Hinkle,” said Butler coach LaVall Jordan. “Our students were great; the environment was awesome. Florida is a really good team defensively and I’m proud of our guys for fighting every possession.”

• Aaron Thompson (7.2 points, 6.1 assists) led the way against the Gators with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added seven assists and four rebounds, while Sean McDermott (11.0 points, 5.1 rebounds) also tossed in 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists. The Bulldogs won the game by holding the Gators to 6-of-26 beyond the arc and limiting them to just four offensive rebounds. It was a good sign that the Bulldogs could win a big game without the best performance from star guard Kamar Baldwin (16.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 42 percent from 3-point range), who was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting and committed three turnovers, although he did contribute six assists.

• Freddie Gillespie (9.4 points, 9.1 rebounds) had 17 points, 13 boards and five blocks as the Bears handed the Wildcats their first loss despite shooting 6-of-24 beyond the arc and 30.4 percent overall. “We couldn’t buy many from deep and they couldn’t either,” coach Scott Drew said. “I credit the defense for really making it tough. When you got the looks, you weren’t in a rhythm.” Jared Butler leads the Bears’ four-guard attack with team highs of 18.6 points, 3.3 assists and 27 3-pointers at 47.4 percent.

• Butler had a defensive efficiency rating of 102.1 points per 100 possessions last year – its worst mark since 2006 – but the Bulldogs are yielding just 90.5 points per 100 possessions – 32nd in Division I – this season.

• Gillespie is ranked 38th in Division I in block percentage (9.7) and 15th in offensive rebounding percentage (15.4).

• Baylor, which ranks 15th in the nation in defensive efficiency (89.3 points per 100 possessions) held the Wildcats to 26.9 percent shooting, including 2-of-18 from 3-point range and forced 16 turnovers.