Two teams from potentially the best conference in the nation, the Big 12. What better way to spend your Wednesday night? It was an old fashioned hootenanny in Waco tonight, a topsy-turvy matchup where you wouldn't know who the winner was until the last seconds.

However, there had to be a winner tonight, and it just so happened to be the 11-time defending regular season Big 12 champion, the Kansas Jayhawks.

The first half of this game was mostly dominated by defense from both teams. For the most part, Kansas could not break Baylor's strong zone D, but Baylor had trouble getting down low for any easy layups. Baylor, though, had a weapon that Kansas didn't have tonight: Kenny Chery. The underrated senior guard went off tonight, with 25 total points and 10 in the first half, draining threes left and right. The Canadian also was a big help on defense for the Bears, providing energy all over the floor. Baylor also got some help from prized shooter Taurean Prince, who had 5 points in the first half, as the Bears held a 22-18 lead at the break.

But Kansas finally became more cohesive in the 2nd half, coming together as a group to answer every Baylor run. Jamari Traylor came out of the half like a man, and scored on 4 consecutive offensive drives, although Lester Medford answered at the other end twice with three pointers. With under 15 minutes left, Cliff Alexander came in, and the freshman also made a difference, playing some excellent defense and garnering two dunks, the 2nd with 12:35 left to give the Jayhawks a 36-34 lead. Brannen Greene was an unheralded hero for Kansas tonight, going 4-5 for 12 points and playing some good defense as well.

The final 5 minutes were very chaotic, with both teams trading buckets. Kansas' backcourt finally came alive, as the up-and-coming Frank Mason Jr. dropped down the hammer and start an offensive outburst for Kansas, aided by Wayne Selden Jr., who had been sleepwalking up until this point, but had 7 points in a 3 minute stretch. Baylor was forced to foul with 7 seconds remaining, and Brannen Greene converted on both shots. Kansas also decided to play the fouling game, and with 6 ticks left, Chery knocked down 2 of his own. Lester Mumford fouled Mason Jr., but he missed the one-and-one, giving Baylor 4 seconds for the win with a 1 point deficit. However, Mumford did not realize the clock situation, and failed to get off a final shot to potentially win the game, breaking the hearts of the Waco crowd tonight.

Bill Self must be very proud of his men for responding well in the final minutes of the game, sealing the tough win in front of a raucous crowd. The team is starting to come together, Kansas is now realizing who they can rely on and at what times. Jamari Traylor would have the be the MVP for this game, with his efficiency on both ends. He was the team's catalyst, and they will need him to produce like this throughout the rest of the year.

Baylor on the other hand is now 0-2 in conference, a disappointing start for Scott Drew's squad. They still only have 3 losses on the year, but don't yet have a really quality win to their name. Their next shot for a resume-building win will be at home against Iowa State next Wednesday.

The Bears now head to Fort Worth to tussle with the up-and-coming TCU Horned Frogs, while Kansas waltzs back to Allen Fieldhouse, wanting to defend their hallowed halls against Texas Tech on Saturday.

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About the author
Ben Anderson
Hi, folks. I am Ben, a West Virginian, loud and proud. I've been the editor in chief of VAVEL USA since December of 2013, and continue to work hard and make the International Sports Newspaper the best on the internet.