Under Rick Barnes, the Texas Longhorns have never lost to the Baylor Bears, boasting a string of 24 consecutive victories spanning 11 seasons. To put it in perspective, the last time the folks from Waco enjoyed a win over the Longhorns, freshman forward Quincy Acy was in the second grade, Bill Clinton was in office, and Tom Penders still roamed the Erwin Center sidelines.

Sure, that streak includes two wins over Baylor earlier this season, too. And yeah, the Longhorns have made it to the Big 12 Championship’s final game in each of the last three seasons. But for Texas fans who are adding this all up to mean that an easy win awaits, we’d like to suggest exercising a little restraint when formulating those sugarplum dreams.

This Baylor team is essentially the same one that made the NCAA tournament last year, and as a result was selected as the third-best team in the conference’s preseason poll. They have neutral site wins over Providence and Arizona State, and a true road win against the Washington State Cougars. And of course, we can’t fail to mention that this evening’s game will likely feel more like a home contest, as everyone in the arena who isn’t wearing burnt orange will certainly be rooting for the underdogs.

Considering this is the third time these teams have met this season, there’s not much left to preview. If you want an in-depth look at the players that Coach Scott Drew is going to send out there, you’ll want to read the previous game preview for all the pre-game info you’ll need.

In the tournament

The Bears have looked very good over the last two days, as it seems they finally are playing with some energy and heart. Now just two wins away from an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, you can be sure that Baylor will be leaving it all out on the floor tonight.

Kevin Rogers has been huge for the Bears in their first two games, a pair of wins over Nebraska and Kansas. Against the Cornhuskers, Rogers ripped down 20 rebounds to go with 10 points, and followed it up with a 14 point, 5 board night against the Jayhawks. Texas has shown that it is committed to scoring in the paint, and in fact dropped 48 points inside the last time these two teams met. Rogers will have to step it up down low for Baylor tonight.

While the big forward has been clutch for the Bears so far, the real scene-stealer has been sophomore LaceDarius Dunn. His six three-pointers led the way in yesterday’s upset of Kansas, and he is clearly warming up to his new role in the starting five. In the first two games of the Big 12 Championship, Dunn has scored 42 total points and added five assists. If Texas doesn’t play solid perimeter defense against this sharpshooter, the Bears will likely be just one win away from the Big Dance.

Keys to the game

Limit the turnovers – As it was in the last match-up, ball control is a huge key for the Longhorns tonight. Baylor simply does not cough it up, and Texas is coming off of a game in which they turned it over 22 times. If the Bears enjoy a hefty turnover differential tonight, they will surely be feasting on a buffet of fast break points.

Stay out of foul trouble – Thanks to Damion James charging every time he touched the ball against Kansas State, Dexter Pittman was forced to play 34 minutes, more than twice his season average. With Pittman now having 62 minutes on his tournament odometer, and Gary Johnson still recovering from ankle problems, Texas cannot afford to have their post players pick up stupid fouls. The Baylor guards love to drive the basketball, so the Longhorn frontcourt has to play solid, vertical defense.

Push the tempo – Against a team that can score points in bunches, this might seem like a bad idea. But the Longhorns have more talent further down the bench than Baylor does, and the five Bear starters combined for 169 minutes against Kansas. The strength of Baylor’s offense is clearly in the frontcourt, so if Texas can further wear out Dunn, Curtis Jerrells, and Tweety Carter, those tired legs are a lot less likely to sink threes late in the game.