The Big 12 Tournament finally kicks off on Monday with the No. 12 Arizona Sun Devils taking on the No. 13 Baylor Bears during the first round. Both teams have had late-season slides and would probably not make it to the NCAA Tournament, as each of these teams ended the regular season with 16-15 records. However, they still have a chance to qualify if they win the Big 12 Tournament, and winning this game is the first step to doing that.
Baylor defeated Arizona State the last time they met during the regular season, but can they repeat that victory, or can the Sun Devils move on to the second round?
Arizona State vs. Baylor Men’s Basketball Projected Starting Lineups
Arizona State Sun Devils
- F Blake Buchanan
- F Joshua Jefferson
- F Milan Momcilovic
- G Killyan Toure
- G Tamin Lipsey
Baylor Bears
- C Caden Powell
- G Isaac Williams IV
- G Obi Agbim
- G Cameron Carr
- G Tounde Yessoufou
Even with Massamba Diop leading the Sun Devils with 12 points, three rebounds, one steal and two blocks, Arizona State still got demolished by Iowa State by 21 points, showing that the team still needs to work on their scoring.
Meanwhile, freshman sensation Tounde Yessoufou is showing he is worth the hype as he led Baylor to a 101-75 win over Utah with 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and six steals, putting on a clinic on both ends of the floor. The team also has excellent reserves as Michael Rataj and Dan Skillings Jr. provide some big sparks off the bench.
Arizona State vs. Baylor Men’s Basketball Injury Report
Arizona State Sun Devils
- Adante’ Holiman: Out
- Vijay Wallace: Out
- Marcus Adams: Out
- Kash Polk: Out
- Quentin McCoy: Out
- Dame Salane: Out
- Allen Mukeba: Questionable
Baylor Bears
- JJ White: Out
- Maikcol Perez: Out
- Juslin Bodo Bodo: Out
The Sun Devils have a lot of injured players coming into the tournament, with six players being listed as out. However, they do have some hope as Allen Mukeba may finally be returning from his shin surgery against the Bears. As for Baylor, they will be without three key players in White, Perez and Bodo Bodo, though they have shown that they can still win without them.
Arizona State vs. Baylor Men’s Basketball Prediction
Arizona State is hurt, and even with Allen Mukeba possibly returning, they might not be able to compete against Baylor’s backcourt, which beat them last time. The Baylor Bears should win this one.
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