GAME NOTES: Lone Star State rivals square off in a pivotal Big 12 Conference showdown this afternoon in Austin, as the 25th-ranked Baylor Bears come calling on the 10th-ranked Texas Longhorns. The Bears are one of the more surprising teams in all of college basketball this season, as coach Scott Drew has his team sitting a stellar 16-3 on the year, which includes a 4-1 mark against Big 12 competition. Baylor will battle Texas as a ranked team for the first time ever, and will look to improve upon its 4-0 record in true road games this year. The Bears, who suffered their lone league loss last week against Oklahoma, are among the Top-25 in consecutive weeks for the first time in school history, and they are off to their best start since the 1945-46 season. As for Texas, it has jumped out to a 16-4 start, but the team has lost two of its five conference bouts to date, the most recent of which was an 80-63 thrashing at the hands of rival Texas A&M on Wednesday night. Since running out to an 11-0 start to the campaign, coach Rick Barnes' squad as gone just 5-4. The Longhorns are 11-1 at home this season. Texas has more than doubled Baylor in the all-time series, staking claim to a 151-75 lead, and the 'Horns have won 20 straight over the Bears. BU has made strides recently though, as all three losses last season came by a combined 11 points.

Boasting five double-digit scorers, Baylor has proven itself to be one of the more productive offensive teams in not only the Big 12, but the country as well. The Bears are averaging 81.2 ppg on the strength of their 46.0 percent shooting from the floor. Curtis Jerrell is the club's top scorer, checking in at 14.4 ppg, while Kevin Rogers and Henry Dugat are hot on his heels with 12.3 and 12.1 ppg, respectively. Dugat's average climbs to 16.2 ppg in conference games. LaceDarius Dunn has yet to start a game this season, but he is netting 11.7 ppg thanks to a 43.3 percent effort from three-point range, and Aaron Bruce adds 11.2 ppg while dropping 42.4 percent of his long-range tries. As a team, the Bears are hitting nearly 40 percent of their treys. Defensively, BU is yielding 69.4 ppg while coming up with 16.2 turnovers per outing. Jerrells led the way in last week's loss to Oklahoma, converting 7-of-12 field goal attempts to finish with 17 points, while Rogers and Dugat added 13 points apiece. The Bears shot just 37.7 percent from the floor while allowing the Sooners to connect on 46.3 percent of their total shots.

Much like Baylor, Texas has thrived at the offensive end this season, putting up 77.9 ppg behind 47.2 percent shooting from the floor. The Longhorns are hitting their three-point attempts at a 39.0 percent clip, and they own a +3.7 rebounding advantage. D.J. Augustin is one of the top guards in the country and his 20.4 points and 5.6 assists per contest prove his worth. A.J. Abrams lends support in the form of 17.2 ppg on the strength of his club-best 57 three- pointers, while Damion James is one of a handful of players nationally averaging a double-double with his 13.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Connor Atchley is a 59.4 percent shooter who is netting 10.6 ppg and he grabs 5.7 rpg for good measure. Poor shooting from all over the court did the Longhorns in on Wednesday night at Texas A&M, as the team made just 34.4 percent of its field goal attempts and only 11-of-21 free throws en route to the 17-point setback. Augustin and Dexter Pittman were the only UT players to reach double figures in the scoring column, netting 14 points apiece. Augustin converted just 6-of-18 FG attempts, while Abrams went a dismal 3-of-13.

Expect the Longhorns to bounce back after the dreadful performance against Texas A&M. Baylor is enjoying its finest season in recent memory, but the Bears are in for a rude awakening as they tread on dangerous turf this afternoon.