No 6/6 Texas Longhorns (15-3, 6-1 Big 12) at No. 3/3 Baylor Lady Bears (17-1, 7-0 Big 12)

Time: Thursday, January 25, 2018 | 6 p.m. CT

Location: Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (15,096)

TV: ESPN2 (Adam Amin, Rebecca Lobo, Kara Lawson, Holly Rowe)

Radio: 105.3 FM (Craig Way, Fran Harris )

Game Notes | WatchESPN | Live Stats | Live Audio | Tickets

The rivalry is renewed between Texas and Baylor – two schools that are located 100 miles apart and boast a rich tradition in women's basketball. The No. 6 Longhorns and the No. 3 Lady Bears meet on Thursday in Waco's Ferrell Center. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be nationally televised by ESPN2.

It is a meeting between the top-two teams in the Big 12 Conference standings as Baylor enters the game with a 17-1 overall record and a 7-0 mark in league play, while Texas is 15-3 and 6-1 in the Big 12. The Longhorns are coming off a 90-39 win against Texas Tech last Saturday in Lubbock. The 51-point win marked the largest margin of victory against a Big 12 Conference opponent in program history.

The Longhorns are led by junior guard Lashann Higgs , who is averaging 15.2 points per game and 1.7 steals per game overall. In seven conference games this season, Higgs is averaging an impressive 20.3 points per game, shooting 66.3 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free-throw line. She has also swiped 17 steals in league play. In conference games only, Higgs ranks among the Big 12's top-10 in five different statistical categories, including points per game, steals per game, field-goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage.

Senior guard Ariel Atkins follows with 15.0 points per game and is tied for the team rebounding lead with 5.9 boards per game. Atkins has recorded a squad-best 50 steals this season and is shooting 54.9 percent from the field. All games combined, Atkins ranks among the Big 12's top-20 in eight different statistical categories, including second in steals per game (2.8) and free-throw percentage (.863).

Senior point guard Brooke McCarty is the Big 12 Conference leader in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.7. She averages 13.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game. McCarty is playing a squad-best 30.8 minutes per game and has made a team-high 26 three-pointers on the year.

Junior center Jatarie White , along with Atkins, leads the team in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game. White also contributes 10.7 points per game. Senior forward Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau contributes 5.2 rebounds per game.

Texas is 3-2 this season against Associated Press Top-25 squads. Since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, the Longhorns have earned 17 victories against AP Top-25 teams. Texas is 185-237 (.438) all-time against ranked opponents, including an 80-138 (.367) tally against AP Top-10 foes.

It marks the 95th meeting between the two teams in the history of the programs. The Longhorns lead the all-time series. 58-36. Texas beat Baylor 85-79 in Waco last season, snapping a 14-game losing streak to the Lady Bears, but Baylor won 70-67, in Austin. The Longhorns seek to win back-to-back games in Waco for the first time since 2009 and 2010.

Baylor enters Thursday's contest with an undefeated record in Big 12 play. The Lady Bears are coming off a 75-50 win against Kansas State on Saturday in Waco. Baylor ranks second nationally in field-goal percentage at 51.5 and is also the national leader in field-goal percentage defense at 30.2. This will also be a match-up of the top-two teams nationally in rebounding margin as Baylor ranks first at +19.7, while Texas is second at +14.2.

Junior center Kalani Brown is the national leader in field-goal percentage at 70.6 percent. She is leading her team in points per game at 21.7, while also contributing 9.3 rebounds per game and blocking 22 shots this season. Sophomore forward Lauren Cox has registered 15.1 points per game, a team-best 9.9 rebounds per game and is the Big 12 leader in blocked shots per game at 2.65.

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