Print edition: 
LAWRENCE — Kansas forward Carolyn Davis first exchanged elbows with Baylor’s 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner as a high school junior in Houston. She knows what’s coming Saturday when the Jayhawks visit the undefeated and top-ranked Bears.
“It’s a daunting task,” Davis said.
For sure, but one Kansas is best suited to tackle in years. The 7 p.m., game in Waco, Texas, will match the league’s top teams. Kansas, at 5-2, stands in second place.
It’s rarified air for coach Bonnie Henrickson’s program, which hasn’t finished higher than seventh in the league since she took over in 2005.
Kansas, 16-3 overall, is coming off a signature victory, a 19-point triumph over Texas Tech on Wednesday.
The win ended a 12-game Jayhawks’ losing streak against the Red Raiders and was authored by Davis, a 6-3 junior who scored a season-high 34 points.
“It gives us a lot of confidence going into this game,” Davis said.
Saturday’s meeting matches the Big 12’s top offensive teams. Baylor averages 81.7 points; the Jayhawks, 74 points. Griner leads the league in scoring at 22.7; Davis is second at 18.5.
The Jayhawks are angling for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000, which is also the last time the team crafted a winning record in conference play.
Henrickson believes this can be a breakthrough team.
“I think we’re playing with more of a sense of urgency and responsibility,” she said.
If Kansas brings enough of that and more to Waco to pull off the surprise, the Jayhawks’ good season will become a great one.
