Future Big 12 Rivals Square Off in Las Vegas
12/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
 vs.  |
| 6/7 Baylor vs. West Virginia Dec. 23, 2011 | 8 p.m. CST Las Vegas, Nev. | Orleans Arena (7,471) TV: ESPN |
 Watch |  Listen |  |  Game Notes |  Gameday Central |
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
STORY LINES
• No. 6 Baylor (11-0) and future Big 12 Conference member West Virginia (9-2) will meet Friday for the first time and to decide the champion of the 2011 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. Friday's de facto championship tilt will tip at 8:02 p.m. CST €ˆon ESPN and ESPN3.
• Baylor is 5-2 all-time in Las Vegas and is making its first trip since €ˆDecember 1982.
• Baylor is 5-9 all-time against current Big East schools
• Baylor is 13-7 in regular-season tournaments in the Scott Drew era.
• Baylor (11-0) is one of only six undefeated Division I teams remaining - Indiana, Louisville, Missouri, Murray State and Syracuse are the others.
• A win over the Bob Huggins-led Mountaineers would push Baylor's record to 12-0, matching the best start in school history (started 12-0 in 2000-01).
• Scott Drew is 0-2 all-time against Bob Huggins (Drew's Valparaiso team lost to Cincinnati in 2002 and Drew's Baylor team last at Kansas State in 2007).
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 102-47 and has made three postseason appearances €ˆ(2008 NCAA, 2009 NIT, 2010 NCAA) and posted three 20-win seasons (135 wins in first 11 seasons of Big 12 era).
• Baylor remains No. 6 in the latest €ˆAP €ˆTop 25 is the highest in program history (previous was €ˆNo. 7). Baylor's No. 7 ranking in the USA €ˆTODAY/ESPN Top 25 is also the highest coaches poll ranking in program history.
• 10 of Baylor's first 11 opponents have failed to score 70 points or more against the Bears.
• Baylor has made at least one 3-point field goal in 630 consecutive games - the second-longest active streak in the Big 12.
• Baylor is the only Division I €ˆschool in the nation with both men's and women's basketball teams undefeated (combined 23-0). Since Nov. 1, Baylor's big three sports are a combined 28-0 (Football finished regular-season on five-game winning streak).
• Senior F Quincy Acy is tied with Kelvin Chalmers for 23rd in school history with 1,045 career points. Acy needs 17 points to crack the Top 20 on Baylor's career scoring list.
• 32 of sophomore G Brady Heslip's 35 field goals have been from 3-point range. Heslip, who has made at least one 3FG in his first 11 games, has made multiple treys in 9 contests this season.
• Junior G Pierre Jackson is shooting a team-best 90.3 percent from the FT €ˆline through 10 games and has made 13 consecutive free throws, dating back to the second half of Baylor's Nov. 23 game vs. UT €ˆArlington.
• Heslip and Jackson have combined to become a lethal force from 3-point range as well as from the FT €ˆline. Together, the backcourt duo is shooting 48 percent from 3-point range (47-98) and 93 percent from the FT €ˆline (37-40).
• A.J. Walton ranks 9th in school history with 129 career steals and has 2+ steals in 8 games this season.
QUICK HITS
• Big 12 rankings: 1st in FG% €ˆdefense (35.3), 1st in 3FG% €ˆ(41.7), 1st in blocked shots (7.73), 2nd in scoring offense (79.3), 2nd in scoring defense (57.4), 2nd in scoring margin (+21.9), 2nd in FG% €ˆ(50.5), 2nd in assists (16.09), 2nd in steals (8.73), 3rd in FT% €ˆ(72.3), 3rd in rebounding (39.6), 3rd in rebounding margin (32.4), 3rd in 3FG €ˆmade (7.27) and 4th in TO margin (17.0).
• NCAA €ˆRankings (thru games Dec. 18): 4th in blocked shots (7.7), 5th in FG% defense (34.8), 8th in scoring margin (20.8), 13th in 3FG% €ˆ(41.3), 21st in FG% €ˆ(49.3), 26th in steals (9.2), 28th in assists (16.2) and 29th in scoring defense (57.6).
• Baylor is 25-3 in its last 28 games in the month of December, including an 8-3 mark away from home.
• Baylor has won 45 of its last 47 non-conference games when holding opponents below the 70-point mark. Baylor is 95-25 in the Scott Drew era when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points.
• Baylor has started the season 11-0 for only the second time in program history.
• Baylor has led at the half in 10 of its 11 games this season, posting a 10-0 record.
• Baylor is 45-15 - 44-14 in the Drew era - when ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, 38-10 when ranked in the USA €ˆTODAY/ESPN Coaches €ˆTop 25 and 36-9 all-time when ranked simultaneously in both polls.
• Baylor is 36-12 in the month of December and 80-22 against non-conference competition in the Drew era.
• Junior G €ˆPierre Jackson is one of 60 candidates for the 2012 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award.
• Senior F Quincy Acy (29) and redshirt sophomore F Cory Jefferson (25) have combined for 54 blocks in 11 games.
• 51 percent of Quincy Acy's career FGs have been dunks (200 of 392) and 38 percent of his career point total have come off dunks (400 of 1,045).
• Acy ranks third on Baylor's career list with 136 blocked shots and needs 9 to tie former teammate Mamadou Diene (145) for second on the all-time list.
• Acy (627 career rebounds) needs 44 more boards to crack Baylor's career Top 10 list.
• Baylor's frontline fivesome of senior F Anthony Jones (6-foot-10, wingspan: 7 feet, 2 inches), senior F Quincy Acy (6-foot-7, wingspan: 7 feet, 3 inches), sophomore F Perry Jones III (6-foot-11, wingspan: 7 feet, 2 inches), redshirt sophomore F Cory Jefferson (6-foot-9, wingspan: 7 feet) and freshman F Quincy Miller (6-foot-9, wingspan: 7 feet, 4 inches) has a combined wingspan of 35 feet, 11 inches (width of NCAA €ˆplaying court is 50 feet).
• Senior F/C J'mison Morgan and sophomore F Logan Lowery are expected to redshirt for the 2011-12 season.
UP NEXT
• Baylor will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule Dec. 28 in Dallas when it squares off against Mississippi State as part of The Showcase, presented by metroPCS at American Airlines €ˆCenter.
