MBB Heads to Vanderbilt for SEC/Big 12 Challenge
12/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Baylor (6-1) at Vanderbilt (5-1) |
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? Thursday will mark the 10th series meeting between?Baylor and Vanderbilt and first since Dec.7,1985.
? Baylor won the first series meeting in 1949, but the Bears have lost each of the last eight games against Vanderbilt.
? Baylor has allowed only 358 points over its first 7 games, the fewest points it has allowed in any 7-game stretch since allowing 335 points from Jan. 28-Feb. 25, 1950.
? Baylor has the Big 12's best record in "conference challenge" games at 4-1. The Bears went 3-1 during the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, and BU defeated Kentucky in the inaugural?Big 12/SEC Challenge last season.
? Baylor leads the Big 12 and ranks 7th nationally in scoring defense at 51.1 points allowed per game. The Bears are 7th nationally in FG?percentage defense at 33.9% and 10th in 3-point FG defense at 23.6%.
? Baylor also ranks 6th nationally in rebounding margin (+13.0) and 10th in points-per-possession defense (0.82)
? Baylor is 43-19 against non-Big 12 teams in games away from the Ferrell Center in the Drew era, including a 20-6 record in away games against non-Big 12 teams since 2011-12.
? The Bears are 48-14 in December games during the Scott Drew era, including a 24-5 record since 2009-10.
? Newcomers have scored 43%?of BU's points through 7 games (203 of 476).
? Baylor is 66-5 when leading at the half over the last four seasons -- 5-1 this season, 18-2 in 2013-14, 17-1 in 2012-13 and 26-1 in 2011-12. BU is 170-29 when leading at the half during the entire Drew era.
? BU?has won 39% of its games (19-30) when tied or trailing at half since 2011-12, including 1-0 this season.
? Baylor is 176-82 (24 wins per season) over the last seven-plus seasons and has made six postseason appearances?(NCAA Tournament -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014; NIT -- 2009, 2013) with six 20-win seasons.
? Baylor is coming off a 2014 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, which made Drew the youngest of 11 coaches nationally to take his current team to three Sweet 16s in the last five years.
? BU has six 20-win seasons in the last 7 years. BU had only three 20-win seasons prior to Drew's arrival.
? Baylor's 5 NBA?Draft picks in the last 3 years ranks 5th nationally behind Kentucky, Duke,?Kansas and Syracuse.
? Baylor has the nation's second-best postseason winning percentage over the last six years (17-4; .810).
? Baylor was picked tied for 6th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, BU's lowest since 2009-10.
? Baylor is one of only 12 schools nationally to play in the Sweet 16 in three of the last five seasons.
? Baylor is one of two Big 12 schools to be ranked in each of the last seven seasons (Kansas) entering 2014-15.
? Baylor is receiving votes in both national polls. BU finished 2013-14 ranked No. 18 by the coaches.
? All 31 of Baylor's regular-season games will be televised this season, including 22 games on the ESPN?family of networks. The Vanderbilt game will be Baylor's 111th consecutive televised contest.
? Baylor is 14-3 in overtime games under Drew, including a 3-0 mark last season.
? Drew is coaching his 362nd game at Baylor (210-151). His .582 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with four or more seasons, and his teams have a .682 winning percentage since 2007-08.
? Baylor is 27-10 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last six seasons.
? Baylor has more Big 12 wins in the last 7 seasons (62-56) than its first 11 years in the league combined (45-131).
? Drew is tied with Kansas' Bill Self as the second-longest tenured head coach in the Big 12 Conference. Drew, who is in his 12th season at Baylor, is second only to Texas' Rick Barnes (17th season at UT).
? Baylor has the Big 12's 2nd-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 739 consecutive games.
? Baylor has 22 games on ESPN networks this season, giving BU 106 ESPN appearances in the last seven seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
? Thursday will mark the 10th series meeting between?Baylor and Vanderbilt and first since Dec.7,1985.
? Baylor won its first game against Vanderbilt in 1949, but the Commodores have won eight straight games in the series since that initial meeting. BU is 0-5 all-time on Vandy's home floor.
? Baylor is 4-0 against SEC?teams since the start of the 2012-13 season.?The Bears beat Kentucky in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and South?Carolina in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
A WIN WOULD ...
? Keep Baylor atop the Big 12 standings in "conference challenge" games with a 5-1 record.
? Make Baylor 2-8 all-time against Vanderbilt and give the Bears their first win against Vandy since 1949.
? Give Baylor a 7-1 start to the season for the seventh time in the last eight years.
? Be Baylor's 5th consecutive victory against SEC teams, dating back to 2012-13.
? Give Baylor a 19-4 record over its last 23 games dating back to Feb. 12, 2014.
? Make Baylor 37-5 in December games since 2007-08 and 49-14 in December games during the Drew era.
? Give Baylor a 100-24 record in games before the New Year under Drew, including an 80-12 record since 2007-08.
? Make Baylor 44-19 against non-Big 12 teams outside of Waco in the Drew era, including 21-6 since 2011-12.
? Give Baylor an 86-35 record since the start of the 2011-12 season.
? Make Baylor 177-82 since the start of the 2007-08 season, good for a .683 winning percentage.
BEST DEFENSIVE STRETCH IN 64 YEARS
? Baylor ranks 7th nationally and leads the Big 12 in scoring defense at 51.1 points allowed per game.
? The Bears' 358 points allowed over their first 7 games are the fewest points they have allowed in any 7-game stretch since allowing 335 points in 7 games from Jan. 28-Feb. 25, 1950.
? For the first time since 2009-10, Baylor has held four Division I opponents below 50 points.
? The 39 points Baylor allowed against McNeese State in the season opener tied the best defensive performance by the Bears against a Division I opponent since a 43-37 win vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State on Dec. 11, 1958.
? Baylor held Memphis to 15 points in the 2nd half, tying the fewest allowed in any half of the Scott Drew era.
BIG 12'S BEST RECORD IN CONFERENCE CHALLENGES
? Baylor is 4-1 all-time in the Big 12's "conference challenge" series. The Bears went 3-1 during the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series (2007-10) and are 1-0 in the Big 12/SEC?Challenge.
? The Bears are tied with Oklahoma State and Texas for the Big 12's best record in those games.
? Baylor lost to Washington State at home in 2007, won at Washington State in 2008, won at Arizona State in 2009 and defeated Arizona State at home in 2010.
? BU knocked off No. 3 Kentucky, 67-62, in a neutral-site game during last season's inaugural?Big 12/SEC?Challenge.
BEARS 36-5 IN DECEMBER GAMES SINCE 2007-08
? Baylor is 36-5 in December games since 2007-08 and 48-14 in?December games during the Scott Drew era.
? Baylor is 43-7 in November games since 2007-08 and 51-10 in November games during the Drew era
? Baylor is a combined 99-24 in games before the New Year under Drew, including a 79-12 record since 2007-08.
WINNING AWAY FROM HOME VS. NON-BIG 12 TEAMS
? Baylor is 43-19 against non-Big 12 teams in games away from the Ferrell Center in the Scott Drew era, including a 20-6 record in away games against non-Big 12 teams since 2011-12.
? Baylor is 41-15 against non-Big 12 teams away from home since the 2007-08 season (2-1 in 2014-15; 6-2 in 2013-14; 5-2 in 2012-13; 8-1 in 2011-12; 1-3 in 2010-11; 8-2 in 2009-10; 6-2 in 2008-09; 5-2 in 2007-08).
NEWCOMERS COMBINE FOR 43% OF SCORING
? Baylor has received significant contributions from six newcomers.
? The six newcomers who have played have combined for 203 of Baylor's 476 points (43%) through the season's first seven games, but the veterans have shouldered more of the load lately.
PERCENTAGE?OF?SCORING?BY?NEWCOMERS
Nov. 14 vs. McNeese State -- 65% (52 of 80)
Nov. 18 at South?Carolina -- 51% (35 of 69)
Nov. 21 vs. Prairie View A&M -- 33% (20 of 60)
Nov. 24 vs. SFA -- 33% (22 of 67)
Nov. 27 vs. Memphis -- 34% (24 of 71)
Nov. 28 vs. Illinois -- 39% (21 of 54)
Dec. 1 vs. Texas Southern -- 39% (29 of 75)
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS PAYING OFF
? Baylor has won 93% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. The Bears are 66-5 when leading through the first 20 minutes in that stretch (5-1 this season, 18-2 in 2013-14, 17-1 in 2012-13 and 26-1 in 2011-12).
? BU has won 39% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 19-30 in those.
? BU has led at halftime in 71 of 120 games over the last three-plus seasons. With wins in 66 of those 71 games, and victories in 19 of 49 games it has trailed or been tied at the half, Baylor is 85-35 since 2011-12.
O'NEALE SHOWING OFF VERSATILITY
? During his four years of Division I basketball, Royce O'Neale has 1,003 points, 614 rebounds, 311 assists, 130 steals and 37 blocks in 108 games played.
? Including his two seasons at Denver, O'Neale has 24 career games played touching all five stat categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks).
? Last season, O'Neale became the first player in program history to post 200+ rebounds and 100+ assists in the same season. He ranked second on the team with 110 assists and fourth with 205 rebounds in 2013-14.
? O'Neale currently ranks 7th in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.3) and 10th in assists (3.4), joining Iowa State's Georges Niang as the league's only players ranked among the top 10 in both categories.
BALANCED SCORING ATTACK
? Baylor has benefited from a balanced scoring attack that has seen seven different players combine to score in double figures 18 times through the first seven games.
? BU?has had five different players lead the team in scoring this season -- Deng Deng vs. McNeese State, Kenny Chery at South?Carolina, Royce O'Neale vs. SFA, Rico?Gathers vs. Texas Southern and Taurean Prince vs. Prairie View A&M and Memphis.
? Prince leads the team with 12.8 points per game, including 72 points in his last five games, while Royce O'Neale has contributed 52 points in his last four games after scoring 16 points in his first three games.
GATHERS STEPPING INTO BIG SHOES
? Rico?Gathers spent his first two seasons at Baylor backing up big men Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin, but with those players gone to the professional ranks, he's stepped into the starting lineup as a junior.
? Gathers is averaging 9.7 points per game and leads the Big 12 and ranks 7th nationally with 10.9 rebounds per game.
? Gathers also leads all active Big 12 players with 20 career double-digit rebound games, and he's 4th among active Big 12 players with 10 double-doubles, including a Big 12-best 3 double-doubles this season.
? In his 10 career starts, Gathers is averaging 11.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
PRINCE'S ROLE INCREASING
? Taurean Prince entered the season averaging 5.2 points in 11.2 minutes over 62 games played in two seasons, but he is leading the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game in 25.0 minutes per game.
? Prince has scored in double figures in a career-best five straight games after not doing so in more than two consecutive games in his first two seasons at Baylor. He's averaging 14.4 points per game during the streak.
? Prince has also led or tied for the team lead in scoring in three of the last five games, equaling the number of times he led the team in points in 63 previous games played.
WITH CHERY OUT, LINEUP SHUFFLED
? Baylor starting point guard Kenny Chery has missed the last three games with a foot injury and is day-to-day.
? In his absense, Lester Medford moved from his starting shooting guard position to run the point, Royce O'Neale moved from small forward to shooting guard and Taurean?Prince filled the open starting small forward spot.
? Redshirt freshman Al?Freeman has also taken on a larger role off the bench, leading the team in bench scoring in all three games Chery has missed by posting eight, 8.7 points per game.
? Additionally, walk-on Austin Mills has averaged 8.3 minutes per game while backing up Medford at point guard.
DREW IS PROGRAM'S ALL-TIME WINS LEADER
? Scott Drew holds Baylor's school record with 210 career wins as head coach.
? Drew became the all-time wins leader by defeating Texas on March 14, 2014 for his 202nd Baylor victory, passing Bill Henderson (201 wins; 1941-43 and 1945-61) for the all-time wins mark.
? Drew's .582 winning percentage is the best ever by a Baylor coach with 60+ games at the helm.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
? Baylor has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last seven-plus seasons under 12th-year head coach Scott Drew. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 176-82 (24 wins per season) and has made six postseason appearances?(NCAA -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014; NIT?-- 2009, 2013) and posted six 20-win seasons.
? Prior to 2007-08, Baylor won only 135 games in the first 11 seasons of the Big 12 era (12.3 wins per season).
? Baylor has made 13 postseason appearances (six under Drew) and won 20+ games just nine times (six under Drew) in the program's first 108 seasons.
DREW AMONG NATION'S ELITE
? Head coach Scott Drew is the youngest of 11 coaches nationally to take his current program to three Sweet 16 appearances in the last five seasons.
? Drew (44) is joined by Arizona's Sean Miller (46), Ohio State's Thad Matta (47), Florida's Billy Donovan (49), Kansas' Bill Self (51), Kentucky's John Calipari (55), Michigan State's Tom Izzo (59), Louisville's Rick Pitino (62), Wisconsin's Bo Ryan (66), Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (67) and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (70).
BAYLOR PICKED SIXTH IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
? Baylor was picked to finish tied for sixth in the 2014-15 Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll in a vote by the league's head coaches in October. Sixth is the lowest the Bears have been picked since 2010, when BU?was projected 10th and ended up advancing to the NCAA?Tournament Elite Eight.
? In the last eight seasons, BU has been picked ninth in 2007-08 (NCAA Tournament), third in 2008-09 (NIT runner-up), 10th in 2009-10 (Elite Eight), fourth in 2010-11, third in 2011-12 (Elite Eight), second in 2012-13 (NIT?champions), third in 2013-14 (Sweet 16) and sixth in 2014-15.
BAYLOR BASKETBALL ON THE RADIO
? Baylor basketball is aired live via the Baylor-IMG College Radio Network on ESPN?Central Texas and flagship station 1660AM ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco and worldwide on Sirius XM Radio and the TuneIn Radio App. All games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley. Morris is in his 27th year doing Baylor broadcasts, while Nunley is in his 32nd season as color analyst.
? The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard live on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com.
UP NEXT
? Baylor returns home to renew the Battle of the Brazos Rivalry with?Texas A&M. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT?and be televised nationally on ESPN2.
? Baylor hasn't played Texas A&M since the 2011-12 season. BU has won the last five series meetings, including a pair of wins against ranked TAMU teams when the Bears were unranked.
? Ten of the last 12 Battle of the Brazos meetings have been with at least one of the two teams ranked. Prior to that stretch, the teams played only two out of 193 games in the series with one of the teams ranked.
