Jan. 3, 2017  | | MEDIA INFORMATION | | Date | Wednesday, Jan. 4 | 7:01 p.m. CT | | Location | Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) | | Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online | | TV | ESPNEWS and WatchESPN | | TV Talent | Mark Neely (pxp), Stephen Howard (color)
| | Satellite Radio | XM 134, Sirius 199, Internet 953
| | BU Radio | Listen Online | | BU Talent | John Morris (pxp), Nick Joos (color) | | Stats | | | Game Notes | Baylor | Iowa State
| | Social Media | @BaylorMBB | #SicISU | #Big12MBB
| BAYLOR BEARS
| | Record | 13-0, 1-0 | | Ranking | 2nd (AP), 3rd (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Scott Drew
| | Career: 283-183 (15th season)
| | BU Record: 263-172 (14th season)
| IOWA STATE CYCLONES
| | Record | 9-3, 1-0 | | Ranking | rv (AP), nr (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Steve Prohm (Alabama, 1997)
| | Career: 136-44 (6th season)
| | ISU Record: 32-15 (2nd season)
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STORY LINES
- No. 2 Baylor hosts Iowa State at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday on ESPNEWS.
- Baylor is 8-1 in Big 12 home openers since 2008 and 12-8 all-time in Big 12 home openers.
- Wednesday is the 32nd series meeting. ISU leads the series 17-14, but BU is 11-2 in home games.
- BU has won 4 straight vs. Iowa State, tying the longest winning streak for either team in the series.
- All 10 projected starters in the game are in at least their fourth years of college basketball.
- BU and ISU were among the 4 teams to have every loss against NCAA Tournament teams last year.
- Baylor (138), Iowa State (132) and Kansas (160) are the only Big 12 teams with 120+ wins since 2011-12.
- Baylor's 9-game home winning streak is tied for 10th-longest in Ferrell Center history.
- BU was picked 5th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, behind Kansas, WVU, Texas and Iowa State.
- Baylor is 84-71 in Big 12 play since 2008 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 seasons.
- Baylor's No. 2 AP ranking is the best in program history. BU's previous was No. 3 on Jan. 16, 2012.
- Wednesday is the 12th game in program history that the Bears entered with a top-5 ranking (9-2).
- Baylor is one of three undefeated Division I teams (No. 1 Villanova, No. 2 Baylor, No. 5 Gonzaga).
- BU is 13-0 for the 3rd time in program history and the first time since starting 17-0 in 2011-12.
- Baylor's 13-game winning streak ties the 2nd-longest in program history. It's BU's 4th streak of 13+ wins.
- Baylor has won all 13 games this season by at least 3 points and averages a +21.3 scoring margin.
- Baylor is 4-0 vs. ranked teams (No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 7 Xavier).
- BU is 4-0 when trailing at half and has out-scored all four teams by at least 16 points after the break.
- The Bears have defeated three top-10 teams in a season for the first time in program history.
- Only three teams rank in the nation's top-10 in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency: Baylor (7th O, 6th D), Kentucky (3rd O, 8th D) and West Virginia (6th O, 5th D).
- Baylor ranks in the nation's top-20 in scoring margin (3rd, +21.3), scoring defense (5th, 58.0), FG percentage defense (9th, 37.3), FG percentage (11th, 50.3), blocked shots (13th, 6.2), AST-TO ratio (15th, 1.51), assists (17th, 17.9), rebound margin (18th, +8.4) and fewest fouls (19th, 15.8).
- Head coach Scott Drew is in his 14th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (263).
- Baylor won the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis with wins over VCU, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 10 Louisville. Johnathan Motley was named tournament MVP after averaging 20.0 points per game.
- Drew is 229-103 since 2007-08, the first year he had a full allotment of scholarships.
- Baylor has 16 wins over ranked teams in the last two-plus seasons (16-14 since 2014-15).
- BU is 35-54 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
- Baylor returned six letterwinners from last season's 22-12 NCAA Tournament team.
- Baylor's starting lineup has an average age of 21.9 years old and all five are at least 21 years old.
- BU is 35-4 since the start of 2015-16 when it takes the lead at any point in the 2nd half of a game.
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- Baylor is 42-25 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 12-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
QUICK HITS
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (109-13).
- BU has won 40% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 29-43 in those.
- Baylor came from behind at half to win all 3 Battle 4 Atlantis games. BU trailed by 8 to VCU, by 3 to Michigan State and by 15 to Louisville. The Bears out-scored all 3 by at least 16 points in 2nd halves.
- Baylor has had a nation-leading four players selected in the NBA Draft since 2010 who weren't ranked in the ESPN100 out of high school -- Quincy Acy, Ekpe Udoh, Pierre Jackson and Taurean Prince.
- Six of BU's seven starting point guards during the Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
- Baylor has the Big 12's 2nd-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 813 straight games.
- BU did not receive any preseason poll votes for the first time since 2009-10.
- The Bears didn't receive any votes in the week 1 AP poll, but they climbed to No. 4 just three weeks later.
ONE OF THREE UNDEFEATED DIVISION I TEAMS
- Three Division I teams are undefeated -- No. 1 Villanova, No. 2 Baylor and No. 5 Gonzaga.
- Baylor has never been the nation's last undefeated team. The closest BU came was when it was one of three remaining undefeated teams on Jan. 16, 2012, after starting the season 17-0.
TIED FOR SECOND-BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- Baylor is off to a 13-0 start for the third time in the program's 111-season history.
- BU's only better start was 17-0 in 2011-12, the Bears completed the 1911-12 season at 13-0.
- The Bears' 13-game winning streak is tied for 2nd-longest in school history. It's the fourth 13-game winning streak in program history, and the only longer streak was a 17-0 start to the 2011-12 season.
BEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- Baylor climbed to No. 2 in this week's AP Top 25, the best ranking in program history. The Bears' previous best ranking was No. 3 in both polls on Jan. 16, 2012, after starting the season 17-0.
- Baylor went from receiving no votes in the week 1 AP poll to No. 4 nationally just three weeks later on Dec. 5.
- BU remained No. 4 in the Dec. 12, Dec. 19 and Dec. 26 polls, and climbed to No. 2 on Jan. 2.
- Baylor has been top-5 ranked for 5 consecutive polls after being top-5 ranked in just 3 polls all-time prior to this season. BU was No. 3 on Jan. 16, 2012, No. 4 on Jan. 2, 2012 and No. 4 on Jan. 9, 2012.
- BU is 9-2 all-time when playing as a top-5 team, including a 5-0 mark this season.
- Baylor has now been ranked in each of the last 10 seasons -- one of 13 teams nationally to make that claim.
BEARS RECEIVING SIX FIRST-PLACE VOTES
- Baylor received 6 first-place votes in each of the last five AP polls and one first-place vote on Nov. 28.
- Baylor has earned 31 of the 32 first-place votes in program history this season. The only time Baylor received a first-place vote prior to this season was when it received one first-place vote on Jan. 16, 2012.
LAST SEASON VS. IOWA STATE
- Baylor swept the season series vs. Iowa State for a second straight year, with ISU ranked No. 13 in both games.
- Unranked Baylor won 94-89 in Ames on Jan. 9, and No. 25 Baylor won 100-91 in overtime in Waco on Feb. 16.
- Johnathan Motley averaged 27.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and shot 72% (23-of-32) vs. Iowa State.
- Baylor trailed 73-70 with 4:30 left in Ames, but scored 24 points the rest of the way, including a 14-3 run.
- BU scored 19 points in overtime, including 7 from Motley, to knock off ISU in Waco.
A WIN WOULD ...
- Give Baylor a 14-0 record for the second time in program history. BU started 17-0 in 2011-12.
- Extend Baylor's winning streak to 14 games, the second-longest in program history.
- Make BU 2-0 in Big 12 play for the 6th time in league's 21-year history (1998, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017).
- Give Baylor a 5-game winning streak against Iowa State, the longest for either team in the 32-game all-time series.
- Improve Baylor's all-time record against ISU to 15-17, including 12-2 in home games.
- Make Baylor 139-56 since 2011-12, the Big 12's second-most wins in that span behind only Kansas (160).
- Give Baylor a 230-103 record since 2007-08, Scott Drew's first year with a full allotment of scholarshi
- Be Ishmail Wainright's 78th career win (11th-most in BU history) and 27th Big 12 win (t-10th-most).
SERIES HISTORY
- Wednesday is the 32nd series meeting. Baylor trails 14-17 in the series, but the Bears are 11-2 vs. ISU in Waco.
- Baylor has won 4 straight in the series, tying the longest winning streak by either team in series history.
- The home team has won 23 of 27 campus site games in the all-time series, and BU is 1-3 vs. ISU at neutral sites.
- Baylor is 9-1 in its 10 home games vs. Iowa State since 2002.
- Baylor lost its first 12 games in Ames before winning at Hilton Coliseum in each of the last two years.
STATEMENT BIG 12 OPENER AT OKLAHOMA
- Baylor won its Big 12 opener at Oklahoma, 76-50. OU's 50 points were its fewest at home in the Lon Kruger era.
- Baylor's 26-point win was the largest by any team playing at OU since Kansas won by 31 on Feb. 5, 1963.
SECOND-HALF COMEBACKS
- Baylor has trailed at half four times this season (VCU by 8, Michigan State by 3, Louisville by 15, Xavier by 3).
- The Bears out-scored all four opponents by at least 16 points in the second halves. BU out-scored VCU 43-27, out-scored No. 24 Michigan State 43-25, out-scored No. 10 Louisville 42-24 and out-scored No. 7 Xavier 45-27.
- BU has out-scored teams by 13.3 ppg in second halves (553-380) and 8.0 ppg in first halves (478-374).
SIXTEEN WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS IN LAST THREE SEASONS
- Baylor has gone 16-14 against ranked teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
- BU is 4-0 vs. ranked teams this season (No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville and No. 7 Xavier).
- Baylor's 4-game winning streak vs. AP-ranked teams ties the longest in program history -- the Bears also won four straight from Jan. 14-Feb. 7, 2015, but none of those were against top-10 teams.
- BU had a school record seven wins over ranked teams in 2014-15.
- Five wins over ranked teams last season tied the second-most in program history (5 in 2013-14).
- Last season, BU won vs. No. 16 Vanderbilt, at No. 13 ISU, vs. No. 13 ISU, at No. 24 Texas and vs. No. 23 Texas.
- BU is 35-54 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
- Baylor has won at least five games vs. APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 teams in each of the last 3 seasons entering 2016-17.
SECOND-MOST WINS AMONG BIG 12 TEAMS SINCE 2011-12
- Baylor has averaged 25 wins per season over the last 5 years -- 2nd-most in the Big 12 in that span. Baylor's 138-56 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (160-38) among Big 12 teams (thru 1/2/17).
- Iowa State (132-55) is 3rd, Oklahoma (118-63) is 4th, Kansas State (113-66) is 5th, West Virginia (112-69) is 6th Texas (106-77) is 7th, Oklahoma State (100-77) is 8th, TCU (79-96) is 9th and Texas Tech (76-95) is 10th.
PICKED FIFTH IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
- Baylor was picked to finish fifth in the 2017 Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll in a vote by the league's head coaches in October. It's the sixth time in the last seven seasons BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has been picked in the top half of the league.
- Preseason Poll: 1. KU, 2. WVU, 3. UT, 4. ISU, 5. BU, 6. OU, T7. OSU, t7. TTU, 9. KSU, 10. TCU.
- In the last 10 seasons, BU has been picked 9th in 2007-08 (NCAA Tournament), 3rd in 2008-09 (NIT runner-up), 10th in 2009-10 (Elite Eight), 4th in 2010-11, 3rd in 2011-12 (Elite Eight), 2nd in 2012-13 (NITà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € champions), 3rd in 2013-14 (Sweet 16), t-6th in 2014-15 (NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Tournament), 5th in 2015-16 (NCAA Tournament) and 5th (2016-17).
BIG 12'S BEST ROAD RECORD LAST YEAR
- Baylor went 6-3 in Big 12 road games last season, tying Kansas and West Virginia for the league's best road mark.
- Baylor is 15-13 in Big 12 road games since 2014, trailing only Kansas (16-12).
- BU is 24-22 in Big 12 road games since 2012, trailing only Kansas (29-17).
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. BU is 109-13 when leading at the break in that stretch (9-0 this season, 18-2 in 2015-16, 21-7 in 2014-15, 18-2 in 2013-14, 17-1 in 2012-13 and 26-1 in 2011-12).
- BU has won 40% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 29-43 in those.
- BU has led at halftime in 122 of 194 games over the last six seasons. With wins in 109 of those 122 games, and victories in 29 of 72 games it has trailed or been tied at the half, Baylor is 138-56 since 2011-12.
HISTORY OF SUCCESS WITH REDSHIRTS
- Baylor has a track record of success when players redshirt under Scott Drew. Ekpe Udoh, Cory Jefferson, Brady Heslip and Royce O'Neale have all gone on to professional careers after redshirting while at BU.
- Four players in Baylor's current starting lineup have redshirted while at Baylor for various reasons.
- Al Freeman and Johnathan Motley redshirted in 2013-14 due to the Bears' depth on a Sweet 16 team.
- Manu Lecomte (transfer), Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (medical issues) and Wendell Mitchell (depth) all redshirted last season.
EXPERIENCED DESPITE ONLY ONE SENIOR
- Baylor may have only one senior on this year's roster, but nine of 10 rotation players are at least 20 years old.
- All five players in Baylor's starting lineup are in their fourth or fifth years of college. Manu Lecomte (21), Johnathan Motley (21) and Al Freeman (22) are fourth-year juniors, Ishmail Wainright (22) is a fourth-year senior and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (22) is a fifth-year junior.
- The Bears also have sophomore guards King McClure (20) and Jake Lindsey (20) and junior forwards Terry Maston (21) and Nuni Omot (22).
BU KNOCKS OFF NO. 7 XAVIER FOR THIRD TOP-10 WIN
- Baylor defeated No. 7 Xavier, 76-61, on Dec. 3 for its school-record third top-10 win of the season and its school-record-tying fourth consecutive win in games against ranked opponents.
- It was the 7th matchup of top-10-ranked teams in program history and BU's first-ever win in a top-10 matchup.
- The Bears trailed by 3 at the half, but out-scored Xavier 45-27 after the break.
- Manu Lecomte had a career-high 24 points, including 6-of-9 on 3-pointers, and was named Big 12 Player of the Week.
- The win helped Baylor climb from No. 9 to No. 4 in the AP Top 25, tying the second-best ranking in BU history.
BEARS MOUNT HUGE COMEBACK VS. NO 10 LOUISVILLE TO WIN ATLANTIS
- Baylor claimed its 3rd regular-season tournament title of the Drew era and third win over a ranked team this season by rallying from 22 points down to knock off No. 10 Louisville in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis title game.
- BU trailed 32-10 with 4 minutes left in the 1st half and trailed 39-24 at the break.
- Baylor still trailed by 20 points at 44-24 with 16:30 remaining, but out-scored UL 42-19 the rest of the way.
- The comeback was keyed by three reserves who played the last 15 minutes -- Jake Lindsey, King McClure and Terry Maston combined to shoot 13-of-15 in the second half.
BU BEARS NO. 24 MICHIGAN STATE
- Baylor earned its second ranked win of the season by knocking off No. 24/20 Michigan State, 73-58, in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. BU advanced to its 3rd regular-season tournament title game in the last 4 seasons.
- The Bears were led by Johnathan Motley's 26 points, including 20 in the first half.
- Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. added 14 points, and Ishmail Wainright had 7 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 0 turnovers.
TOP-5 WIN OVER NO. 4 OREGON
- Baylor knocked off No. 4 Oregon, 66-49, on Nov. 15. The Bears became the first team to hold Oregon below 50 points since Feb. 21, 2013 -- a streak of 119 games.
- The win was Baylor's 4th in its last 11 games against AP Top 5 teams. Prior to that stretch, BU was 3-34 all-time against top-5 ranked opponents. The Bears are now 4-17 against top-5 teams in the Drew era.
- BU was led by Manu Lecomte with 18 points and 7 assists, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 8 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks. Lual-Acuil's 7 blocks tied the 10th-most in a game in program history.
- Johnathan Motley made his season debut and had 17 points and 7 boards in 28 minutes.
BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS CHAMPIONS
- Baylor knocked off VCU, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 10 Louisville to claim the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis.
- BU overcame halftime deficits in all three games and rallied back from 20 down with 16:30 to go vs. Louisville.
- Johnathan Motley was named tournament MVP and Big 12 Player of the Week after averaging 20.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Big 12 weekly award was the second on Motley's career.
- It was the third regular-season tournament title of the Drew era -- the 2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic and 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis. BU is now 26-11 in regular-season tournaments under Drew.
- The Bears jumped from No. 20 to No. 9 in the AP poll and from receiving votes to No. 11 in the coaches poll.
POINT GUARDS THRIVE IN DREW'S SYSTEM
- Six of Baylor's seven starting point guards during the Scott Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
- Lester Medford (2016), Kenny Chery (2014, 2015), Pierre Jackson (2012, 2013), Tweety Carter (2010), Curtis Jerrells (2007, 2008, 2009) and Aaron Bruce (2005, 2006, 2007) have been named All-Big 12.
CONSISTENTLY AMONG NATION'S BEST OFFENSES
- Baylor's offense has consistently ranked among the nation's best over the last nine seasons under Scott Drew.
- The Bears have finished eight of the past nine seasons among the top 20 nationally in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency, joining Duke as the only programs to make that claim.
- This season, Baylor is No. 7 in adjusted offensive efficiency as of Jan. 2.
- BU finished No. 13 in 2015-16, No. 18 in 2014-15, No. 9 in 2013-14, No. 14 in 2012-13, No. 8 in 2011-12, No. 102 in 2010-11, No. 3 in 2009-10, No. 11 in 2008-09 and No. 11 in 2007-08.
DEFENSE IS THE KEY
- Baylor is known for its efficient offense, but defensive efficiency has the been key in its best seasons under Drew.
- The Bears have been top-100 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in seven straight seasons, but the three top-50 years in that span all resulted in the best NCAA Tournament seeds in program history.
- BU was No. 23 in 2015, No. 37 in 2012 and No. 42 in 2010 -- the Bears were NCAA No. 3 seeds all three years.
- This season, Baylor is No. 6 in adjusted defensive efficiency as of Jan 2.
- The Bears were No. 64 in 2013, No. 70 in 2014, No. 79 in 2011 and No. 84 in 2016.
DREW ERA HIGHLIGHTS
- Drew is coaching his 436th game at Baylor (263-172). His .605 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 60+ games, and he's the program's all-time wins leader.
- Baylor has a .690 winning percentage (229-103) since Drew's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08.
- BU has graduated 92 percent of its scholarship seniors since Drew took over in 2003 (24 of 26).
- In Drew's first 13 seasons, 25 players have gone on to professional careers.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT -- FROM UNRANKED TO NBA DRAFT
- Baylor has had a nation-leading four players selected in the NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft since 2010 who weren't ranked in the ESPN100 out of high school.
- The only other schools with three such players were Colorado,à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Marquette, Missouri, New Mexico and Connecticut.
- Baylor developed Quincyà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Acy, Ekpe Udoh, Pierre Jackson and Taurean Prince into NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks after joining the program as unranked recruits.
SIX NBA DRAFT PICKS IN LAST FIVE SEASONS
- Baylor's six NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks over the last five years are the nation's sixth most, trailing only Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas and North Carolina and tied with Arizona, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA.
- A program-record three Baylor players were selected in the 2012 NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft -- Perryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Jones III (28th pick; Oklahoma City Thunder), Quincyà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Acy (37th pick; Toronto Raptors) and Quincy Miller (38th pick; Denver Nuggets). Pierre Jackson (42nd pick, Philadelphia 76ers; traded to New Orleans Pelicans) was chosen in the 2013 draft, Coryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Jefferson (60th pick; San Antonio Spurs; traded toà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Brooklynà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Nets) was selected in 2014 and Taurean Prince (12th pick; Utah Jazz; traded to Atlanta Hawks) was chosen in 2016.
TWENTY-FIVE PRO PLAYERS IN DREW ERA
- In Scott Drew's first 13 years at Baylor, 25 of his players went on to professional careers.
- All three scholarship seniors from last year's team are now playing professionally.
- Taurean Prince was selected 12th overall in the NBA Draft, becoming the 2nd lottery pick in program history.
- Rico Gathers decided to pursue a pro football career and was selected in the NFL Draft's 6th round.
- Lester Medford recently began his professional career playing in Hungary.
GRADUATING 92 PERCENT OF SENIORS
- Since Scott Drew took over the Baylor Basketball program in 2003, 24 of 26 scholarship players who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility have graduated from Baylor.
- Players recruited by Drew who have graduated at Baylor: Tim Bush, Patrick Fields, Aaron Bruce, Mamadou Diene, Delbert Simpson, Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat, Kevin Rogers, Tweety Carter, Josh Lomers, Ekpe Udoh, Fred Ellis, Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones, J'mison Morgan, A.J. Walton, Cory Jefferson, Brady Heslip, Gary Franklin, Kenny Chery, Royce O'Neale, Lester Medford, Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince.
FIVE STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
- Baylor has won 20+ games in a school-record five consecutive seasons and in eight of the last nine years. The Bears had just three 20-win seasons in the program's first 101 years (1907-2007).
- Baylor has topped 22 wins in each of the past 5 seasons and is averaging 25.0 wins per season in that span.
RANKED IN 10 STRAIGHT SEASONS
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- BU went from receiving no votes in the week 1 AP poll to No. 20 in week 2, No. 9 in week 3 and No. 4 in week 4.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € cracked a string of 38 consecutive unranked seasons when it was tabbed No. 25 in 2007-08.
- The Bears reached as high as No. 19 in 2008-09, No. 19 in 2009-10, No. 9 in 2010-11, No. 3 in 2011-12, No. 16 in 2012-13, No. 7 in 2013-14, No. 14 in 2014-15 and No. 13 in 2015-16.
THREE CONSECUTIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
- Baylor is on a school-record streak of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to earning at-large bids in each of the last three seasons, the Bears had never been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
- The Bears are one of nine teams nationally to earn a top-six seed in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arizona, Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Villanova and Virginia.
- Baylor was a No. 6 seed in 2014, a No. 3 seed in 2015 and a No. 5 seed last season.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
- Baylor has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last 10 seasons under 14th-year head coach Scott Drew.
- Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 229-103 (24 wins per season) and has made eight postseason appearancesà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (NCAA -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016; NITà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € -- 2009, 2013) and posted eight 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 15 postseason appearances (eight under Drew) and won 20+ games just 11 times (eight under Drew) in the program's first 110 seasons.
NATION'S SIXTH-BEST POSTSEASON RECORD
- Baylor's 17-6 postseason record over the past eight seasons is the nation's sixth-best among teams with at least three NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Tournament berths since 2009.
- The only teams with better postseason winning percentages than Baylor's .739 are Connecticut (.783), Kentucky (.781), North Carolina (.781), Duke (.778), Louisville (.750)
- The Bears' 17 postseason wins in that span are eighth-most, trailing only Kentucky (25), North Carolina (25), Duke (21), Michiganà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € State (20), Kansas (18), Connecticut (18) and Louisville (18).
- Baylor went 4-1 and advanced to the 2009 NIT Championship game, 3-1 on their way to NCAA Tournament Elite Eight berths in 2010 and 2012, 5-0 to claim the 2013 NIT title and 2-1 on its way to the 2014 Sweet 16.
BAYLOR BASKETBALL ON THE RADIO
- Baylor basketball is aired live via the Baylor-IMG College Radio Network on ESPNà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Central Texas and flagship station 1660AM ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco and worldwide on Sirius XM Radio.
- Games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley.
- Morris is in his 29th year doing Baylor broadcasts, while Nunley is in his 34th season as color analyst.
- All of Baylor's games can be heard live on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com and via the TuneIn App.
UP NEXT
- Baylor stays home to host Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. CT Saturday on ESPNEWS.
- BU then hits the road to Morgantown, W.Va., to face No. 7 WVU at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday on ESPN2.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation Winning all your home games might not guarantee a Big 12 championship, but it's a ticket that Kansas has used to keeping the trophy in Lawrence for the last 12 years.
At an all-time-high ranking of No. 2 by the Associated Press, the Baylor Bears (13-0, 1-0) hope to follow a similar path when they host Iowa State (9-3, 1-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the first of nine Big 12 games at home.
"The last five years, we've been as good as anybody on the road," said coach Scott Drew, whose 23 league victories in that stretch ranks second only behind Kansas (28). "But, we haven't won enough at home. And to do that, it takes a team. And a team is players, coaches, fans, all working together."
Third-ranked Kansas (13-1, 2-0) won its 50th consecutive home game by beating Kansas State, 90-88, on a buzzer-beating layup by Svi Mykhailiuk Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks have now won 97 of their last 102 conference home games.
"If you look at Kansas' resume as to why they've won so many championships in a row, they don't lose at home," Drew said. "We've been as good as them on the road, we just haven't been as good as them at home. At the end of the day, we need to win our home games, and hopefully we can do it."
While classes don't resume until Monday, the Baylor Athletic Ticket Office is offering an incentive for students by guaranteeing a ticket for the Feb. 18 game against Kansas if they attend five of the next six conference home games.
"I hope the Ferrell's going to be packed, it's a good feeling to be home again," said junior point guard Manu Lecomte, who earned his second Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor after recording 14 points, four assists, two steals and zero turnovers in last Friday's 76-50 win at Oklahoma. "The fans did a great job, especially against Xavier and Oregon. And they showed that when they show up, it gets pretty loud."
The Bears are facing an experienced Iowa State team that features four double-figure scorers in an all-senior starting lineup. Naz Mitrou-Long is averaging a team-best 15.6 points per game and had 19 in the Cyclones' 63-56, conference-opening win over Texas Tech.
Guards Monte Morris (14.6 ppg, 5.8 assists), Deonte Burton (12.0 ppg, 7.6 rebounds) and Matt Thomas (11.8 ppg, 5.3 rebounds) are joined by 6-8 forward Darrell Bowie, a grad transfer from Northern Illinois who is averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 boards per game.
"They've been one of the best offensive teams in the country the last couple of years and have most of their guys back," Drew said. "To beat them, you've got to score points, because you're not going to shut them out."
Lecomte (11.8 ppg, 5.3 assists) will be matched against Morris, who he calls a "great point guard that makes plays."
"We're going to have to slow them down, get stops and then do what we do," he said.
Baylor also has four double-figure scorers in its starting lineup, led by 6-10 junior forward Johnathan Motley with 16.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Lecomte and junior guard Al Freeman (12.2 ppg) are lighting it up from the backcourt, while 7-0 junior center Jo Lual-Acuil (10.8 ppg, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 blocks) is a defensive presence in the middle.
"We make mistakes, and guards drive by us sometimes, and Jo is just there to block shots," Lecomte said.
The Bears, one of three remaining unbeaten Division I teams in the country, aren't putting too much stock into their highest-ever ranking. Baylor's previous high was No. 3 on Jan. 16, 2012.
"All it is is people's opinions," sophomore guard Jake Lindsey said. "The games get settled on the court, where people's opinions really don't matter."
Baylor will remain home to host Oklahoma State (10-3, 0-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday before going on the road to face No. 7 West Virginia (12-2, 1-1) at 6 p.m. CST Tuesday in Morgantown. The Mountaineers were upset on the road by Tech Tuesday night in overtime, 77-76.
