No. 9 WBB Challenges No. 20 Kentucky
11/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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BAYLOR
5-1Ranking: 9 - AP, 9 - Coaches
Last Game: Nov. 25, 2017 win vs. Georgia Tech, 80-57
Head Coach: Kim Mulkey
Career Record: 511-96 (18th season)
BU Record: 511-96 (18th season)
Kentucky
6-0Ranking: 20 - AP, 22 - Coaches
Last Game: Nov. 26, 2017 win vs. Marshall, 69-39
Head Coach: Matthew Mitchell
Career Record: 277-129 (13th season)
UK Record: 247-10 (11th season)
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Even for an elite program like the Baylor Lady Bears, a perennial top-10 team, scheduling can be a tricky thing.
"People think that it's so easy to schedule, but these games are sometimes done years in advance," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, whose ninth-ranked Lady Bears (5-1) will host No. No. 20/22 Kentucky (6-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday and then No. 16/14 Stanford (4-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Ferrell Center.
"Sometimes, you have to project. So, two years from now, who's going to be on my roster? Are we going to be able to handle that kind of competition that early? Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss. I think we can handle whatever comes our way, because I think conference is going to give it to us every night we play."
In the first of back-to-back marquee matchups, the Lady Bears face an undefeated Kentucky team in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Wildcats rolled over Marshall, 69-39, on Sunday after picking up road victories at Montana (71-54) and Washington State (73-68).
"I know they're very athletic. We better get back in transition defense," Mulkey said. "When I think of Kentucky, I think of man-to-man. Doesn't mean that they won't play zone, but (Kentucky coach Matt Mitchell) is just a man-to-man coach."
Mitchell has led the Wildcats to an unprecedented eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including three Elite Eights. He said Thursday's game will be a "good measuring stick to see where we are, win or lose."
"They are extremely talented, always a hard-nosed team, always well-coached," Mitchell said of Baylor. "They have tremendous speed, size and athleticism. This is one of the top teams in the country. For us to have a chance to go down and earn a victory on the road is a great test for our team."
Baylor and Kentucky played four times in a span of two years, splitting the four-game series. Defending national champion Baylor routed the Wildcats, 85-51, on Nov. 13, 2012 in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in Waco.
The next year, Kentucky won a memorable four-overtime thriller at AT&T Stadium, 133-130, but the Lady Bears avenged that loss at the end of the season with a 90-72 win in a Sweet 16 matchup in the Notre Dame Regional.
Three years ago, a young Baylor squad let a 14-point second-half lead slip away in a 74-64 loss in Lexington. The only holdover from that team is senior guard Kristy Wallace, who scored six points but also turned it over five times before fouling out.
"We're excited to be hosting it," Mulkey said. "We went to Kentucky several years ago early in the season, and we didn't win, yet we had a great season after that. So, it's an opportunity to play two quality opponents here in a matter of a few days."
Kentucky features four double-figure scorers, led by guards Marci Morris and Taylor Murray with 15.3 and 13.5 points, respectively, and 6-2 freshman forward Tatyana Wyatt at 13.0. Alyssa Rice, a 6-3 senior center, had a double-double against Marshall and is averaging 9.7 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds.
The Wildcats will have a tough time matching up with Baylor's post combo of 6-foot-7 junior Kalani Brown (24.2 pgg, 10.3 rebounds) and 6-4 sophomore Lauren Cox (17.4 ppg, 10.4 rebounds).
"They're not going to be many teams bigger than us," Mulkey said. "They're not as big as we are, but they certainly match up with us well on the perimeter."
Cox missed Baylor's 82-68 loss at UCLA with complications from her diabetes, but came back to earn all-tournament honors in helping the Lady Bears defeat Missouri State and Georgia Tech at last week's Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas. She was also named the Big 12 Player of the Week, averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds.
"I didn't think it was going to be that serious. I thought it was just (strep throat) that one day and I was going to be fine the next day," Cox said. "But, it was definitely scary. We learned a lot. Everybody around me was very supportive. It sucked that I couldn't be there with my team, but I texted them to fight and do whatever they could."
Cox and Brown have built a quick chemistry on the court, particularly with post-to-post passing, averaging 3.8 and 2.7 assists, respectively.
"I know we didn't get a lot of time on the court together (last year), but during practice Coach went over that scenario that me and her would be together, just in case," said Brown, who was named MVP at the Junkanoo Jam. "I guess you could say we're kind of used to each other, practice-wise, but this year we're actually displaying it in the game."
BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE
The No. 9/9 Baylor Lady Bears host No. 20/22 Kentucky as a part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Thursday, Nov. 30 inside the Ferrell Center at 7 p.m. (CT). Fans should arrive early, as junior center Kalani Brown will be recognized prior to the game for surpassing the 1,000-career point milestone.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch the Lady Bears on television on Fox College Sport (FCS). John Morris (play-by-play) and Jim Haller (analyst) are on the call. Fans can also tune in to Baylor Sports Network, IMG College or ESPN 1660 AM/99.1 FM in Waco. Rick May (play-by-play) and Lori Fogleman (analyst) will call the action.
LADY BEARS SWEEP BIG 12 AWARDS
- Sophomore forward Lauren Cox secured her first Big 12 Player of the Week honor and freshman guard Alexis Morris earned her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week award for their efforts at the Junkanoo Jam.
- Cox, who was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week four times last season, averaged a double-double on the weekend (20.0 points, 13 rebounds).
- Cox set or matched single game career-highs with 16 rebounds, seven blocks, three steals, 10 field goals made, 24 field goal attempts and 38 minutes played.
- Cox, a 2017 Big 12 Sixth Man Award and All-Freshman Team honoree, has recorded three double-doubles in as many games (21 points, 10 rebounds vs Central Arkansas; 18 points, 10 rebounds vs Missouri State; 22 points, 16 rebounds vs. Georgia Tech).
- Cox shot 48.6 points from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and was perfect from the charity stripe.
- Morris averaged 14.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.4 rebounds off the bench in Baylor's 2-0 week.
- Morris set career-highs with 17 points and seven field goals made, while adding four assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes against Missouri State.
- Morris scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and the fourth time this season with 11 points against Georgia Tech in 24 minutes played. She also added two rebounds and two assists.
- Morris shot 58.8 percent from the floor, 66.7 percent from beyond the arc and was perfect from the free throw line.
- The awards are the first weekly conference awards for Baylor. It is the first time the Lady Bears have swept league honors since Feb. 27, 2017, when Kalani Brown and Cox were named Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Freshman of the Week, respectively.
FACTS OF THE CHALLENGE
- Baylor is 1-0 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, claiming a dominant win at No. 22/25 Tennessee, 88-66, on Dec. 4, 2016.
- The 2017 Big 12/SEC Challenge features four days of quality matchups between two of the nation's premier conferences.
- Four of the nation's Top 10 currently in the AP Poll reside in the Big 12 or the SEC: No. 2 Texas, No. 5 South Carolina, No. 6 Mississippi State and No. 9 Baylor.
- The Big 12 and SEC feature two of the nation's Top 3 offenses to date. The Big 12 leads the NCAA with 80.2 points per game, while the SEC is third with 74.6 points per contest.
- The games will provide an NCAA Championship atmosphere during preconference play showcasing the strength and depth of each league.
- Six of the 2017 Challenge contests feature teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the national polls, while two will highlight Top 25 matchups.
- The Big 12 and SEC sent a combined 17 teams to 2017 postseason play, including 14 in the NCAA tournament.
- Since 2000, the SEC and Big 12 are the top two conferences in NCAA Tournament appearances with a combined 232 appearances (SEC -- 119, Big 12 -- 113).
- Current Big 12 and SEC coaches have taken their teams to 135 NCAA Tournaments with 11 appearances in the Women's Final Four and four national championships.
- The Challenge was created in 2014 with two games at a neutral site. 2017 is the second year to feature 10 games at campus sites with each conference hosting five games a year, ensuring fans can participate in creating a dynamic home atmosphere.
- The Challenge will feature the top two conferences in 2017 national home attendance and the only two that averaged over 4,000 fans per game.
SERIES RUNDOWN
- Baylor and Kentucky are tied, 2-2, in the all-time series. Every matchup has come under the direction of head coach Kim Mulkey.
- Baylor is 1-0 when playing the Wildcats in Waco, 0-1 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site games.
- The Lady Bears won the only game played in Waco, 85-51, on Nov. 13, 2012. It was the first meeting between the teams.
- Against SEC teams, Baylor is 95-78 (.549) all-time.
WATCHING THE WILDCATS
- No. 20/22 Kentucky enters the Big 12/SEC Challenge with an undefeated, 6-0, record. Baylor will be the team's first matchup against a ranked opponent.
- The Wildcats return nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad, which advanced to the NCAA Second Round in 2017.
- Kentucky was chosen to finish sixth in the SEC Preseason Poll.
- Junior guard Taylor Murray was named to the All-SEC Second Team.
- The roster, comprised of four freshmen, two sophomores, four juniors, and three seniors, is led by 11th-year head coach Matthew Mitchell.
BACK ON TRACK
- The Lady Bears got back on track in paradise following a tough UCLA road trip, winning the Junkanoo Division of the 2017 Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas.
- Baylor opened the tournament with a 100-58 win against Missouri State. The Lady Bears scored 100-plus points in the first five games of the season for the second year in a row and the third time in program history (1977-78, 2016-17, 2017-18).
- BU bested a physical Georgia Tech squad to claim the team championship, 80-57.
- Junior Kalani Brown (21.5 points per game, 5.0 blocks per game, 78.3 field goal percentage, Tournament MVP) and sophomore Lauren Cox (20.0 points per game, 13.0 rebounds per game, 5.0 blocks per game) were named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament Team for their performance in the two-game stretch.
RECORD BY STARTING LINEUP
- With guard Kristy Wallace, guard Natalie Chou, forward Dekeiya Cohen, forward Lauren Cox and center Kalani Brown starting, Baylor is 5-0.
- With guard Alexis Morris, guard Kristy Wallace, guard Natalie Chou, forward Dekeiya Cohen and center Kalani Brown starting, Baylor is 0-1.
KEEPING IT 100
With its win over Missouri State, the Lady Bears have scored 100 or more points three times in its first five games for the second consecutive season and the third time in program history (1977-78, 2016-17, 2017-18).
NATIONAL AWARDS UPDATE
- Junior Kalani Brown is now in consideration for three national player of the year awards and the nation's top center award, as of Nov. 29.
- The 6-7 center has been named to the 2018 Citizen Player of the Year Watch List (national player of the year), 2018 Wade Trophy Watch List (national player of the year), 2018 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 (national player of the year) and the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List (nation's top center).
- A WBCA All-American and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American in 2017, Brown was tabbed Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Fisrt Team.
- Brown, who leads the nation in field goal percentage (76.6), is third nationally in points per game (24.2) and fourth in field goals made (59). She averages a double-double, leading Baylor in points per game and field goal percentage, and is second in rebounds per game (10.3).
- Sophomore Lauren Cox is in consideration for the 2018 Katrina McClain Award (nation's top power forward), presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the WBCA.
- Cox, who has recorded three double-doubles in a row, is averaging 17.4 points, a team-high 10.4 rebounds and a team-high 3.6 blocks per contest.
- The 2017 Six Man Award recipient and Big 12 All Freshman Team honoree is shooting 55.1 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three-point range.
ATTAINING A MILESTONE
Junior Kalani Brown surpassed the 1,000-career point mark with 33 points at No. 8/7 UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 18. The Slidell, La., native is the 34th player to score 1,000-plus points for Baylor women's basketball and the first to do so since Khadijiah Cave, who graduated last spring and is playing professionally overseas, on March 4, 2017, in the Big 12 Championship opening round win over Texas Tech.
Through 81 career games, Brown has scored 1,066 points, which ranks 29th all-time at Baylor. She is 24 points from passing Gaye Pack (1979-82), who scored 1,089 points in her career and is 28th all-time.
SEEING 20/20
- Against Lamar on Nov. 10, junior All-American Kalani Brown recorded the program's first 20-point, 20-rebound performance since March 26, 2013, when WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner registered 33 points and 22 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
- Brown accomplished the feat with 26 points (11-16 FG, 4-5 FT) and 21 rebounds (5 offensive, 16 defensive) in 32 minutes played.
BIG 12 PRESEASON AWARDS
- For the eighth time in program history and the third year in a row, league coaches selected a Baylor women's basketball player Preseason Player of the Year, junior All-American center Kalani Brown.
- Brown earned WBCA All-American and Associated Press honorable mention All-American accolades in addition to being named unanimously to the All-Big 12 first team in 2017.
- The Slidell, La., native led Baylor in scoring (15.4), rebounding (8.2), shot blocking (2.0) and field goal percentage (.679), despite averaging just 21.4 minutes per game last season.
- Sophomore forward Lauren Cox and senior guard Kristy Wallace were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention team.
- Cox, the reigning Big 12 Sixth Man Award winner, was named to the All-Freshman team after averaging 7.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last year.
- Wallace, who started every game for the Lady Bears last season, led the team in assists (208) and was second in the Big 12 in assists (5.6) and steals (1.3).
THE MULKEY FILE
- In her 18th season, Kim Mulkey has posted an impressive 511-96 (.842) record which ranks No. 2 nationally in winning percentage among active coaches behind Connecticut's Geno Auriemma (.881).
- Kim Mulkey's 36 seasons as a player and coach have resulted in 36 postseason trips, including 35 to NCAA/AIAW Tournaments.
- In 593 of 607 games under Mulkey, the Lady Bears have held their opponent at or below 50 percent field goal shooting with only six of those efforts coming in the last 14 years.
- Mulkey has accounted for 56.5 percent (511) of the program's 905 all-time victories.
HOME SWEET HOME WIN STREAK
- Baylor has won 181 consecutive home games vs. non-ranked opponents, dating back to an April 4, 2003, homecourt loss to Auburn in the WNIT finals. BU is 219-4 (.982) in non-league home games under Kim Mulkey.
- Before its defeat by No. 11/13 Texas, 85-79, on Feb. 6, 2017, Baylor owned a 54-game home win streak overall dating back to March 2, 2014, when it lost to 11th-ranked West Virginia, 71-70.
- The Lady Bears have won 69 of their last 70 home games, and are 280-23 (.924) in Mulkey's tenure in the Ferrell Center.
MILESTONE ON THE HORIZON
Senior guard Kristy Wallace is 113 points away from reaching the 1,000-career points mark. Averaging 7.2 points per game so far this year, she is on track to join the club in 14 games. Only 34 players have scored more than 1,000 points in their Baylor careers, most recently junior Kalani Brown.
POLL RUNDOWN
- Baylor is ranked No. 9 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll.
- Baylor has been ranked in the Top 10 of the USA Today poll for 69 consecutive weeks, including 48 Top 5 rankings.
- The Lady Bears have been included in the AP poll's Top 10 in 57-straight releases.
- Baylor received a No. 3 preseason ranking in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll. The team was included in the preseason Top 5 for the third season in a row and the sixth time overall. The Lady Bears have been represented in the Top 10 in the preseason in eight consecutive seasons.
- The Lady Bears, who received a No. 3 preseason ranking, have been ranked in the preseason Top 5 of the AP Poll in each of the last three years and six seasons overall.
STRONG OFFENSIVE START
- The Lady Bears started the season with back-to-back 100-plus scoring efforts for the first time since 2013-14 and only the second time in program history.
- Baylor opened the season with a 121-point performance against Lamar on Friday, Nov. 10 and turned in a 100-point effort against Coppin State on Sunday, Nov. 12.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
- The Lady Bears have made 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 16 overall. Those appearances have resulted in two national championships (2005, 2012), three Final Fours (2005, 2010, 2012), eight Elite Eights and 12 Sweet Sixteens.
- Baylor has won seven consecutive Big 12 regular season and six of the last seven tournament titles. Overall the program has won eight regular season and eight tournament conference championships, most among all Big 12 programs.
- Baylor is 246-21 (.921) over the past eight seasons, 34-3 in 2010-11, 40-0 in 2011-12, 34-2 in 2012-13, 32-5 in 2013-14, 33-4 in 2014-15, 36-2 in 2015-16, 33-4 in 2016-17, and 5-1 in 2017-18.
- In that same span, BU is 136-8 (.944) in Big 12 play -- 118-7 (.944) in the regular season and 20-1 in Big 12 Tournament play.
- 215 of Baylor's 246 wins since 2010-11 have been by 10 or more points, and only 14 times in that span has its winning margin been five or fewer points (most recently three, 70-67, at No. 6/8 Texas, Feb. 20, 2017).
- In Baylor's last 408 games, only three opponents (Texas, .516; Stanford, .509; West Virginia, .500) have shot 50 percent or above.
- Baylor's current string of holding its opponent to .500 or less from the field is 17 games.
- BU's string is 103-straight games holding its foe to .500 or below from the field was halted by No. 11/13 Texas, which shot .516 for a win on Feb. 6, 2017.
- In the 2012-13 season, the Cardinal broke BU's 217-game streak of holding an opponent to 50 percent or less shooting from the floor.
A CHALLENGING SLATE
- Baylor will face nine programs, Central Arkansas, UCLA, Kentucky, Stanford, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia, that made the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17.
- Nine of those teams were represented in the preseason Top 25 polls, including No. 2/6 Texas, No. 7/8 UCLA, No. 10/9 Stanford, No. 13/15 West Virginia, No. 22/21 Oklahoma, rv/rv Georgia Tech, rv/rv Kansas State, rv/rv Kentucky and rv/nr Oklahoma State.
MULKEY SIGNS TOP RECRUITING CLASS
The Lady Bear 2018 class, comprised of forward Caitlin Bickle (Cave Creek, Ariz.), forward Aquira DeCosta (Sacramento, Calif.), forward Queen Egbo (Houston, Texas), guard Honesty Scott-Grayson (Brick, N.J.) and forward NaLyssa Smith (Converse, Texas), is ranked No. 1 nationally by ESPN Hoopgurlz and Prospects Nation.
Each player owns a five-star rating and is ranked in the Top 30 overall by ESPN Hoopgurlz, solidifying Baylor's most talented class to date. The only other consensus top-ranked class in program history came in 2008-09, when Brittney Griner (No. 1 by ESPN Hoopgurlz), Mariah Chandler (No. 16), Jordan Madden (No. 58), Shanay Washington (No. 64) and Kimetria Hayden (unranked) signed NLIs.
RECORD-SETTING 2016-17 SEASON
- Throughout the course of the 2016-17 season, which saw the Lady Bears win their seventh-straight regular season Big 12 title and reach the NCAA Elite Eight, Baylor set 26 records.
- Against Winthrop on Dec. 15, 2016, the Lady Bears set school records for points (140), field goals made (58), rebounds (75), assists (42), blocks (17), first half points (77), largest half-time lead (59 points) and largest margin of victory (108 points).
- The 140-32 win over Winthrop also broke the NCAA women's basketball record for margin of victory (108 points).
- At Kansas State on Jan. 25, 2017, Baylor broke its ninth school record for largest half time lead in Big 12 play (30 points). With the 91-49 final victory, the Lady Bears handed the Wildcats their worst-ever home loss (42 points).
- Redshirt senior Alexis Jones tallied the program's first-ever points-rebounds-assists triple-double against Oklahoma on Jan. 29, 2017 (24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists).
- Baylor scored 1,533 points in the Big 12 regular season, surpassing Oklahoma's 2001 squad (1,514) as the highest scoring conference regular season.
- In the Big 12 Championships quarterfinal win against Texas Tech, Baylor set a record for double-doubles (3), field goals made (41) and rebounding margin (28, 51-23).
- In the Big 12 Championships semifinal, the Lady Bears saw four records fall. Junior Kristy Wallace distributed a championships and semifinal game record 15 assists. Redshirt senior Alexis Prince set semifinal records with an 87.5 (7-8) field goal percentage and 1.000 (4-4) three-point field goal percentage.
- Baylor also set a Big 12 Championship semifinal record with a 94.1 (16-17) free throw percentage.
- Wallace tied a Big 12 Championships series record with 27 assists in the three-game stretch.
- Baylor set four national and seven program NCAA Tournament records in its first round victory over the No. 16 seed Texas Southern.
- The Lady Bears set NCAA Tournament records for points in a game (119 -- regulation only, not overtime), margin of victory (89 points), rebounding margin (+41) and lowest opponent field goal percentage (13.8 percent).
- Baylor bested its previous NCAA Tournament point total of 91 (vs. Illinois State on March 19, 2005; vs. Florida on March 22, 2004) with 119 points.
- The Lady Bears pulled down 60 rebounds, four more than their previous record of 56 in an NCAA Tournament game (vs. Florida State on March 26, 2013).
- Baylor dished out 35 assists for another NCAA Tournament school record, topping its previous high of 27 (vs. Idaho on March 18, 2016).
- The Lady Bears shot a blistering 63.2 (48-76) percent from the floor to set new program records for field goal percentage (previously 58.9 percent (33-56) vs. Green Bay on March 27, 2011), field goals made (previously 37 vs. Idaho on March 18, 2016) and field goal attempts (previously 74 vs. Idaho on March 18, 2016; vs. Maryland on March 25, 2006) in an NCAA Tournament game.
- Baylor matched its school record with nine made three-point field goals against the Lady Tigers. This has happened four times for the Lady Bears in NCAA Tournament games.
- Baylor set a NCAA Tournament record through three games for margin of victory, besting opponents by a combined 163 points.
UP NEXT
Baylor hosts No. 16/14 Stanford on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. (CT). The Cardinal made the 2017 Final Four and are led by Hall of Fame head coach Tara VanDerveer.
Fans are encouraged to bring new, stuffed animal bears with them to the game to participate in the team's 12th annual Care Bear Drive and participate in the `Teddy Bear Toss' at halftime. All bears will be hand-delivered to patients at the McLane Children's Hospital during the holiday season by Baylor student-athletes.
