Feb. 12, 2017  | | MEDIA INFORMATION | | Date | Monday, Feb. 13 | 6:01 p.m. CT | | Location | Lubbock, Texas |
United Supermarkets Arena (15,000) | | Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online | | TV | ESPNU and WatchESPN | | TV Talent | Brendan Fitzgerald, Paul Biancardi
| | Mobile Radio | Sirius 83, XM 199, Internet 953, TuneIn
| | BU Radio | Listen Online | | BU Talent | John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (color) | | Stats | | | Game Notes | Baylor | Texas Tech
| | Social Media | @BaylorMBB | #SicTech | #Big12MBB
| BAYLOR BEARS
| | Record | 22-3, 9-3 | | Ranking | 6th (AP), 8th (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Scott Drew
| | Career: 292-186 (15th season)
| | BU Record: 272-175 (14th season)
| TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
| | Record | 16-9, 4-8
| | Ranking | NR (AP), NR (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Chris Beard
| | Career: 46-14 (2nd season)
| | TTU Record: 16-9 (1st season)
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Back on the right track after wins over Oklahoma State and TCU, the No. 6/8 Baylor Bears (21-3, 9-3) face another road test with a matchup against Texas Tech (16-9, 4-8) at 6 p.m. Monday at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders have been particularly tough at home, winning 14 of their first 15 before Saturday's 80-79 heartbreaking loss to third-ranked Kansas. Tech rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit and led by two with under three minutes to play, but freshman Josh Jackson scored the Jayhawks'last five points and hit a free throw with 2.8 seconds left.
`We probably outplayed them 28 to 30 minutes out of the 40, but that doesn't matter. It's all about the final scoreboard," first-year Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "I liked our guys before tonight, and I still like them. There is no question that we are a better team than we were a couple weeks ago when Oklahoma State hammered us at home (83-64). Just in this league, it is so brutal."
Tech bounced back from its only previous home-court loss to be much more competitive in a road game at Baylor, falling 65-61. The Red Raiders held the Bears to season lows for field goals made (17) and field goal percentage (35.4) in that game, but Baylor pulled it out by hitting 26-of-28 from the foul line.
"That's about all we could make," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team rebounded from back-to-back losses to Kansas and Kansas State with a 72-69 road win at Oklahoma State and Saturday's 70-52 blowout of TCU at the Ferrell Center. "(We) really didn't shoot it well at all, turned it over too much, but we defended, we rebounded and we made free throws."
After a rough patch offensively, the Bears have clicked the last two games, hitting 54 percent against OSU and 53.6 percent in the win over TCU. Junior forward Johnathan Motley (16.9 ppg, 9.7 rebounds) was particularly dominant in Saturday's game, hitting 12-of-15 from the floor and scoring a game-high 25 points.
"I made sure I was aggressive and made sure I was finishing at the rim," Motley said. "I took my teammates' passes and did a good job of finishing to give those guys assists."
Junior guard Manu Lecomte had 17 in the win over TCU and is the Bears' only other double-digit scorer, averaging 12.6 points and 4.2 assists. Sophomore guard King McClure, though, has started the last two games with junior Al Freeman suspended and has responded with 11.5 points per game.
Before Saturday's game, Drew said Freeman's suspension for violation of team policy is still "day-to-day."
Tech's balanced attack is led by 6-3 junior guard Keenan Evans (14.4 ppg, 3.1 assists), 6-8 junior forward Zach Smith (13.0 ppg, 7.8 rebounds) and 6-8 senior forwards Anthony Livingston (11.5 ppg) and Aaron Ross (10.2 ppg). "We know Coach Beard has done a great job and they've been very successful all year," Drew said. "Their numbers are tremendous. We squeaked one out here at home, and last year they thumped us at home and we had a buzzer beater (in Lubbock). So, it will be another Big 12 game. If we play really hard and really well, we'll have a chance down the stretch." While it's a quick turnaround from Saturday's game, McClure said the Bears will "hydrate and stretch and do all the things necessary in order to bring our best effort in Lubbock. We'll be ready." In Saturday's initial bracket reveal from the NCAA Tournament selection committee, Baylor was seeded third overall behind Villanova and Kansas and the No. 1 seed for the South Region in Memphis, Tenn. The Bears will host Kansas (22-3, 10-2), with a chance to grab a share of the Big 12 lead, at noon Saturday in a game that's already sold out.
STORY LINES
- No. 6 Baylor looks for its 23rd win of the season when it faces Texas Tech in Lubbock at 6 p.m. Monday.
- Monday is the 134th series meeting -- BU is 56-77 all-time vs. Tech, including 18-46 in Lubbock.
- Baylor has won 17 of its last 22 games vs. Texas Tech and is 17-10 vs. Tech in the Drew era.
- Baylor is 6-1 against Texas Tech in Lubbock since 2010 after going 12-45 in its previous trips.
- Baylor won 65-61 when the teams met in Waco on Jan. 25 this season. BU shot only 35%, but the Bears made 26-of-28 free throws to make up for Tech making 7 more field goals than the Bears (24-17).
- Johnathan Motley had 25 points, including 15-of-16 at the foul line, to lead Baylor past Tech.
- Ishmail Wainright blocked Keenan Evans' potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining.
- Baylor was the No. 3 overall seed (No. 1 in South) in Saturday's CBS Early Bracket Reveal.
- A win vs. Tech would improve BU to 23-3, the 2nd-best record through 26 games in school history.
- A win would also give Baylor a 10-3 record in Big 12 play, its best-ever record through 13 Big 12 games.
- With one more win Baylor would tie its 9th-most wins in a season in program history and mark the 5th time Baylor has reached double-digit wins in Big 12 play (12 in 2012, 11 in 2010 and 2015, 10 in 2016).
- BU has reached the 20-win mark for a school-record 6th straight season and 9th time in the last 10 years.
- Baylor is No. 1 nationally in RPI and is the nation's only team with 10 RPI top-50 wins.
- Baylor has been top-10 ranked for 11 consecutive AP Top 25 polls, including 8 weeks in the top-5.
- Baylor has faced a second-half deficit and come back to win in 10 games this season.
- BU is 7-2 when trailing at half and averages a +11.0 scoring margin in 2nd halves of those games.
- BU is 44-5 over the last two seasons when it takes the lead at any point in the 2nd half of a game.
- Baylor's defense is holding teams to 62.9 ppg in Big 12 play, which leads the league by 9.0 ppg.
- BU leads the league in FG% defense (40%) and rebounding margin (+8.1) in Big 12 play.
- Baylor's defense this season has been its best of the Drew era -- BU ranks 6th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency -- Drew's best previous defense was ranked No. 23 nationally in 2014-15.
- Baylor's defense ranks 9th nationally in effective field goal percentage defense (44.2), 12th in 2-point FG defense (43.0), 21st in 3-point FG defense (30.9) and 23rd in block percentage (14.0).
- BU is top-25 in scoring defense (8th, 61.4), rebound margin (11th, +8.0) and scoring margin (21st, +12.4).
- BU opponents average 18.5 seconds per possession, 5th-longest nationally according to KenPom.com.
- BU is 18-15 in Big 12 road games since 2014 and 27-24 since 2012, both trailing only Kansas.
- Baylor is 5-2 vs. AP Top 25-ranked teams and 3-2 vs. AP Top 10 teams this season (wins vs. No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 7 Xavier and at No. 25 Kansas State).
- Baylor is 147-59 since 2011-12, the 2nd-most wins in the Big 12 behind Kansas (170-40) in that span.
- Drew is 238-106 since 2007-08, the first year he had a full allotment of scholarships.
- Baylor is 92-74 in Big 12 play since 2008 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 seasons.
- Motley is on the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, Naismith Top 30, Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 19) and is 1 of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award.
QUICK HITS
- BU has won 22+ games every year since 2012, one of 19 teams to make that claim entering 2016-17.
- Head coach Scott Drew is in his 14th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (272).
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (115-14).
- BU has won 42% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 32-45 in those.
- The Bears have defeated three top-10 teams in a season for the first time in program history.
- Baylor climbed to No. 1 in the Jan. 9 AP Top 25, marking the first No. 1 ranking in program history.
- BU's climb from unranked in week 1 to No. 1 in week 9 was the fastest by any team in AP Top 20/25 history.
- BU is one of four teams to reach the No. 1 spot after being unranked in the AP preseason top 20/25.
- BU received 55 first-place votes in the Jan. 9 AP poll and has notched 92 first-place votes in AP polls this season.
- Prior to this season, the Bears had only received one first-place vote since the first AP poll in 1949.
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- Baylor is 47-27 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 12-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
- 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.
- 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 825 straight games.
- BU did not receive any preseason poll votes for the first time since 2009-10.
BEST STARTS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- Baylor's 22-3 overall record is its second-best record through 25 games (23-2 in 1945-46) and its 9-3 Big 12 record is the best in program history through the first 12 Big 12 games.
- Baylor's 22 wins are tied for 10th-most in program history, and the 9 Big 12 wins are tied for 5th-most.
- With a win vs. Tech, BU would reach double-digit Big 12 wins faster than any season in program history.
- A win vs. Tech would tie the 9th-most wins in program history and tie the 4th-most Big 12 wins.
- BU's 15-game winning streak to start the year was the second-longest in school history (record is 17 in 2011-12).
FIVE WINS OVER AP TOP 25 TEAMS
- Baylor is 5-2 vs. ranked teams this season (wins vs. No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 7 Xavier and at No. 25 Kansas State; losses at No. 10 West Virginia and at No. 3 Kansas).
- Baylor has won at least five games vs. APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 teams in each of the last four seasons.
- BU's 5 wins over ranked teams this year ties the 2nd-most in program history (7 in 2015; 5 in 2014 and 2016).
- Baylor has gone 17-16 against ranked teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
- BU is 36-56 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
- Monday is the 134th all-time series meeting dating back to 1937.
- Baylor is 56-77 in the series, including a 35-27 mark in Waco and a 16-10 mark in the Drew era.
- Baylor is 17-5 vs. Texas Tech since March 2006 and has won 6 of its last 7 games in Lubbock.
- Monday will be the 12th time in the last 18 series meetings that Baylor enters the game ranked.
SECOND-HALF TEAM
- BU has out-scored teams by 4.1 ppg in first halves (856-753) and 8.3 ppg in second halves (989-781).
- Baylor has trailed at halftime nine times this season (VCU by 8, Michigan State by 3, Louisville by 15, Xavier by 3, OSU by 5, at WVU by 7, at TCU by 2, at Ole Miss by 7, vs. K-State by 15), but BU is 7-2 in those games.
- Baylor averages a +11.0 scoring margin in second halves of the nine games it has trailed at halftime.
- In the seven wins, BU's defense has allowed 34.6 first-half points and 26.9 second-half points.
- BU has out-scored opponents by 9+ points in second halves in all 7 of those wins -- VCU 43-27, Michigan State 43-25, Louisville 42-24, Xavier 45-27, Oklahoma State 36-27, TCU 36-25 and Ole Miss 43-33.
OVERCOMING SECOND-HALF DEFICITS
- Ten times this season Baylor has faced a second-half deficit and come back to win.
- BU is 44-5 over the last two seasons when it takes a lead at any point in the second half of a game.
- The Bears overcame second-half deficits against FGCU (3), vs. VCU (8), vs. Michigan State (3), vs. Louisville (20), Xavier (9), Iowa State (6), Oklahoma State (7) at K-State (2), at TCU (2) and at Ole Miss (10).
THIS SEASON VS. TEXAS TECH
- Baylor shot a season-low 35% and made seven fewer field goals (17) than Texas Tech (24), but the Bears posted the 9th-best free throw performance in program history (93%, 26-of-28) on their way to a 65-61 win on Jan. 25.
- BU won despite making seven fewer field goals (24-17) and getting out-scored 32-18 in the paint.
- Tech tied the game at 37-37 with 18 minutes left, but BU scored the next 5 points and led the rest of the way.
- Ishmail Wainright blocked a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 2 seconds left and BU leading 63-61.
- Johnathan Motley made 15-of-16 free throws on his way to game-highs of 25 points and 9 rebounds.
LAST SEASON VS. TEXAS TECH
- Baylor and Tech split the season series with the road team winning both games.
- BU beat Tech 63-60 in Lubbock on Jan. 16 with Lester Medford's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
- The Bears built an 11-point first-half lead, but Tech led 51-50 with 5 minutes left.
- Al Freeman had a team-high 14 points, while Terry Maston added 12 points in 26 minutes off the bench.
- Tech won 84-66 in Waco on Feb. 13, scoring 51 points on 67% shooting (16-24) in the second half.
- The game was tied 36-36 with 17 minutes left, but Tech went on a 10-0 run and led by at least 7 the rest of the way.
- Johnathan Motley had 10 points in just 13 minutes off the bench and King McClure added 4 steals in 18 minutes.
A WIN WOULD ...
- Give Baylor its 2nd-best record through 26 games at 23-3 -- BU's best was 24-2 in 1945-46.
- Give Baylor its best-ever record through 13 Big 12 games at 10-3 -- BU's previous best was 9-4 in 2011-12.
- Be Baylor's 23rd win of the season, tying the 9th-most in program history.
- Be the fastest Baylor has reached 10 Big 12 wins (13 games), tying the 4th-most Big 12 wins in BU history.
- Improve Baylor's record against Tech to 57-77 all-time, including a 19-46 mark in Lubbock.
- Be Baylor's 18th win in its last 23 games against Texas Tech and its 7th in its last 8 trips to Lubbock.
- Give Baylor a 239-106 record since 2007-08, Drew's first year with a full allotment of scholarships.
- Make Baylor 148-59 since 2011-12, the Big 12's second-most wins in that span behind only Kansas (170).
- Be Ishmail Wainright's 87th career win, tying LaceDarius Dunn for 6th-most in program history. It would also be Wainright's 35th Big 12 win, tying Quincy Acy and Taurean Prince for 4th-most in program history.
- Improve Baylor's record to 95-37 during Wainright's four-year career, tying Rico Gathers and Prince for 4th-most wins in a 4-year career.
MOTLEY JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
- Johnathan Motley became the 31st player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark Wednesday at OSU.
- Motley became the 13th player of the Drew era to reach the milestone, joining LaceDarius Dunn, Curtis Jerrells, Tweety Carter, Kevin Rogers, Quincy Acy, Aaron Bruce, Taurean Prince, Pierre Jackson, Henry Dugat, Rico Gathers, Cory Jefferson and Brady Heslip.
- Motley (1,046 points) is tied with Winston Moore for 28th on Baylor's all-time scoring list. Next up are Jerry Mallett (1,053), Arthur Edwards (1,062) and Roddrick Miller (1,094).
- Motley needs 50 rebounds to become the first BU player with 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 assists.
MOTLEY AN ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE
- Johnathan Motley has a chance to become the third player in program history to be named AP first or second-team All-American, joining Vinnie Johnson (2nd team, 1979) and Terry Teagle (2nd team, 1982).
- Motley is on the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, Naismith Trophy Top 30, Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 19) and is 1 of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award. He's also on the Lute Olson Award watch list.
- Motley currently ranks 3rd in KenPom.com's National Player of the Year standings, trailing only Villanova's Josh Hart and Purdue's Caleb Swanigan. He's also No. 1 on the Big 12 Conference all-KenPom.com team.
NO. 1 SEED IN FIRST EARLY BRACKET REVEAL
- Baylor was the nation's No. 3 overall seed (No. 1 in South Region) in Saturday's CBS Early Bracket Reveal.
- Villanova (No. 1 overall), Kansas (No. 2) and Gonzaga (No. 4) were the other No. 1 seeds.
- The South Region consisted of No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Butler.
- Sixteen teams listed: 1. Villanova, 2. Kansas, 3. Baylor, 4. Gonzaga, 5. North Carolina, 6. Florida State, 7. Louisville, 8. Oregon, 9. Arizona, 10. Virginia, 11. Florida, 12. Kentucky, 13. Butler, 14. West Virginia, 15. UCLA, 16. Duke.
BEST DEFENSE OF DREW ERA
- Baylor's defense is holding opponents to 62.9 points per game in Big 12 play, which leads the league by 9.0 ppg. That margin is greater than the 6.3 ppg difference between No. 2 (TTU/TCU, 71.9) and No. 10 (OSU, 78.2) in the league.
- BU is No. 6 in adjusted defensive efficiency as of Feb. 12. Its best previous defense under Drew was No. 23 in 2015.
- The Bears have been top-100 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in seven straight seasons.
- 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.
- The Bears were No. 64 in 2013, No. 70 in 2014, No. 79 in 2011 and No. 84 in 2016.
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. 24 in adjusted offensive efficiency as of Feb. 12.
- 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.
GAME CONTROL
- Baylor has led for at least 16 minutes of game time in 20 of 25 games this season.
- The only games BU didn't lead for 16+ minutes were vs. Louisville (win), at West Virginia (loss), at Ole Miss (win), at Kansas (loss) and vs. Kansas State (loss). Baylor has led for 32+ minutes in 13 of its 22 wins.
- Baylor has led for 66% of game time season (656:00 of 1000:00).
- The Bears have trailed for only 28% of game time (281:17 of 1000:00) and been tied for 6% (62:43 of 1000:00).
BEARS IN AP POLL THIS SEASON
- Baylor went from receiving no votes in the week 1 AP poll to No. 4 nationally just three weeks later on Dec. 5.
- BU has been top-10 ranked for 11 consecutive weeks, including eight weeks in the top-5.
- Prior to this season, BU had been top-10 ranked in 20 weekly polls in program history, all during 2010-11, 2011-12 (13 straight weeks) and 2013-14.
- Baylor has now been ranked in each of the last 10 seasons -- one of 13 teams nationally to make that claim.
FASTEST CLIMB FROM UNRANKED TO NO. 1 IN AP POLL HISTORY
- Baylor's climb from unranked in the week 1 AP poll to No. 1 in week 9 was the fastest by any team in AP Top 20/25 history (excludes 1961-68, when only 10 teams were ranked in weekly polls).
- Only two other teams have gone from unranked in the week 1 AP Top 20/25 to No. 1 -- 2009-10 Syracuse climbed to the top spot in week 16, and 1978-79 Indiana State claimed No. 1 in week 14.
- BU is one of four teams to go from unranked in the preseason AP Top 20/25 to the No. 1 spot -- 1978-79 Indiana State, 1989-90 Kansas and 2009-10 Syracuse also accomplished the feat. Additionally, 1963-64 UCLA and 1965-66 Kentucky went from preseason unranked to No. 1, but only 10 teams were listed in those preseason polls.
- Prior to this season, Baylor had received only one first-place vote in school history (2011-12 week 11 poll).
EXPERIENCED DESPITE ONLY ONE SENIOR
- Baylor has only one senior on this year's roster, but BU's top nine in minutes per game are all 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).
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. BU is 115-14 when leading at the break in that stretch (15-1 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 42% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 32-45 in those.
- BU has led at halftime in 129 of 206 games over the last six seasons, and BU is 147-59 since 2011-12.
RACKING UP BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARDS
- Baylor players have been recognized with Big 12 weekly awards a total of seven times in the first 11 weeks.
- Johnathan Motley (11/28, 1/9, 1/23) and Manu Lecomte (12/5) have earned Big 12 Player of the Week recognition, with Motley's three awards tying the Baylor record for most in a season.
- Lecomte (11/14 & 1/3) and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (12/19) have earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
- Motley now has a school-record four career Big 12 Player of the Week honors (first on 2/22/16 last season).
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.
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 18-15 in Big 12 road games since 2014, trailing only Kansas (20-13).
- BU is 27-24 in Big 12 road games since 2012, trailing only Kansas (33-18).
- Big 12 road teams are a combined 24-36 in conference play this season (thru 2/12).
SECOND-MOST WINS AMONG BIG 12 TEAMS SINCE 2011-12
- Baylor's 147-59 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (170-40) among Big 12 teams (thru 2/12/17).
- Iowa State (138-61) is 3rd, West Virginia (120-73) is 4th, Oklahoma (120-74) is 5th, Kansas State (117-74) is 6th, Texas (111-85) is 7th, Oklahoma State (106-83) is 8th, TCU (85-103) is 9th and Texas Tech (81-102) is 10th.
- Baylor has averaged 25 wins per season over the last 5 years.
BEST IN TEXAS
- Baylor is 48-8 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2011-12 season, and the Bears have advanced deeper into postseason play than any of Texas' 21 Division I team in four of the last five seasons.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € is a combined 62-12 against Lone Star State teams over the last seven seasons after going 10-27 against in-state teams in Scott Drew's first six seasons at Baylor (6-0 in 2016-17, 9-3 in 2015-16, 10-1 in 2014-15, 6-3 in 2013-14, 7-1 in 2012-13, 10-0 in 2011-12, 5-3 in 2010-11 and 9-1 in 2009-10).
- Additionally, six of the nine NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks fromà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Texas colleges since 2012 have come from Baylor. North Texas, Texas and Texas A&Mà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € have each had one player selected in the last five NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Drafts.
FIFTH STRAIGHT SEASON SWEEP OF TCU
- Baylor swept the season series over TCU for a 5th straight year with a 70-52 win on Feb. 11 in Waco.
- Johnathan Motley had 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting, while Manu Lecomte added 17 points and King McClure contributed 13 points, as the Bears shot 54% for the game, including 57% in the second half.
- Baylor held TCU to 17 points in the first half, tying a season-low for a Baylor opponent, on 23% shooting.
TWO-GAME SKID ENDS WITH WIN AT OKLAHOMA STATE
- Baylor built a 4-point halftime lead and extended it to 13 points with 4 minutes remaining, but the Bears had to fight off a furious OSU rally that cut the deficit to 1 point before BU came out on top 72-69 in Stillwater on Feb. 8.
- Jo Lual-Acuil blocked a potential go-ahead shot with 26 seconds left, and Manu Lecomte's free throws sealed the win.
- Johnathan Motley reached the 1,000-point mark and had his 7th career 20-10 game with 24 points and 11 boards.
- King McClure and Jake Lindsey had 10 points apiece while filling in for shooting guard Al Freeman.
LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT VS. KANSAS STATE
- Baylor missed two shots that would've tied the game in the final seconds and fell 56-54 against K-State on Feb. 4.
- The Bears trailed by as many as 19 points (37-18 with 3 minutes left in 1st half), and were behind 46-28 with 11 minutes remaining, then went on a 26-10 run that came up just short, as BU missed jumpers in the final 3 seconds.
- Johnathan Motley posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, but was the only BU player in double-figures.
TOUGH LOSS AT NO. 3 KANSAS
- Baylor built a 34-28 halftime lead and had a 56-55 lead with 6:30 remaining at Kansas, but KU converted on 20-of-27 free throws, while the Bears made only 4-of-6 in a 73-68 loss in Lawrence on Feb. 1.
- Baylor made 6 more field goals than KU (28-22), and both teams committed 15 turnovers, but KU turned those turnovers into 23 points, while Baylor had only 8 points off turnovers.
- Johnathan Motley had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Manu Lecomte had 16 points and 4 assists and Terry Maston added 14 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
STILL PERFECT IN BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE AFTER WIN AT OLE MISS
- Baylor improved to 4-0 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge with a 78-75 win at Ole Miss on Jan. 28.
- Ole Miss led by 15 points early and had a 52-42 lead with 14:30 left, but BU went on a 12-2 run to tie it up and made clutch shots down the stretch, including 3-pointers from Jake Lindsey and Manu Lecomte in the final 2:15.
- BU overcame a 7-point halftime deficit by holding Ole Miss to 35% (8-of-23) shooting in the second half.
- Lecomte led BU with 17 points, while Johnathan Motley and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 16 points apiece.
HARD-FOUGHT WIN OVER TEXAS TECH
- Baylor shot a season-low 35% and made seven fewer field goals (17) than Texas Tech (24), but the Bears posted the 9th-best free throw performance in program history (93%, 26-of-28) on their way to a 65-61 win on Jan. 25.
- BU won despite making seven fewer field goals (24-17) and getting out-scored 32-18 in the paint.
- Tech tied the game at 37-37 with 18 minutes left, but BU scored the next 5 points and led the rest of the way.
- Ishmail Wainright blocked a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 2 seconds left and BU leading 63-61.
- Johnathan Motley made 15-of-16 free throws on his way to game-highs of 25 points and 9 rebounds.
VICTORIES AFTER 16 LEAD CHANGES AT TCU
- Baylor faced a 28-26 halftime deficit at TCU on Jan. 21, and despite 13 second-half lead changes, BU won 62-53.
- There were 16 lead changes in the game, the last of which came when Ishmail Wainright hit a 3-pointer with 4:16 left to give BU a 50-48 lead. That started a 15-5 run, as BU held TCU to 1-of-8 shooting in the last 5 minutes.
- The Bears won despite shooting 43% from the field (23-of-54), their lowest field goal percentage of the season, by holding TCU to 29% shooting (17-of-58), including 25% in the second half (7-of-28).
MOTLEY GOES OFF IN WIN OVER TEXAS
- Johnathan Motley posted 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 74-64 win over Texas on Jan. 17. The Bears led by 21 points with 6 minutes left before UT closed the gap to 10 with a 17-6 run the rest of the way.
- It was the first 30-20 game in Big 12 play since Oklahoma's Blake Griffin in 2009, and Motley joined Griffin, Kevin Durant (Texas) and Mario Boggan (Oklahoma State) as the only players to post 30-20 games in Big 12 play.
- Nuni Omot also had a breakout game with 14 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
BOUNCE-BACK WIN AT NO. 25 KANSAS STATE
- Baylor rebounded from its first loss of the season by winning at No. 25 Kansas State, 77-68, on Jan. 14.
- BU trailed 47-45 with 10 minutes left, then went on an 8-0 run and led by at least 5 points the rest of the way.
- BU out-rebounded K-State 37-24 and earned an 18-5 advantage in 2nd-chance points.
- Manu Lecomte scored a career-high 26 points, while Ishmail Wainright added a career-high 15 points and Al Freeman contributed 15 points and a career-high 5 assists.
FIRST LOSS OF SEASON AT NO. 10 WEST VIRGINIA
- Baylor suffered its first loss of the season at No. 10 West Virginia on Jan. 10.
- The Bears committed 29 turnovers, tied for fourth-most in program history and most since Nov. 30, 1999.
- Seven BU players committed 3 or more turnovers, and only Jake Lindsey (3a/3t) had a 1.0 or better A-T ratio.
- Despite out-rebounding WVU 41-32, the Bears attempted 13 fewer shots than the Mountaineers.
- Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had team-highs of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
BU OVERCOMES SEVEN-POINT SECOND-HALF DEFICIT TO BEAT OSU
- Baylor overcame a 38-31 deficit with 15:48 remaining to knock off Oklahoma State on Jan 7.
- The Bears trailed 30-25 at the break, but Johnathan Motley scored six straight to put BU in front 31-30.
- Al Freeman's free throws with 6:29 remaining put the Bears in front for good.
RALLY FROM SIX DOWN WITH FIVE MINUTES LEFT TO BEAT ISU
- Baylor trailed Iowa State 61-55 with five minutes remaining on Jan. 4. It was only the second time this season BU faced a deficit of more than 3 points in a home game (trailed by 9 points vs. Xavier).
- The Bears out-scored ISU 10-2 over the final five minutes, allowing only one field goal on eight ISU possessions.
- Manu Lecomte shook off a 2-for-9 shooting night and made a game-winning runner with 8.6 seconds left.
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.
BU KNOCKS OFF NO. 7 XAVIER FOR THIRD TOP-10 WIN OF SEASON
- 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.
HUGE COMEBACK VS. NO. 10 LOUISVILLE TO CLAIM 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.
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.
SEVENTEEN-POINT 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.
DREW ERA HIGHLIGHTS
- Drew is coaching his 448th game at Baylor (272-175). His .609 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 35+ games, and he's the program's all-time wins leader.
- Baylor has a .692 winning percentage (238-106) 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, 26 players have gone on to professional careers.
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.
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.
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 238-106 (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 nine 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 12 times (nine under Drew) in the program's first 111 seasons.
TWENTY-SIX PRO PLAYERS IN DREW ERA
- In Scott Drew's first 13 years at Baylor, 26 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.
- Additionally, Isaiah Austin recently signed to play in Serbia, and Pierre Jackson made his NBA debut with Dallas.
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.
SIX STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
- Baylor has won 20+ games in a school-record six consecutive seasons and in nine of the last 10 years. The Bears had just three 20-win seasons in the program's first 101 years (1907-2007).
- Baylor has topped 22 wins in all six seasons from 2011-12 to 2016-17. BU entered this season as one of only 19 teams nationally to record 22+ wins in all five seasons since 2011-12.
RANKED IN 10 STRAIGHT SEASONS
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- 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, No. 13 in 2015-16 and No. 1 in 2016-17.
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.
- All seven starting point guards in the Drew era are currently playing professionally.
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.
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).
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 and the TuneIn App.
- 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
- The Bears return home to host Kansas at noon CT Saturday on CBS. That game is already sold out.
- Three of Baylor's final five regular-season games are at home. Following the KU game, BU hosts Oklahoma on Feb. 21 and West Virginia on Feb. 27. The Bears play road games at Iowa State (Feb. 25) and at Texas (March 4).
