Feb. 7, 2017  | | MEDIA INFORMATION | | Date | Wednesday, Feb. 8 | 6:00 p.m. CT | | Location | Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) | | Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online | | TV | ESPNU and WatchESPN | | TV Talent | Clay Matvick (pxp), Tim Welsh (analyst)
| | Mobile Radio | Sirius 81, XM 81, Internet 81, TuneIn App
| | BU Radio | Listen Online | | BU Talent | John Morris (pxp), David Kaye (color) | | Stats | Live Stats | | Game Notes | Baylor | Oklahoma State
| | Social Media | @BaylorMBB | #SicOSU | #Big12MBB
| BAYLOR BEARS
| | Record | 20-3, 7-3 | | Ranking | 6th (AP), 8th (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Scott Drew
| | Career: 290-186 (15th season)
| | BU Record: 270-175 (14th season)
| | OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS | | Record | 15-8, 4-6
| | Ranking | RV (AP), RV (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Brad Underwood | | Career: 104-22 (4th season)
| | OSU Record: 15-8 (1st season)
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
During an hour flight to Stillwater, Okla., and Tuesday night's shoot-around at Gallagher-Iba Arena, the sixth-ranked Baylor Bears (20-3, 7-3) didn't look like a team on a two-game losing streak.
"We keep it pretty lighthearted around the locker room," sophomore guard Jake Lindsey said. "We joke around a lot and everything. Losing sucks, but we know how to learn from it, and that's a big part of this group. . . . We've been through some ups and downs, we've won and lost big games. We feel like we know how to respond."
After Saturday's 56-54 home loss to Kansas State, the road doesn't get any easier. The Bears go on the road to face the Big 12's hottest team, Oklahoma State, in Wednesday's 6 p.m. game at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys (15-8, 4-6) opened conference play with six straight losses under first-year head coach Brad Underwood, but they've bounced back to string together four straight wins in the league and five overall coming into Wednesday's matchup.
"Coach Underwood does a great job, and I think they're starting to have good chemistry as far as what he wants and how they're playing under him," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "(They're) definitely the hottest team in conference. They've won five in a row and look really good."
On a day when the league's three ranked teams all lost on their home courts, OSU got a huge 85-78 win at then-No. 7 West Virginia. Jeffrey Carroll had 20 points, Jawun Evans 18 and Phil Forte 13, going 4-for-4 from the foul line in the last minute to seal it.
"Phil's our leader," Underwood said. "He'd been on a roll and been playing extremely well, and then he does exactly what a senior does. It's because of his leadership, a big part of the reason we're turning this thing around."
Evans (18.3 ppg, 5.4 assists) and Carroll (17.3 ppg, 7.1 rebounds) are two of the leading scorers in the league, but the 5-11 Forte (13.9 ppg) is the undisputed senior leader. He hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in a 68-66 Bedlam win over Oklahoma last Monday.
"Coming into the season, you knew they had some talent with Phil Forte, the school's all-time leading 3-point shooter, (and) Jawun Evans, a projected first-round draft choice," Drew said. "When you start with that kind of backcourt, that's going to help. And then Jeffrey Carroll has been the most improved (player) in the league, possibly."
Baylor used a 61-57 win over Oklahoma State last month to vault to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in program history. The Cowboys won the rebounding battle, 35-30, but shot just 34.5 percent from the field, with Evans and 6-8 forward Leyton Hammonds hitting a combined 5-for-25.
Drew credits a change in OSU's defensive scheme for the turnaround since then.
"They've adjusted from more denial and pressure to more of a gap defense," Drew said. "They've been really good defensively and have done a great job rebounding and controlling the glass. They beat us up on the glass the last time we faced them."
The Bears will need big games from their inside duo of 6-10 junior forward Johnathan Motley (16.2 ppg, 9.8 rebounds) and 7-0 junior center Jo Lual-Acuil (9.9 ppg, 7.1 reobunds, 2.7 blocks). Motley had 13 points and 10 boards in the first meeting, but Lual-Acuil had just six points and one rebound with three turnovers in 27 minutes.
Baylor also has to start fast. K-State took a 19-point first-half lead in Saturday's game and was still up by 16 with under nine minutes to play before a furious rally by the Bears came up just short.
"You have to play well to give yourself a chance to win in this league," Drew said. "Especially on the road against the hottest team, we're going to have to come out clicking on all cylinders. I think the guys are excited to get back to play and obviously performing better than we did in the last game."
Wednesday's game will be televised by ESPNU, with Clay Matvick and Tim Welsh on the call.
Sandwiched between road trips to Oklahoma State and Monday's game at Texas Tech, the Bears will host TCU (17-7, 6-5) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Horned Frogs trailed for most of the game before beating Tech, 62-61, Tuesday night on Alex Robinson's free throw with 1.4 seconds left.
STORY LINES;
- No. 6 Baylor looks to snap a 2-game losing streak Wednesday night at Oklahoma State.
- Wednesday is the 80th series meeting. OSU leads the series 54-25, including 26-6 in Stillwater.
- BU is 13-8 vs. OSU since March 2007, and the Bears swept the season series last year.
- Baylor has more wins in its last 21 games vs. OSU (13) than its previous 58 games in the series (12).
- Baylor is looking to win 4 straight against OSU for the first time in series history.
- A win vs. OSU would tie the 2011-12 season as Baylor's best 24-game record in program history (21-3).
- A win would also tie Baylor's best-ever record through 11 Big 12 Conference games (8-3).
- BU has reached the 20-win mark for a school-record 6th straight season and 9th time in the last 10 years.
- Despite consecutive losses, Baylor remains No. 1 in RPI. The Bears have 9 top-50 RPI wins, tying North Carolina and Florida State for most nationally. BU is the only team with 3 top-10 RPI victories.
- 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 42-5 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 63.4 ppg in Big 12 play, which leads the league by 8.7 ppg.
- BU leads the league in FG% defense (40%) and rebounding margin (+7.6) in Big 12 play.
- Baylor's defense this season has been its best of the Drew era -- BU ranks 5th 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 (44.1), 13th in 2-point FG defense (42.7), 27th in 3-point FG defense (31.0) and 24th in block percentage (13.9).
- BU is top-20 in scoring defense (7th, 61.4), rebound margin (13th, +7.8) and scoring margin (20th, +12.6).
- BU opponents average 18.5 seconds per possession, 5th-longest nationally according to KenPom.com.
- 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 has 17 wins over ranked teams in the last three seasons (17-16 since 2014-15).
- BU is 36-56 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
- Baylor is 145-59 since 2011-12, the 2nd-most wins in the Big 12 behind Kansas (169-40) in that span.
- Drew is 236-106 since 2007-08, the first year he had a full allotment of scholarships.
- BU was picked 5th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, behind Kansas, WVU, Texas and Iowa State.
- Baylor is 90-74 in Big 12 play since 2008 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 seasons.
- Baylor went 6-3 in Big 12 road games last season, tying KU and WVU for league's best road record.
- BU is 17-15 in Big 12 road games since 2014 and 26-24 since 2012, both trailing only Kansas.
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Johnathan Motley has been named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 19) and is 1 of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award.
- Motley needs 3 points to become the 31st 1,000-point scorer in Baylor history (13th of Drew era).
QUICK HITS
- Head coach Scott Drew is in his 14th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (270).
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (113-14).
- 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.
- Drew has won 22+ games in five straight seasons and needs two wins to extend to six straight years.
- 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 46-27 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 821 straight games.
- BU did not receive any preseason poll votes for the first time since 2009-10.
ONE WIN FROM BEST STARTS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- With a win vs. Oklahoma State, Baylor can tie its best record through the first 24 games in the program's 111-season history. The Bears were 21-3 in the 2011-12 Elite Eight season.
- A win at OSU would also tie Baylor's best-ever record through 11 Big 12 games (8-3 in 2011-12).
- 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
- Wednesday's game is the 80th all-time meeting between Baylor and OSU. BU trails 25-54 in the series
- Baylor is 13-9 against OSU since 2007 after going 12-46 vs. the Cowboys from 1917 through 2006.
- Baylor is 6-26 all-time in Stillwater, but the Bears are 3-2 in their last 5 trips to Gallagher-Iba after starting 3-24.
- Baylor's wins in Stillwater came in 1959, 1972, 2003, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
- BU swept the season series vs. OSU for the third time last season (2012, 2014, 2016).
- The home team has won 15 of 19 regular-season series meetings since 2008.
SECOND-HALF TEAM
- BU has out-scored teams by 3.7 ppg in first halves (790-706) and 9.0 ppg in second halves (913-707).
- 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 42-5 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. OKLAHOMA STATE (BOX SCORE ON PG. 26)
- 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.
- Motley had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists, while Manu Lecomte led the team with 17 points and 3 assists, and Terry Maston added 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
LAST SEASON VS. OKLAHOMA STATE (STATS ON PG. 29-30)
- Baylor swept the season series vs. Oklahoma State for the third time in the Big 12's 20-year history (2012, 2014, 2016). OSU swept the series in 2015, making it three straight years where one team swept the other.
- Unranked Baylor won 79-63 in Waco on Jan. 5 behind Al Freeman's 21 points and Rico Gathers' 17-17 game.
- The Bears out-rebounded OSU 44-18, recording more offensive rebounds (23) than OSU's total rebounds (18).
- No. 17 BU won 69-65 in Stillwater on Jan. 27, but the three leading scorers from that game all graduated.
- OSU led by 12 points in the 1st half and 5 at halftime, but Ishmail Wainright's jumper with 32 seconds left gave Baylor a 66-63 lead and provided the game-winning points.
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.
A WIN WOULD ...
- Tie Baylor's best-ever record through 23 games at 21-3 -- BU started 21-3 in 2011-12.
- Be Baylor's 4th straight win against Oklahoma State, BU's longest winning streak in series history.
- Give Baylor a 237-106 record since 2007-08, Drew's first year with a full allotment of scholarships.
- Make Baylor 146-59 since 2011-12, the Big 12's second-most wins in that span behind only Kansas (169).
- Be Ishmail Wainright's 85th career win, 8th-most in program history.
- Improve Baylor's record to 93-36 during Wainright's four-year career, the 5th-most wins in a 4-year career.
MOTLEY 3 POINTS SHY OF 1,000 FOR CAREER
- Johnathan Motley needs 3 points to become the 31st player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
- Motley can become 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 needs 3 points, 68 rebounds and 1 assist to become the first player in program history to record 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, the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 19) and is 1 of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award. He's also on Naismith Trophy and Lute Olson Award watch lists.
- Motley currently ranks 5th in KenPom.com's National Player of the Year standings, trailing only Villanova's Josh Hart, Purdue's Caleb Swanigan, Saint Mary's Jock Landale and Wisconsin's Ethan Happ. best defense of drew era
- Baylor's defense is holding opponents to 63.4 points per game in Big 12 play, which leads the league by 8.7 ppg. That 8.7 ppg margin is larger than the difference between No. 2 (TTU, 72.1) and No. 10 (OSU, 79.5) in the league.
- BU is No. 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency as of Feb. 7. 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. 31 in adjusted offensive efficiency as of Feb. 7.
- 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 18 of 23 games this season, but none of the last 3 games.
- 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 11 of its 20 wins.
- Baylor has led for 63% of game time season (580:03 of 920:00).
- The Bears have trailed for only 30% of game time (280:11 of 920:00) and been tied for 6% (59:46 of 920:00).
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).
SECOND-MOST WINS AMONG BIG 12 TEAMS SINCE 2011-12
- Baylor's 145-59 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (169-40) among Big 12 teams (thru 2/6/17).
- Iowa State (137-60) is 3rd, Oklahoma (120-72) is 4th, West Virginia (118-73) is 5th, Kansas State (117-73) is 6th, Texas (110-84) is 7th, Oklahoma State (105-82) is 8th, TCU (84-102) is 9th and Texas Tech (81-100) is 10th.
- Baylor has averaged 25 wins per season over the last 5 years.
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 113-14 when leading at the break in that stretch (13-1 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 127 of 204 games over the last six seasons, and BU is 145-59 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 17-15 in Big 12 road games since 2014, trailing only Kansas (19-13).
- BU is 26-24 in Big 12 road games since 2012, trailing only Kansas (32-18).
- Big 12 road teams are a combined 21-30 in conference play this season (thru 2/6).
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.
VICTORIOUS 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.
RALLY FROM SIX DOWN WITH FIVE MINUTES LEFT TO BEAT ISU
- Baylor trailed Iowa State 61-55 with five minutes remaining on Wednesday night. 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.
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 446th game at Baylor (270-175). His .607 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 .690 winning percentage (236-106) 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 236-106 (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 each of the past five seasons entering 2016-17.
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.
DREW AMONG NATION'S ELITE
- Head coachà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Scott Drew is the youngest of 12 coaches nationally to take his current program to three Sweet 16 appearances since 2010. Drew (46) is joined by Xavier's Chris Mack (47), Arizona's Sean Miller (48), Ohioà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € State's Thad Matta (49), Indiana's Tomà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Crean (50), Kansas' Bill Self (54), Kentucky's John Calipari (57), Michigan State's Tom Izzo (61), Louisville's Rickà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Pitino (64), North Carolina's Roy Williams (66), Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (69) and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (72).
- Baylor is one of 15 teams to make three Sweet 16 appearances since 2010.
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 returns home to host TCU at 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU.
- BU then has a short turnaround as its heads to Texas Tech for Monday's 6 p.m. game on ESPNU.
