MBB Faces Nicholls State Friday Morning

Friday, November 16

Waco, Texas

11 a.m.

Baylor

Nicholls State

MBB Faces Nicholls State Friday Morning

11/15/2018 9:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Bears close out season-opening homestand at 11 a.m. CT



	BAYLOR BEARS (2-1) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	BAYLOR (2-1) VS. NICHOLLS STATE (2-2) November 16, 2018 • 11 a.m. CT Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: FSSW \| Fox Sports Go Talent: John Morris (PBP), Jim Haller (Color) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College / ESPN Central Texas Talent: Dave Rosselli (PBP), Pat Nunley (Color) Baylor Social Media:

	NICHOLLS STATE COLONELS (2-2) Location: Thibodaux, La. Conference: Southland Head Coach: Austin Claunch (Emory, 2012) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

Freddie Gillespie calls them "about the best fans you can come by . . . they don't stop screaming."

On Friday's "I'm Going to College Day," approximately 5,000 local elementary and middle school students are expected to pack the Ferrell Center for a matchup between the Baylor men (2-1) and Nicholls State Colonels (2-2) that will tip off at 11 a.m. and air live on FOX Sports Southwest.

"In the past, we've done it, and it's really been an exciting environment," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "You really hear the kids, and they get into it. And, it's a great way to get them on campus and get them thinking Baylor at a young age."

Drew has his own issues to deal with, figuring out how to help a team with nine newcomers grow up in a hurry. The Bears, who opened the season with a 72-69 loss to Texas Southern, has averaged just over 14 turnovers per game.

"Some of it is just relaxing and starting to play and not letting the speed of the game or nerves or what-not come into play as much," Drew said. "It's also just execution. It's the first time a lot of them have gone through a college scouting report, so identifying shooters versus drives and just getting used to knowing who's what. At the same time, I know we've seen a lot of improvement from the first game to third game."

The Bears are coming off a 91-80 win over Prairie View A&M that saw freshman guard Jared Butler have a breakout performance with a game-high 22 points and three 3-pointers.

"I'm a big believer in Jared. I think he's really, really talented," said senior guard King McClure, who was 5-of-8 from 3-point range and chipped in with 21 points. "I expect that from him every game. If I don't see that, then there's a problem. I think that's just the beginning of what you're about to see with him."

Baylor has four players averaging double-figure points, led by junior college transfer guard Devonte Bandoo (17.0). McClure and 6-9 sophomore forward Tristan Clark are averaging 15.3 and 15.0 points, respectively, while checks in at 11.0 per game.

Redshirt senior guard Makai Mason, a transfer from Yale, has sat out the first three games after suffering a right ankle sprain. If he's able to play Friday, he could help the Bears handle Nicholls State's press.

"They'll press after dead balls and they'll press after made buckets," Drew said. "They gave Louisville some problems early on in their first game. It was a one-possession game with under three minutes to play before Louisville was able to pull away. Because of us facing what we just faced with Prairie View, it will hopefully be a good prep for that. And both teams shoot a lot of 3's."

Nicholls, coming of an 83-80 road victory over Idaho, features the top two scorers in the Southland Conference in grad transfers Jeremiah Jefferson (21.5 ppg) and Gavin Peppers (17.8). The Colonels opened with an 86-58 win over Mississippi College before losses to Louisville and Washington State and Tuesday's win over Idaho.

Like Baylor, Nicholls returned only three experienced players from a team that won a share of the Southland Conference regular-season championship and won 21 games.

Friday's game is also part of the Emerald Coast Classic, with Baylor winning 12 consecutive regular-season tournament games and going 18-3 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14. The Bears will travel to Niceville, Fla., next week to play Ole Miss and either Cincinnati or George Mason in the Emerald Coast Classic.

STORY LINES
• Baylor wraps up its season-opening homestand by hosting Nicholls State at 11 a.m. CT Friday.
• The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest and the Fox Sports App.
• Head coach Scott Drew is in his 16th season in Waco and is the BU's all-time wins leader (298-196).
• Friday's game is part of the 2018 Emerald Coast Classic. Baylor has won 12 consecutive regular-season tournament games and is 18-3 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14.
• Friday is "I'm Going To College Day." Complimentary tickets were offered to local elementary and middle schools, and approximately 5,000 students are expected to attend.
• Baylor is 38-11 against first-time opponents in the Drew era, including 32-7 since 2007-08.
• Baylor defeated Prairie View A&M on Monday, 91-80. The Bears were led by a 22-point performance from Jared Butler, the first 20-point game by a BU true freshman since Isaiah Austin on Feb. 27, 2013.
• King McClure also had 21 points, joining Butler to give BU two guards with 20-plus points in the same game for the first time since Curtis Jerrells (25) and LaceDarius Dunn (23) vs. SDSU on March 31, 2009.
• Baylor is looking to start 3-1 or better thru its first 4 games for the 13th consecutive season.
• Baylor returns 3 letterwinners from last year's team, the nation's fewest among Power-5 teams.
• McClure is the lone returning senior, while Tristan Clark and Mark Vital are back as sophomores.
• BU adds 9 newcomers for 2018-19, including 5 transfers (two Division I, two JuCo, one Division III).
• Makai Mason is the first grad transfer in program history after graduating from Yale in May.
• Mario Kegler (Mississippi State) and Freddie Gillespie (Carleton) are eligible after sitting out 2017-18.
• Darius Allen (Palm Beach State) and Devonte Bandoo (Hutchinson) joined the Bears as JuCo transfers.
• BU also adds prep players Butler, Matthew Mayer, Flo Thamba and Jackson Moffatt.
• BU has used 7 different starters in its first 3 games, including 4 players making their first DI starts.
• BU has played its first 3 games without 2 projected starters — Mason (injury) and Kegler (suspension).
• The Bears were picked 9th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, the lowest since 2009-10 (10th).
• Baylor is 1 of 16 teams nationally to appear in every postseason since 2012 (5 NCAAs, 2 NITs).
• Baylor is 54-3 in its last 57 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.
• Baylor is 38-1 in regular-season non-conference games against unranked teams since December 2014.
• Baylor is 28-4 in home games against unranked opponents since 2016-17.
• Baylor is 119-15 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 93-7 since 2007-08.
• Baylor is 28-6 in games against non-Big 12 teams since 2016-17.
• Baylor is 17-1 when leading at halftime since the start of the 2017-18 season (2-1 this season).
• Drew is coaching his 495th game at Baylor (298-196). His .603 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and his teams have a .675 winning percentage since 2007-08 (264-127).
• BU is 70-16 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (19-6 last year).
• Baylor has posted a combined 139-30 record in November and December games during the Drew era, including a 57-8 mark in November and December games since 2013.

QUICK HITS
• Baylor is one of nine teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 11 seasons dating back to 2007-08 – Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Notre Dame and North Carolina.
• BU is 103-86 in Big 12 play in 11 seasons since 2008 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 seasons.
• BU is 38-67 against AP-ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first 4 rebuilding seasons.
• Baylor has defeated 6 top-10 teams in the last two seasons entering 2018-19.
• Baylor is 11-21 against AP Top 10 teams since March 2012. BU started the Drew era 1-26 vs. top-10.
• Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (135-17).
• BU has recorded double-digit non-conference wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons (all except 2012-13).
• Baylor is 173-80 over the last 7 seasons, averaging 24.4 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 173 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (212).
• Baylor is 264-127 since 2007-08, the first year Drew's staff had a full allotment of scholarships.
• Baylor has the nation's 11th-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 872 straight games.
• Baylor has won 5 tournament titles under Drew, including each of the last 2 seasons (2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic, 2013 NIT, 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis and 2017 Hall of Fame Classic).

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
• Drew is in his 15th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (298).
• Baylor is one of nine teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 11 seasons dating back to 2007-08 – Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Notre Dame and North Carolina.
• 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 Baylor players have been selected in the last six NBA Drafts, 10th-most nationally.
• In Drew's first 15 seasons at Baylor, 38 players have gone on to professional careers.
• Drew (48) is the youngest of 11 coaches to take his current program to four Sweet 16s since 2010.
• The Bears have advanced to postseason play in a school-record seven straight seasons (5 NCAA, 2 NIT).
• BU is 18-3 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14, including 4-0 in the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic.
• Drew has won 20+ games in nine of the last 11 years — the Bears had 3 seasons of 20+ wins prior to his arrival.

DREW ERA HIGHLIGHTS
• Drew is coaching his 495th game at Baylor (298-196). His .603 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and he's the program's all-time wins leader.
• Baylor has a .675 winning percentage (264-127) since Drew's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08 and a .684 winning percentage (173-80) over the last 7 seasons since 2011-12.
• In Drew's 15 seasons as Baylor head coach, BU has been ranked in 211 of 494 games. Prior to Drew, BU was ranked in 2 of 2,197 games over 97 seasons. In 10 seasons since 2008-09, BU has been ranked in 208 of 359 games.
• BU has graduated 91 percent of its scholarship seniors since Drew took over in 2003 (30 of 33).
• In Drew's first 15 seasons at Baylor, 38 players have gone on to professional careers.

A WIN WOULD ...
• Move Drew within 1 victory of becoming the first coach in program history to reach the 300-win mark at BU.
• Extend Baylor's winning streak in regular-season tournament games to a school-record 13 straight.
• Give Baylor a 19-3 record in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14 and make the Bears 32-11 in regular-season tournaments during the Scott Drew era.
• Make Baylor 39-11 against first-time opponents in the Drew era.
• Improve Baylor to 1-0 all-time against Nicholls State and 50-13 against current Southland Conference teams.
• Improve Baylor to 55-3 in its last 58 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2013.
• Make Baylor 29-4 in home games against unranked teams since 2016-17.
• Improve Baylor to 120-15 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 94-7 since 2007-08.
• Make Baylor 29-6 in games against non-Big 12 teams since 2016-17.
• Make Baylor 140-30 in November/December games under Drew, including 70-13 in November games.
• Improve Baylor's record to 71-36 during King McClure's four-year career.

IMPRESSIVE NON-CONFERENCE NUMBERS AT HOME
• Baylor is 54-3 in its last 57 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.
• Baylor is 28-4 in home games against unranked opponents since 2016-17 (losses vs. K-State (2), Miss. St, Texas So.).
• Baylor is 119-15 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 93-7 since 2007-08.
• Baylor is 28-6 in games against non-Big 12 teams since 2016-17 – losses in the 2017 Sweet 16 vs. South Carolina, at No. 21 Xavier, vs. No. 8 Wichita State, at No. 20 Florida, vs. Mississippi State and vs. Texas So.

PICKED 9TH IN BIG 12 PRESEASON COACHES POLL
• Baylor was picked ninth in the 2019 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll.
• BU received 20 points, one point back of Oklahoma in 8th and 10 points ahead of 10th place Oklahoma State.
• Baylor's 9th-place projection is the lowest the Bears have been picked since 2009-10, when BU was tabbed 10th, won 28 games and tied for second place in the league before advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

SEVEN CONSECUTIVE POSTSEASON BERTHS
• Baylor is on a school-record streak of seven consecutive postseason berths, matching the total number of postseason berths in the program's 97 seasons prior to the Scott Drew era.
• Baylor is 1 of 16 teams to appear in every postseason since 2012, joining Arizona, BYU, Cincinnati, Duke, Gonzaga, Iona, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Oregon, Saint Mary's, Virginia and Wichita State.
• The Bears earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and NIT bids in 2013 and 2018.
• Baylor has made postseason appearances in 10 of 11 seasons since 2008. Prior to that, Baylor's only postseason berths were in 1946 (NCAA), 1948 (NCAA), 1950 (NCAA), 1987 (NIT), 1988 (NCAA), 1990 (NIT) and 2001 (NIT).
• Baylor is 20-9 in postseason national tournaments during the Drew era after going 3-9 prior to Drew's arrival.

PROTECTING HALFTIME LEADS
• Baylor went 15-0 last season when leading at halftime and is 20-1 in its last 21 games when leading at the half.
• Baylor has won 89% of its games (135-17) when leading at the half since 2011-12 (2-1 in 2018-19, 15-0 in 2017-18, 18-3 in 2016-17, 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 38% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 38-63 in those.
• BU has led at halftime in 152 of 253 games over the last eight seasons, and BU is 173-80 since 2011-12.

MCCLURE, BUTLER AND CLARK LEAD BEARS OVER PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
• Baylor led wire-to-wire on its way to a 91-80 victory over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 12, but the Bears needed a late run to put the game away after PVAMU cut the Baylor lead to 59-57 with 9:26 to play.
• Jared Butler scored 6 straight points, King McClure followed with 5 straight and Tristan Clark added a dunk to cap a 13-0 run that gave the Bears a 78-61 lead, and BU led by at least 11 points the rest of the way.
• Butler had a game-high 22 points, the first 20-point game by a BU true freshman since Isaiah Austin on Feb. 27, 2013, and McClure added 21 points and a career-high 8 boards. Clark had career-highs with 17 points and 5 blocks.
• Butler and McClure became Baylor's first guard duo with 20-plus points in the same game since Curtis Jerrells (25) and LaceDarius Dunn (23) vs. San Diego State on March 31, 2009.