BAYLOR BEARS (3-1) Location: Waco, Texas   Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes	BAYLOR (3-1) VS. OLE MISS (2-1) November 23, 2018 • 8:35 p.m. CT Niceville, Fla. • The Arena, Northwest Florida State (2,196) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: CBS Sports Network | CBS Sports App Talent: Brad Johansen (pxp), Steve Lappas (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College / ESPN Central Texas Talent: Pat Nunley (pxp), David Kaye (analyst)  Baylor Social Media:
	OLE MISS REBELS (2-1) Location: Oxford, Miss. Conference: SEC Head Coach: Kermit Davis (Mississippi State, 1982) Roster | Stats | Game Notes

 

By Jerry Hill

Baylor Bear Insider

​Riding a 13-game winning streak in regular-season tournaments, the Baylor men (3-1) will try to extend that run when the Bears play Ole Miss (2-1) in the Emerald Coast Classic at 8:35 p.m. CDT Friday in Niceville, Fla. 

​"Knock on wood, we can hopefully carry that over," said coach Scott Drew, who can notch his 300th career win at Baylor, joining an elite group that includes current Baylor coaches Glenn Moore in softball (738), Kim Mulkey in women's basketball (543) and Joey Scrivano in women's tennis (372) and former coaches Steve Smith (744) and Mickey Sullivan (649) in baseball and Matt Knoll (510) in men's tennis. 

​The last time Baylor lost a regular-season tournament game, grad transfer guard Makai Mason was a true freshman at Yale and 6-9 freshman forward Matthew Mayer was just starting his freshman season at Austin Westlake High School. In the final of the 2014 Las Vegas Invitational, the Bears lost to Illinois, 62-54, with a team that included current NBA players Taurean Prince and Royce O'Neale and Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers. 

​"In the past, we had so many returning players who had had success in tournaments that they just knew what was expected and how to handle things," Drew said. "I know King (McClure) is working overtime, trying to pass on that wisdom and knowledge to everybody else. The biggest thing is being able to focus and concentrate on it being a business trip rather than a vacation. Teams that are able to do that are usually more successful in those tournaments.

​Baylor won the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis and last year's Hall of Fame Classic, beating Louisville and Creighton, respectively, in the finals, and posted home-court wins over Southern and Nicholls State as part of this year's Emerald Coast Classic.
           
McClure is the only current Baylor player that was part of both of those tournament championships. He scored all 15 of his points in the second half to help the Bears rally from a 22-point deficit to beat Louisville, 66-63, in the Battle 4 Atlantis and poured in a then career-high 19 points in the Bears' 65-59 win over Creighton in last year's Hall of Fame Classic championship game.

"Honestly, I'd rather be at home with my family (for Thanksgiving)," said McClure, who's averaging 14.3 points and 4.3 assists per game. "But, being with my brothers and building the camaraderie and going out there and getting victories – we've won two Thanksgiving tournaments, so hopefully we can follow it up. Being with my brothers, my other family, is always a great feeling."

​With only three returning players from last year's NIT team, the Bears got off to a slow start with a 72-69 loss to Texas Southern in the season opener. But, they've strung together three straight wins and were at their best in beating Nicholls State, 81-54, last Friday. 

​"We're a young team, so there's a lot of guys new to the college game," said 6-9 sophomore forward Tristan Clark, who's averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. "Our coaches tell us that everybody plays a role, and the young guys are trying to figure it out. From the last game, people started seeing their roles and how they can impact the game. It's going to take time, but we're headed in the right direction."

​It made a huge difference having Mason on the floor in the win over Nicholls State. He only contributed 11 points, one assist and a steal in 21 minutes, but it was his calming influence that seemed to make everyone around him play better. 

​"It definitely helps to have a guy who knows what to expect and can basically came out there and help me with the younger guys when things go really bad or really good to stay level-headed," McClure said. "He's another voice. Everybody looks up to him and really respects him."

​While Mason is "moving a lot better today than he did the last game," Drew said he still has to limit his minutes. He had played just one game in the last two seasons combined because of a left foot injury and then injured his right ankle in preseason workouts.

​"He's one of those guys that when he plays, he doesn't hold back," Drew said. "He's usually getting to the free-throw line, which means he's drawing contact and he's making aggressive plays. So, you're always concerned about him stepping on someone's foot or landing wrong or planting wrong. He's just somebody that only knows one way to play, so we've got to protect him."

​Baylor faces an Ole Miss team that played four games on a preseason Canadian tour before opening with wins over Western Michigan and Nicholls State sandwiched around an 83-76 loss at Butler. First-year coach Kermit Davis led Idaho and Middle Tennessee to NCAA tournament berths. 

​The Rebels are led by 6-4 senior guard Terrance Davis, who is averaging 20.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. Davis, McClure and 6-2 junior guard Breein Tyree are the lone holdovers from a Jan. 28, 2017 game in Oxford, Miss., that saw the Bears escape with a 78-75 win. 

​"If you're an all-conference performer in a Power 5 league, you're pretty good," Drew said of Davis, a preseason second-team All-SEC pick who poured in 30 points against Butler. "He's one of those guys that can really score it from distance, from 3, and yet really strong and physical and quick and get to the rim. He's a tough matchup, because he overpowers smaller guards and he's quicker than bigger guys. He's definitely one of the best scorers we've faced to this time."

​The Baylor-Ole Miss winner advances to play either Cincinnati (3-1) or George Mason 

(2-3) in Saturday's 6 p.m. CDT championship game, with the third-place game set for 3.

STORY LINES
• Baylor heads to Niceville, Fla., to face Ole Miss in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network and the CBS Sports App.
• BU faces either George Mason or Cincinnati on Saturday. The Bears have never faced GMU and their only previous game against Cincinnati was a 55-45 win in Cincinnati on Dec. 21, 1946.
• Head coach Scott Drew is in his 16th season in Waco and is the BU's all-time wins leader (299-196).
• With one more win, Drew will become the 16th/17th active coach with 300 wins at his current school.
• Baylor has won 13 consecutive regular-season tournament games and is 19-3 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14. The Bears won the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis and 2017 Hall of Fame Classic.
• Baylor is 2-0 all-time vs. Ole Miss, including a 78-75 win in Oxford in the 2017 SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
• Baylor has won 3 straight games by double-figures after dropping the season opener.
• Baylor is looking to start 4-1 or better thru its first 5 games for the 13th consecutive season.
• Baylor is 39-1 in regular-season non-conference games against unranked teams since December 2014.
• Baylor is 29-6 in games against non-Big 12 teams over the last 3 seasons since 2016-17.
• Baylor returned 3 letterwinners from last year's team, the nation's fewest among Power-5 teams.
• King McClure is the lone returning senior, while Tristan Clark and Mark Vital are back as sophomores.
• Vital is coming off his career-first double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists vs. Nicholls St.
• Clark has scored in double-figures in all 4 games this season after doing so in 10 of 33 games last year. He ranks 4th nationally with an .821 field goal pct. and 17th nationally with a 14.3 block pct.
• McClure has scored 20+ points twice this season after doing so in 1 of 100 games over his first 3 years.
• BU added 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 added prep players Jared Butler, Matthew Mayer, Flo Thamba and Jackson Moffatt.
• BU has used 8 different starters in its first 4 games, including 4 players making their first DI starts.
• BU played its first 3 games without 2 projected starters — Mason (injury) and Kegler (suspension).
• Mason made his BU debut on Nov. 16 vs. Nicholls State, posting 11 points in 21 minutes.
• 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 18-1 when leading at halftime since the start of the 2017-18 season (3-1 this season).
• Drew is coaching his 496th game at Baylor (299-196). His .604 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and his teams have a .676 winning percentage since 2007-08 (265-127).
• BU is 71-16 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (19-6 last year).
• Baylor has posted a combined 140-30 record in November and December games during the Drew era, including a 58-8 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 (136-17). • BU has recorded double-digit non-conference wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons (all except 2012-13).
• Baylor is 174-80 over the last 7 seasons, averaging 24.4 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 174 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (213).
• Baylor is 265-127 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 873 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 (299).
• 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 19-3 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14, including 13 consecutive wins.
• 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 496th game at Baylor (299-196). His .604 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 .676 winning percentage (265-127) since Drew's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08 and a .685 winning percentage (174-80) over the last 7 seasons since 2011-12.
• In Drew's 15 seasons as Baylor head coach, BU has been ranked in 211 of 495 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 360 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 ...
• Make Scott Drew the 16th/17th active coach with 300 wins at his current school.
• Extend Baylor's winning streak in regular-season tournament games to a school-record 14 straight.
• Give Baylor a 20-3 record in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14 and make the Bears 33-11 in regular-season tournaments during the Scott Drew era.
• Improve Baylor to 2-0 all-time vs. Ole Miss and 159-275 vs. current Southeastern Conference teams.
• Make Baylor 30-6 in games against non-Big 12 teams since 2016-17.
• Make Baylor 141-30 in November/December games under Drew, including 71-13 in November games.
• Improve BU's record to 72-36 during King McClure's 4-year career and 69-36 in games McClure has played. 

SEEKING 300 WINS AT BAYLOR
• Head coach Scott Drew needs one more win to reach 300 in his Baylor career.
• Drew can become the 16th or 17th active coach to reach 300 wins at his current school. Matt Painter goes for his 300th win at Purdue on Friday afternoon before Baylor plays Ole Miss.
• There are 15 active coaches with 300 wins at their current schools (thru 11/19/18): Mike Krzyzewski (1031), Jim Boeheim (928), Tom Izzo (577), Bob McKillop (558), Mark Few (539), Bill Self (450), Phil Martelli (433), Roy Williams (429), Jay Wright (424), Mike Brey (406), Randy Bennett (395), Rick Byrd (391), Greg Kampe (340), Fran O'Hanlon (314) and Leonard Hamilton (308). 

SUCCESS IN NONCONFERENCE PLAY
• Baylor is 29-6 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. 
• Among the 29 wins are home victories against No. 4 Oregon and No. 7 Xavier, neutral site wins vs. No. 10 Louisville, vs. No. 24 Michigan State, vs. VCU, vs. USC, vs. Wisconsin and vs. Creighton and a road win at Ole Miss. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Friday is the 3rd meeting between Baylor and Ole Miss. The Bears have won each of the first two matchups.
• Baylor won 132-113 when the teams met on Dec. 29, 1970 in the Palmetto Classic in Charleston, S.C.
• BU set school records for points in a half (76), field goals made (58) and combined points in a game (245).
• The Bears' 132 points were second-most in school history behind the 139-88 win over Trinity on Dec. 12, 1964. 

13 CONSECUTIVE WINS IN REGULAR-SEASON TOURNAMENTS 
• Baylor is 32-11 in regular-season tournaments during the Scott Drew era, including 13 straight wins.
• The Bears are 19-3 in their six regular-season tournaments since 2013-14, going 3-1, 3-1, 3-1, 4-0, 4-0 and 2-0.
• BU advanced to championship games in the 2007 Paradise Jam (won), 2008 76 Classic (lost), 2011 Las Vegas Classic (won), 2013 Maui Invitational (lost), 2014 Las Vegas Invitational (lost), 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis (won) and 2017 Hall of Fame Classic (won).
• Baylor has won four regular-season tournament titles under Drew – the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic, the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis, the 2011 Las Vegas Classic and the 2007 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Baylor is facing an SEC opponent in a regular-season tournament for the first time since Nov. 26, 2009, a 79-76 loss to Alabama at the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 

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.