Baylor
Wichita State
MBB Opens Road Action at Wichita State
11/30/2018 11:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bears play first road game of the season against Shockers
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BAYLOR BEARS (5-2) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
BAYLOR (5-2) AT WICHITA STATE (3-3) December 1, 2018 • 7 p.m. CT Wichita, Kan. • Charles Koch Arena (10,506) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: CBS Sports Network | CBS Sports App Talent: Rich Waltz (pbp) & Dan Dickau (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College / ESPN Central Texas Talent: John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS (3-3) Location: Wichita, Kan. Conference: AAC Head Coach: Gregg Marshall (Randolph Macon '85 Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Baylor isn't just sticking a toe in the water for its first true road game of the season, the Bears (5-2) are diving in the deep end.
They are just the second Power 5 team to play at Wichita State's Charles Koch Arena in the eight years since the downtown Intrust Bank Arena was built. Baylor (5-2) plays the Shockers (3-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday at the on-campus Koch Arena, "The Roundhouse," where they've had 214 consecutive crowds of 10,000-plus.
"The first road game of the season is always tough, especially when you play great teams in great environments," said coach Scott Drew, who picked up his 300th win at Baylor when the Bears beat George Mason, 72-61, at the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida, the team's only other previous road trip.
"The first time your team is in that kind of environment, it's always different, because early in the year arenas usually aren't packed like that. Why we like to play these games is because once they get that experience they know what Big 12 play is going to be like. And if you're blessed to make the NCAA Tournament, they know what that's like."
Wichita State, which has made seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Gregg Marshall and made it to the Final Four in 2013, is off to an uncharacteristic start with early-season losses to Louisiana Tech, Davidson and Alabama.
"Both of us are in transition," Drew said. "I don't know how many returning lettermen they have, but basically it's new rosters for both of us. At the same time, you know that both of us will get better as the year goes on. You can see a big improvement already, from the first game to where they are now . . . similar to, hopefully, us."
One of the Shockers' few returners from a 25-win team that was upset by Marshall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is 6-8 senior forward Markis McDuffie, who is averaging 20.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. He was a late withdrawal from last year's NBA Draft and is considered a top prospect for the 2019 draft.
"I think why he's on the draft boards and why he's so sought-after by the NBA is he's a traditional '3-and-D' guy, very similar to Taurean Prince for us," Drew said of McDuffie, who scored a career-high 32 in an 83-80 win over Providence. "Someone who can defend multiple positions, someone who can really shoot it, someone who can drive closeouts.
"A lot of times, when you face guys who are pro prospects, it doesn't concern you because they don't have the experience and production. You know they're going to be a great player, but they're not there yet. Someone like him, who is experienced and produces, obviously those guys are really good in college."
For just the second game all year, Baylor will have all-hands-on-deck. Grad transfer guard Makai Mason missed the first three games with an ankle injury, while 6-7 sophomore transfer Mario Kegler returned from a six-game suspension to score 12 points, grab six rebounds and block three shots in a 63-57 win over South Dakota on Tuesday.
"It's big, for sure, just to continue to develop that chemistry, obviously, with so many new guys," said Mason, who is averaging a team-high 14.3 points over the last four games. "The more time we get to play with each other, the better we're going to be."
Playing in his first game in 629 days, after sitting out last season as a transfer from Mississippi State, Kegler missed his first five shots in Tuesday's game before knocking down four of his last six.
"I really just laughed it off," Kegler said. "I know I haven't shot that badly in a long time. I just went in the locker room and sat there for a moment and calmed down. I talked to my team, and they helped me come back out there and just have fun, play my game and try to get to the rim and see it go in that way."
As much as the coaches try to simulate things in practice, Drew said "you have to experience it firsthand."
"Even though (Kegler) had played and started in the SEC for a full year," Drew said, "when you haven't been on the court, that first game very similar to our first road game for us, it will be really important how we handle the crowd and how we execute."
• Baylor plays its first road game of the season at 7 p.m. CT Saturday at Wichita State.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network and the CBS Sports App.
• Baylor and Wichita State are meeting for the 6th time and the first time in Wichita.
• Wichita State leads the series 3-2, including a 69-62 win in Waco on Dec. 2 last season.
• BU returns 3 players from last year's game vs. Wichita State — King McClure (12 points in 29 minutes), Tristan Clark (6 points, 9 rebounds in 29 minutes) and Mark Vital (8 points, 7 rebounds in 19 minutes).
• Head coach Scott Drew is in his 16th season in Waco and is the BU's all-time wins leader (301-197).
• Baylor is coming off a 63-57 win over South Dakota. BU closed on a 12-0 run over the last 5 minutes.
• Mario Kegler made his BU debut Tuesday, which was 629 days since his last game on March 9, 2017.
• Kegler had 12 points, 6 reboudns and 3 blocks in 31 minutes, while King McClure had a team-high 15 points and Makai Mason chipped in 10 points to extend his double-digit streak to all 4 games at Baylor.
• BU has used 9 different starters in its first 7 games, including 4 players making their first DI starts.
• Baylor returned 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 added 9 newcomers for 2018-19, including 5 transfers (two Division I, two JuCo, one Division III).
• Mason is the first grad transfer in program history after graduating from Yale in May.
• 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.
• Clark ranks 2nd nationally with a .780 FG percentage and hasn't missed more than 2 shots in a game. He also leads the Big 12 and ranks 7th nationally with 3.0 blocks per game.
• McClure has scored 20+ points 3 times this season after doing so in 1 of 100 games over his first 3 years.
• Drew won his 301st game at Baylor on Tuesday, giving him 100 more victories than any prior BU coach.
• Drew is 1 of 17 Division I coaches with 300+ wins at his current school (1 of 9 in Power-5 conferences).
• BU has won 28 consecutive December games against unranked opponents dating back to 2013. The Bears' only December losses in that span were at No. 24 Texas A&M (2015) and vs. No. 8 Wichita State (2017).
• Baylor is 41-2 in regular-season non-conference games against unranked teams since December 2014.
• Baylor is 31-7 in games against non-Big 12 teams over the last 3 seasons since 2016-17.
• Baylor is 1 of 16 teams nationally to appear in every postseason since 2012 (5 NCAAs, 2 NITs).
• Baylor is 19-1 when leading at halftime since the start of the 2017-18 season (4-1 this season).
• Drew is coaching his 499th game at Baylor (301-197). 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 (267-128).
• BU is 73-16 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (19-6 last year).
• Baylor has posted a combined 142-31 record in November and December games during the Drew era, including a 60-9 mark in November and December games since 2013.
QUICK HITS
• The Bears were picked 9th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, the lowest since 2009-10 (10th).
• 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 (137-17).
• BU has recorded double-digit non-conference wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons (all except 2012-13).
• Baylor is 176-81 over the last 7 seasons, averaging 24.4 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 176 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (215).
• Baylor is 267-128 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 876 straight games.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
• Drew is in his 16th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (301).
• 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 20-4 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14, including wins in 14 of its last 15 games.
• 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 499th game at Baylor (301-197). His .604 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and he's the program's all-time wins leader by 100 victories over the next closest coach.
• Baylor has a .676 winning percentage (267-128) since Drew's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08 and a .685 winning percentage (176-81) over the last 7 seasons since 2011-12.
• In Drew's 16 seasons as Baylor head coach, BU has been ranked in 211 of 498 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 363 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.
• Baylor has won 5 tournament titles under Drew — 2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic, 2013 Postseason NIT, 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis and 2017 Hall of Fame Classic. BU is 20-4 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14.
A WIN WOULD ...
• Be Scott Drew's 302nd win at Baylor, 101 more than any coach in program history.
• Make Baylor 32-7 in games against non-Big 12 teams since 2016-17.
• Make Baylor 143-31 in November/December games under Drew, including 71-17 in December games.
• Improve BU's record to 74-37 during King McClure's 4-year career and 71-37 in games McClure has played.
• Even the series against Wichita State at 3-3, including 2-1 in Baylor's favor during the Drew era.
• Extend Baylor's streak to 29 consecutive December wins against unranked opponents.
• Make Baylor 42-2 in its last 44 non-conference games against unranked teams.
• Improve Baylor's record against non-Big 12 teams to 32-7 over the last 3 seasons.
DREW 1 OF 17 COACHES WITH 300 WINS AT CURRENT SCHOOL
• Head coach Scott Drew earned his 300th win at Baylor with the Bears' victory over George Mason on Nov. 24.
• Drew is 1 of 17 active coaches with 300 wins at his current school (thru 11/28/18): Mike Krzyzewski (1033), Jim Boeheim (930), Tom Izzo (579), Bob McKillop (560), Mark Few (542), Bill Self (452), Phil Martelli (434), Roy Williams (430), Jay Wright (427), Mike Brey (409), Randy Bennett (395), Rick Byrd (393), Greg Kampe (341), Fran O'Hanlon (315), Leonard Hamilton (311), Scott Drew (301) and Matt Painter (300).
SUCCESS IN NONCONFERENCE PLAY
• Baylor is 31-7 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, vs. Texas Southern and in a neutral-site game vs. Ole Miss.
• Among the 31 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.
• Saturday's game is the 6th series meeting between Baylor and Wichita State, and WSU leads the series 3-2.
• The teams have met just twice since 1960. BU won 64-55 on Nov. 16, 2007 in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Wichita State won 69-62 on Dec. 2, 2017 in Waco.
• Previous meetings included a 52-43 BU win in Waco on Dec. 12, 1947, a 92-59 Wichita State win in Waco on Dec. 4, 1951 and a 76-74 Wichita State win in Oklahoma City on Dec. 30, 1960.
LATE RUN PROPELS BEARS PAST SOUTH DAKOTA IN KEGLER'S DEBUT
• Mario Kegler made his Baylor debut 629 days after playing his last game at Mississippi State, and he helped the Bears overcome a late 6-point deficit in a 63-57 win over South Dakota on Nov. 27.
• The Bears trailed for more than 30 minutes in the game and faced a 57-51 deficit with 5 minutes to play, but BU held South Dakota scoreless the rest of the way on 0-of-10 shooting, closing on a 12-0 run to take the win.
• BU had 12 blocks as a team, tied for 4th-most in program history (Clark-6, Kegler-3, Vital-2, Butler-1).
• Kegler found Mark Vital for a game-tying layup with 3 minutes left, and Makai Mason scored the final 6 points.
• King McClure had a team-high 15 points, while Kegler had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks, Mason added 10 points and 4 assists, Vital contributed 7 points and 9 rebounds and Tristan Clark blocked a career-high 6 shots.
