Baylor
New Orleans
MBB Closes Non-Conference Play Against New Orleans
12/28/2018 2:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bears and Privateers tip off at 5:05 p.m. CT on FSSW-Plus
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BAYLOR BEARS (7-4) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
BAYLOR (7-4) VS. NEW ORLEANS (5-5) December 29, 2018 • 5:05 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: Fox Sports Southwest-Plus | Fox Sports App Talent: John Morris (pbp) & Jim Haller (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College / ESPN Central Texas Talent: David Rosselli (pxp), David Kaye (analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (5-5) Location: New Orleans, La. Conference: Southland Head Coach: Mark Slessinger (Aurora, 1995) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Facing an aggressive SFA defense that likes to get in passing lanes and deny everything, Baylor turned it over 18 times in a 59-58 loss to the Lumberjacks 11 days ago.
That experience should pay dividends when the Bears (7-4) go up against a very similar defense in Saturday's 5 p.m. matchup at the Ferrell Center versus the University of New Orleans Privateers (5-5).
"We just have to execute better, and we can't let the defensive pressure disrupt our offense and how we're going to execute our plays," said Baylor sophomore forward Tristan Clark, who is averaging 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks and shooting a national-best 76.8 percent. "We 've just got to be more patient and don't let them speed us up."
A Southland Conference team like SFA, New Orleans ranks third nationally with 11.0 steals per game and fourth in turnovers forced (19.7). Baylor has averaged 17 losses in its four losses, including a season-high 19 in the season opener against Texas Southern.
The Privateers, coming off a 99-57 loss to Pittsburgh nine days ago, "make it tough to run offense, make you play more one-on-one and try to hurry you and rush you into things," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
Even more troubling for Baylor than its 14.5 turnovers per game is shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 27.9 from 3-point range, which ranks 333rd out of 351 NCAA Division I teams.
"Making shots definitely helps," Drew said. "The thing is, you can never count on that. That's where the defense and rebounding (keep you in the game). At some point, we'll definitely start making more shots than we've made, because we're too good of shooters to shoot this poorly."
Grad transfer Makai Mason, who is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game, said it mainly comes down to hitting shots.
"I think we can do a better job of finding each other a little bit, attacking the paint and trying to get kickouts and open looks for each other," Mason said. "But, for the most part, I feel like I've gotten pretty good looks, honestly. We just have to knock them down."
Sophomore forward Mario Kegler, a Mississippi State transfer who sat out last year, has struggled the most. He is 2-of-19 from 3-point range and has scored just seven points combined in the last two games after averaging 12.3 points in his first three games back from a six-game suspension.
"We've got a bunch of guys not shooting the percentages we thought they would," Drew said. "But, (Kegler is) definitely starting to get more in the flow, more in game condition. Game shape is different than practice shape."
Through the offensive struggles, Baylor has been carried by a defense that ranks 20th nationally in points allowed per game (61.9). In wins over Arizona (58-49) and Oregon (57-47), the Bears had a 38.1 field goal percentage defense and dominated the boards, 84-37.
They have held their last three opponents and four of their last five to less than 60 points.
"We've done a great job just being active defensively, having energy on the defensive end and also defensive rebounding," Mason said. "Not giving teams a lot of second-chance points is going to help us defend pretty well."
New Orleans has a pair of double-figure scorers in 6-4 senior guard Ezekiel Charles (11.2 ppg, 4.9 rebounds) and 6-9 senior forward Scott Plaisance (10.0 ppg). In their two previous matchups against Power 5 teams, the Privateers lost by a combined 72 points, falling 82-52 at Northwestern and 99-57 at Pitt.
"We've lost to Texas Southern and SFA, so you don't have to worry about convincing our guys to come ready to play," Drew said. "What we didn't do at the SFA game, after we came off the big win, hopefully we'll be able to do after the win over Oregon and have improved and practiced enough to where that kind of defense doesn't bother us as much. And that we have the energy and execute and effort necessary to take care of business at home and get ready for conference.
"We really liked our team against Arizona and Oregon. Now, we've just got to duplicate that more and more."
STORY LINES
• Baylor hosts New Orleans at 5:05 p.m. CT Saturday in its final game before Big 12 Conference play.
• Saturday's game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest-Plus with John Morris and Jim Haller on the call.
• BU and New Orleans are meeting for the first time. The Bears are 50-14 vs. current Southland teams.
• Baylor is coming off an 8-day break after defeating Oregon 57-47 in Waco on Dec. 21.
• Scott Drew is in his 16th season in Waco and is the Bears' all-time wins leader (303-199).
• BU held Oregon to 47 points, the Ducks' fewest in a game since scoring 46 vs. Cal on Feb. 21, 2013.
• BU won 58-49 at Arizona on Dec. 1, becoming the first team to hold UA below 50 points since Feb. 26, 2011.
• The win at Arizona snapped the Wildcats 52-game non-conference home winning streak.
• With the wins at Arizona and vs. Oregon, Baylor improved to 11-4 vs. the Pac-12 in the Drew era.
• BU has used 9 different starters in its first 11 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.
• King 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).
• 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.
• Clark leads the nation with a 76.8 field goal percentage, which is 5.2% better than the closest player.
• Baylor ranks 4th nationally in block percentage (17.9), while Clark is 22nd nationally with 2.5 bpg.
• BU is 14th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (37.6), and Vital ranks 21st nationally (15.3).
• Two of Baylor's four losses have come in the final minute after losing double-digit 2nd-half leads.
• BU has held opponents below 30 first-half points in 8 of 11 games after doing so in 12 of 34 last year.
• Drew is 1 of 17 Division I coaches with 300+ wins at his current school (1 of 9 in Power-5 conferences).
• Baylor is 57-4 in its last 61 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.
• Baylor is 31-5 in home games against unranked opponents since 2016-17.
• Baylor is 122-16 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 96-8 since 2007-08.
• BU is 30-2 in December games against unranked opponents dating back to 2013. The Bears' only losses against unranked teams in that span were Dec. 1 at Wichita State and Dec. 18 vs. SFA.
• Baylor is 43-4 in regular-season non-conference games against unranked teams since December 2014.
• Baylor is 33-9 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 20-2 when leading at halftime since the start of the 2017-18 season (5-2 this season).
• BU is 75-17 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (7-2 this season).
• Drew is coaching his 503rd game at Baylor (303-199). His .604 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and his teams have a .674 winning percentage since 2007-08 (269-130).
• Baylor has posted a combined 144-33 record in November and December games during the Drew era, including a 62-11 mark in November and December games since 2013.
• 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 88% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (138-18).
• BU has recorded double-digit non-conference wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons (all except 2012-13).
• Baylor is 178-83 over the last 7 seasons, averaging 24.4 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 178 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (220).
• Baylor is 269-130 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 880 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 503rd game at Baylor (303-199). His .604 winning percentage is best in BU history, and he's the program's all-time wins leader by 102 victories over the next closest coach.
• Baylor has a .674 winning percentage (269-130) since Drew's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08 and a .682 winning percentage (178-83) over the last 7 seasons since 2011-12.
• In Drew's 16 seasons as Baylor head coach, BU has been ranked in 211 of 503 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 368 games.
• BU has graduated 91 percent of its scholarship seniors since Drew took over in 2003 (31 of 34).
• 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 304th win at Baylor, 103 more than any coach in program history.
• Give Baylor an 8-4 or better record entering Big 12 play for a 13th consecutive season.
• Make Baylor 34-9 in games against non-Big 12 teams since 2016-17.
• Make Baylor 145-33 in November/December games under Drew, including 73-19 in December games.
• Improve BU's record to 76-39 during King McClure's 4-year career and 73-39 in games McClure has played.
• Make Baylor 44-4 in its last 48 non-conference games against unranked teams.
• Improve Baylor to 58-4 in its last 62 non-conference home games, 123-16 in non-conference home games in the Drew era and 32-5 in home games vs. unranked teams since 2016-17.
CLARK EFFICIENT ON BOTH ENDS
• Sophomore forward Tristan Clark leads the nation with a .768 field goal percentage, which is more than 5% better than the closest player (Dayton's Obi Toppin at .716). Clark is averaging just 1.7 missed field goals per game.
• Clark leads the Big 12 and ranks 22nd nationally with 2.5 blocks per game, and with 28 blocks through 11 games, he's nearly surpassed last season's blocked shots total (29 blocks in 33 games).
• Clark's 28 blocked shots are more than 51 Division I teams (thru Dec. 25), and he's blocked multiple shots in 10 of 11 games this season after doing so in 9 of 33 games as a freshman last season.
MCCLURE LEADING AS LONE RETURNING SENIOR
• Senior King McClure, Baylor's lone player with 3+ years in the program, has taken his game to a new level this season. He's averaging 11.1 points per game, up 3.0 points from last year's 8.1 ppg average.
• McClure is shooting 43% from the field (up 4% from last year), 39% from 3-point range (up 4%), has more than doubled his rebounding average to 5.1 rpg (up from 2.5 rpg) and is averaging 2.5 assists per game (up from 1.7 apg).
• McClure has posted 20+ points 3 times this season after doing so in 1 of 100 games over his first 3 years.
• McClure set a program record for rebounds by a guard when he grabbed 14 boards against George Mason (11/24).
MASON BATTLING THROUGH INJURED ANKLE
• Makai Mason has started the last 8 games after missing the majority of the previous 2+ seasons due to injury.
• Mason played in only 1 game over his last two seasons at Yale before joining the Bears as a grad transfer. He also missed the first 3 games at Baylor with an ankle injury before debuting as the first grad transfer in program history on Nov. 16.
• Mason leads the team with 14.1 points per game and 2.8 assists per game.
• Mason led the Bears to a huge road win at Arizona (12/15) with a game-high 22 points and career-high 7 rebounds.
• He has scored 9+ points in all 8 games played, including 3 games with 18+ points.
IMPRESSIVE NON-CONFERENCE NUMBERS AT HOME
• Baylor is 57-4 in its last 61 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.
• Baylor is 31-5 in home games against unranked opponents since 2016-17 (losses vs. K-State (2), Miss. St, Texas So., SFA).
• Baylor is 122-16 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 96-8 since 2007-08.
SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
• Baylor is 33-9 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, in a neutral-site game vs. Ole Miss, at Wichita State and vs. SFA.
• Among the 33 wins are home victories against No. 4 Oregon, No. 7 Xavier and vs. Oregon, neutral site wins vs. No. 10 Louisville, vs. No. 24 Michigan State, vs. VCU, vs. USC, vs. Wisconsin and vs. Creighton and road wins at Arizona and Ole Miss.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NEW ORLEANS
• Baylor and New Orleans are meeting for the first time.
• The Bears are 50-14 vs. current Southland Conference teams — Abilene Christian (3-1), Central Arkansas (1-0), Lamar (10-1), McNeese State (3-0), Nicholls State (1-0), Northwestern State (8-1), Sam Houston State (9-3), Southeastern Louisiana (2-0), Stephen F. Austin (10-7) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-1).
• BU is 13-3 vs. Southland Conference teams in the Drew era — Central Arkansas (1-0), Lamar (1-0), McNeese State (1-0), Nicholls State (1-0), Northwestern State (2-0), Sam Houston State (3-0), Stephen F. Austin (2-2) and TAMU-Corpus Christi (2-1).
STRONG DEFENSIVE EFFORT LEADS BAYLOR PAST OREGON
• Baylor posted a strong defensive effort to earn a 57-47 win over Oregon on Dec. 21.
• BU held Oregon to 16 first-half points and limited the Ducks to their fewest points in a game since Feb. 21, 2013.
• Baylor built a 20-5 lead and led by 16 points in the 2nd half before a furious Oregon rally cut it to 47-45 with 3:32 to play. BU closed the game on a 10-2 run, with Makai Mason scoring 6 of his 14 points during the closing run.
