MBB Closes Regular Season at No. 13 Kansas

Bears and Jayhawks tip off at 1:05 p.m. on ESPN

Men's Basketball 3/8/2019 9:48:00 AM



	BAYLOR BEARS (19-11, 10-7) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	BAYLOR (19-11, 10-7) at 13/14 KANSAS (22-8, 11-6) March 9, 2019 • 1:05 p.m. CT Lawrence, Kan. • Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN \| ESPN App Talent: Dave Flemming (pxp), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College \| ESPN Central Texas Talent: John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (analyst) Baylor Social Media:

	13/14 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (22-8, 11-6) Location: Lawrence, Kan. Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Bill Self (Oklahoma State, 1985) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Jared Butler wants to do something on his first trip to Allen Fieldhouse that Baylor hasn't done in 15 previous visits to the Kansas Jayhawks' historic arena. Win.
            The Bears (19-11, 10-7) close out the regular season by trying to snap a two-game losing streak and win for the first time ever in Lawrence, Kan., in Saturday's 1 p.m. game that will be nationally televised by ESPN.
            "They say it's going to be such a huge accomplishment if we win at Kansas," said Butler, a freshman point guard who is averaging 9.6 points and 2.6 assists per game. "If it's the first one on the first try and we win it, then it's not going to be as big. You know what I mean? But, to the coaches and (senior King McClure), they feel like it's a big-time accomplishment. I'd just like to win it on my first try."
            This is the first time in 15 years that Kansas did not win at least a share of the Big 12 title. The Jayhawks were eliminated from the title race with Tuesday's 68-60 loss at Oklahoma and are already locked in as the No. 3 seed for the Big 12 Championship that begins Wednesday in Kansas City.
            "I smell blood in the water," said junior forward Freddie Gillespie, who matched his career high with 14 points in Wednesday's 67-64 Senior Day loss at home to Oklahoma State. "They were on top of the conference for 14 years straight, so this is the year to do it. . . . They haven't lost at home. Something about Allen Fieldhouse just makes them unbeatable . . . except for this Saturday."
            Baylor coach Scott Drew said the difference this season is a deeper Big 12 and the Jayhawks' lack of experience in the backcourt. In their last game, they started four freshmen with 6-9 junior forward Dedric Lawson, who is averaging 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
            "Freshmen are great, but (Kansas coach Bill) Self and other coaches would tell you that you'd rather have a junior or senior that's been through two years of the rigors and has that experience to help out the underclassmen in the bracket," Drew said.
            Nearly two months ago, when the two teams met for the first time, senior guard Lagerald Vick hit 6-of-8 from 3-point range and scored 18 points in Kansas' 73-68 win in Waco. But, he took a leave of absence 19 days later and has not returned to the team.
            "I wish he wouldn't have played when they were down here. (He made) six of eight from 3 on his birthday, so we gave him a good birthday present. They've gotten used to playing without him, just like we had to get used to playing without Tristan. He was really good here, but they've good and won games and haven't been beaten at home, with or without him."
            Gillespie said the key against Lawson is to keep him out of "those spots where he knows how to work out of and making them offensively uncomfortable."
            The Bears are trying to put that loss to Oklahoma State behind them, when they shot 25 percent in the second half (7-of-28) and 35.0 percent for the game (21-of-60). Butler, McClure and sophomore forward Mario Kegler were a combined 4-of-21.
            "I feel like we didn't bring the energy and sense of urgency," Butler said. "I think when we lose games, it's not because of the other teams. Like Oklahoma State, I don't feel like they were the better team. This game (against Kansas), I don't think a lot of X's and O's are going to matter. I think it comes down to who wants it more. I know it's a tough place to play, but I just feel that who wants it more is going to win the game."
            Drew said one of the biggest problems at Allen Fieldhouse is the inability for the coaches to communicate to the players.
            "Normally, coaches like to yell out their plays or what they want," he said. "And htat's one place you really can't do that. You can do it, they just can't hear you."


STORY LINES
• Baylor looks to cap the regular season with its first win in Lawrence when BU faces Kansas on Saturday.
• Saturday is the 37th series meeting. KU leads the series 31-5, including a 16-0 mark in Lawrence.
• Baylor and Kansas split the series last year. KU won by 3 in Lawrence and BU won by 16 in Waco.
• Kansas won 73-68 in Waco on Jan. 12. KU jumped out to an 18-2 lead, but BU answered with an 18-4 run of its own. KU rebuilt its lead to 66-45 with 4:10 left, and BU cut it to 72-68 in the final minute.
• The KU game was Baylor's first without Tristan Clark. BU was 9-6 after the loss and is 10-5 since.
• Baylor was out-shot 55% to 33%, but BU attempted 31 more field goals. BU out-rebounded KU 49-30, but turned 26 offensive boards into just 14 second-chance points. On 3-pointers, BU shot 29% to KU's 56%.
• With a win, BU can finish 11-7 in Big 12 play, tying the 3rd-most conference wins in program history.
• BU is set as the No. 4 seed at the Big 12 Championship and will face Iowa State in the quarterfinals.
• BU is 2nd nationally in offensive rebounding pct. (38.2), its 6th straight year in the nation's top 10.
• BU has only 7 second-chance points over its last 2 games – BU averages 15.5 in its 10 Big 12 wins.
• BU has been out-rebounded just once in its last 22 games (+8.1 avg. rebounding margin) in that span.
• Baylor has double-digit Big 12 wins for the 4th time in the last 5 seasons and 6th time in 10 years. Prior to 2010, Baylor hadn't won 10+ conference games since 1988 Southwest Conference play.
• BU needs a win for 20+ wins in 10 of its last 12 seasons. Prior to 2008, BU had only 3 20-win seasons.
• Baylor's last 5 games have all been within 2 points in the final 2 minutes, and BU is 3-2 in those games.
• BU is 14-99 all-time in road games vs. AP Top 25 teams, but 12-44 in the Drew era (2-55 prior).
• Baylor is 3-3 vs. AP Top 25 teams this season and 23-30 vs. ranked teams in the last 5 seasons.
• Makai Mason has been limited in the last 8 games with a toe injury, King McClure has missed 5 of 8 with a knee injury, Clark has missed 16 straight games, and Jake Lindsey has missed the entire season.
• All told, those 4 projected starters have missed 56 total games, including 39 in Big 12 play.
• Mario Kegler has led BU in scoring in 3 of its last 4 games, averaging 15.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg in that span.
• Over his last 12 games, Kegler ranks 2nd on the team with 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
• Kegler is shooting 40% on 3FGs (15-39) in his last 12 games after 14% (5-35) in his previous 12 games.
• Devonte Bandoo leads BU with 13.0 ppg over the last 8 games, adding 4.4 rpg and 2.4 3FGM/gm.
• Flo Thamba and Freddie Gillespie have combined for 9.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.9 bpg in 32.0 mpg in 16 games since Clark's injury. Prior to the injury they averaged 2.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 0.9 bpg in 12.8 mpg.
• Gillespie is averaging 8.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg and shooting 71% (44-62) over the last 12 games. He entered that stretch with 25 points, 30 rebounds and 4 blocks in 10 games played (2.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.4 bpg).
• Mark Vital's last 4 games: 10.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 bpg, 1.0 spg in 33.5 mpg; 71% FTs (20-of-28).
• Jared Butler joined the starting lineup with Clark out and is averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.6 apg in 16 starts.
• Butler is shooting 44% on 3FGs (42-96) since becoming a starter and made a 3-pointer in all 16 games.
• In Big 12 play, BU leads the league in offensive efficiency (110.1), assists (14.8/gm), 3-point pct. (.387), 3-pointers made (9.1/gm), rebounding margin (+6.9/gm), rebounding offense (37.6) and rebounding defense (30.8).

ON THE CALL
• Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN with Dave Flemming and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.
• Flemming is calling his first BU game since last season's Big 12 Championship quarterfinal against West Virginia.
• Fraschilla is on his third BU game this season – Baylor's win over Oregon on Dec. 21 and both games vs. Kansas.

QUICK HITS
• Baylor has won 19+ games in 8 straight seasons and is seeking its 10th 20-win season in the last 12 years.
• Scott Drew is in his 16th season in Waco and is the Bears' all-time wins leader (315-206).
• Drew is coaching his 522nd game at Baylor (315-206). His .605 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and his teams have a .672 winning percentage since 2007-08 (281-137).
• Baylor is 34-37 in Big 12 road games since 2012, second-best in the league behind only Kansas (44-24).
• Baylor is 1 of 16 teams nationally to appear in every postseason since 2012 (5 NCAAs, 2 NITs).
• Baylor is 29-3 when leading at halftime over the last two seasons (14-3 this season).
• BU is 87-20 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (19-5 this season).
• BU is 99-76 in Big 12 play in 10 seasons since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league's first 13 seasons.
• BU has won 8+ Big 12 games in 8 straight seasons after winning 8+ just 3 times in the league's first 15 years.
• 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 41-70 against AP Top 25 teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first 4 rebuilding seasons.
• Baylor defeated 7 top-10 teams in the last 3 seasons, including a 6-3 mark vs. top-10 teams in Waco.
• Baylor is 12-22 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 (148-19).
• Baylor is 190-90 over the last 7 seasons, averaging 24.4 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 190 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (232).
• Baylor is 281-137 since 2007-08, the first year Drew's staff had a full allotment of scholarships.
• Baylor beat Alabama to move to 5-1 all-time in Big 12/SEC Challenges, the best record of any team in either league.
• Baylor has the nation's 11th-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 899 straight games — the last time Baylor failed to make a 3-pointer was more than 29 years ago, on Feb. 21, 1990 vs. Texas Tech (0-8).

SERIES HISTORY VS. KANSAS
• Saturday is the 37th all-time meeting between Baylor and Kansas. BU is 5-31 against the Jayhawks.
• Baylor lost 11 straight against Kansas before snapping the streak with an 80-64 win in Waco last season.
• Baylor's wins in the series came in 2001 vs. No. 6 Kansas (Waco), in 2009 vs. No. 14 Kansas (Oklahoma City), in 2012 vs. No. 3 (Kansas City), in 2013 vs. No. 4 Kansas (Waco) and in 2018 vs. No. 10 Kansas (Waco).
• The Bears are 0-16 all-time in Lawrence, and 13 of those 16 games have been decided by double-digits – the lone exceptions were 2010 (81-75), 2017 (73-68) and 2018 (70-67).

BEARS DROP HOME FINALE TO OKLAHOMA STATE
• Baylor led for the majority of the game, but Oklahoma State used a 16-4 run to turn a 6-point deficit with 11:15 left into a 6-point lead with 5:15 to play, and the Bears never regained the lead in a 67-64 loss on March 6.
• BU had a season-low 3 second-chance points on 9 offensive rebounds, and the Bears shot just 25% in the 2nd half.
• Makai Mason had 19 points, his most since a 40-point game vs. TCU on Feb. 2, and Freddie Gillespie added 14.

FOUR PROJECTED STARTERS HAVE MISSED SIGNIFICANT TIME
• Baylor has had four projected starters miss significant time due to injuries. Makai Mason (toe) and King McClure (knee) have both missed 5 games, while Tristan Clark (knee) and Jake Lindsey (hip) are out for the season.
• Those four starters all missed the Feb. 9 game vs. K-State and the Feb. 16 game at Texas Tech, both losses.
• All told, those four starters have combined to miss 56 games this season, including 39 games in Big 12 play.

3-GUARD LINEUP AND UNHERALDED BIG MEN LEADING BEARS' RESURGENCE
• Baylor switched to a 3-guard lineup after Tristan Clark's season-ending injury, swapping freshman guard Jared Butler into the starting lineup. The Bears moved 6-foot-5 sophomore Mark Vital to the starting 5-spot.
• In 16 games without Clark, Baylor (10-6) is making 3 more 3-pointers per game (9.3 from 6.4), shooting 10% higher from 3-point range (39% from 29%) and scoring 0.9 more points per game (72.3 from 71.4).
• Five Bears are shooting 37%+ from 3-point range since Clark's injury – Bandoo (44%, 2.0/gm), Butler (44%, 2.6/ gm), McClure (40%, 1.5/gm), Mason (38%, 2.1/gm) and Kegler (37%, 1.1/gm).
• Butler in 16 games since becoming a starter — 12.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.6 3FGM/gm and 44% on 3-pointers.
• Butler's first 14 games prior to Clark injury — 6.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.7 3FGM/gm and 23% on 3-pointers.
• Freddie Gillespie and Flo Thamba combined in 16 games since Clark's injury — 9.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg in 32.0 mpg.
• Prior to the injury Gillespie and Thamba combined to average 2.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 0.9 bpg in 12.8 mpg.
• Devonte Bandoo's first 14 games — 6.8 ppg, 34% 3FGs; Bandoo's last 16 games — 10.0 ppg, 44% 3FGs.
• Mario Kegler is averaging 11.3 ppg, up from 8.8 ppg, and shooting 3-pointers at 37% (18-49), up from 8% (2-24).

A WIN WOULD ...
• Be Scott Drew's 316th win at Baylor and the 336th of his Division I coaching career.
• Give BU 11 Big 12 wins, tying the 3rd-most in program history behind only the 12-6 records in 2012 and 2017.
• Tie the Bears for 3rd place in the final Big 12 standings, BU's 4th top-3 finish in the last 10 years. Prior to 2010, Baylor's only top-5 finishes in the Big 12's first 13 seasons were a tie for 4th in 2008 and a tie for 5th in 1998.
• Give BU 20+ wins in 10 of the last 12 seasons. BU had 20+ wins in only 3 seasons prior to that stretch.
• Improve Baylor's record in Big 12 road games to 35-37 since 2012, second-best in the league.
• Be Baylor's first win in 17 tries at Allen Fieldhouse and would bring the Bears' series record vs. Kansas to 6-31.
• Improve Baylor's record to 100-76 in Big 12 play since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league's first 13 seasons.

BIG 12'S SECOND-BEST ROAD MARK SINCE 2012
• Baylor is 34-37 in Big 12 road games since 2012, 2nd-best in the league behind only Kansas (45-28) thru 3/8/19.
• BU is 25-28 in Big 12 road games since 2014, which is also second-best in the league behind only Kansas (32-23).

TWENTY-THREE WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS IN LAST FIVE SEASONS
• Baylor has gone 23-30 against ranked teams since the start of the 2014-15 season (3-3 this season).
• BU is 3-3 vs. ranked opponents this season with wins vs. No. 8 Texas Tech, vs. No. 20 Iowa State and at No. 19 Iowa State, and losses to No. 7 Kansas, at No. 15 Texas Tech and at No. 16 Kansas State.
• BU is 41-70 against AP-ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
• Baylor has won multiple games vs. AP Top 25 teams in each of the last 12 seasons.
• BU has knocked off seven AP top-10 teams in the last 3 seasons (7-7 vs. AP Top 10).

UP NEXT
• Baylor has clinched the No. 4 seed at the 2019 Big 12 Championship and will face No. 5 seed Iowa State in Thursday's quarterfinals. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CT on ESPN or ESPN2.
• The winner of the BU-ISU game will face either the No. 1 seed (K-State or Texas Tech), the No. 8 seed (TCU) or the No. 9 seed (winner of West Virginia at Oklahoma State) in a semifinal game at 6 p.m. CT Friday.

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