1/1 BAYLOR BEARS (20-1, 9-0) Location: Waco, Texas Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes	BAYLOR (20-1, 9-0) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (11-11, 1-8) Feb. 8, 2020 • 5 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: baylorstats.com WATCH: ESPN2 and the ESPN App Talent: Lowell Galindo (pxp), Lance Blanks (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College | ESPN Central Texas Talent: John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (analyst) Baylor Social Media:
	NR/NR OKLAHOMA STATE (11-11, 1-8) Location: Stillwater, Okla. Head Coach: Mike Boynton (South Carolina, 2003) Roster | Stats | Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Needing one more win for the best start in program history, the top-ranked Baylor Bears (20-1, 9-0) open the second half of Big 12 play with a home game against last-place Oklahoma State (11-1. 1-8) at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center. 
            Both the 2012 and 2017 Baylor teams lost in their 22^nd games of the season in falling to 20-2, a record the Bears could surpass with a win over the Cowboys. 
            "First and foremost, records don't matter in the Big 12," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, who has posted a 20-win season for the 12^th time in his career and 11^th time in the last 13 seasons. "We know why the Big 12 has been a great conference, top conference the last six years. Top to bottom, there are no easy games and a lot of talented players, a lot of great coaches."
            Baylor also carries a program-record 19-game winning streak into Saturday's game, the third-longest in Big 12 history behind Kansas' record 22-game run in 1997 and the Jayhawks' 20-game streak in 2008. 
            Ranked No. 1 for the third-straight week, Drew said the Bears can't afford to have an off day. 
            "When you're ranked No. 1, you're getting everyone's most concerted, best effort, most energy. There is no B or C game you're facing," Drew said. "So, you have to be that much more focused and on-point and ready to go yourself. . . . You can't have an off day when you're No. 1 and the other team isn't."
            Nothing shows the parity and balance of the league better than the last meeting between the first- and last-place teams three weeks ago in Stillwater, when Oklahoma State never trailed in the first 31 minutes of the game and had a double-digit lead with under 14 minutes to play. 
            Devonte Bandoo hit four second-half 3-pointers and scored 16 points to lead the Bears to a come-from-behind 75-68 win on the road. 
            "I expect even better effort and even better play out of them," said Baylor senior forward Freddie Gillespie, who is averaging 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. "I feel like they think they let one escape from them, and they just got their first (conference) win earlier this week, so I expect a harder punch from them."
            After starting 7-0 with wins over Syracuse and Ole Miss, OSU lost 11 of its next 14 and dropped its first eight conference games. But, the Cowboys beat Texas A&M, 73-62, on the road in last month's Big 12/SEC Challenge and ended their conference losing streak with a 72-57 win over TCU just three days ago. 
            With second-leading scorer Lindy Waters sidelined with an injury, sophomore guard Isaac Likekele (11.6 ppg) recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in OSU's win over the Horned Frogs. Cameron McGriff, who hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the first game against Baylor, is averaging 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. 
            "Oklahoma State played at TCU, and TCU handled them easy (52-40)," Drew said. "And then you turn around and play at Oklahoma State, and (OSU) wins by double digits. Every day, kids just get more motivated, obviously, when they're coming off a loss or have something to prove. That's why a lot of times it's hard to beat people two times."
            Baylor knows the 6-4 Likekele all too well. Scoreless in a 73-69 loss in last year's game at Stillwater, he came back to pour in 23 points and helped hand the Bears a 67-64 loss on Senior Night. 
            Sophomore guard Jared Butler (15.3 ppg, 2.9 assists) leads a balanced Baylor attack that features five players averaging at least eight points per game. Gillespie and MaCio Teague (14.1 ppg) also average double-digit points, while guards Davonte Mitchell and Devonte Bandoo are at 9.9 and 8.0, respectively. 
            "Of course, we look at the film from the last game, 100 percent," said Butler, who scored 17 points in the earlier win at Oklahoma State. "But, I take it as we're going to play them the first time. I think everyone is going to give us their best shot. They're going to come in here and try to beat the No. 1 team in the nation, try to beat Baylor. I just make sure we're more committed to winning than they are."
            Saturday's game will be televised by ESPN2, with Lowell Galindo and former Texas star Lance Blanks calling the action. 
            In another quick turnaround, Baylor goes back on the road two days later to face Texas (14-8, 4-5) at 8 p.m. Monday in Austin. The Longhorns are coming off a 69-58 loss at No. 3 Kansas and host Texas Tech on Saturday. 


STORY LINES
• No. 1 Baylor carries a school-record 19-game winning streak into Saturday's game vs. Oklahoma State.
• Baylor's 19-game streak is 3rd-longest in Big 12 history (Kansas 22 in 1997, Kansas 20 in 2008).
• BU's 9-game Big 12 streak is tied for the 11th-longest conference-only winning streak in league history.
• Baylor's 9-0 start to Big 12 play is the 6th-best in league history and best since UT started 11-0 in 2011 (16-0 KU in 2002, 13-0 KU in 2010, 11-0 UT in 2011, 11-0 OU in 2009, 10-0 KU in 2005).
• Saturday is the 86th series meeting. OSU leads 55-30, but BU is 18-16 vs. OSU in the Drew era.
• Baylor is 8-1 vs. Oklahoma State since 2016 (lone loss 2019 in Waco) and 13-5 vs. OSU since 2012.
• BU is looking to sweep the season series for the 6th time in 9 years. BU never swept OSU prior to 2012.
• The Bears won 75-68 when the teams met in Stillwater on Jan. 18. BU trailed by 9 at the half, the only time Baylor has faced a halftime deficit in its last 15 games.
• BU has trailed for only 11% of game time over its last 15 games (68:29 of 600:00), but nearly half of that time (30:13) came in the comeback from 12 down to win at Oklahoma State on Jan. 18.
• BU is seeking its first 10-game conference winning streak since starting 10-0 in the 1948 SWC.
• Baylor has won 20+ games for the 11th time in the last 13 years. The Bears reached the 20-win mark only 3 times in 101 seasons prior to 2008. BU is averaging 24 wins per season since 2008.
• BU is No. 1 in the AP Top 25. BU moved up in the poll 9 straight weeks until reaching No. 1 on Jan. 20.
• BU has been No. 1 in the AP Poll 4 times – 1 in 2017 (Jan. 9); 3 in 2020 (Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3).
• BU is 6-1 all-time as the No. 1-ranked team, including 5-0 this season in 3 weeks as No. 1 this season.
• Baylor's streak of 14 consecutive AP polls ranked is the 5th-longest in program history (all since 2010).
• Baylor needs a win for the best 22-game start in program history (passing 20-2 in 2012 & 2017).
• Baylor's 19-game winning streak is the nation's 2nd-longest behind San Diego State (23). BU also has the nation's 3rd-longest road winning streak at 7 games (Gonzaga-16, SDSU-9, SFA-7).
• BU is 10-0 at Ferrell Center this season and has held every opponent to 63 or fewer points (54.5 ppg).
• BU is 7-0 in road games, the 2nd-longest road winning streak in program history – 12 in 1945-46.
• Baylor (5-0) and Iowa (5-3) are the nation's only teams with 5 wins vs. AP Top 25 ranked team.
• Baylor ranks 5th nationally in scoring defense (58.4) and 10th nationally in scoring margin (+13.8).
• Baylor's 2-point FG% defense ranks 9th nationally (.425) and effective FG% defense ranks 15th (.439).
• BU is coming off a 73-67 win at K-State, improving to 7-0 on the road. BU never trailed in the game.
• Baylor's defense has forced 15+ turnovers in 13 of 21 games after doing so in 7 of 34 games last year.
• Baylor has held 5 high-major opponents to their season-low scoring totals – Arizona (58), Butler (52), Texas (44), Texas Tech (52) and Kansas (55). BU has held 20 of 21 opponents below 70 points.
• BU has held 6 Big 12 opponents to 55 or fewer points, the program record for most in a single season.
• BU is No. 2 in the NET rankings with 4 top-15 NET wins: vs. No. 4 (road), No. 9, No. 11, No. 15.
• BU is the only team with 2 players on the Naismith Defensive POY Midseason Team (Vital & Mitchell).
• BU and KU are 9-0 in Big 12 road games this season, while the rest of the league is a combined 6-30.

QUICK HITS
• Baylor has won 20+ games in 11 of the last 13 seasons after recording only three 20-win seasons in the previous 100 years of Baylor Basketball (1946, 1948, 1988).
• Baylor is 46-4 when leading at halftime over the last 3 seasons since 2017-18 (16-1 this season).
• Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (164-20).
• BU is 108-21 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (20-1 this season).
• Baylor is 211-94 over the last 9 seasons, averaging 24 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 211 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (255).
• Baylor is 302-141 since 2007-08, the first year Drew's staff had a full allotment of scholarships.
• BU returned 8 letterwinners from last season, including 5 players who made at least 7 starts – Mark Vital (34), Jared Butler (21), Tristan Clark (14), Freddie Gillespie (11) and Devonte Bandoo (7).
• Baylor returned 9 players with at least 26 games of Division I experience, including a pair of transfers who are now starters after sitting out last season – Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague.
• Eight of Baylor's 14 players either have used or are currently using a redshirt year. Five after transferring to BU – Flagler, Gillespie, Mitchell, Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Teague, and three as freshmen ­— Moffatt, Turner and Vital.
• Eight of Baylor's nine starting point guards under Drew have earned All-Big recognition (14 of last 15 seasons).
• Baylor has defeated 8 top-10 teams in the last 4 seasons, including a 6-3 mark vs. top-10 teams in Waco.
• The Bears are one of 11 programs nationally (1 of 6 in Power-5) to win 18+ games in every year since 2008.
• Baylor is 1 of 14 teams nationally to appear in every postseason since 2012 (6 NCAAs, 2 NITs).
• Baylor has the nation's 10th-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 924 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).
• BU is 6-1 all-time in Big 12/SEC Challenges, the best record of any team in either league. Combined with a 3-1 mark in the Big 12/Pac-10 Series and 1-0 in the Big 12/Big East Battle, Baylor is 10-2 in conference challenges.
• Baylor has won 6 tournament titles under Drew (2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic, 2013 NIT, 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis, 2017 Hall of Fame Classic and 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational).

SERIES HISTORY
• Saturday's game is the 86th all-time meeting between Baylor and OSU. BU trails 30-55 in the series
• Baylor is 18-9 against OSU since March 2007 after going 12-46 vs. the Cowboys from 1917 through 2006.
• The Bears need a win to sweep the season series for the 6th time in 9 seasons since 2012. BU swept the series vs. OSU in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 after not doing so in any of the Big 12's first 13 years.
• OSU has swept the series 8 times, but only once since 2006 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2015).
• BU has won 5 straight in Stillwater and is 7-2 at OSU since 2012. BU was 3-24 in Stillwater prior to 2012.

LAST TIME VS. OKLAHOMA STATE
• Baylor overcame a slow start to win 75-68 in Stillwater on Jan. 18. OSU took a 36-27 lead at the break and led 47-35 with 14 minutes left, but BU went on an 18-4 run to take its first lead of the game.
• The Bears got a season-high 16 points from Devonte Bandoo, including 14 in the 2nd half (4-4 3FGs, 2-2 FTs).
• BU trailed for 30:13 of game time, the only time all season the Bears trailed more than they led (7:36).

THIRD-LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN BIG 12 HISTORY
• Baylor's 19-game winning streak is the 3rd-longest by any team in the Big 12 Conference's 24-year history. The only longer streaks are Kansas' 22-game streak in 1997, Kansas' 20-game streak in 2008.
• Baylor's 9-0 start to Big 12 play is tied for the 6th-best start by any team in the league's 24-year history.
• BU's 9-0 is the best start since Texas' 11-0 in 2011 (Kansas 16-0 in 2002, Kansas 13-0 in 2010, Texas 11-0 in 2011, Oklahoma 11-0 in 2009, Kansas 10-0 in 2005, Baylor 9-0 in 2020).
• Baylor's 9-game Big 12 winning streak is tied for the 11th-longest conference-only streak in league history. With a win vs. OSU, Baylor would tie the 6th-longest conference-only streak, trailing only Kansas (16 in 2002), Kansas (13 in 2010), Oklahoma State (11 in 2004), Oklahoma (11 in 2009) and Texas (11 in 2011).

SCHOOL-RECORD WINNING STREAK
• Baylor's 19-game winning streak is the longest winning streak in program history (previously 17 in 2011-12).
• The current 19-game streak includes 5 wins vs. ranked opponents, 7 road games and 3 neutral-site games.
• BU has won 9 straight Big 12 games for first time and is off to a 9-0 start in conference play for the first time since starting 10-0 in the 1948 Southwest Conference.