BAYLOR BEARS (5-2) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)	6/10 BAYLOR (5-2) vs. 14/12 GONZAGA (5-2) Dec. 2, 2022 • 7:00 p.m. CT Sioux Falls, S.D. • The Sanford Pentagon (3,200)  LIVE STATS: Sidearm Sports WATCH: Peacock Talent: Paul Burmeister (pxp), Tim McCormick (analyst), Corey Robinson (Reporter) LISTEN: Learfield/ ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and on the Varsity Network App. Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst) SIRIUS XM: Sirius 199, XM 199, Internet 953 Baylor Social Media:
	GONZAGA BULLDOGS (5-2) Location: Spokane, Wash. Conference/Affiliation: WCC Head Coach: Mark Few (Oregon, 1987) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            While sixth-ranked Baylor's game against No. 14 Gonzaga is a rematch of the 2021 national championship that the Bears dominated, 86-70, the names of the team is about the only thing that remains the same.
            There are only two holdover starters combined for the Bears (5-2) and Bulldogs (5-2) in inaugural Peacock Classic, which tips off at 7 p.m. Friday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
            Gonzaga All-American forward Drew Timme (20.0 ppg, 7.4 rebounds) is the only returning Bulldog who played more than a minute in that game, while Baylor forward Flo Thamba (4.3 ppg, 4.9 rebounds) is a third-year starter who had three points and six boards in the national championship game.
            "They're similar (to the 2021 team) in the sense that they're elite in transition," said Baylor senior guard Adam Flagler, who scored 13 points off the bench in that game and is averaging 16.9 points and 6.8 assists this season. "But it's definitely a different team, a team that we know if we're not locked-in defensively, they can pick us apart. We definitely have to be pinpoint-sharp and ready to play."
            Baylor is coming off a 96-70 loss to Marquette in its first true road game of the season. The Golden Eagles scored 24 points off the Bears' 16 first-half turnovers and shot 58.3% overall, including 12-of-25 from 3-point range.
            "Analytically, this has probably been one of our best teams taking care of the basketball," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "Offensively, we scored 45 points in the second half and only had four turnovers, but the defense didn't show up either half.
            "That first true road game, unless you have a real veteran team, it's twice as hard as normal. It's the first time you're facing a packed house, things can snowball on you quick. As a coach, you try to prepare your team to be ready, but obviously i didn't do a good enough job last game. Hopefully, i'll be better for the guys in this game."
            Thamba called the 16 first-half turnovers "unacceptable, because there's no defense for that. Primarily on offense, we've got to take care of the ball."
            Flagler, who had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists versus Marquette, said the players are not connected defensively.
            "We're doing things defensively, we're pressuring the ball, but we need to know that if we're getting better, we're going to have the next man step up and help," he said. "And then that next man has to have somebody else have his back. We all have to be on the rope and all connected out there, and flying around and having fun."
            Gonzaga, which started the season ranked No. 2 in both polls, has had issues of its own. The Bulldogs were blown out by Tennessee in an exhibition game and suffered double-digit losses to both Texas and Purdue to fall out of the top 10.
            But, Baylor will have its hands full with Timme, 6-7 junior guard Julian Strawther (14.1 ppg, 8.4 rebounds) and 6-3 senior guard Rasir Bolton, an Iowa State transfer who is averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 48.3% from 3-point distance.
            "(Timme) is a force," Flagler said. "He finishes really well around the rim and has great footwork. He's not a guy that you can guard individually. We have to be connected out there team-wise and flying around and doing whatever we can to make it hard for them."
            Friday's game will be streamed by Peacock, with Paul Burmeister, Tim McCormick and Corey Robinson calling the action.
            On the road all week, the Bears will return home to host Tarleton at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the first of three December games in the Ferrell Center.  


STORY LINES

• No. 6/10 Baylor faces No. 14/12 Gonzaga in the Peacock Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in a rematch of the 2021 National Championship Game.

• Tickets for the Peacock Classic sold out less than six minutes after going on sale

• The Bears captured the first national title in program history in the last meeting between these two teams, an 86-70 win over Gonzaga at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 5, 2021.

• The matchup features the top two teams in the nation in adjusted offensive rating, according to KenPom (Gonzaga - 118.9, Baylor 117.9).

• Baylor is 23-7 against AP top 25 teams over the last four seasons, the nation's best mark against ranked teams. 14 of those wins came against top 25 teams away from home.

• Baylor holds the nation's the longest active streak of consecutive weeks in the AP Top-10 (54-straight weeks).

• LJ Cryer set career highs in points (28), field goals (10), rebounds (4) and minutes (35) against No. 8 UCLA (11/20).

• Cryer's 23.5 points per game in Las Vegas earned his first-career Big 12 Player of the Week Award.

• Baylor has had at least one player score 20+ points in six of the last eight games.

• Adam Flagler has three 20-point games in that stretch, followed by Cryer (2), Keyonte George (2) and Jalen Bridges (1).

• With a 95-62 win over Northern Colorado (11/14), Scott Drew became one of 10 active coaches with 400 wins at his current institution.

• Drew has a winning percentage of .700 (367-155) since BU's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08.

• In his 20th season at BU, Drew is coming off Big 12 Coach of the Year honors for a 3rd-straight season, joining Gene Keady (Purdue, 94-96) and Jay Wright (Villanova, 14-16) as the only high-major coaches to accomplish the feat.

• Baylor is 76-5 in its last 81 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.

• Baylor is 141-16 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 112-8 since 2007-08.

• Baylor is 57-8 in home games against unranked opponents (including Big 12 play) since 2016-17.

• Baylor is 42-5 vs. unranked teams over the last three seasons.

• With a 117-53 win in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State (11/7), BU notched the third-largest margin of victory in program history, and 117 points were 1 shy of a Ferrell Center record.

• In an 87-70 win over Norfolk State, BU shot 38 three-pointers, the second-most in the Scott Drew era and the fifth-most in school history.

• Baylor has been in the Preseason AP Top 25 in 10 of 13 seasons since its first preseason ranking in 2010-11.

• The Bears are 60-11 over the last three seasons, the nation's best record by a Power-5 team.

• Baylor is 86-15 over the last four seasons, the nation's best winning percentage among Power-5 teams.

• BU won a school-record 26 regular-season games and finished with its 2nd-most conference wins (14) last season.

• Baylor is playing its 627th game of the 20-year Drew era – more than half (318) have been as a ranked team.

• BU was ranked in two of 2,197 games over the program's 97 seasons prior to Drew