No. 17 MBB Readies for SEC/Big 12 Challenge Against Arkansas
1/27/2023 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The old Southwest Conference rivals meet for the 145th time on Saturday
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17/17 BAYLOR BEARS (15-5, 5-3 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
ARKANSAS (16-4, 3-5) vs. 17/17 BAYLOR (15-5, 5-3) Jan. 28, 2022 • 3:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN Talent: Tom Hart (pxp), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) LISTEN: Learfield/ ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and on the Varsity Network App. Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley SIRIUS XM: Sirius 83, XM 83, Internet 83 Baylor Social Media:    |
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ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (16-4, 3-5 SEC) Location: Fayetteville, Ark. Conference/Affiliation: SEC Head Coach: Eric Musselman (San Diego — 1987) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Taking a break from league play, 17th-ranked Baylor (15-5, 5-3) will host Arkansas (14-6, 3-5) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears, who have strung together five-straight wins after an 0-3 start in conference, are a Big 12-best 12-4 in conference challenges combined and 7-2 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Last year, Baylor had a three-game winning streak snapped with an 87-78 loss on the road at Alabama.
"It's a great challenge. The SEC has so many talented teams, good coaches, good programs," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "I know with Arkansas, old Southwest Conference rivals and very familiar with a lot of their Texas players. . . . I know our guys are excited anytime we have a chance to play a talented team. Arkansas has been one of the most consistent SEC teams, besides that little skid like we had, really talented and athletic."
In its second top-10 win of the season, Baylor got 22 points from LJ Cryer and 11 second-half points from redshirt freshman guard Langston Love in Monday's 75-69 win at home over No. 9 Kansas.
"The ultimate goal is to get the win, so I was doing what it took," said Love, who had bookend three-point plays in a 12-3 run that gave the Bears the lead for good. "I just thank my teammates for putting me in position to do those things. I just have to finish off those plays."
Even though the team had "seen it in practice," it helped the players and coaches' confidence and trust in Love when he came through in such a critical moment. He was 3-for-5 in the second half, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and recorded his eighth double-digit game of the year.
"We've seen it in practice, and that's why we know what he's capable of," Drew said of Love. "At the same time, when you do it in a game that obviously helps him with his confidence and helps all of us. . . . Similar to Jalen (Bridges). Jalen wasn't making shots early in the year, but he's making them in practice. So, we all knew that he was capable. It's just a matter of time."
The Bears continue to be led by the guard trio of freshman Keyonte George (16.9 ppg), senior Adam Flagler (16.1 ppg, 5.2 assists) and Cryer (14.2 ppg). But they're also getting contributions from Bridges (9.8 ppg, 5.7 rebounds) and the post rotation of freshman Josh Ojianwuna (5.6 ppg, 4.3 rebounds) and senior Flo Thamba (5.4 ppg, 5.0 rebounds).
Thamba said playing out of conference is tougher this year "because the Big 12 is is very competitive right now."
"For the last few years, I haven't seen the Big 12 as competitive as far as all teams are basically on the same playing field," said Thamba, who has made 21 of his last 25 free throws. "But it gives us an opportunity to play somebody else, to step away from the Big 12 a little bit. It goes both ways a little bit."
Since dropping out of the top-25 rankings after losing four-straight in SEC play, Arkansas has reeled off back-to-back wins over Ole Miss (69-57) and LSU (60-40), avenging an earlier loss to the Tigers (60-57).
With 6-10 sophomore forward Trevon Brazile (11.8 ppg, 6.0 rebounds) and highly touted freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. (12.8 ppg) both out with injuries, the Razorbacks are led by 6-6 junior guard Ricky Council IV (16.8 ppg), 6-7 freshman guard Anthony Black (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rebounds) and 6-4 junior guard Davonte Davis (10.2 ppg).
"Anytime you have that length and you're aggressive, well-coached, it presents challenges," Drew said. "They're really good in transition. One of the best recruiting classes in the country this past year. Anthony Black and Keyonte George are really good friends, and a lot of our guys know their guys. They'll know a lot of what we do, we'll know a lot of what they do, just because of the familiarity even though we're in different leagues."
A 5-star guard who earned State Tournament MVP honors in leading Duncanville to the 6A state championship, Black is the son of Baylor Hall of Famer Terry Black and former Baylor soccer player Jennifer Cavelle.
"I know the family well, mom and dad are great," Drew said. "Anthony is someone we're cheering for every game except for this one. . . . (He's a) 6-7 point guard who can get downhill, great athleticism. We've all seen Terry's dunks. (Anthony) definitely has those hops. But he's a great facilitator, somebody that is going to be playing this game a long time."
Saturday's game will be televised by ESPN, with Tom Hart and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.
Other featured games in the Big 12/SEC Challenge include second-ranked Alabama at Oklahoma, No. 11 TCU at Mississippi State, No. 10 Texas at fourth-ranked Tennessee and No. 9 Kansas at Kentucky.
STORY LINE
• No. 17 Baylor hosts former Southwest Conference rival Arkansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
• Baylor is a Big 12-best 12-4 in conference challenges, including a 7-2 mark in SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
• Baylor (7-2) has more SEC/Big 12 Challenge wins than any team in either league. (Florida 5-3, UK 5-4).
• Baylor's 7-2 SEC/Big 12 Challenge record includes wins vs. 7 different teams – Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida and Auburn.
• BU has won all four of its SEC/Big 12 Challenge meetings at the Ferrell Center.
• Baylor is 17-11 against the SEC during the Drew era, including 12-7 since 2012-13.
• Baylor has won the last two meetings in the series including the 2021 matchup in the Elite Eight.
• Saturday is the 145th series meeting, but just the fourth since Arkansas left the Southwest Conference in 1991.
• With a win over No. 9 Kansas on Monday, BU is now 12-1 in its last 13 games against AP Top-10 teams.
• In that time, BU has wins over Nos. 5, 9, 6, 6, 10, 6, 1, 6, 8, 5, 8 and 9.
• The Bears are 25-8 vs. AP top-25 teams over the last four years.
• 27 scouts from 18 NBA teams are credentialed for the Bears battle against the Razorbacks.
• Baylor is 49-5 in home games over the last four seasons.
• Baylor is 49-7 vs. unranked teams over the last three seasons.
• The Bears had a season-high 30 second-chance points against the Sooners (1/21), the most since they had 32 against Washington State on 12/23/2010.
• Baylor's 47-10 Big 12 record over the last four seasons is the best of any Power-5 team.
• BU is 161-92 in Big 12 play in 13 seasons since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league's first 13 seasons.
• After a one-week absence from the AP Top 25 earlier this month, the Bears are back in the top 25 and have now been ranked in 67 of the last 68 AP Polls.
• All five of BU's losses have come against teams currently ranked in the top 16 of the AP Top 25, and in the top 25 of the latest NCAA Net rankings.
• The Bears are the second best offense in the nation (best in the conference) according to Ken Pom (119.6 Adj. Efficiency rating), averaging 79.4 points per game.
• With a KenPom experience rating of 1.72, the Bears are the second-youngest team in the Big 12.
• BU has won 73-straight when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (last loss March 2, 2019 at K-State).
• Eleven of Baylor's 12 starting point guards during the Scott Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
• Baylor's starting point guard has earned All-Big 12 recognition in 17 of 18 seasons since 2004-05.
• Keyonte George's 16.9 points per game rank third among freshman in Division I.
• George Has eight 20-point games this season, the most by a BU freshman since Aaron Bruce (9) (2004-05).
• Baylor's starting guard trio of George, Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer ranks as the fourth-highest scoring back court trio in college basketball (47.2 ppg, second-best in the power five).
• Flagler, George and Cryer are all in the top-11 in the Big 12 in points per game, one of three schools to have multiple players and the only one to have three in the top-11.
• George's 32 points at West Virginia were the most by a BU freshman since LaceDarius Dunn's 38 at Texas Tech (3/8/08).
