BAYLOR BEARS (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)	17/17 TCU (12-1) vs. 19/16 BAYLOR (10-3) Jan. 4, 2022 • 8:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284)  LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN2 Talent: Rich Hollenberg (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 (Analyst) SIRIUS XM: Sirius 84, XM 84, Internet 953 Baylor Social Media:
	TCU (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) Location: Fort Worth, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Jamie Dixon  (TCU, 1987) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Getting their first taste of Big 12 basketball on the road in Saturday's 77-62 loss at Iowa State, Baylor freshmen Keyonte George and Josh Ojianwuna saw firsthand why coach Scott Drew calls it a "grown man's game."
            "The Big 12 is very physical, they let a lot of things slide," said George, who missed his first nine shots before finishing with 16 points and five turnovers. "Going out there, it was new, it was loud, everybody's against you. It's just you and your teammates and the staff. We learned we've all got to stick together, we've got to be on the same page, because if not it can get bad."
            Facing a ranked team after a loss for the third time this season, No. 19/16 Baylor (10-3, 0-1) will host 17^th-ranked TCU (12-1, 1-0) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
            "This team has done a great job learning from experiences," Drew said. "You lose to Virginia, you bounce back against UCLA. You lose to Marquette, we bounce back against Gonzaga. It's a tough group, a resilient group, and I think a group that learns. None of us like losing and none of us like giving up a 23-3 run, and hopefully we'll learn from those mistakes."
            Trailing by nine with 5 ½ minutes left in the first half, Iowa State closed the half with a 14-2 run and then outscored the Bears, 9-1, to start the second half in taking a 43-32 lead. The Cyclones shot 50% overall, including 10-of-23 from 3-point distance, and scored 19 points off Baylor's 19 turnovers.
            "Their run really hurt us, our 19 turnovers really hurt us, letting their shooters get going hurt us," Drew said. "At 29-20, we had played well enough at that point. And then, you've got to keep doing what got you that lead. We've made a couple tweaks on the offensive end that could help us. And defensively, hopefully we'll get better with urgency and communication, just making sure we're making as many shots tough as possible."
            In both of their true road game losses, the downfall has come on the defensive end. Against Marquette (96-70 loss), the Golden Eagles shot 58.3% overall and 12-of-25 from outside the arc.
            Ojianwuna said there were instances against Iowa State "when guys left guys wide open from the 3 because there was no communication and we weren't connected."
            "We struggled with help side because we weren't connected and I don't think everyone was talking," the 6-10 freshman said. "But, I feel like playing through the game and having Sunday off and how we practiced (Monday), I feel like everyone is on the same page. I think we're going to do way better defensively (against TCU)."
             In what will be the 191^st game in this series, which the Bears lead 105-85, this is the first game when both teams have been ranked. Since an early 64-63 home loss to Northwestern State that knocked them out of the polls, the Horned Frogs have reeled off 10-straight wins and climbed back up to No. 17.
            Mike Miles Jr., the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is second in the league in scoring (18.6 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage (52.1) while getting to the free throw line 77 times in 10 games.
            Former transfers Emanuel Miller (Texas A&M) and Damian Baugh (Memphis) are also averaging double-digit points at 14.2 and 11.2, respectively.
            "Their defense is 17^th in the nation, rebounding top-20 in the nation, most fast-break points in the nation," Drew said. "Coach (Jamie) Dixon does a great job coaching and making sure they compete and putting them in positions to win. . . . A typical Big 12 game, which means it's one or two possessions, so you have to really compete and give it your all down the stretch."
            Baylor counters with three of the league's top-10 scorers in guards Adam Flagler (16.5 ppg), freshman Keyonte George (15.6) and LJ Cryer (14.9). After missing the two previous games in concussion protocol, Cryer is expected to be back in the lineup against TCU.
            "LJ opens up the floor. He can shoot it really well from anywhere on the floor," George said. "Having that guy to be able to look for makes the game a lot easier. Flags, our primary ballhandler, he can shoot the ball very well, too, and can score at all three levels. Me, the same thing. And now, teams have to worry about LJ and it just opens up the floor."
            George, who missed his first nine shots against Iowa State, said he needs to improve his shooting percentage (37.8) and shot selection.
            "That just comes from watching film, though, seeing where I can get my shots," he said, "knowing when I can pick my spots, knowing when I can go on 10-point spurts. Because I know the guys in the locker room trust me to do that. . . . I just have to stay in the gym, keep my confidence high, and (the shots) will fall sooner or later."
            Wednesday is part of Baylor's "Go Gold" initiative, where fans are encouraged to wear gold in the conference home opener for each team. Baylor Athletics has created official "Go Gold" apparel that can be purchased online and in person at the Baylor Bookstore.
            The prime-time game will be televised by ESPN2, with Rich Hollenberg and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.


Story lines

• No. 19/16 Baylor host No. 17/17 TCU for its conference home opener, the 191st meeting in series history. It is BU's third most-played rivalry (Texas 257 gms. Texas A&M 207 gms).

• Wednesday marks the first time in series history that both teams meet when ranked in the Top-25.

• BU leads the all-time series 105-85 with a 57-39 mark in Waco.

• The Bears are 16-4 against TCU as Big 12 Rivals. Baylor won the first 11 Big 12 meetings.

• BU is 8-1 against TCU in Waco since the Frogs joined the Big 12. The Bears have won all eight of those meetings by 10+points.

• Baylor has won four-straight Big 12 home openers. Its last loss was to TCU 81-78 in OT on Jan 2, 2018.

• The Bears are 13-6 under Scott Drew in Big 12 home openers, winning 13 of the last 15, since 2007-2008.

• Baylor has won 13-straight home games, tied for the fourth-longest home winning streak in program history.

• The top nine Ferrell-Center winning streaks have all come under Scott Drew and six of the top eight have come in the last seven years.

• 16 representatives from 14 different NBA teams will be in attendance for Wednesday's game.

• Baylor's 42-9 Big 12 record over the last 3 seasons is the best of any Power-5 team.

• BU is 156-90 in Big 12 play in 13 seasons since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league's first 13 seasons.

• The Bears are the third-best offense in the Big 12 (18th best in the nation) according to Ken Pom (113.1 Adj. Efficiency rating), averaging 79.3 points per game. 

• BU has won 71-straight when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (last loss March 2, 2019 at K-State).

• Baylor is 24-7 against AP top 25 teams over the last four seasons, the nation's best mark against ranked teams. 15 of those wins came against top 25 teams away from home.

• With its 65th consecutive week in the AP Top 25, Baylor has the nations second-longest streak (Gonzaga 123).

• BU held NWST to 48 points and improved to 44-1 under Drew when holding an opponent under 50 points (12/20).

• The 12th-ranked Bears spent a school record 54-straight weeks top-10 ranked in the AP Poll (12/19/19 -12/5/22).

• Adam Flagler, Keyonte George and L.J. Cryer are all in the top-10 in the Big 12 in points per game, one of two schools to have multiple players and the only one to have three in the top-10.

• George scored a game-high 19 points to lift BU to a win over Washington St., its seventh-straight win over a Pac-12 foe (12/18)

• BU held the nation's best offense in Gonzaga, to a season-low 63 points in a 64-63 win in the inaugural Peacock Classic (12/2).

• 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.

• 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 (372-156) since BU's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08.