Baylor
West Virginia
No. 14 MBB Aims for Series Sweep against WVU
2/12/2023 3:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BU leads the all-time series at 15-8
 |
14/12 BAYLOR BEARS (19-6, 8-4 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
WEST VIRGINIA (15-10, 4-8) vs. 14/12 BAYLOR (19-6, 8-4) Feb. 13, 2023 • 8:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN2 Talent: Rich Hollenberg (pxp), Chris Spatola (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 199, XM 199, Internet 953 Baylor Social Media:    |
 |
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (15-10, 4-8 Big 12) Location: Morgantown, W. Va. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Bob Huggins (WVU — 1977) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
|
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Looking for its fourth-straight win and third series sweep, 14th-ranked Baylor (19-6, 8-4) will host West Virginia (15-10, 4-8) at 8 p.m. Monday at the Ferrell Center in a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN2.
On Saturday, Adam Flagler scored 28 points to help the Bears rally from a 10-point deficit in the last nine minutes and knock off No. 17 TCU, 72-68, at Schollmaier Arena to pick up their fourth conference road victory.
"The Big 12 is literally like a March Madness game every time we step on the court," said Flagler, who scored 16-straight at one point and gave the Bears a late lead with back-to-back 3-pointers. "We're just excited to come out with a road win. It was super-tough."
This is Baylor's third "Big Monday" game in the last four weeks after beating then-No. 9 Kansas, 75-69, on Jan. 23 at the Ferrell Center and losing at 10th-ranked Texas, 76-71, on Jan. 30 in Austin.
"You learn from all of your experiences, but this is the Big 12," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team has won nine of its last 10 games overall after starting conference play at 0-3. "Every game's a battle, every game's a fight. Get rest, rejuvenate, prepare and try to do as good a job as we can at getting the guys ready in a short period."
Flagler, who's ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring (15.9 ppg) and assists (4.9), said the quick turnaround is "definitely tough, but we signed up for this."
"We want moments like this to where we can play on a Big Monday," he said. "And we try to take full advantage of it. We're going to rest as much as we can and just be ready."
After an 0-5 start in conference play, including an 83-78 loss to Baylor on Jan. 11 at WVU Coliseum, West Virginia had won five of its next seven games before getting blown out by Texas, 94-60, on Saturday in Austin.
"Well, they're going to be really happy," Drew said, when told about the Mountaineers' loss. "They've been playing great basketball, and Coach (Bob) Huggins does a great job with them. I think they were coming together, so I don't know what happened (Saturday). In this league, if you're having an off night and the other team is having an on one, it can get ugly."
In the first meeting, West Virginia transfer Jalen Bridges recorded his third-career double-double and first at Baylor with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Bears' first conference win of the year.
Bridges (9.6 ppg, 6.0 rebounds), who spent the previous two years at West Virginia, was harassed by the WVU fans all day.
"I wouldn't say I ever go out and try to prove anything," Bridges said. "I know fully well what I'm capable of. I know my game better than anyone else because it's my game. I just go out there and compete and try to make winning plays and give my team a chance to win."
Playing for his fourth different school after starting every game at South Carolina last season, 6-4 guard Erik Stevenson leads the Mountaineers with 14.2 points per game and 50 made 3-pointers. WVU also has a pair of Division I transfers averaging double digits in Tre Mitchell from Texas (11.5 ppg, 5.4 rebounds) and Joe Toussaint from Iowa (10.1 ppg).
Baylor's backcourt trio of Flagler, LJ Cryer (14.4 ppg) and freshman Keyonte George (16.9 ppg, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists) is arguably one of the best in the nation. Cryer hit four 3-pointers and scored 23 in the win over TCU, while George had a rare off night, finishing with four points, three assists and three turnovers in 21 minutes.
"Langston (Love), LJ and Adam were in a groove, and we were starting to get some stops (in the second half)," Drew said of George playing just seven second-half minutes on Saturday. "Every day is not your day, and Keyonte has had days where it's is his day, and Adam the same thing. You've got to have people step up when it's not your day."
Fifth-year senior forward Flo Thamba (5.3 ppg, 4.9 rebounds) surpassed Matthew Mayer for the most Big 12 wins in Baylor history (53) and also tied A.J. Walton and Rico Gathers for the most games played in program history (141).
Monday's game will be broadcast by ESPN2, with Rich Hollenberg and Chris Spatola calling the action.
Story lines
• No. 14/12 Baylor hosts West Virginia on Monday night for an 8:00 p.m. tip on ESPN2.
• As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, BU will honor our first black scholarship student-athlete, Tommy Bowman, at halftime on Monday night.
• Bowman averaged 13.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game (ranks fifth all-time in rebounds per game).
• Monday is the 24th series meeting – BU leads 15-8, including a 6-3 mark in Waco.
• Scott Drew and Bob Huggins are two of the three longest-tenured coaches in the Big 12 Conference.
• In the last meeting, Keyonte George scored a career-high 32 points to lift BU to its first Big 12 win.
• George's 32 points against the Mountaineers were the most by a Baylor freshman since LaceDarius Dunn's freshman-record 38 at Texas Tech in 2008.
• Last time out Adam Flagler scored 16-straight second-half points to lift BU to its fourth Big 12 road win of the season (T-most in the conference), a 72-68 win at No. 17 TCU.
• BU trailed by 10 with 8:44 to play, overcoming a 10-point deficit 2nd-half deficit on the road for the first time in over three years (1/18/20, at OSU).
• At 25-7, BU has the best Big 12 road record over the last four seasons, and is one of just three teams with a .500+ road record in the conference during that span.
• Baylor is 80-22 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2011-12 season, and the Bears have
Advanced deeper into postseason play than any of Texas' 23 Division I teams in five of the last nine seasons.
• George and Flagler were named to the Jerry West Top-10 and the Naismith Midseason team last week.
• The BU duo made the Bears one of two teams in the nation with multiple members on the Naismith Midseason Team.
• George has10, 20-point games this season, the most by a BU freshman since Lawrence Roberts (11) in 2001-02.
• George's 16.9 points per game rank second among freshman in Division I.
• Flagler leads the Big 12 (13th in the nation) in assist-turnover ratio (2.90).
• With a win over TCU, Flo Thamba surpassed Matthew Mayer for the most Big 12 wins in program history (53).
• With one more game played, Thamba will pass A.J. Walton and Rico Gathers for the most games played in program history (has tied the record at 141).
• Against Tech, BU shot a season-high .583 from the field, its 41st-straight win when shooting 50% of higher.
• Baylor's 51-12 Big 12 record over the last four seasons is the best of any Power-5 team.
• BU is 162-93 in Big 12 play in 13 seasons since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league's first 13 seasons.
• The Bears are a nations-best 26-9 vs. AP top-25 teams over the last four years, with 16 of those wins coming away from home.
• Baylor's nine quad-one wins are tied for the third-most in the nation (9-6).
• Baylor's starting guard trio of George, Flagler and LJ Cryer ranks as the second-highest scoring back court trio in the Power Six at 47.2 ppg. (NC State)
• Drew has won 20+ games in 13 of the last 15 years — the Bears had 3 seasons of 20+ wins prior to his arrival.
