No. 9 MBB Set for Big Monday in Stillwater
2/26/2023 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears aim for an eighth-straight win in Stillwater
 |
9/10 BAYLOR BEARS (21-8, 10-6 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
OKLAHOMA STATE (16-13, 7-9) vs. 9/10 BAYLOR (21-8, 10-6) Feb. 27, 2023 • 8:00 p.m. CT Stillwater, Okla • Ghallager-Iba Arena (13,611) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN Talent: Bob Wischusen (pxp), Fran Fraschilla (analyst), Kris Budden (Sideline) 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:    |
 |
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (16-13, 7-9 Big 12) Location: Stillwater, Okla. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mike Boynton (South Carolina — 2004) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
|
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Coming off an 81-72 win over No. 8 Texas, the ninth-ranked Baylor Bears go back on the road to face Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. Monday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
Still clinging to faint hopes for a third-consecutive Big 12 title, the Bears (21-8, 10-6) will be without leading scorer Keyonte George (16.3 ppg), who suffered a mild ankle sprain in Saturday's game. Officially listed as day-to-day, the freshman guard will be reevaluated before Saturday's regular-season finale at home against No. 23 Iowa State (17-11, 8-8).
"I know sometimes people say today's culture is a little softer than previous ones," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "Keyonte is not that guy. So, credit to him. As far as when he'll be back, it will be soon because he's a tough kid. . . . He had a 102-degree fever (Friday), and I didn't think he'd play. He wanted to give it a go and there was no way he was going to miss."
George suffered the injury 8 ½ minutes into the game, coming up limping near midcourt after a turnover, with the Bears trailing the Longhorns, 18-4.
Playing his most minutes in over a month, senior guard Dale Bonner provided a huge lift off the bench with 13 points, four assists and two steals in 20 minutes. Redshirt freshman Langston Love could also pick up the slack after scoring 11 points for his 10th double-digit game.
"It takes a team to win," Drew said. "On the (ESPN) ticker every night, it's Baylor, it's not names. Next-man-up mentality. That's why you've got to have a team of guys that are bought in, so that when it's their time, they're ready. A lot of times, it's guys that aren't playing, they're checked out. When they get their opportunity, they're not ready."
Whether he's in the game or not, Bonner said, "I'm always going to have a good attitude and just be ready whenever my name is called."
"Just come in and have energy, have a presence," he said. "That's my job whenever I come into the game. I just want to continue to try to do that. Control what I can control."
Baylor, trailing third-ranked Kansas (24-5, 12-4) by two games with two to play, gets an Oklahoma State team (16-13, 7-9) that has dropped four-straight after a five-game winning streak that included beating Iowa State on the road.
OSU's Moussa Cisse, who shared the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award last season with Baylor forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and West Virginia's Gabe Osabuohien, sat out the Cowboys' 74-58 loss at Baylor with an injury. The 7-foot-1 junior forward is averaging 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
"It's going to be a huge difference, especially on the defensive side. Trying to limit him is going to be key," said Baylor senior forward Flo Thamba, who had his first double-double of the year with 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in the win over Texas.
Drew said Cisse "provides a lot of challenges in the paint." In the first matchup, which also didn't include Tchamwa Tchatchoua, the Bears dominated the boards, 41-30, and got balanced scoring from LJ Cryer (16), Thamba (12), Jalen Bridges (12) and Adam Flagler.
George was just 2-for-8 from the field in that game, but had eight points, eight rebounds and five assists with no turnovers in 26 minutes.
"Their team, like us, we were the hottest team for a minute," Drew said, "and then they were the hottest team for a minute. In the Big 12, every team has an NCAA Tournament team. Coach (Mike) Boynton does a great job with them, and we're playing at their place, so we have be really sharp, really good."
A "Big Monday" game, Baylor-OSU will be an ESPN broadcast, with Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla and Kris Budden calling the action.
STORY LINES
• No. 9 Baylor Heads to Stillwater for an 8pm Big Monday matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys on ESPN.
• Monday is the 93rd all-time series meeting – with Oklahoma State holding a 57-35 series advantage.
• The Bears hold the 32-25 series edge since the two squads joined the Big 12.
• BU is 13-3 in its last 16 games against the Pokes, including seven straight in Stillwater.
• In the last meeting in Waco, BU led wire-to-wire for a 74-58 victory, the second of a season-best six-game winning streak.
• It its last game, Baylor erased a 14-point first-half lead by No. 8 Texas to down the Horns 81-72 for a sixth-straight-win over Texas in Waco.
• BU improved to 13-3 in its last 16 games against AP Top-10 teams, beating Nos. 5, 9, 6, 6, 10, 6, 1, 6, 8, 5, 8, 9 and 8.
• On his birthday, Flo Thamba recorded his second career double-double with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with 12 points. Baylor is 7-0 in Thamba's career when he pulls down double-digit rebounds.
• In a 75-65 loss to Kansas State, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua recorded his first double-double in 392 days with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Keyonte George had a game-high 23 points against the Cats, setting a new program record for the most 20-point games by a freshman (12).
• George's 16.3 points per game rank fifth among freshman in Division I.
• Baylor's 10 quad-one victories are tied for the second most in the country.
• Drew has won 20+ games in 14 of the last 16 years — the Bears had 3 seasons of 20+ wins prior to his arrival.
• Baylor has double-digit Big 12 wins in 8 of the last 9 years and 10 of the last 14 seasons. BU didn't reach double-digit Big 12 wins in any of its first 13 years in the league.
• BU has won 8+ Big 12 games in 12-straight seasons after winning 8+ just 3 times in the league's first 15 years.
• BU has won 76-straight when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (last loss March 2, 2019 at K-State).
• The Bears are a nations-best 27-11 vs. AP top-25 teams over the last four years, with 16 of those wins coming away from home.
• At 25-9, 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's 53-14 Big 12 record over the last four seasons is the best of any Power-5 team.
• BU is 164-95 in Big 12 play in 13 seasons since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league's first 13 seasons.
•Against 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).
• Adam Flagler scored 16-straight second-half points against the Frogs to lift BU to its fourth Big 12 road win of the season (T-most in the conference).
• Flagler is second in the Big 12 (17th in the nation) in assist-turnover ratio (2.89).
• All eight of BU's losses have come against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
