Friday, March 17
Denver, Colo.
12:30 p.m.
Baylor
vs
UCSB
MBB Earns No. 3 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
3/12/2023 5:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BU will open its tournament run in Denver against UCSB
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Even though the Drew brothers have both led their teams to the NCAA Tournament and will play their first-round games in the same site, at Ball Arena in Denver, Scott said he was "blessed and pleased" that his Baylor squad is not playing Bryce's Grand Canyon team.
One of four teams in the country to earn a top-3 seed in the last three tournaments, the third-seeded Bears (22-10) will face 14th-seeded UC Santa Barbara (27-7) at 12:30 p.m. CT Friday in a first-round matchup in the South Regional. Grand Canyon is the 14th seed in the West Region after winning the WAC championship and will open against third-seeded Gonzaga (28-5) at 5:35 p.m. CT Friday
"Probably everybody thinks their region's the toughest," Scott Drew said Sunday night after the selections were announced. "First thing, we're really excited that we're in the NCAA Tournament, we had the year we did and I'm really blessed and pleased that we weren't playing Grand Canyon. And at the same time, we're able to be on the same site as them."
Two years removed from the program's first NCAA national championship, Baylor was projected as a No. 2 seed before back-to-back losses to Iowa State. Overall, the Bears are 8-10 versus the NCAA Tournament field, including wins over top-3 seeds Kansas, UCLA, Texas and Gonzaga.
In Thursday's 78-72 loss to Iowa State at the Big 12 quarterfinals in Kansas City, Baylor was outrebounded, 44-17, and gave up 22 second-chance points on the Cyclones' 21 offensive boards.
"That's obviously been a big point of emphasis," said Drew, whose team is making a school-record 11th-consecutive postseason appearance, including nine of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments. "You'd worry if that was something that happened multiple games. . . . Really, we're just making sure we're doing a better job blocking out and being more physical and more aggressive to 50-50 balls. That's something we're going to work on all week."
UC Santa Barbara has reeled off seven-straight wins, beating Cal State Fullerton, 72-62, in Saturday's Big West Tournament championship game, and set a school record with 27 victories. The Gauchos are making their seventh-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and second in the last three years under coach Joe Pasternack.
"Anytime you win as many games as them, you know you've had a great year," Drew said. "Anyone in this field can win and advance. Give me five hours to watch three films, and then I can give you more information on (UCSB)."
This is the third all-time meeting between Baylor and UCSB and the first on a neutral site. The Bears won 78-75 at Santa Barbara on Dec. 11, 1965 before losing 95-68 on Dec. 5, 1970, on the Gauchos' home court.
Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell earned Big West Conference Player of the Year honors, averaging 16.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. A second-team all-conference pick, 6-10 senior forward Miles Norris is averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
The Baylor-UCSB winner advances to the second round for a matchup on Sunday against sixth-seeded Creighton (21-12) or 11th-seeded North Carolina State (23-10), with the winner moving on to the region semifinals in Louisville, Ky. Alabama (29-5) is the overall No. 1 seed and heads up a South Region that also includes second-seeded Arizona (28-6) and fourth-seeded Virginia (25-7).
"Coming off two losses, we want to get that taste out of our mouths," Drew said. "We want to get back to playing and hopefully winning. But at the same time, you know it's the NCAA Tournament, it's win or go home. Excited we have a couple more days of practice to get better."
Friday's game will be televised by TNT, with Lisa Byington, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson and Andy Katz calling the action.
The Bears are trying to get back to the Final Four for the second time in three years, with this year's semifinals and championship game set for April 1-3 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Waco, Texas – Baylor men's basketball was awarded a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament for a third-straight season on Sunday. The Bears will play as a No. 3 seed in the South Region with first and second-round games to be played in Denver, Colo.
Baylor (22-10, 11-7 Big 12) will open the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday against No. 14 seed UC Santa Barbara (27-7, 15-5 Big West) at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., at 12:30 p.m. CT. The winner of that game will then play a second-round matchup on Sunday against the winner of Friday's first-round game between No. 6 Creighton and No. 11 NC State.
The game will be televised on TNT with Lisa Byington, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson and Andy Katz calling the action. The South Regional semifinal and final will be held in Louisville, Ky., with the Final Four to be held in Houston.
Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.
Baylor Bear Insider
Even though the Drew brothers have both led their teams to the NCAA Tournament and will play their first-round games in the same site, at Ball Arena in Denver, Scott said he was "blessed and pleased" that his Baylor squad is not playing Bryce's Grand Canyon team.
One of four teams in the country to earn a top-3 seed in the last three tournaments, the third-seeded Bears (22-10) will face 14th-seeded UC Santa Barbara (27-7) at 12:30 p.m. CT Friday in a first-round matchup in the South Regional. Grand Canyon is the 14th seed in the West Region after winning the WAC championship and will open against third-seeded Gonzaga (28-5) at 5:35 p.m. CT Friday
"Probably everybody thinks their region's the toughest," Scott Drew said Sunday night after the selections were announced. "First thing, we're really excited that we're in the NCAA Tournament, we had the year we did and I'm really blessed and pleased that we weren't playing Grand Canyon. And at the same time, we're able to be on the same site as them."
Two years removed from the program's first NCAA national championship, Baylor was projected as a No. 2 seed before back-to-back losses to Iowa State. Overall, the Bears are 8-10 versus the NCAA Tournament field, including wins over top-3 seeds Kansas, UCLA, Texas and Gonzaga.
In Thursday's 78-72 loss to Iowa State at the Big 12 quarterfinals in Kansas City, Baylor was outrebounded, 44-17, and gave up 22 second-chance points on the Cyclones' 21 offensive boards.
"That's obviously been a big point of emphasis," said Drew, whose team is making a school-record 11th-consecutive postseason appearance, including nine of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments. "You'd worry if that was something that happened multiple games. . . . Really, we're just making sure we're doing a better job blocking out and being more physical and more aggressive to 50-50 balls. That's something we're going to work on all week."
UC Santa Barbara has reeled off seven-straight wins, beating Cal State Fullerton, 72-62, in Saturday's Big West Tournament championship game, and set a school record with 27 victories. The Gauchos are making their seventh-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and second in the last three years under coach Joe Pasternack.
"Anytime you win as many games as them, you know you've had a great year," Drew said. "Anyone in this field can win and advance. Give me five hours to watch three films, and then I can give you more information on (UCSB)."
This is the third all-time meeting between Baylor and UCSB and the first on a neutral site. The Bears won 78-75 at Santa Barbara on Dec. 11, 1965 before losing 95-68 on Dec. 5, 1970, on the Gauchos' home court.
Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell earned Big West Conference Player of the Year honors, averaging 16.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. A second-team all-conference pick, 6-10 senior forward Miles Norris is averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
The Baylor-UCSB winner advances to the second round for a matchup on Sunday against sixth-seeded Creighton (21-12) or 11th-seeded North Carolina State (23-10), with the winner moving on to the region semifinals in Louisville, Ky. Alabama (29-5) is the overall No. 1 seed and heads up a South Region that also includes second-seeded Arizona (28-6) and fourth-seeded Virginia (25-7).
"Coming off two losses, we want to get that taste out of our mouths," Drew said. "We want to get back to playing and hopefully winning. But at the same time, you know it's the NCAA Tournament, it's win or go home. Excited we have a couple more days of practice to get better."
Friday's game will be televised by TNT, with Lisa Byington, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson and Andy Katz calling the action.
The Bears are trying to get back to the Final Four for the second time in three years, with this year's semifinals and championship game set for April 1-3 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Waco, Texas – Baylor men's basketball was awarded a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament for a third-straight season on Sunday. The Bears will play as a No. 3 seed in the South Region with first and second-round games to be played in Denver, Colo.
Baylor (22-10, 11-7 Big 12) will open the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday against No. 14 seed UC Santa Barbara (27-7, 15-5 Big West) at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., at 12:30 p.m. CT. The winner of that game will then play a second-round matchup on Sunday against the winner of Friday's first-round game between No. 6 Creighton and No. 11 NC State.
The game will be televised on TNT with Lisa Byington, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson and Andy Katz calling the action. The South Regional semifinal and final will be held in Louisville, Ky., with the Final Four to be held in Houston.
Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES:
• Baylor has earned a top-three seed for a third-straight NCAA Tournaments. The Bears are one of just X teams to earn a top-three seed in three-straight NCAA Tournaments.
• Baylor is one of four teams in the country to be a top-three seed in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments (Kansas, Gonzaga and Purdue).
• Baylor is 21-15 in 14 previous NCAA Championships trips, including a 18-9 record in the Scott Drew era.
• Baylor is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last nine tournaments.
• Baylor is appearing in the NCAA postseason for a school-record 11th-consecutive time (9 NCAA, 2 NIT).
• Baylor is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in the modern tournament era. BU's first three NCAA Tournament appearances in 1946, 1948 and 1950 were in an eight-team bracket.
• Baylor is 41-24 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last 15 seasons.
• Baylor has played in three Final Fours (1948, 1950, 2021). The first two Final Four appearances were when it was an eight-team bracket.
• Baylor has played in two National Championship games (1948 lost to Kentucky, 2021 defeated Gonzaga).
• BU is 8-10 against the 2023 NCAA Tournament field – No. 1 seed Kansas (1-1), No. 2 seed Marquette (0-1), No. 2 seed UCLA (1-0), No. 2 Texas (1-1), No. 3 seed Gonzaga (1-0), No. 3 seed Kansas Stats (0-2), No. 4 seed Virginia (0-1), No. 6 Seed Iowa State (0-3), No. 6 seed TCU (1-1), No. 8 seed Arkansas (1-0), No. 9 seed West Virginia (2-0)
• Baylor and UCSB will be meeting for the 3rd time, and Baylor is 1-1 in the series. The Bears won 78-75 in Santa Barbara on Dec. 11, 1965 and lost 95-68 in Santa Barbara on Dec. 5, 1970.
• If the Bears advance to the second round, they will either play North Carolina State for the second time or Creighton for a sixth time.
• Baylor has earned a top-three seed for a third-straight NCAA Tournaments. The Bears are one of just X teams to earn a top-three seed in three-straight NCAA Tournaments.
• Baylor is one of four teams in the country to be a top-three seed in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments (Kansas, Gonzaga and Purdue).
• Baylor is 21-15 in 14 previous NCAA Championships trips, including a 18-9 record in the Scott Drew era.
• Baylor is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last nine tournaments.
• Baylor is appearing in the NCAA postseason for a school-record 11th-consecutive time (9 NCAA, 2 NIT).
• Baylor is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in the modern tournament era. BU's first three NCAA Tournament appearances in 1946, 1948 and 1950 were in an eight-team bracket.
• Baylor is 41-24 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last 15 seasons.
• Baylor has played in three Final Fours (1948, 1950, 2021). The first two Final Four appearances were when it was an eight-team bracket.
• Baylor has played in two National Championship games (1948 lost to Kentucky, 2021 defeated Gonzaga).
• BU is 8-10 against the 2023 NCAA Tournament field – No. 1 seed Kansas (1-1), No. 2 seed Marquette (0-1), No. 2 seed UCLA (1-0), No. 2 Texas (1-1), No. 3 seed Gonzaga (1-0), No. 3 seed Kansas Stats (0-2), No. 4 seed Virginia (0-1), No. 6 Seed Iowa State (0-3), No. 6 seed TCU (1-1), No. 8 seed Arkansas (1-0), No. 9 seed West Virginia (2-0)
• Baylor and UCSB will be meeting for the 3rd time, and Baylor is 1-1 in the series. The Bears won 78-75 in Santa Barbara on Dec. 11, 1965 and lost 95-68 in Santa Barbara on Dec. 5, 1970.
• If the Bears advance to the second round, they will either play North Carolina State for the second time or Creighton for a sixth time.
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