BYU (12-2, 0-1 Big 12) Location: Provo, Utah Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mark Pope (Kentucky, 1996) Roster | Stats | Game Notes	18/17 BYU (12-2, 0-1 Big 12) vs. 14/14 BAYLOR (12-2, 1-0 Big 12) Jan. 9, 2024 • 8:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Foster Pavilion (7,500)  LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN+ Talent: Pete Sousa (pxp), Chris Spatola (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst) SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 84 or on the SXM App Baylor Social Media:
	14/14 BAYLOR BEARS (12-2, 1-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
Baylor coach Scott Drew hopes the excitement of playing in the new Foster Pavilion never goes away.
 
But at least there should be fewer distractions when the 14^th-ranked Bears (12-2, 1-0) host No. 18 BYU (12-2, 0-1) at 8 p.m. Tuesday in their home arena on the south bank of the Brazos.
 
"That first game, a lot of excitement, but also a lot of distractions," Drew said of Baylor's 98-79 win over Cornell in last Tuesday's opening game of the Foster Pavilion. "Things like, where's my locker room, from the players and coaches. Each and every game should be more and more routine, but hopefully the excitement of being in there doesn't go away.
 
"For the fans that couldn't make that game and this is their first game, first Big 12 game, so hopefully a lot of excitement there. I know we'll get better in everything we do, game management-wise. It's a great experience now and it'll only get better."
 
In a "Welcome to the Big 12" moment, particularly for Baylor's newcomers, the Bears had to survive an overtime thriller on the road at Oklahoma State, 75-70, in Saturday's league opener in Stillwater.
 
Shooting just 13.3% from 3-point range (2-of-15), Baylor had to find other ways to win. The Bears won the rebounding battle, 40-31, outscored the Cowboys 12-6 in second-chance points and only turned it over seven times.
 
"Every game in the Big 12 is tough," said 6-8 senior forward Caleb Lohner. "You never know when your name is going to get called, but the whole team has got to be on the rope. Everybody has to be ready, because to win in the Big 12, you've got to take a lot of road games. It was good for us to see that we were gritty, we were tough, and we came out with the win."
 
Even after their shooting struggles against OSU, Baylor is still the national leader in 3-point shooting percentage at 43.23 and seventh in scoring with 88.1 points per game. Freshman Ja'Kobe Walter is averaging a team-best 15.2 points per game and is one of eight players shooting 40% or better from outside the arc, making 32-of-80.
 
"We have such great 3-point shooters, people are going to try to run us off the line," said sophomore guard Langston Love (11.0 ppg), who scored 17 against the Cowboys. "We just took what the defense gave us, and it ended up working out for us. We can definitely do a better job of getting more 3's up. But I feel like with the players we have, I just trust in our decision and the coaches' decision-making."
 
Similarly, a normally sharpshooting BYU team hit just 13-of-46 from 3-point range in Saturday's 71-60 loss at home to Cincinnati. The Cougars lead the nation in 3-pointers per game (12.9) and assists (22.1) and rank sixth nationally in scoring offense (88.2).
 
"Two of the best offenses in the country," Drew said. "We didn't shoot it well the last game, they didn't shoot it well last game. So, the law of averages, both of us won't have two bad-shooting games. But credit the Big 12 defenses for that. Things get a little harder in the Big 12."
 
A second-year transfer from BYU, Lohner will be facing his former team for the first time. Lohner, who averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in two seasons at BYU, will go against former teammates Trey Stewart, Atiki Ally Atiki and Trevin Knell.
 
"When you transfer from a school, you want to beat them," Lohner said. "I still keep up with quite a few of the guys. A lot of the guys I played with in the past at BYU are great guys. My situation, I needed to be at Baylor, and that was it. Bit still, great relationships over there."
 
Fighting for "our brothers," Love said, "we definitely don't want to lose to them, so we're just rallying behind Caleb at this point."
 
"The chemistry we have, how close we are with each other, we all want to win for each other," Lohner said. "And when we have that on a basketball team, I think special things can be done. It's fun going to practice with them every day. It's fun getting to play with them, a special group."
 
Much like Baylor spreads the wealth, with six players averaging between 9.7 and 15.2 points per game, BYU has five double-figure scorers. Former Arkansas and Texas A&M transfer Jaxson Robinson averages 15.2 points off the bench, Knell has hit 40 3-pointers and is next at 12.9 points per game, and 6-11 forward Noah Waterman checks in with 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds.
 
"It's a team that has a lot of depth, a lot of different weapons, similar to us," Drew said. "A lot of people can hurt you. What makes them unique is just how many skill players they have. And then, Coach (Mark) Pope does a great job offensively with a lot of hard-to-guard things and defensively with a lot of size, strength and physicality."
 
Tuesday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with KWTX-TV news anchor Pete Sousa and ESPN analyst Chris Spatola calling the action.
 


Story lines

• No. 14 Baylor hosts No. 18 BYU in its conference home opener at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night on ESPN+.
• BU is selling a limited number of "Standing Room Only" tickets for Tuesday night's game. Fans can purchase tickets, here.

• Tuesday is the 11th all-time series meeting – with each team holding five wins in series history.

• This is the first meeting between these two programs as conference foes, and the first meeting since a 76-70 win by BU in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden April 2, 2013.

• This is BU's first Big 12 home-opener where both teams are ranked since Jan. 7, 2015 (vs. No. 12 Kansas).

• Tuesday marks just the second time in the Scott Drew Era that the Bears conference home-opener features two ranked teams. 

• The Bears are a nations-best 27-12 vs. AP top-25 teams over the last five years, with 16 of those wins coming away from home.

• BU is 13-7 in conference home openers in the Drew era, including 13 of its last 16 (started 0-4).

• Baylor's 307-119 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (345-87) among Big 12 teams.

• Last time out, BU outlasted a feisty Oklahoma State squad 75-70 in overtime for its ninth-straight win at Gallagher-Iba Arena. 

• Despite only hitting two three-pointers, the nation's leading 3-point shooting team out-rebounded the Pokes on the offensive glass 16-5, giving them a 12-6 advantage in second-chance points.

• The win was Baylor's first overtime victory since it won 66-64 in Stillwater on Feb 21, 2022. 

• Yves Missi recorded his fourth double-double of the season, the most by a BU player since Freddie Gillespie had 10 in 2019-20.

• Baylor opened its brand-new Foster Pavilion with a 98-79 win over the Cornell Big Red, behind 58 first-half points, its most points in a half since scoring 61 against MVSU in the 2022-23 season opener.

•  Ja'Kobe Walter had a game-high 23 points and a season-high 9 rebounds, while Missi scored 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting, becoming the first player since Flo Thamba in 2021 to shoot 1.000 taking at least eight shots.

• The Bears had a historic final game at the Ferrell Center shooting a program-record 67.2% from the field in a 59 point win over Mississippi Valley State (107-48).

• Baylor hit 19 three-pointers, the most by a Baylor team in Ferrell Center history and one shy of the program record (20).

• The Bears lead the nation in 3-point FG% (43.2), rank fourth in offensive efficiency (122.2) and seventh in points per game (88.1).

• RayJ Dennis ranks third in the Big 12 in assists per game (6.2), with the Bears getting 15.3 points per game from Walter to lead the offense, the most among Big 12 Conference Freshmen.

• 15.3 points per game would rank as the fourth-most by a freshman in program history.

• Four Bears are averaging at least 10 points per game, including Dennis (14.2), Yves Missi (10.7), Langston Love (10.5) and Jayden Nunn (10.4). Missi leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.

• Missi's 1.9 blocks per game puts him fifth among freshman in Division I.