No. 22 MBB Hosts TCU
1/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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| No. 22/22 Baylor (12-3, 2-1) vs. TCU (9-6, 1-2) Jan. 13, 2016 | 7:15 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) TV: ESPNEWS and WatchESPN Radio: ESPN Central Texas |
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STORYLINES
- Wednesday's game will be televised on ESPNEWS,à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Baylor's 153rd straight televised game.
- Wednesday is the 178th all-time series meeting, the 3rd-most-played rivalry in Baylor history, dating back to 1908.
- Baylor has won all 7 series meetings against TCU as Big 12 opponents, by an average of 18.7 points per game.
- All 3 of Baylor's losses have been true road games against AP Top 25 teams (Oregon, TAMU, Kansas).
- Baylor has won 24 straight home games against unranked opponents -- last loss to WVU on Jan. 28, 2014.
- Baylor has won 13 consecutive games at the Ferrellà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Center, tying the 2nd-longest streak in arena history.
- Baylor's last home loss was 338 days ago, when Oklahoma State won 74-65 on Feb. 9, 2015.
- Baylor has held opponents under 75 points in 40 consecutive home games dating back to a 91-84 overtime win against Northwestern State on Dec. 18, 2013. BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has allowed 59.9 points per game during that streak.
- Baylor is ranked No. 22 in the AP and coaches polls and has been ranked for 22 consecutive weeks.
- Baylor leads the nation in assists/game (1st) and ranks top-30 in offensive rebound percentage (4th), assist-to-turnover ratio (5th), rebound margin (9th), free throw percentage (15th), scoring margin (21st) and steal percentage (27th).
- Baylor has won 115 games since 2011-12, which ranks 2nd in the Big 12 behind Kansas (129).
- Baylor is 75-64 in Big 12 play since 2007-08 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 years.
- Baylor is 48-16 in its last 64 games dating back to Feb. 12, 2014. Fourteen of the 16 losses have been away from home (9 road, 5 neutral) and 11 of the losses have been against ranked teams.
- Taureanà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Prince has scored in double figures in 29 of the last 33 games and ranks 5th in the Big 12 with 15.7 ppg.
- Ricoà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Gathers needs 6 rebounds to pass Nebraska'sà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Aleks Maric (1,015) for 7th on the Big 12 career rebounds list.
- Gathers ranks 26th on Baylor's all-time scoring list (1,051) and holds the school record with 1,010 career rebounds.
- Gathers ranks 2nd in school history with 31 career double-doubles, 3 back of Brianà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Skinner's school record of 34.
- Al Freeman has 10 double-figure scoring games this season. BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € is 16-1 inà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Freeman's 17 career games with 10+ points.
- Lester Medford has 21 career starts at point guard and has 138 assists and 35 turnovers in those games (3.9 A-T ratio).
- Medford joins ISU's Monte Morris as the only players ranked in the nation's top 20 in steals, assists and A-T ratio.
- Medford has 88 assists with 15 turnovers (5.9 A-T ratio) and 30 steals in his last 12 games.
- Ishmail Wainright has already doubled his scoring total from last season (86 this season, 42 last year).
- Jake Lindsey has 41 assists and 9 turnovers, and his 4.66 A-T ratio ranks 2nd among Big 12 players (min. 1.0 apg).
QUICK HITS
- Scott Drew is coaching his 404th game at Baylor (240-163). His .596 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 60+ games, and his teams have a .687 winning percentage (206-94) since 2007-08.
- Baylor has a .710 winning percentage over the last four-plus seasons (115-47).
- Sophomores Johnathan Motley and Terryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Maston and freshman King McClure combine to average 21.1 points per game off the bench. They've accounted for 85 percent of Baylor's bench scoring (317 of 371 points).
- Baylor is 93-11 when leading at the half since 2011-12, including 11-0 this season.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has won 38% of its games (22-36) when tied or trailing at half since 2011-12, including 1-3 this season.
- Baylor has held opponents under 75 points in 57 of its last 60 games overall, and BU is 47-16 in that stretch.
- Baylor, Michiganà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € State and Oklahoma are the only schools ranked in football and men's and women's basketball.
- Baylor is 320-73 in football and men's and women's basketball since 2011-12, the nation's best record in that span.
- Baylor is 206-94 (24 wins per season) over the last 8-plus seasons and has made 7 postseason appearancesà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (NCAA Tournament -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015; NIT -- 2009, 2013).
- Baylor's 17-5 postseason record since 2009 is the nation's 4th-best among teams with 3+ NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € appearances.
- Baylor is one of only 14 schools nationally to play in the Sweet 16 in 3 of the last 6 seasons.
- Baylor made back-to-back NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Tournaments for the first time in program history in 2014 and 2015.
- Baylor is 39-22 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 10-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last nine seasons.
- Baylor was picked 5th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, behind Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas.
- Drew is tied with Kansas' Bill Self as the longest tenured head coach in the Big 12 Conference (13th seasons).
- Baylor is 28-12 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last seven seasons.
- Baylor's 5 NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks in the last 4 years ranks 8th nationally behind Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas, Arizona, North Carolina and UCLA.
- Baylor has the Big 12's 2nd-longest active streak (16th-longest nationally) with at least one 3-point FG made in 781 consecutive games. The last time BU didn't make a 3-pointer was Feb. 21, 1990, a win vs.à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Texas Tech.
SERIES HISTORY
- Wednesday's game marks the 178th meeting in the series with TCU. Baylor leads the all-time series, 96-81, which dates back to a 37-6 Baylor win in Waco on Dec. 18, 1908.
- Baylor has won the seven series meetings since TCUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € joined the Big 12 by an average of 18.7 points per game.
- TCU is Baylor's 3rd-most played rival, trailing only Texas (244) and Texas A&M (207).
LINEUP NOTES
- Baylor has used the same starting lineup in all 15 games this season -- 1 of 4 Big 12 teams to do so.
- Baylor's starting lineup has 411 games of combined experience, including 162 starts.
- Ricoà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Gathers and Lester Medford have both started 49 consecutive games.
- Gathers has played in all 124 games during his Baylor career. The Big 12 consecutive games played record is 142 by Texas' Damion James, and Gathers can reach 140 consecutive games entering the Big 12 Championship.
HOME WINNING STREAKS
- BU has won 24 straight home games against unranked teams, with the last loss on Jan. 28, 2014, vs. West Virginia.
- Baylor has won 13 consecutive games played at the Ferrell Center, tying the 2nd-longest streak in arena history.
- Baylor's last home loss was Feb. 9, 2015, against No. 21 Oklahoma State, 338 days ago.
- A win vs. TCU would be a 14th consecutive home victory, one away from the Ferrell Center record of 15 straight set from Feb. 3, 2010 through Jan. 11, 2011.
LAST SEASON VS. TCU
- Baylor beat TCU twice last season, extending its winning streak in the series to seven straight.
- BU won 66-59 in overtime in the game in Fort Worth on Jan. 10 and 77-57 in Waco on Feb. 4.
- Baylor averaged a rebounding advantage of 46-35 in those games.
- BU won in Fort Worth despite shooting 29.8% from the field, its lowest in a win during the Drew era. The Bears also had a season-low 5 assists. BU made 4 fewer field goals than TCU, but went 31-of-46 on free throws.
- The Bears return 69% of their points (98 of 143) and 75% of their rebounds (69 of 92) from last season's games.
- Rico Gathers averaged 15.5 points and 17.5 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game against TCU.
- Taurean Prince averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 28.0 minutes per game off the bench against TCU.
A WIN WOULD ...
- Improve Baylor's record to 97-81 against TCU, including a 53-38 mark in Waco and an 8-0 mark as Big 12 foes.
- Give Baylor an 8-game winning streak in the series, tying the Bears' 3rd-longest winning streak in the series.
- Extend Baylor's Ferrellà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Center winning streak to 14 games, one back of the longest in arena history.
- Make Baylor 3-1 or better through 4 Big 12 games for the first time since 2012-13 and 6th time in league history.
- Give Baylor a 49-16 record over its last 65 games, including a 12-11 record against AP-ranked teams in that span.
- Give Baylor a 116-39 record since the start of the 2011-12 season and 207-94 since 2007-08.
KEYS TO VICTORY
- Baylor is 11-0 this season when leading at the half and 93-11 when leading at the break since 2011-12.
- Baylor is 12-0 this season when posting 16+ assists and 0-3 when recording 15 or fewer assists.
- Baylor is 12-0 this season when holding opponents below 35 rebounds and 0-3 when allowing 35+à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € boards.
- Baylor is 11-0 when out-rebounding its opponent and 1-3 when tying or losing the rebounding battle.
- Baylor is 12-0 this season when shooting 40%à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € or better from the field and 0-3 when shooting less than 40%.
- Baylor is 9-0 when holding opponents below 70 points and 11-1 when holding teams below 80 points.
- Baylor is 8-0 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent and 9-0 when getting more points off turnovers.
- Baylor is 16-1 when Alà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Freeman scores 10+ points, including a 9-1 mark this season.
- Baylor is 21-2 when Lester Medford records 5+ assists, including an 11-1 mark this season.
- Baylor is 10-0 when Ishmailà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Wainright records 5+ assists, including a 6-0 mark this season.
ONE OF THREE RANKED IN FB, MBB AND WBB
- Baylor, Michigan State and Oklahoma are the only schools ranked by the AP in football, men's and women's basketball.
- Baylor men's basketball is ranked No. 22, football is No. 18 and women's basketball is No. 6.
- Michigan State is ranked No. 3 in football, No. 4 in men's basketball and No. 18 in women's basketball. Oklahoma is No. 4 in football,à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € No. 2 in men's basketball and No. 14 in women's basketball.
- Baylor, Louisville and Michigan State were the only teams to finish the 2014-15 academic year ranked in the final AP Polls for all three sports.
AMONG NATION'S BEST STATISTICALLY
- Baylor ranks top 30 nationally in assists per game, free throw percentage, rebounding margin, steal percentage, offensive rebound percentage, scoring margin, and assist-to-turnover ratio.
- BU leads the nation in assists/game (1st, 21.3) and ranks top-30 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (5th, 1.73), offensive rebound percentage (5th, 41.6), rebounding margin (9th, +11.0), free throw percentage (15th, .756), scoring margin (21st,+14.5) and steal percentage (27th, 11.1).
- Individually, Ricoà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Gathers ranks 3rd in offensive rebound percentage (19.8) and 32nd in defensive rebound percentage (26.3), while Lester Medford ranks 21st in steal percentage (4.4) and 43rd in assist rate (34.3).
GATHERS AND PRINCE JOIN 1,000 POINT CLUB
- Ricoà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Gathers became Baylor's 29th 1,000-point scorer on Dec. 23 vs. New Mexico State.
- Taurean Prince became Baylor's 30th 1,000-point scorer on Jan. 9 at Iowa State.
- Gathers and Prince were the 11th and 12th players to reach 1,000 points in the Scott Drew era.
- Gathers (1,051 career points) ranks 26th on BU's all-time scoring list, 2 points behind Jerryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Mallett in 25th.
- Prince (1,016 career points) ranks 30th on BU's scoring list, 24 points behind Don Heathington in 29th.
PRINCE POURING IN POINTS
- Taureanà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Prince ranks 5th in the Big 12 with 15.7 points per game and 11th with 6.1 rebounds per game.
- Prince has scored in double figures in 29 of the last 33 games dating back to Jan. 17, 2015.
- Prince has 10 games with 20+ points in that stretch, including a pair of 30-point efforts.
- Prince earned his first career Big 12 Player of the Week award after a career-high 30 points inà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € the Dec. 6 win over No. 13 Vanderbilt. Prince scored 16 of 18 Baylor points in a 6-minute span during the first half.
- Prince joined Rico Gathers (Nov. 16) to give Baylor multiple Big 12 Players of the Week for a 5th straight season.
SECOND-MOST WINS IN BIG 12 SINCE 2011-12
- Baylor is 115-47 since 2011-12, which trails only Kansas (129-33) among Big 12 teams (thru 1/8/16).
- Iowa State (112-43) is 3rd, Oklahoma State (97-60) is 4th, Oklahoma (96-50) is 5th, Kansas State (94-54) is 6th, Texas (89-63) is 7th, West Virginia (88-60) is 8th, TCU (65-79) is 9th and Texas Tech (57-83) is 10th.
MEDFORD RUNNING OFFENSE WITH EFFICIENCY
- With the graduation of Kenny Chery, Lester Medford has taken over the starting point guard role after starting as the Bears' shooting guard a season ago.
- Medford is one of two players ranked in the top-20 nationally in assists/gm (10th, 6.9), steals/gm (18th, 2.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (12th, 3.8). He ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in steals and assists, and ranks 3rd in AST-to-TOà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € ratio.
- In 13 games since the loss at Oregon, Medford has posted 93 assists and 17 turnovers (5.5 A-T ratio). He's also recorded 32 steals, creating nearly twice as many turnovers as he's committed.
- Medford posted a career-high 13 assists (t-14th-most in a game in BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € history) against Hardin-Simmons and had 10 points, 12 assists and 0 turnovers against New Mexico State, recording his career-first double-double.
- In 21 career starts as point guard (6 last season, 15 this season), Medford has 138 assists and 35 turnovers, posting a 3.9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
GATHERS SETS ANOTHER REBOUNDING RECORD
- Rico Gathers broke Brian Skinner's school record with his 916th career board in the Dec. 6 win vs. No. 13 Vandy.
- Gathers already held Baylor's single-season (394) and single-game (28) rebounding records, both set last season.
- Gathers has 1,010 career rebounds, which ranks 8th on the Big 12's career list. He needs 6 more to pass Nebraska's Aleks Maric (1,015) for 7th
- Gathers has 31 career double-doubles, 2nd-most in Baylor history and 3 back of Skinner's school record of 34.
FREEMAN GROWING INTO STARTING ROLE
- Sophomore Alà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Freeman has moved into the starting shooting guard role after coming off the bench last year.
- Freeman already has 10 double-digit scoring games, surpassing his total from all 34 games last season. He's posted four 20-point games, including a career-high 22 points at No. 25 Oregon.
- Freeman ranks 14th in the Big 12 in scoring (12.9), 7th in 3-point pct. (.426), 7th in 3-pointers made (1.9/gm) and 9th in minutes per game (30.5).
WAINRIGHT FILLING STAT SHEET
- Junior forward Ishmail Wainright stepped into the starting small forward role with the graduation of Royce O'Neale.
- Wainright ranks 9th in the Big 12 in assists per game (3.4) and 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0).
- Wainright has already doubled his point total from last season (86 this season, 42 last season).
- Wainright has already posted season highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He's made 10-of-30 from 3-point range (33%) this season, after shooting 5-of-20 from long range (25%) over his first two years combined.
LINDSEY STEADY AS BACKUP POINT GUARD
- Freshman Jake Lindsey serves as the backup point guard to Lester Medford, averaging 13.5 minutes per game.
- Lindsey has 41 assists and just 9 turnovers on the season, averaging a team-best 22.4 minutes per turnover.
- Lindsey's 4.56 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 2nd in the Big 12 among players averaging at least 1.0 assist per game.
- Lindsey, the son of Utah Jazz GMà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Dennis Lindsey, has also played a crucial role as a reserve shooting guard and small forward. He locked down Georges Niang late in the game in a triangle-and-2 defense in the Jan. 9 win at Iowa State.
3M POSTING MAJORITY OF BENCH POINTS
- Sophomores Johnathan Motley and Terryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Maston and freshman King McClure combine to average 21.1 points per game off the bench. They've accounted for 84 percent of Baylor's bench scoring (317 of 371 points).
- Motley started all 34 games as a redshirt freshman last year, but he's come off the bench this season and ranks 2nd among Big 12 reserves with 11.2 points in 18.2 minutes per game, including double-digit scoring in 7 games.
- Maston has already quintupled his points and minutes totals from last seasonà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (98 points in 192 minutes; 19 points in 36 minutes last year). He's averaging 6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
- McClure is averaging 3.4 points in 11.7 minutes per game off the bench. He's scored in double-figures twice and connected on at least one 3-pointer in 7 games.
IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING
- Baylor has shot 79% from the free-throw line over the last 11 games, connecting on 204-of-259 attempts.
- The Bears lead the Big 12 and rank 15th nationally with a .756 team free throw percentage.
- Baylor's current .756 free throw percentage would be a school record, surpassing the .754 in 2011-12.
- Rico Gathers, a 58% career free-throw shooter entering those games, has made 39-of-54 attempts (72%).
- The Bears shot 64% (44-of-69) at the charity stripe over the season's first 3 games, and the 79% shooting in the last 12 games has raised their season average by 12 percent from 64% to 76%.
DEFENSIVE STREAKS
- Baylor has held opponents under 75 points in 40 consecutive home games dating back to a 91-84 overtime win against Northwestern State on Dec. 18, 2013. BU has allowed 59.9 points per game during that streak.
- Baylor has held teams under 75 points in 57 of its last 60 games overall is 44-16 during that stretch, including a 12-11 record against AP-ranked opponents.
- Baylor is holding opponents to an average of 63.1 points per game during that 60-game stretch.
- Baylor went 54 consecutive games without allowing 75 points before that nation-leading streak was snapped at Texas A&M on Dec. 19, when the Bears gave up 80 points.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. The Bears are 93-11 when leading at the break in that stretch (11-0 in 2015-16, 21-7 in 2014-15, 18-2 in 2013-14, 17-1 in 2012-13 and 26-1 in 2011-12).
- BU has won 38% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 22-36 in those.
- BU has led at halftime in 104 of 162 games over the last four-plus seasons. With wins in 93 of those 104 games, and victories in 22 of 58 games it has trailed or been tied at the half, Baylor is 105-47 since 2011-12.
7TH STRAIGHT SEASON WITH ROAD WIN OVER RANKED TEAM
- Baylor has won a road game against an APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € top 20-ranked opponent in each of the last 7 seasons.
- BU is 9-21 in road games vs. AP Top 25 teams over the last 9 seasons -- prior to that span, Baylor was 2-65.
- Baylor's all-time road wins vs. ranked teams are: No. 13 Iowa State (2015-16), No. 12 Iowa State (2014-15), No. 15 West Virginia (2014-15), No. 8 Oklahoma State (2013-14), No. 8 Kentucky (2012-13), No. 18 Kansas State (2011-12), No. 16 Texas A&M (2010-11), No. 6 Texas (2009-10), No. 17à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Texas A&M (2007-08), No. 13 Oklahoma State (2002-03) and No. 11 Arkansas (1978-79).
DREW VS. RANKED TEAMS
- Baylor is 9-8 against top-25 ranked teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
- Drew is 28-48 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in his first four rebuilding seasons at Baylor.
- Baylor is 2-3 vs. ranked teams this season with wins over No. 16 Vanderbilt and at No. 13 Iowa State, and losses at No. 25 Oregon, at No. 24 Texas A&M and at No. 2 Kansas.
BEST IN TEXAS
- Baylor is 37-6 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' 21 Division I team in each of the last four seasons.
- Baylor is 52-8 in November/December games when ranked in the AP poll and 63-12 in home games when APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € ranked.
ALL-TIME WINS LEADER
- Scott Drew holds Baylor's school record with 240 career wins as head coach.
- Drew's .596 winning percentage is the best ever by a Baylor coach with 60+ games at the helm.
ELITE OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY
- Baylor's offense has ranked among the nation's top 20 in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency metric in 7 of the last 8 seasons entering 2015-16, joining Duke as the only teams to make that claim.
- Baylor is No. 19 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency this season.
- Baylor was No. 18 in 2014-15, No. 9 in 2013-14, No. 14 in 2012-13, No. 8 in 2011-12, No. 3 in 2009-10, No. 11 in 2008-09 and No. 11 in 2007-08.
- Most times ranked inà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € nation's top-20 from 2007-08--2014-15: Duke-8, Baylor-7, Arizona-5, Kansas-5, Kentucky-4, Northà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Carolina-4, Ohioà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € State-4.
NATION'S BEST IN 3 MAJOR SPORTS OVER LAST 5 SEASONS
- Since 2011-12, Baylor has the nation's most combined wins across football and men's and women's basketball.
- The Bears are 320-73 in that span, giving Baylor 78 more wins than any other Big 12 team, and 11 more than the next closest team nationally (Notre Dame at 309-79).
RANKED IN NINE STRAIGHT SEASONS
- Baylor joins Kansas as the only two Big 12 Conference schools to be ranked in each of the last nine seasons.
- Baylor has been ranked for at least three weeks in each of the last nine seasons, including an active streak of 22 consecutive weeks ranked.
- Baylor is one of 13 schools to be nationally ranked in each of the last nine seasons.
BAYLOR BASKETBALL ON THE RADIO
- Baylor basketball is aired live via the Baylor-IMG College Radio Network on ESPNà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Central Texas and flagship station 1660AM ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco and worldwide on Sirius XM Radio. All games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley. Morris is in his 28th year doing Baylor broadcasts, while Nunley is in his 33rd season as color analyst.
- The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard live on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com.
UP NEXT
- The Bears head to Lubbock to face Texasà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Tech on Jan. 16, followed by back-to-back home games against Kansas State on Jan. 20 and Oklahoma on Jan. 23.
- Baylor will play four of its next six games at home. In addition to the previously listed games, Baylor goes to Oklahomaà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € State (Jan. 27)à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € and hosts Georgia (Jan. 30)à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € and Texas (Feb. 1).
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Coming within six points of the starting five, the Baylor bench scored 44 points in Saturday's 94-89 upset victory at Iowa State.
Now, if coach Scott Drew can just figure out how to "bottle that up and get it every game."
"That's what makes it such a team game," said Drew, whose 22nd-ranked Bears (12-3, 2-1) will host TCU (9-6, 1-2) at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center. "Look at Alabama last night (in the CFP championship game), you had a tight end and second-string running back be the heroes. You never know what's going to happen. And to be a successful team, you have to have production from more than just your starting five."
The Bears had a career night from 6-9 sophomore forward Johnathan Motley, who was 13-of-15 from the field and finished with a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
"I'm playing about the same minutes, so it hasn't been too much of a change," said Motley, who is averaging 11.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18.2 minutes. "I sit back and see how the game is going and what the defense is doing, so it's an advantage for me."
One of the more interesting moves late in the game was having 6-5 freshman guard Jake Lindsey defending Iowa State's 6-8 super star, Georges Niang.
"There's a reason he's going to make a lot of money," Lindsey said of Niang. "Coach Drew made the adjustment in the second half, kind of similar to what they did last year. I just tried to make it difficult for him to catch the ball. That was pretty much what I was supposed to do, not let him touch it."
Another key contributor off the bench was 6-7 sophomore Terry Maston, who scored nine of his 13 points in the second half. After seeing limited minutes in mop-up play a year ago, Maston is averaging 6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
"We all know how skilled T.J. is. He just needed an opportunity," Lindsey said.
Under fourth-year head coach Trent Johnson, TCU has won five of its last seven after a 4-4 start and is coming off a 58-57 win at home over Texas.
"This is a much different TCU team than the beginning of the year," Drew said. "First, you add Chris Washburn, and that's a huge piece to their team. And you look, their two leading scorers are new guys. And normally, that means you take a little time to jell, because if you have all those returners you usually come together quicker. I look at the way they've been playing the last few games, and this is what they're going to be like the rest of the year."
The 6-8 Washburn missed the first 11 games with a hand injury and made his first start in Saturday's game against Texas, scoring a season-high 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Leading a balanced scoring attack are 6-10 sophomore forward Vladimir Brodziansky (12.2 ppg, 11.7 rebounds) and 6-2 sophomore guard Malique Trent (11.7 ppg, 2.9 assists), a pair of junior college transfers who came in with three years to play.
Joining Washburn on the front line are 6-10 junior forward Karviar Shepherd and 6-6 junior forward Brandon Parrish, giving TCU the size to match up with Baylor's trio of 6-8 senior forwards Rico Gathers (13.5 ppg, 10.9 rebounds) and Taurean Prince (15.7 ppg, 6.1 rebounds) and 6-5 junior forward Ishmail Wainright.
"Since Coach Johnson has been there, they've always been very good defensively," Drew said. "They make it really tough on the opponents to get a lot of easy baskets because of that physical nature and really solid defense. And then offensively, when they're going, they're winning. When they're not going as much, that's when they haven't won games. Defense allows you to be in it each and every night."
With West Virginia's win over top-ranked Texas, Baylor can move into a tie for second with the Jayhawks in the Big 12 race and a game behind the first-place Mountaineers.
"Normally, when things are going well, that's when you stumble and that's when you stop paying attention to detail and stop staying focused," Drew said. "At the same time, if you're losing too much, you're not having confidence. And that's not good, either. Really, there's always got to be something to worry coaches."
