Dec. 29, 2016  | | MEDIA INFORMATION | | Date | Friday, Dec. 30 | 6:01 p.m. CT | | Location | Norman, Okla. | Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) | | Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online | | TV | ESPN2 and WatchESPN | | TV Talent | Doug Sherman (pxp), Fran Fraschilla (color)
| | Satellite Radio | XM 84, Sirius 84, Internet 84
| | BU Radio | Listen Online | | BU Talent | John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (color) | | Stats | | | Game Notes | Baylor | Oklahoma
| | Social Media | @BaylorMBB | #SicOU | #Big12MBB
| BAYLOR BEARS
| | Record | 12-0 | | Ranking | 4th (AP), 4th (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Scott Drew
| | Career: 282-183 (15th season)
| | BU Record: 262-172 (14th season)
| OKLAHOMA SOONERS
| | Record | 6-5 | | Ranking | nr (AP), nr (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Lon Kruger (Kansas State, 1975)
| | Career: 590-362 (31st season)
| | OU Record: 111-58 (6th season)
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STORY LINES
- No. 4 Baylor opens Big 12 play on the road at Oklahoma at 6 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN2.
- Baylor is 6-3 in Big 12 openers since 2008 and 9-11 all-time in Big 12 openers.
- Friday is the 57th series meeting. OU leads the series 44-12, including a 22-4 mark in Norman.
- Baylor is 7-9 against Oklahoma since snapping a 30-game series losing streak in 2010.
- Baylor went 6-3 in Big 12 road games last season, tying KU and WVU for league's best road record.
- BU is 14-13 in Big 12 road games since 2014 and 23-22 since 2012, both trailing only Kansas.
- BU was picked 5th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, behind Kansas, WVU, Texas and Iowa State.
- Baylor is 83-71 in Big 12 play since 2008 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 seasons.
- Baylor's No. 4 AP ranking ties the 2nd-best in program history -- BU was No. 3 on Jan. 16, 2012.
- Friday is the 11th game in program history that the Bears entered with a top-5 ranking.
- Baylor is one of five remaining undefeated DI teams (Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, USC, Villanova).
- BU is 12-0 for the 4th time in program history and the first time since starting 17-0 in 2011-12.
- Baylor's 12 straight wins are tied for 4th-longest in program history. It's BU's 5th streak of 12+ wins.
- Baylor has won all 12 games this season by at least 3 points and averages a +20.9 scoring margin.
- Baylor is 4-0 vs. ranked teams (No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 7 Xavier).
- BU is 4-0 when trailing at half and has out-scored all four teams by at least 16 points after the break.
- The Bears have defeated three top-10 teams in a season for the first time in program history.
- Baylor in top-25 of national rankings: scoring defense (9th, 58.7), scoring margin (10th, +20.9), FG percentage (10th, 50.6), blocked shots (12th, 6.3), fewest fouls (13th, 15.3), AST-TO ratio (15th, 1.55), FG percentage defense (17th, 37.7), assists (18th, 18.2), rebound margin (24th, +7.8).
- Head coach Scott Drew is in his 14th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (262).
- Baylor won the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis with wins over VCU, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 10 Louisville. Johnathan Motley was named tournament MVP after averaging 20.0 points per game.
- Baylor's 137 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (159).
- Drew is 228-103 since 2007-08, the first year he had a full allotment of scholarships.
- Baylor has 16 wins over ranked teams in the last two-plus seasons (16-14 since 2014-15).
- BU is 35-54 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
- Baylor returned six letterwinners from last season's 22-12 NCAA Tournament team.
- Baylor's starting lineup has an average age of 21.9 years old and all five are at least 21 years old.
- All five players in Baylor's starting lineup are in at least their fourth years of college basketball.
- BU is 34-4 since the start of 2015-16 when it takes the lead at any point in the 2nd half of a game.
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- The Bears are coming off a school-record third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
- Baylor is 42-25 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 12-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
- Six Baylor players have been selected in the last five NBA Drafts, sixth-most nationally.
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (108-13).
- BU has won 40% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 29-43 in those.
- Baylor came from behind at half to win all 3 Battle 4 Atlantis games. BU trailed by 8 to VCU, by 3 to Michigan State and by 15 to Louisville. The Bears out-scored all 3 by at least 16 points in 2nd halves.
- Baylor has had a nation-leading four players selected in the NBA Draft since 2010 who weren't ranked in the ESPN100 out of high school -- Quincy Acy, Ekpe Udoh, Pierre Jackson and Taurean Prince.
- Six of BU's seven starting point guards during the Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
- Baylor has the Big 12's 2nd-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 812 straight games.
- BU did not receive any preseason poll votes for the first time since 2009-10.
- The Bears didn't receive any votes in the week 1 AP poll, but they climbed to No. 4 just three weeks later.
- Baylor has the nation's 2nd-longest non-conference home winning streak at 43 straight. Duke has the longest streak at 132 games, followed by Baylor at 43 and Arizona at 39.
ONE OF FIVE REMAINING UNDEFEATED TEAMS
- Five Division I teams are undefeated -- No. 1 Villanova, No. 4 Baylor, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 10 Creighton and No. 22 USC.
- BU has four wins over ranked teams, while none of the other undefeated teams have more than two ranked wins.
FOURTH-BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- Baylor is off to a 12-0 start for the fourth time in the program's 111-season history.
- BU's only better starts were 17-0 in 2011-12 and 13-0 in 1911-12. BU also started 12-0 in 2000-01.
- The Bears' 12-game winning streak is tied for 4th-longest in school history.
SECOND-BEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- Baylor's No. 4 AP ranking ties the second-best in program history. BU's highest ranking was No. 3 on Jan. 16, 2012, after starting 17-0, and the Bears lost their next two games at No. 7 Kansas and vs. No. 5 Missouri.
- Baylor went from receiving no votes in the week 1 AP poll to No. 4 nationally just three weeks later on Dec. 5.
- BU remained No. 4 in the Dec. 12, Dec. 19 and Dec. 26 polls, marking four consecutive weeks in the top-5.
- Baylor has been top-5 ranked for 4 consecutive polls after being top-5 ranked in just 3 polls all-time prior to this season. BU was No. 3 on Jan. 16, 2012, No. 4 on Jan. 2, 2012 and No. 4 on Jan. 9, 2012.
- BU is 8-2 all-time when playing as a top-5 team and 8-0 all-time when ranked No. 4 in the AP poll.
- Baylor has now been ranked in each of the last 10 seasons -- one of 13 teams nationally to make that claim.
BEARS RECEIVE SIX FIRST-PLACE VOTES
- Baylor received 6 first-place votes in each of the last four AP polls and one first-place vote on Nov. 28.
- Baylor has earned 25 of the 26 first-place votes in program history this season. The only time Baylor received a first-place vote prior to this season was when it received one first-place vote on Jan. 16, 2012.
LAST SEASON VS. OKLAHOMA
- Baylor lost both games against Oklahoma last season, as OU shot 28-of-57 (49%) from 3-point range in those games.
- No. 1 Oklahoma won in Waco, 82-72, on Jan. 23, and No. 6 OU won in Norman, 73-71, on March 1.
- Johnathan Motley had 15 points and 10 boards off the bench in the loss in Waco.
- King McClure scored 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench as the Bears overcame a 26-point deficit before losing by 2 in Norman. BU trailed 46-20 late in the first half, then took a 68-67 lead with 3:50 remaining.
SERIES HISTORY
- Baylor trails 12-44 in the all-time series, including a 4-22 mark in Norman. The wins in Norman came in 1954, 1977, 2010 and 2012.
- Baylor is 7-9 in its last 16 games against OU after snapping a 30-game losing streak in the series in 2010.
- Baylor has lost 4 straight in Norman, including a 73-71 loss to No. 6 Oklahoma on March 1 last season.
HISTORY IN BIG 12 OPENERS
- Baylor is 6-3 in Big 12 Conference openers since 2008 and 9-11 all-time in Big 12 openers.
- Baylor has dropped its last three Big 12 openers following a 6-game winning streak. This is the 4th straight year BU has opened on the road -- at No. 9 Iowa State (2014), at No. 18 Oklahoma (2015) and at No. 2 Kansas (2016).
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER SUCCESS
- Baylor has posted a combined 126-26 record in November and December games during the Drew era.
- The Bears are 62-11 in November games and 64-15 in December contests.
- BU is 22-1 in December games since 2013, with the lone loss at No. 24 Texas A&M last season.
SECOND-HALF COMEBACKS
- Baylor has trailed at half four times this season (VCU by 8, Michigan State by 3, Louisville by 15, Xavier by 3).
- The Bears out-scored all four opponents by at least 16 points in the second halves. BU out-scored VCU 43-27, out-scored No. 24 Michigan State 43-25, out-scored No. 10 Louisville 42-24 and out-scored No. 7 Xavier 45-27.
- Baylor has trailed by 8+ points in four games this season and has come back to win each time -- BU trailed VCU by 8 points, trailed Michigan State by 10 points, trailed Louisville by 22 points and trailed Xavier by 9 points.
SIXTEEN WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS IN LAST THREE SEASONS
- Baylor has gone 16-14 against ranked teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
- BU is 4-0 vs. ranked teams this season (No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville and No. 7 Xavier).
- Baylor's 4-game winning streak vs. AP-ranked teams ties the longest in program history -- the Bears also won four straight from Jan. 14-Feb. 7, 2015, but none of those were against top-10 teams.
- BU had a school record seven wins over ranked teams in 2014-15.
- Five wins over ranked teams last season tied the second-most in program history (5 in 2013-14).
- Last season, BU won vs. No. 16 Vanderbilt, at No. 13 ISU, vs. No. 13 ISU, at No. 24 Texas and vs. No. 23 Texas.
- BU is 35-54 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
- Baylor has won at least five games vs. APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 teams in each of the last 3 seasons entering 2016-17.
SECOND-MOST WINS AMONG BIG 12 TEAMS SINCE 2011-12
- Baylor has averaged 25 wins per season over the last 5 years -- 2nd-most in the Big 12 in that span. Baylor's 137-56 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (159-38) among Big 12 teams (thru 12/29/16).
- Iowa State (131-55) is 3rd, Oklahoma (118-62) is 4th, Kansas State (112-66) is 5th, West Virginia (111-69) is 6th Texas (106-76) is 7th, Oklahoma State (100-76) is 8th, TCU (79-95) is 9th and Texas Tech (76-94) is 10th.
PICKED FIFTH IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
- Baylor was picked to finish fifth in the 2017 Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll in a vote by the league's head coaches in October. It's the sixth time in the last seven seasons BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has been picked in the top half of the league.
- Preseason Poll: 1. KU, 2. WVU, 3. UT, 4. ISU, 5. BU, 6. OU, T7. OSU, t7. TTU, 9. KSU, 10. TCU.
- In the last 10 seasons, BU has been picked 9th in 2007-08 (NCAA Tournament), 3rd in 2008-09 (NIT runner-up), 10th in 2009-10 (Elite Eight), 4th in 2010-11, 3rd in 2011-12 (Elite Eight), 2nd in 2012-13 (NITà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € champions), 3rd in 2013-14 (Sweet 16), t-6th in 2014-15 (NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Tournament), 5th in 2015-16 (NCAA Tournament) and 5th (2016-17).
BIG 12'S BEST ROAD RECORD LAST YEAR
- Baylor went 6-3 in Big 12 road games last season, tying Kansas and West Virginia for the league's best road mark.
- Baylor is 14-13 in Big 12 road games over the last three seasons, trailing only Kansas (15-12).
- BU is 23-22 in Big 12 road games over the last five seasons, trailing only Kansas (28-17).
BU KNOCKS OFF NO. 7 XAVIER FOR THIRD TOP-10 WIN OF SEASON
- Baylor defeated No. 7 Xavier, 76-61, on Dec. 3 for its school-record third top-10 win of the season and its school-record-tying fourth consecutive win in games against ranked opponents.
- It was the 7th matchup of top-10-ranked teams in program history and BU's first-ever win in a top-10 matchup.
- The Bears trailed by 3 at the half, but out-scored Xavier 45-27 after the break.
- Manu Lecomte had a career-high 24 points, including 6-of-9 on 3-pointers, and was named Big 12 Player of the Week.
- The win helped Baylor climb from No. 9 to No. 4 in the AP Top 25, tying the second-best ranking in BU history.
BEARS MOUNT HUGE COMEBACK VS. NO. 10 LOUISVILLE TO CLAIM ATLANTIS
- Baylor claimed its 3rd regular-season tournament title of the Drew era and third win over a ranked team this season by rallying from 22 points down to knock off No. 10 Louisville in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis title game.
- BU trailed 32-10 with 4 minutes left in the 1st half and trailed 39-24 at the break.
- Baylor still trailed by 20 points at 44-24 with 16:30 remaining, but out-scored UL 42-19 the rest of the way.
- The comeback was keyed by three reserves who played the last 15 minutes -- Jake Lindsey, King McClure and Terry Maston combined to shoot 13-of-15 in the second half.
BU BEATS NO. 24 MICHIGAN STATE
- Baylor earned its second ranked win of the season by knocking off No. 24/20 Michigan State, 73-58, in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. BU advanced to its 3rd regular-season tournament title game in the last 4 seasons.
- The Bears were led by Johnathan Motley's 26 points, including 20 in the first half.
- Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. added 14 points, and Ishmail Wainright had 7 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 0 turnovers.
TOP-5 WINS OVER NO. 4 OREGON
- Baylor knocked off No. 4 Oregon, 66-49, on Nov. 15. The Bears became the first team to hold Oregon below 50 points since Feb. 21, 2013 -- a streak of 119 games.
- The win was Baylor's 4th in its last 11 games against AP Top 5 teams. Prior to that stretch, BU was 3-34 all-time against top-5 ranked opponents. The Bears are now 4-17 against top-5 teams in the Drew era.
- BU was led by Manu Lecomte with 18 points and 7 assists, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 8 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks. Lual-Acuil's 7 blocks tied the 10th-most in a game in program history.
- Johnathan Motley made his season debut and had 17 points and 7 boards in 28 minutes.
BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS CHAMPIONS
- Baylor knocked off VCU, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 10 Louisville to claim the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis.
- BU overcame halftime deficits in all three games and rallied back from 20 down with 16:30 to go vs. Louisville.
- Johnathan Motley was named tournament MVP and Big 12 Player of the Week after averaging 20.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Big 12 weekly award was the second on Motley's career.
- It was the third regular-season tournament title of the Drew era -- the 2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic and 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis. BU is now 26-11 in regular-season tournaments under Drew.
- The Bears jumped from No. 20 to No. 9 in the AP poll and from receiving votes to No. 11 in the coaches poll.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
- Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. BU is 108-13 when leading at the break in that stretch (8-0 this season, 18-2 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 40% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 29-43 in those.
- BU has led at halftime in 121 of 193 games over the last six seasons. With wins in 108 of those 121 games, and victories in 29 of 72 games it has trailed or been tied at the half, Baylor is 137-56 since 2011-12.
HISTORY OF SUCCESS WITH REDSHIRTS
- Baylor has a track record of success when players redshirt under Scott Drew. Ekpe Udoh, Cory Jefferson, Brady Heslip and Royce O'Neale have all gone on to professional careers after redshirting while at BU.
- Four players in Baylor's current starting lineup have redshirted while at Baylor for various reasons.
- Al Freeman and Johnathan Motley redshirted in 2013-14 due to the Bears' depth on a Sweet 16 team.
- Manu Lecomte (transfer), Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (medical issues) and Wendell Mitchell (depth) all redshirted last season.
EXPERIENCED DESPITE ONLY ONE SENIOR
- Baylor may have only one senior on this year's roster, but nine of 10 rotation players are at least 20 years old.
- All five players in Baylor's starting lineup are in their fourth or fifth years of college. Manu Lecomte (21), Johnathan Motley (21) and Al Freeman (22) are fourth-year juniors, Ishmail Wainright (22) is a fourth-year senior and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (22) is a fifth-year junior.
- The Bears also have sophomore guards King McClure (20) and Jake Lindsey (20) and junior forwards Terry Maston (21) and Nuni Omot (22).
POINT GUARDS THRIVE IN DREW'S SYSTEM
- Six of Baylor's seven starting point guards during the Scott Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
- Lester Medford (2016), Kenny Chery (2014, 2015), Pierre Jackson (2012, 2013), Tweety Carter (2010), Curtis Jerrells (2007, 2008, 2009) and Aaron Bruce (2005, 2006, 2007) have been named All-Big 12.
CONSISTENTLY AMONG NATION'S BEST OFFENSES
- Baylor's offense has consistently ranked among the nation's best over the last nine seasons under Scott Drew.
- The Bears have finished eight of the past nine seasons among the top 20 nationally in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency, joining Duke as the only programs to make that claim.
- This season, Baylor is No. 12 in adjusted offensive efficiency as of Dec. 28.
- BU finished No. 13 in 2015-16, No. 18 in 2014-15, No. 9 in 2013-14, No. 14 in 2012-13, No. 8 in 2011-12, No. 102 in 2010-11, No. 3 in 2009-10, No. 11 in 2008-09 and No. 11 in 2007-08.
DEFENSE IS THE KEY
- Baylor is known for its efficient offense, but defensive efficiency has the been key in its best seasons under Drew.
- The Bears have been top-100 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in seven straight seasons, but the three top-50 years in that span all resulted in the best NCAA Tournament seeds in program history.
- BU was No. 23 in 2015, No. 37 in 2012 and No. 42 in 2010 -- the Bears were NCAA No. 3 seeds all three years.
- This season, Baylor is No. 16 in adjusted defensive efficiency as of Dec. 28.
- The Bears were No. 64 in 2013, No. 70 in 2014, No. 79 in 2011 and No. 84 in 2016.
DREW ERA HIGHLIGHTS
- Drew is coaching his 435th game at Baylor (262-172). His .604 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 60+ games, and he's the program's all-time wins leader.
- Baylor has a .689 winning percentage (228-103) since Drew's first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08.
- BU has graduated 92 percent of its scholarship seniors since Drew took over in 2003 (24 of 26).
- In Drew's first 13 seasons, 25 players have gone on to professional careers.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT -- FROM UNRANKED TO NBA DRAFT
- Baylor has had a nation-leading four players selected in the NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft since 2010 who weren't ranked in the ESPN100 out of high school.
- The only other schools with three such players were Colorado,à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Marquette, Missouri, New Mexico and Connecticut.
- Baylor developed Quincyà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Acy, Ekpe Udoh, Pierre Jackson and Taurean Prince into NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks after joining the program as unranked recruits.
SIX NBA DRAFT PICKS IN LAST FIVE SEASONS
- Baylor's six NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks over the last five years are the nation's sixth most, trailing only Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas and North Carolina and tied with Arizona, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA.
- A program-record three Baylor players were selected in the 2012 NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft -- Perryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Jones III (28th pick; Oklahoma City Thunder), Quincyà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Acy (37th pick; Toronto Raptors) and Quincy Miller (38th pick; Denver Nuggets). Pierre Jackson (42nd pick, Philadelphia 76ers; traded to New Orleans Pelicans) was chosen in the 2013 draft, Coryà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Jefferson (60th pick; San Antonio Spurs; traded toà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Brooklynà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Nets) was selected in 2014 and Taurean Prince (12th pick; Utah Jazz; traded to Atlanta Hawks) was chosen in 2016.
TWENTY-FIVE PRO PLAYERS IN DREW ERA
- In Scott Drew's first 13 years at Baylor, 25 of his players went on to professional careers.
- All three scholarship seniors from last year's team are now playing professionally.
- Taurean Prince was selected 12th overall in the NBA Draft, becoming the 2nd lottery pick in program history.
- Rico Gathers decided to pursue a pro football career and was selected in the NFL Draft's 6th round.
- Lester Medford recently began his professional career playing in Hungary.
GRADUATING 92 PERCENT OF SENIORS
- Since Scott Drew took over the Baylor Basketball program in 2003, 24 of 26 scholarship players who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility have graduated from Baylor.
- Players recruited by Drew who have graduated at Baylor: Tim Bush, Patrick Fields, Aaron Bruce, Mamadou Diene, Delbert Simpson, Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat, Kevin Rogers, Tweety Carter, Josh Lomers, Ekpe Udoh, Fred Ellis, Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones, J'mison Morgan, A.J. Walton, Cory Jefferson, Brady Heslip, Gary Franklin, Kenny Chery, Royce O'Neale, Lester Medford, Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince.
FIVE STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
- Baylor has won 20+ games in a school-record five consecutive seasons and in eight of the last nine years. The Bears had just three 20-win seasons in the program's first 101 years (1907-2007).
- Baylor has topped 22 wins in each of the past 5 seasons and is averaging 25.0 wins per season in that span.
RANKED IN 10 STRAIGHT SEASONS
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- BU went from receiving no votes in the week 1 AP poll to No. 20 in week 2, No. 9 in week 3 and No. 4 in week 4.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € cracked a string of 38 consecutive unranked seasons when it was tabbed No. 25 in 2007-08.
- The Bears reached as high as No. 19 in 2008-09, No. 19 in 2009-10, No. 9 in 2010-11, No. 3 in 2011-12, No. 16 in 2012-13, No. 7 in 2013-14, No. 14 in 2014-15 and No. 13 in 2015-16.
THREE CONSECUTIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
- Baylor is on a school-record streak of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to earning at-large bids in each of the last three seasons, the Bears had never been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
- The Bears are one of nine teams nationally to earn a top-six seed in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arizona, Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Villanova and Virginia.
- Baylor was a No. 6 seed in 2014, a No. 3 seed in 2015 and a No. 5 seed last season.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
- Baylor has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last 10 seasons under 14th-year head coach Scott Drew.
- Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 228-103 (24 wins per season) and has made eight postseason appearancesà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (NCAA -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016; NITà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € -- 2009, 2013) and posted eight 20-win seasons.
- Prior to 2007-08, Baylor won only 135 games in the first 11 seasons of the Big 12 era (12.3 wins per season).
- Baylor has made 15 postseason appearances (eight under Drew) and won 20+ games just 11 times (eight under Drew) in the program's first 110 seasons.
NATION'S SIXTH-BEST POSTSEASON RECORD
- Baylor's 17-6 postseason record over the past eight seasons is the nation's sixth-best among teams with at least three NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Tournament berths since 2009.
- The only teams with better postseason winning percentages than Baylor's .739 are Connecticut (.783), Kentucky (.781), North Carolina (.781), Duke (.778), Louisville (.750)
- The Bears' 17 postseason wins in that span are eighth-most, trailing only Kentucky (25), North Carolina (25), Duke (21), Michiganà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € State (20), Kansas (18), Connecticut (18) and Louisville (18).
- Baylor went 4-1 and advanced to the 2009 NIT Championship game, 3-1 on their way to NCAA Tournament Elite Eight berths in 2010 and 2012, 5-0 to claim the 2013 NIT title and 2-1 on its way to the 2014 Sweet 16.
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.
- Games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley.
- Morris is in his 29th year doing Baylor broadcasts, while Nunley is in his 34th season as color analyst.
- All of Baylor's games can be heard live on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com and via the TuneIn App.
UP NEXT
- Baylor returns home to host Iowa State (Jan. 4) and Oklahoma State (Jan. 7) in consecutive Big 12 home games.
- Both games will be televised on ESPNEWS, with the ISU game tipping at 7 p.m. CT and OSU at 6 p.m.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation Speaking almost wistfully, Baylor coach Scott Drew said, "Someday, somebody is going to beat Kansas."
You see, the third-ranked Jayhawks (11-1) have won 12 straight Big 12 championships under Bill Self and are favorites to win it all again. But the No. 4 Baylor Bears (12-0), who open league play at 6 p.m. Friday at Oklahoma (6-5), might be the most likely contender to knock Kansas off its throne.
"Every year our goal is to win the Big 12, and someday somebody is going to beat Kansas," Drew said. "I know all of us are gunning to be that team. Someday, it's going to happen. And I hope it's us."
Since starting the year unranked, the Bears have reeled off four wins over ranked opponents and climbed up to No. 4 in the polls, just one spot behind Kansas.
But, as senior forward Ishmail Wainright put it, "We're 0-0 . . . first season (non-conference) is over with, now it's on to the next."
"We still have a chip on our shoulders," Wainright said. "We're going to have a chip on our shoulders until we cut down the nets at the end of the year. And that's our goal. That's everybody's goal."
After winning four games in eight days, capped by an 89-63 win over Texas Southern, the Bears took a few days off for Christmas.
"The good thing is we don't have anyone injured. We've had a couple good days of practice and had a good break and we made it back safely," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose Bears are one of just five remaining unbeaten Division I teams in the nation. "Now, we're ready for conference, and we understand it's an 18-game grind. . . . You can't get too high or too low with any game. We understand how challenging every Big 12 game is."
Baylor swept three games in three days in winning the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas and also beat Jackson State at Fort Hood, but this is the Bears' first true road game of the season. And few venues have been any tougher than the Sooners' Lloyd Noble Center, where Baylor is 4-22 all-time and 2-11 in the Drew era.
"Coach has been here 14 years, and he has two wins at OU," Wainright said. "That's all we have to say."
This is not the same OU team, though, that won seven of nine matchups against the Bears over the last four seasons. National Player of the Year Buddy Hield is gone from last year's Final Four team, along with Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler.
"We're happy Buddy's in the NBA; Cousins, Spangler, all those guys," Drew said. "But, Oklahoma is a team that has had a lot of success with Coach (Lon) Kruger. It doesn't matter who is wearing the jersey, they've done a good job. Offensively, they're really good in transition and really shoot the 3-ball, so we have to do a good job with both of those."
Senior guard Jordan Woodard leads the Sooners with 17.6 points and 3.6 assists. Sophomore guards Christian James (12.4) and Rashard Odomes (10.1) also average double-digit points, while 6-9 junior forward Khadeem Lattin is averaging 9.1 points, 5.9 boards and 1.9 blocks per game.
"This is a good team and it has one of the best coaches in the country," Drew said. "We've got to take care of what we know we've got to do. We have to continue to play great defense and take care of the basketball. Last year, they really jumped on us early with Buddy Hield on Senior Night. We have to do a better job of executing early."
Baylor counters with a balanced attack that features four double-figure scorers. Junior forward Johnathan Motley leads the way with 16.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, followed by junior guards Al Freeman (12.7 ppg) and Manu Lecomte (11.6 ppg, 5.4 assists) and 7-foot junior Jo Lual-Acuil (10.7 ppg, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 blocks).
"Really, you go through non-conference to get ready for conference," Drew said. "So, we'll see exactly where we are after the first couple games of conference, because people have scouted you and know your tendencies. At that point, that's where you find areas you have to work on when you play teams that can expose weaknesses."
The Bears return home to face Iowa State (8-3) in their first conference home game at 6 p.m. next Wednesday in a game that will be televised by ESPNNews. Friday's game at Oklahoma is an ESPN2 broadcast.
