March 8, 2017  | | MEDIA INFORMATION | | Date | Thursday, March 9 | 8:00 p.m. CT | | Location | Kansas City, Mo. | Sprint Center (18,972) | | Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online | | TV | ESPN and WatchESPN | | TV Talent | Jon Sciambi (pxp), Miles Simon (color)
| | Mobile Radio | Sirius 137, XM 199, TuneIn
| | BU Radio | Listen Online | | BU Talent | John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (color) | | Stats | | | Game Notes | Baylor | Kansas State
| | Social Media | @BaylorMBB | #SicKSU | #Big12MBB
| BAYLOR BEARS
| | Record | 25-6, 12-6 | | Ranking | 9th (AP), 10th (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Scott Drew
| | Career: 295-189 (15th season)
| | BU Record: 275-178 (14th season)
| | KANSAS STATE WILDCATS | | Record | 19-12, 8-10
| | Ranking | NR (AP), NR (Coaches)
| | Head Coach | Bruce Weber | | Career: 411-221 (19th season)
| | KSU Record: 98-66 (5th season)
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - This Baylor basketball team has made a habit of making history.
Seeded third for the Big 12 Championship that began Wednesday at the Sprint Center, the No. 9/10 Bears (25-6) earned their first-ever No. 1 national ranking this season, beat four top-10 teams for the first time in program history and tied the school record with 25 regular-season wins.
Now, they'd like to make a little more history by winning the Big 12 tournament for the first time in the 21-year history of the league.
"We have one goal, and that's to win the Big 12 tournament championship," said senior forward Ishmail Wainright, who's playing back in his hometown for the last time. "It's exciting, because we could be the first team to actually do a lot of stuff here at Baylor. . . . I've had a lot of alumni email me, call me, just to make sure and let us know that we haven't won it and we can still make history. We've been making history, and we still want to make more history."
With Oklahoma and Texas Tech already sent packing, the Bears' road to a title begins in Thursday's quarterfinals, when they face sixth-seeded Kansas State (19-12) at approximately 8:30 p.m. The two teams split the season series, with the Bears winning on the road at Manhattan, 77-68, before the Wildcats returned the favor with a 56-54 upset of then-No. 2 Baylor at the Ferrell Center.
In the latest NCAA Tournament bracketology, ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi has the Bears projected as a No. 2 seed in the East Regional and K-State as one of the "first four out." The Wildcats likely have to win at least one game in Kansas City to get in the 68-team field.
"They kicked the tar out of us the last time in the first half," said sophomore guard Jake Lindsey. "Not coming out with energy on your home floor, that's really unacceptable. . . . They are really physical, so we have to respond in kind and make sure we come out and set a tone this game rather than how we came out the last game."
Lindsey filled in nicely at point guard for injured starter Manu Lecomte, who missed the last 2 ½ games with a sprained left ankle. He combined for 22 points, eight assists and only three turnovers in wins over No. 10 West Virginia (71-62) and Texas (75-64) to close out the regular season and help the Bears finish in a tie for second with the Mountaineers and Iowa State.
"They did a great job, especially the guards," Lecomte said. "It was really fun watching them. . . . I see them every day in practice, they make me better, so I know what they can do. I wasn't surprised."
Although Lecomte says his ankle is still not 100 percent, he went through Wednesday's practice at the Sprint Center and "mentally, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to play 40 minutes, 10 minutes. Whatever Coach wants me to do, I'll do."
Baylor coach Scott Drew said trainer David Chandler "will tell us if and how long and what he can do."
"I know from a coaching standpoint, a healthy Manu is a great addition," Drew said. "At the same time, I know we've got to make sure we have him ready to go in the NCAA tournament. So, we would definitely never put him in harm's way. . . . Each day, he's gotten better. There's been no swelling or soreness, and that's very important for us, because we start the NCAA tournament next week. And playing in a tournament like this, where if you win you play multiple games in a short period of time, the worst thing we could do is have a setback with his ankle."
While Lecomte (12.4 ppg, 4.0 assists) admits that it was tough sitting out, "the main thing I needed was rest. Coach understood that, and he did a great job sitting me those last two games."
The junior point guard hit seven 3-pointers and scored a combined 42 points in the two games against K-State, but this one could come down to a matchup of the front lines.
Johnathan Motley, a second-team All-American and Baylor's first unanimous All-Big 12 first-team pick, averages a team-best 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. But, the 6-foot-10 junior forward was held to seven points in the win at K-State and then had his potential game-tying jumper stuffed by the Wildcats' 6-9 forward D.J. Johnson at the end of the game in Waco.
Motley's joined on the front line by 7-foot junior center Jo Lual-Acuil (9.3 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks) and the 6-5 Wainright, while the Wildcats counter with Johnson ((11.4 ppg, 5.7 rebounds), 6-10 sophomore forward Dean Wade (9.7 ppg, 4.7 rebounds) and 6-7 senior Wesley Iwundu, a third-team All-Big 12 pick who is averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds.
"They have a lot of size, too," Drew said. "D.J. is a grown man. I don't know if he's going to play pro basketball or play football, but he's a monster. Dean is obviously big and tall for his position, as is Wesley. So, they've got a lot of height in that front line, as we do. And that's why we've had good games."
Like Wainright, Drew would love to see the Bears make a little history this week.
"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win the Big 12 Conference championship," he said. "We didn't do that. Now, we have a chance to do that in the tournament. It's a great tournament. And if you can win the Big 12 tournament, you can win the national tournament."
The Baylor-Kansas State winner advances to Friday's semifinals to face either No. 11 West Virginia (24-7) or 10th-seeded Texas (11-21), which kept its season alive with a 61-52 win over seventh-seeded Texas in Wednesday's first round. TCU eliminated Oklahoma, 82-63, in Wednesday's other game and will face top-ranked Kansas (28-3) in Thursday's quarterfinals.
"If you win, you keep going," Wainright said. "If we lose, we hop on a plane and go home. We don't want to be one of the first ones to go home."
STORY LINES - No. 9 Baylor opens Big 12 Championship play against Kansas State at 8 p.m. CT Thursday.
- BU is 16-19 all-time in Big 12 Championships, including 12-12 under
Scott Drew and 11-8 since 2009.
- Baylor has advanced to the Big 12 Championship semifinals in each of the last 3 seasons.
- Baylor is 29-14 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last eight seasons.
- BU is seeking its 26th win, which would tie the 3rd-most in a season in BU history (26 in 2014).
- Baylor's 25 regular season wins tied its most in program history (2012), its 12 Big 12 wins tied its most in conference play (2012) and its tie for 2nd place tied its best-ever Big 12 finish (2010).
- Baylor's No. 3 seed in the tournament ties its best-ever (2010, lost to No. 2 K-State in semifinals).
- Thursday is the 37th series meeting. The series is tied 18-18, including 2-2 at neutral sites. All neutral meetings were in Kansas City -- 1948 NCAA Regional; 2002, 2010, 2012 Big 12 Championships.
- BU is 1-2 vs. KSU in B12 Championships (L in 2002 first round, L in 2010 semis, W in 2012 quarters).
- BU won 77-68 when the teams met in Manhattan on Jan. 14 and lost 56-54 in Waco in Feb. 4.
- BU has reached the 20-win mark for a school-record 6th straight season and 9th time in the last 10 years.
- Baylor is No. 6 nationally in RPI, trailing only Villanova, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina and Florida.
- Baylor has faced a second-half deficit and come back to win in 11 games this season.
- BU is 8-2 when trailing at half and averages a +11.0 scoring margin in 2nd halves of those games.
- BU is 47-8 over the last two seasons when it takes the lead at any point in the 2nd half of a game.
- Baylor's defense held teams to 64.3 points per game in Big 12 play, which led the league by 7.7 ppg.
- BU held opponents to an average of 9.4 ppg below their scoring averages in Big 12 play.
- BU led the league in FG defense (41%), rebounding (38.3) and rebounding margin (+9.5) in Big 12 play.
- Baylor's defense this season has been its best of the Drew era -- BU ranks No. 10 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency -- Drew's best previous defense was ranked No. 23 nationally in 2014-15.
- Baylor's defense ranks 13th nationally in effective field goal percentage defense (44.9), 19th in 2-point FG defense (43.9), 24th in 3-point FG defense (31.2) and 27th in block percentage (13.4).
- BU is top-20 nationally in rebounding margin (6th, +8.8) and scoring defense (17th, 62.5).
- BU opponents average 18.5 seconds per possession, 8th-longest nationally according to KenPom.com.
- Drew is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year.
- Drew is 241-109 since 2007-08, the first year he had a full allotment of scholarships.
- Baylor is 150-62 over the last 6 seasons, averaging 25.0 wins per season since 2012.
- Baylor is 95-77 in Big 12 play since 2008 after going 45-131 in the league's first 11 seasons.
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Johnathan Motley is a Naismith Trophy semifinalist (10), on the Wooden Award National Ballot (15) and a Karl Malone Award finalist (10). He's a 2nd Team All-American by Sporting News and NBC.
- Motley is the 16th All-American in BU history and the first-ever unanimous first-team All-Big 12 pick.
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Manu Lecomte is Baylor's 2nd player to win Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Ekpe Udoh, 2010).
- BU had 4 All-Big 12 honorees, as
Ishmail Wainright and
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. were also recognized.
- Motley became the 31st 1,000-point scorer in Baylor history (13th of Drew era) on Feb. 8 at OSU.
- Motley earned his school-record 4th career Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Jan. 23 (3rd of season).
- Baylor's 15-game winning streak to start the season was the 2nd-longest in program history.
- Baylor returned six letterwinners from last season's 22-12 NCAA Tournament team.
- The Bears are coming off a school-record third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
- Six Baylor players have been selected in the last five NBA Drafts, sixth-most nationally.
- Drew (46) is the youngest of 12 coaches to take his current program to three Sweet 16s since 2010.
- All 12 of Baylor's losses last season were against NCAA Tournament teams -- Iowa State and National Championship game participants North Carolina and Villanova are the only other teams to make that claim.
- All five players in Baylor's starting lineup are in at least their fourth years of college basketball.
- BU and ISU were among the 4 teams to have every loss against NCAA Tournament teams last year.
- Baylor went 6-3 in Big 12 road games last season, tying KU and WVU for league's best road record.
- BU was picked 5th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, behind Kansas, WVU, Texas and Iowa State.
- Baylor is 9-19 against AP Top 10 teams since March 2012. BU started the Drew era 1-26 vs. top-10.
- BU is 37-57 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
- Baylor was the No. 3 overall seed (No. 1 in South) in the Feb. 11 CBS Early Bracket Reveal.
- Baylor is 37-11 against first-time opponents in the Drew era, including 31-7 since 2007-08.
- Baylor is 26-11 in regular-season tournaments during the Drew era, including 13-3 since 2013-14.
- Baylor is 9-1 against SECà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € teams since 2012-13, including two wins vs. Kentucky, two wins vs. South Carolina, two wins vs. Vanderbilt and one win each against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Georgia.
- BU is 0-18 all-time against teams ranked in the top-2 of either the AP or coaches poll.
- BU is 4-19 against AP top 5 teams in the Drew era, but 4-9 in its last 13 such games.
QUICK HITS
- Baylor (150), Iowa State (143) and Kansas (176) are the only Big 12 teams with 125+ wins since 2011-12.
- Baylor is 6-3 vs. AP Top 25-ranked teams and 4-3 vs. AP Top 10 teams this season (wins vs. No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 7 Xavier, at No. 25 Kansas State and No. 10 West Virginia).
- BU is 19-17 in Big 12 road games since 2014 and 28-26 since 2012, both trailing only Kansas.
- Baylor has 18 wins over ranked teams in the last three seasons (18-17 since 2014-15).
- BU has won 22+ games every year since 2012, one of 19 teams to make that claim entering 2016-17.
- Head coach Scott Drew is in his 14th season at Baylor and is the school's all-time wins leader (275).
- Baylor has won 88% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (117-16).
- BU has won 42% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 33-46 in those.
- The Bears have defeated four top-10 teams in a season for the first time in program history.
- Baylor climbed to No. 1 in the Jan. 9 AP Top 25, marking the first No. 1 ranking in program history.
- BU's climb from unranked in week 1 to No. 1 in week 9 was the fastest by any team in AP Top 20/25 history.
- BU is one of four teams to reach the No. 1 spot after being unranked in the AP preseason top 20/25.
- BU received 55 first-place votes in the Jan. 9 AP poll and has notched 92 first-place votes in AP polls this season.
- Prior to this season, the Bears had only received one first-place vote since the first AP poll in 1949.
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- Baylor is 47-29 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 12-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
- 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 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 831 straight games.
- BU did not receive any preseason poll votes for the first time since 2009-10.
MOTLEY BECOMES 16TH ALL-AMERICAN IN PROGRAM HISTORY
- Johnathan Motley was named to the All-America 2nd team by Sporting News and NBC Sports and to the 3rd team by USA Today. He became the 16th All-American player in program history.
- Motley can become Baylor's first-ever AP 1st-team All-American. The only previous Bears named to the AP All-America 1st or 2nd teams were Vinnie Johnson (2nd team, 1979) and Terry Teagle (2nd team, 1982).
- Motley is the first Naismith Trophy semifinalist (1 of 10) in program history. He's also 1 of 15 players on the Wooden Award National Ballot and is on the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 19) and the Lute Olson Award watch list, and he's 1 of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award.
- Motley is currently 2nd in KenPom.com's National Player of the Year rankings at 1.637, trailing only Villanova's Josh Hart (1.693). He's the top-ranked Big 12 player, with Jawun Evans (1.346) at 6th, Frank Mason (1.333) in 7th and Josh Jackson (1.263) in 10th.
PROGRAM BESTS
- Baylor tied a number of program bests this season. The Bears' 25 regular season wins tied the most in program history (2012), and BU's 12 Big 12 victories tied its most in any conference (2012).
- BU also tied its best-ever finish in the Big 12 standings, matching the 3-way tie for 2nd place from 2010.
- BU's No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship tied the 2010 season for best in program history.
- Baylor has a shot to earn the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history (No. 3 in 2010, 2012 and 2015).
SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday is the 37th all-time series meeting. The series is tied 18-18, including 2-2 in neutral site games.
- Baylor has won 4 of its last 5 games vs. K-State, and the teams split the season series this year.
- The 4 neutral site games were all in Kansas City -- 1948 NCAA Western Regional (BU 60-52), 2002 B12 Championship first round (KSU 74-73 OT), 2010 B12 semifinals (KSU 82-75) and 2012 B12 quarterfinals (BU 82-74).
- The teams split the series this year, with the road team winning both. Baylor won 77-68 in Manhattan on Jan. 14, and K-State built a 19-point first-half lead and held on to win 56-54 in Waco on Feb. 4.
EIGHT WINS AFTER TRAILING AT HALFTIME
- Baylor has trailed at halftime 10 times this season (VCU by 8, Michigan State by 3, Louisville by 15, Xavier by 3, OSU by 5, at WVU by 7, at TCU by 2, at Ole Miss by 7, vs. K-State by 15, vs. WVU by 2), but BU is 8-2 in those games.
- Baylor averages a +11.0 scoring margin in second halves of the 10 games it has trailed at halftime.
- In the eight wins, BU's defense has allowed 34.0 first-half points and 27.5 second-half points.
- BU has out-scored opponents by 9+ points in second halves in all 8 of those wins -- VCU 43-27, Michigan State 43-25, Louisville 42-24, Xavier 45-27, Oklahoma State 36-27, TCU 36-25, Ole Miss 43-33 and WVU 43-32.
OVERCOMING SECOND-HALF DEFICITS
- Eleven times this season Baylor has faced a second-half deficit and come back to win.
- BU is 47-8 over the last two seasons when it takes a lead at any point in the second half of a game.
- The Bears overcame second-half deficits against FGCU (3), vs. VCU (8), vs. Michigan State (3), vs. Louisville (20), Xavier (9), Iowa State (6), Oklahoma State (7) at K-State (2), at TCU (2), at Ole Miss (10) and West Virginia (8).
THIS SEASON VS. KANSAS STATE (BOX SCORES ON PGS. 35-36)
- Baylor and Kansas State split the season series, with the road team winning each game.
- In Manhattan, Baylor rebounded from its first loss of the season by winning at No. 25 K-State, 77-68, on Jan. 14.
- BU trailed 47-45 with 10 minutes left, then went on an 8-0 run and led by at least 5 points the rest of the way.
- Manu Lecomte scored a career-high 26 points, while Ishmail Wainright added a career-high 15 points.
- In Waco, BU missed two shots that would've tied the game in the final seconds and fell to K-State 56-54 on Feb. 4.
- The Bears trailed by as many as 19 points (37-18 with 3 minutes left in 1st half), and were behind 46-28 with 11 minutes remaining, then went on a 26-10 run that came up just short, as BU missed jumpers in the final 3 seconds.
- Johnathan Motley posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, but was the only BU player in double-figures.
LAST SEASON VS. K-STATE (CAREER STATS VS. K-STATE ON PGS. 29-30)
- Baylor swept the season series against K-State last season for the second time in three years (also in 2014).
- BU won 79-72 in double OT when the teams met in Waco. Al Freeman scored all 11 of his points in the overtime periods, and Johnathan Motley added 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 37 minutes off the bench.
- The Bears jumped out to a 25-11 lead in the first 11 minutes of the game in Manhattan and maintained the lead the rest of the way in an 82-72 win. Freeman posted 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 33 minutes.
A WIN WOULD ...
- Be Baylor's 26th win of the season, tying the 3rd-most in school history (30 in 2012, 28 in 2010, 26 in 2014).
- Mark the 4th straight season Baylor has advanced to the Big 12 Championship semifinals.
- Give Baylor a 19-18 lead in the all-time series against K-State, including a 3-2 mark in neutral site games.
- Be Baylor's 5th win in its last 6 games against Kansas State.
- Improve Baylor's record to 30-14 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last 9 seasons.
- Give Baylor a 242-109 record since 2007-08, Drew's first year with a full allotment of scholarships.
- Make Baylor 151-62 since 2011-12, the Big 12's second-most wins in that span behind only Kansas (176).
- Be Ishmail Wainright's 90th career win, the 6th-most in program history.
- Improve Baylor's record to 98-40 during Wainright's four-year career, the 4th-most wins in a 4-year career.
FOUR BEARS EARN ALL-BIG 12 HONORS
- Johnathan Motley, Manu Lecomte, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and Ishmail Wainright earned All-Big 12 recognition.
- Motley is Baylor's first-ever unanimous first-team All-Big 12 honoree, picking up unanimous recognition from both the league's coaches and media, and he's the seventh different Baylor player named first-team All-Big 12.
- Lecomte joined Ekpe Udoh (2010) as the only players in program history to earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Lecomte was also named to the coaches' All-Big 12 third team and All-Newcomer team.
- Wainright picked up All-Big 12 honorable mention and All-Defensive team recogition from the league's coaches.
- Lual-Acuil was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection by the league's media.
- Four honorees tied the school record set in 2012 and 2016. At least three BU players have been named All-Big 12 in 10 straight seasons, with 33 all-league honors earned by 21 different players since 2008.
SECOND-MOST WINS AMONG BIG 12 TEAMS SINCE 2011-12
- Baylor's 150-62 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (176-40) among Big 12 teams (thru 3/7/17).
- Iowa State (143-62) is 3rd, West Virginia (124-75) is 4th, Oklahoma (123-77) is 5th, Kansas State (120-77) is 6th, Texas (111-91) is 7th, Oklahoma State (110-85) is 8th, TCU (85-109) is 9th and Texas Tech (83-106) is 10th.
- Baylor has averaged 25 wins per season over the last 5 years.
DREW AND MOTLEY AMONG NAISMITH SEMIFINALISTS
- Baylor head coach Scott Drew is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year and junior forward Johnathan Motley is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year.
- Drew has led Baylor from receiving no votes in either preseason poll to the first No. 1 ranking in program history.
- Drew also had four wins over top-10 teams this season and had the Bears top-10 ranked in 14 of the last 15 polls.
- Motley is the first player in program history named a Naismith semifinalist, and he has a chance to become Baylor's first-ever AP first-team All-American. He leads the Big 12 with 10.0 rebounds per game and ranks third with 17.5 ppg.
BEST DEFENSE OF DREW ERA
- Baylor's defense held opponents to 64.3 points per game in Big 12 play, which led the league by 7.7 ppg. That margin was greater than the 6.1 ppg difference between No. 2 (WVU, 72.0) and No. 10 (OSU, 78.1) in the league.
- BU opponents averaged 9.4 points per game below their season averages in Big 12 play.
- BU is No. 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency as of March 6. Its best previous defense under Drew was No. 23 in 2015.
- The Bears have been top-100 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in seven straight seasons.
- 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.
- The Bears were No. 64 in 2013, No. 70 in 2014, No. 79 in 2011 and No. 84 in 2016.
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. 25 in adjusted offensive efficiency as of March 6.
- 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.
SIX WINS OVER AP TOP 25 TEAMS
- Baylor is 6-3 vs. ranked teams (wins vs. No. 4 Oregon, No. 24 Michigan State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 7 Xavier, at No. 25 Kansas State and vs. No. 10 West Virginia; losses at No. 10 WVU, at No. 3 Kansas and vs. No. 3 Kansas).
- Baylor has won at least five games vs. APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 teams in each of the last four seasons.
- BU's 6 wins over ranked teams this year are the 2nd-most in program history (7 in 2015; 5 in 2014 and 2016).
- Baylor has gone 18-17 against ranked teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
- BU is 37-57 against ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first four rebuilding seasons.
MOTLEY JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
- Johnathan Motley became the 31st player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark on Feb. 8 at OSU.
- Motley became the 13th player of the Drew era to reach the milestone, joining LaceDarius Dunn, Curtis Jerrells, Tweety Carter, Kevin Rogers, Quincy Acy, Aaron Bruce, Taurean Prince, Pierre Jackson, Henry Dugat, Rico Gathers, Cory Jefferson and Brady Heslip.
- Motley (1,164 points) ranks 21st on Baylor's all-time scoring list. He needs 45 points to pass his frontcourt mate from last season, Rico Gathers (1,208) in 20th place.
- Motley is the first player in Baylor history with 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 assists.
BEST IN TEXAS
- Baylor is 49-9 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 four of the last five seasons.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € is a combined 63-13 against Lone Star State teams over the last seven seasons after going 10-27 against in-state teams in Scott Drew's first six seasons at Baylor (7-1 in 2016-17, 9-3 in 2015-16, 10-1 in 2014-15, 6-3 in 2013-14, 7-1 in 2012-13, 10-0 in 2011-12, 5-3 in 2010-11 and 9-1 in 2009-10).
- Additionally, six of the nine NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks fromà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Texas colleges since 2012 have come from Baylor. North Texas, Texas and Texas A&Mà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € have each had one player selected in the last five NBAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Drafts.
BIG 12'S SECOND-BEST ROAD MARK SINCE 2012
- Baylor is 19-17 in Big 12 road games since 2014, trailing only Kansas (23-13).
- BU is 28-26 in Big 12 road games since 2012, trailing only Kansas (36-18).
- Big 12 road teams went a combined 35-55 in conference play this season.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
- Baylor has won 88% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. BU is 117-16 when leading at the break in that stretch (17-3 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 42% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 33-46 in those.
- BU has led at halftime in 133 of 212 games over the last six seasons, and BU is 150-62 since 2011-12.
BEARS IN AP POLL THIS SEASON
- Baylor went from receiving no votes in the week 1 AP poll to No. 4 nationally just three weeks later on Dec. 5.
- BU was top-10 ranked for a school-record-tying 13 consecutive weeks, including nine weeks in the top-5.
- Prior to this season, BU had been top-10 ranked in 20 weekly polls in program history, all during 2010-11, 2011-12 (13 straight weeks) and 2013-14.
- Baylor has now been ranked in each of the last 10 seasons -- one of 13 teams nationally to make that claim.
BAYLOR'S BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
- Baylor is the No. 3 seed for the second time in Big 12 Championship history (2010, lost in semifinals to No. 2 KSU).
- Baylor is 16-19 all-time in the Big 12 Championship and 12-12 under head coach Scott Drew.
- Baylor is 8-8 all-time at Sprint Center and 12-15 in Big 12 Championship games held in Kansas City.
- BU is 6-3 in Big 12 Championship play as the higher seed and 10-16 as the lower seed.
- Baylor is the only team to defeat three No. 1 seeds at the Big 12 Championship (2001, 2009, 2012), and Iowa State (2014, 2015) is the only other program with multiple wins over No. 1 seeds at the Big 12 Championship.
EXPERIENCED DESPITE ONLY ONE SENIOR
- Baylor has only one senior on this year's roster, but BU's top nine in minutes per game are all at least 20 years old.
- All five players in Baylor's most-used 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).
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.
SCHOOL RECORDS MATCHED WITH WIN AT TEXAS
- Baylor tied its school records for regular-season wins (25), conference victories (12) and best Big 12 finish (tie for 2nd place) by winning its season finale at Texas, 75-64, on March 4.
- The Bears jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead and led by at least 5 points the rest of the game.
- BU played without Manu Lecomte for a second straight game, but Jake Lindsey stepped in with a career-high 16 points and 4 assists in a career-high 33 minutes. Johnathan Motley added 17 points and 17 rebounds.
BU GETS FOURTH TOP-10 WIN BY KNOCKING OFF NO. 10 WEST VIRGINIA
- BU extended its school record with a fourth top-10 win this season, beating No. 10 West Virginia, 71-62, on Feb. 27.
- The Bears trailed 49-41 with 9 minutes left, but BU went on a 23-4 run to go up by 11 with 2:25 to play.
- Baylor out-rebounded WVU 43-23, helping the Bears overcome 18 turnovers that led to 20 WVU points.
- With Manu Lecomte out with an ankle sprain, Jake Lindsey made his career-first start at point guard and had 6 points and 4 assists in 27 minutes. Wendell Mitchell added 4 points and 2 assists in 19 minutes as backup point guard.
- Johnathan Motley had a game-high 23 points, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Al Freeman added 12 points off the bench.
IOWA STATE'S HOT SHOOTING TOO MUCH IN AMES
- Baylor was unable to overcome Iowa State's 58% shooting, as the Cyclones won 72-69 in Ames on Feb. 25.
- The Bears out-rebounded ISU 37-17 and turned 20 offensive boards into 26 second-chance points, while limiting ISU to two second-chance points on three offensive rebounds.
- Baylor trailed by 8 points with 20 seconds left, then the Bears got consecutive 3-pointers from Al Freeman and King McClure and had a shot to tie it at the buzzer, but McClure's 3-pointer fell short.
- Manu Lecomte didn't play the last 18 minutes with an injury and was held scoreless in a season-low 15 minutes.
- Johnathan Motley led Baylor with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in 35 minutes.
DEFENSE OVERCOMES POOR BU SHOOTING IN WIN OVER OKLAHOMA
- Baylor built a 10-point halftime lead and held off a late rally to defeat Oklahoma, 60-54, in Waco on Feb. 21.
- The Bears shot only 38% from the field, including making only 7 field goals while shooting 30% in the second half, but they held OU to 33% for the game, blocked 10 shots and out-rebounded the Sooners 43-34.
- Johnathan Motley had 21 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks in 34 minutes.
- Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. tied his career-high with 7 blocks and added 11 points and 9 rebounds in 28 minutes.
LATE FREE THROWS SINK BEARS VS. NO. 3 KANSAS
- Baylor led for 33 minutes of game time against KU on Feb. 18, but the Jayhawks closed on an 8-0 run to win 67-65.
- Landen Lucas gave KU a 67-65 lead on free throws with 8.6 seconds left, and Manu Lecomte's buzzer-beater missed.
- Baylor built a 12-point first half lead and led 35-29 at the break. KU used an 11-0 run to take a 52-47 lead with 10 minutes left, but the Bears answered with a 9-0 run and were ahead 65-59 with 3:30 remaining.
- BU made one more field goal than KU and three more 3-pointers, but the Jayhawks out-shot the Bears at the free throw line, converting 16-of-20 against Baylor's 9-of-11.
- Johnathan Motley led BU with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in 37 minutes.
FOUL-PRONE BEARS FALL AT TEXAS TECH
- Baylor overcame an early 11-0 deficit to take a 36-32 halftime lead on Feb. 13 at Texas Tech, but the Bears were whistled for 25 second-half fouls leading to 35 free throws and three players fouling out in an 84-78 loss.
- Tech set season highs by a BU opponent in FG percentage (51%), free throws made (30) and free throw attempts (43)
- Terry Maston led the Bears with a career-high 22 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and Manu Lecomte added 16 points, but he fouled off with the Bears leading 59-56 with 8:28 remaining.
FIFTH STRAIGHT SEASON SWEEP OF TCU
- Baylor swept the season series over TCU for a 5th straight year with a 70-52 win on Feb. 11 in Waco.
- Johnathan Motley had 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting, while Manu Lecomte added 17 points and King McClure contributed 13 points, as the Bears shot 54% for the game, including 57% in the second half.
- Baylor held TCU to 17 points in the first half, tying a season-low for a Baylor opponent, on 23% shooting.
TWO-GAME SKID ENDS WITH WIN AT OKLAHOMA STATE
- Baylor built a 4-point halftime lead and extended it to 13 points with 4 minutes remaining, but the Bears had to fight off a furious OSU rally that cut the deficit to 1 point before BU came out on top 72-69 in Stillwater on Feb. 8.
- Jo Lual-Acuil blocked a potential go-ahead shot with 26 seconds left, and Manu Lecomte's free throws sealed the win.
- Johnathan Motley reached the 1,000-point mark and had his 7th career 20-10 game with 24 points and 11 boards.
- King McClure and Jake Lindsey had 10 points apiece while filling in for shooting guard Al Freeman.
LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT VS. KANSAS STATE
- Baylor missed two shots that would've tied the game in the final seconds and fell 56-54 against K-State on Feb. 4.
- The Bears trailed by as many as 19 points (37-18 with 3 minutes left in 1st half), and were behind 46-28 with 11 minutes remaining, then went on a 26-10 run that came up just short, as BU missed jumpers in the final 3 seconds.
- Johnathan Motley posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, but was the only BU player in double-figures.
TOUGH LOSS AT NO. 3 KANSAS
- Baylor built a 34-28 halftime lead and had a 56-55 lead with 6:30 remaining at Kansas, but KU converted on 20-of-27 free throws, while the Bears made only 4-of-6 in a 73-68 loss in Lawrence on Feb. 1.
- Baylor made 6 more field goals than KU (28-22), and both teams committed 15 turnovers, but KU turned those turnovers into 23 points, while Baylor had only 8 points off turnovers.
- Johnathan Motley had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Manu Lecomte had 16 points and 4 assists and Terry Maston added 14 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
HARD-FOUGHT WIN OVER TEXAS TECH
- Baylor shot a season-low 35% and made seven fewer field goals (17) than Texas Tech (24), but the Bears posted the 9th-best free throw performance in program history (93%, 26-of-28) on their way to a 65-61 win on Jan. 25.
- BU won despite making seven fewer field goals (24-17) and getting out-scored 32-18 in the paint.
- Tech tied the game at 37-37 with 18 minutes left, but BU scored the next 5 points and led the rest of the way.
- Ishmail Wainright blocked a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 2 seconds left and BU leading 63-61.
- Johnathan Motley made 15-of-16 free throws on his way to game-highs of 25 points and 9 rebounds.
VICTORIOUS AFTER 16 LEAD CHANGES AT TCU
- Baylor faced a 28-26 halftime deficit at TCU on Jan. 21, and despite 13 second-half lead changes, BU won 62-53.
- There were 16 lead changes in the game, the last of which came when Ishmail Wainright hit a 3-pointer with 4:16 left to give BU a 50-48 lead. That started a 15-5 run, as BU held TCU to 1-of-8 shooting in the last 5 minutes.
- The Bears won despite shooting 43% from the field (23-of-54), their lowest field goal percentage of the season, by holding TCU to 29% shooting (17-of-58), including 25% in the second half (7-of-28).
MOTLEY GOES OFF IN WIN OVER TEXAS
- Johnathan Motley posted 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 74-64 win over Texas on Jan. 17. The Bears led by 21 points with 6 minutes left before UT closed the gap to 10 with a 17-6 run the rest of the way.
- It was the first 30-20 game in Big 12 play since Oklahoma's Blake Griffin in 2009, and Motley joined Griffin, Kevin Durant (Texas) and Mario Boggan (Oklahoma State) as the only players to post 30-20 games in Big 12 play.
- Nuni Omot also had a breakout game with 14 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
BOUNCE-BACK WIN AT NO. 25 KANSAS STATE
- Baylor rebounded from its first loss of the season by winning at No. 25 Kansas State, 77-68, on Jan. 14.
- BU trailed 47-45 with 10 minutes left, then went on an 8-0 run and led by at least 5 points the rest of the way.
- BU out-rebounded K-State 37-24 and earned an 18-5 advantage in 2nd-chance points.
- Manu Lecomte scored a career-high 26 points, while Ishmail Wainright added a career-high 15 points and Al Freeman contributed 15 points and a career-high 5 assists.
FIRST LOSS OF SEASON AT No. 10 WEST VIRGINIA
- Baylor suffered its first loss of the season at No. 10 West Virginia on Jan. 10.
- The Bears committed 29 turnovers, tied for fourth-most in program history and most since Nov. 30, 1999.
- Seven BU players committed 3 or more turnovers, and only Jake Lindsey (3a/3t) had a 1.0 or better A-T ratio.
- Despite out-rebounding WVU 41-32, the Bears attempted 13 fewer shots than the Mountaineers.
- Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had team-highs of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
BU OVERCOMEs SEVEN-POINT SECOND-HALF DEFICIT TO BEAT OSU
- Baylor overcame a 38-31 deficit with 15:48 remaining to knock off Oklahoma State on Jan 7.
- The Bears trailed 30-25 at the break, but Johnathan Motley scored six straight to put BU in front 31-30.
- Al Freeman's free throws with 6:29 remaining put the Bears in front for good.
RALLY FROM SIX DOWN WITH FIVE MINUTES LEFT TO BEAT ISU
- Baylor trailed Iowa State 61-55 with five minutes left on Jan. 4, but BU held ISU to 2 points the rest of the way.
- The Bears out-scored ISU 10-2 over the final five minutes, allowing only one field goal on eight ISU possessions.
- Manu Lecomte shook off a 2-for-9 shooting night and made a game-winning runner with 8.6 seconds left.
STATEMENT BIG 12 OPENER AT OKLAHOMA
- Baylor won its Big 12 opener at Oklahoma, 76-50. OU's 50 points were its fewest at home in the Lon Kruger era.
- Baylor's 26-point win was the largest by any team playing at OU since Kansas won by 31 on Feb. 5, 1963.
BEARS KNOCK OFF NO. 7 XAVIER BY 15 POINTS
- Baylor defeated No. 7 Xavier, 76-61, on Dec. 3 for its third top-10 win of the season.
- 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.
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.
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.
SEVENTEEN-POINT WIN 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.
DREW ERA HIGHLIGHTS
- Drew is coaching his 454th game at Baylor (275-178). His .607 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 35+ games, and he's the program's all-time wins leader.
- Baylor has a .689 winning percentage (241-109) 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, 26 players have gone on to professional careers.
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.
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.
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.
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 241-109 (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 nine 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 12 times (nine under Drew) in the program's first 111 seasons.
TWENTY-SIX PRO PLAYERS IN DREW ERA
- In Scott Drew's first 13 years at Baylor, 26 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.
- Additionally, Isaiah Austin recently signed to play in Serbia, and Pierre Jackson made his NBA debut with Dallas.
SIX STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
- Baylor has won 20+ games in a school-record six consecutive seasons and in nine of the last 10 years. The Bears had just three 20-win seasons in the program's first 101 years (1907-2007).
- Baylor has topped 22 wins in all six seasons from 2011-12 to 2016-17. BU entered this season as one of only 19 teams nationally to record 22+ wins in all five seasons since 2011-12.
RANKED IN 10 STRAIGHT SEASONS
- Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last 10 seasons.
- 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, No. 13 in 2015-16 and No. 1 in 2016-17.
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.
- All seven starting point guards in the Drew era are currently playing professionally.
RACKING UP BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARDS
- Baylor players have been recognized with Big 12 weekly awards a total of eight times in the first 15 weeks.
- Johnathan Motley (11/28, 1/9, 1/23) and Manu Lecomte (12/5) have earned Big 12 Player of the Week recognition, with Motley's three awards tying the Baylor record for most in a season.
- Lecomte (11/14, 1/3, 2/13) and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (12/19) have earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
- Motley now has a school-record four career Big 12 Player of the Week honors (first on 2/22/16 last season).
- Lecomte's three Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors tie the most by any player in program history, joining Ekpe Udoh (2010), Perry Jones III (2011) and Pierre Jackson (2012).
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.
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 and the TuneIn App.
- 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
- If Baylor defeats Kansas State it will advance to Friday's Big 12 Championship semifinal at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN/2.
- The winner of BU-KSU will face either No. 2 seed West Virginia, No. 7 Texas Tech or No. 10 Texas.
- If BU loses to KSU, it will return to Waco to await the NCAA Tournament bracket announced on Sunday. The Bears are expected to earn an NCAA Tournament berth for a school-record fourth consecutive season.
