Baylor
Maryland-Eastern Shore
No. 18 MBB Returns Home to Host Maryland-Eastern Shore
12/2/2019 1:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Baylor is coming off winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational, its third regular-season tournament title in the last four years
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18/16 BAYLOR BEARS (5-1) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
BAYLOR (5-1) vs. MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE (0-9) Dec. 3, 2019 • 6:30 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: www.baylorstats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (pxp), King McClure (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College | ESPN Central Texas Talent: Dave Rosselli (pxp), Pat Nunley (analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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NR/NR MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE (0-9) Location: Princess Anne, Md. Conference: MEAC Head Coach: Jason Crafton (Nyack College, 2003) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
After a rare Thanksgiving Day break, the No. 16/18 Baylor men (5-1) begin a three-game home stand with a matchup against winless Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-9) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Ferrell Center.
"It was really a blessing," coach Scott Drew said of the Bears' first Thanksgiving break in 14 years. "Especially with the Italy trip, not getting the chance to get home before school started, everybody got a chance to be with friends, family and loved ones for Thanksgiving, which was really nice. It was the first time I've been able to spend Thanksgiving at the family's house. Normally, you're sweating it out in a tournament somewhere."
The Bears got their tournament in the week before Thanksgiving, posting double-digit wins over Ohio and Coastal Carolina at the Myrtle Beach Invitational in South Carolina before beating then-No. 17 Villanova, 87-78, in a back-and-forth championship game that had a March Madness feel to it.
"It was one of those games where it was free flowing and a lot of skill level on the court from both teams," Drew said. "Win or lose, I thought both teams really competed hard, and it was kind of like an NCAA tournament feeling, as far as the competition level."
Playing No. 11/12 Arizona (9-0) and 24th-ranked Butler (7-0) on Saturday and Tuesday, respectively, the matchup against Maryland-Eastern Shore could be seen as a trap game, particularly coming off a nine-day break.
But, the Bears are on high alert after top-ranked Duke was upset by SFA last week. Just a year ago, Baylor was upset by both Texas Southern and SFA in the fall.
"That's why people love college basketball is there's parity," said 6-9 senior forward Freddie Gillespie, who's averaging 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. "Last year, everyone was here against Texas Southern, and we hated that feeling. And almost getting blown out against Wichita State, we hated that feeling. This team (Maryland-Eastern Shore) is due for a win, but it's not going to be against us."
Baylor's balanced scoring has been led by guards Jared Butler (19.3 ppg) and MaCio Teague (15.7), with five others averaging between 6.0 and 9.3 points per game. Junior forward Tristan Clark, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury, is averaging 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and just over 20 minutes per game.
"It's continuing to be a process," Drew said of Clark. "That's why all along I thought come conference time, there would be more stability at that point. Until then, there's probably some highs and lows. You'll be like, 'he's back,' but he is actually still recovering. It's just a process."
Maryland-Eastern Shore also has a balanced attack, led by the guard tandem of freshman Phillip De'Shawn (7.4 ppg) and junior Ty Gibson (7.0).
"Each and every day you look, there are upsets," Drew said. "I know SFA resonated with us because we lost to them. That's why you have so many upsets in March, because you're on neutral courts. But early in the year, teams are still trying to figure things out. You can't go two or three days without an upset."
The Bears will face Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday and Butler at 8 p.m. next Tuesday, Dec. 10, in a game that will be televised by ESPN2. Tuesday's game against Maryland-Eastern Shore will be broadcast by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor standout King McClure calling the action.
STORY LINES
• No. 18 Baylor begins a 3-game homestand by hosting Maryland-Eastern Shore at 6:30 pm CT Tuesday.
• The game is on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with John Morris and King McClure calling the action.
• BU is coming off winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational, its 3rd tournament title in the last 4 years.
• The Bears won Myrtle Beach with victories vs. Ohio, at Coastal Carolina and vs. No. 17 Villanova.
• Baylor and UMES are meeting for the 2nd time. BU won 97-73 in Waco on Dec. 2, 2004.
• Baylor leads the Big 12, ranks 21st nationally and 7th among Power-5 teams in 3-point shooting (.406).
• Davion Mitchell leads a BU defense which has forced 15+ turnovers in 5 of 6 games. The Bears rank 18th nationally in turnover margin (+6.0) and 17th nationally in defensive turnover pct. (25.3).
• Jared Butler has led BU in scoring in 5 of 6 games. He leads the Big 12 in 3FG% (.525), FT% (17-17), and 3FGs/gm (3.5), ranks 2nd in scoring (19.3), 3rd in FG% (.534), 5th in steals (2.0) and 11th in assists (3.5).
• Freddie Gillespie is tied for 2nd in the Big 12 with 3 double-doubles. He leads the league in offensive rebounding (4.2), ranks 5th in blocks (1.5), 6th in rebounding (7.8), 8th in steals (1.8) and 13th in FT% (.727).
• MaCio Teague is 7th in the Big 12 in scoring (15.7), 3rd in 3FGs (2.8/gm), 3rd in 3FG% (.436), 4th in FT% (.882) and 11th in minutes (31.4). Teague joined Butler (MVP) on the Myrtle Beach All-Tournament Team.
• Baylor is 41-11 in games against non-Big 12 teams over the last 4 seasons since 2016-17.
• BU is the only school with FB, MBB, WBB & VB all ranked. Those teams are a combined 48-4 this year.
• Drew is coaching his 532nd game at Baylor (321-210). His .605 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and his teams have a .671 winning percentage since 2007-08 (287-141).
• Baylor is coming off its 10th 20-win season in the last 12 years. The Bears were a No. 9 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, where they knocked off Syracuse before falling to No. 1 seed Gonzaga.
• BU is No. 18 in the most recent AP Top 25 and has been ranked in all 5 AP polls this season.
• Baylor has been in the Preseason AP Top 25 in 7 of 10 seasons since its first preseason ranking in 2010-11.
• Head coach Scott Drew is in his 17th season in Waco and is BU's all-time wins leader (321-210).
• Baylor returned 9 players with at least 26 games of Division I experience, including a pair of transfers who started in their BU debuts after sitting out last season – Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague.
• BU returned 8 letterwinners from last season, including 5 players who made at least 7 starts – Mark Vital (34), Jared Butler (21), Tristan Clark (14), Freddie Gillepsie (11) and Devonte Bandoo (7).
• BU was picked 2nd in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, tying the highest in program history (2012-13). The Bears were picked 9th in last year's poll, but overcame a multitude of injuries to finish in 4th place.
• BU has advanced to the postseason in 8 straight seasons, tied as the nation's 10th-longest active streak.
• Baylor is 126-16 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 100-8 since 2007-08.
• Baylor is 61-4 in its last 65 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.
• Baylor has posted a combined 148-34 record in November and December games during the Drew era, including a 66-11 mark in November and December games since 2013.
QUICK HITS
• Five of Baylor's 11 active players have used a redshirt year at Baylor, and the Bears have three players currently sitting out as redshirts – Jordan Turner, Adam Flagler and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua.
• Davion Mitchell took over as Baylor's starting point guard replacing Makai Mason. Eight of Baylor's nine starting point guards during the Drew era have earned All-Big recognition (14 of last 15 seasons).
• BU is 42-72 against AP-ranked teams since 2007-08 after going 0-27 in Drew's first 4 rebuilding seasons.
• Baylor is 12-23 against AP Top 10 teams since March 2012. BU started the Drew era 1-26 vs. top-10.
• Baylor has defeated 7 top-10 teams in the last 3 seasons, including a 6-3 mark vs. top-10 teams in Waco.
• Baylor is 32-4 when leading at halftime over the last 3 seasons since 2017-18.
• Baylor has won 88% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (150-20).
• Baylor has won 20+ games in 10 of the last 12 seasons after recording only three 20-win seasons in the previous 100 years of Baylor Basketball (1946, 1948, 1988).
• The Bears are one of 11 programs to win 18+ games in every year since 2008.
• Baylor is 1 of 14 teams nationally to appear in every postseason since 2012 (6 NCAAs, 2 NITs).
• BU is 93-21 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (5-1 this season).
• Baylor is 196-94 over the last 9 seasons, averaging 24 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 196 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (242).
• Baylor is 287-141 since 2007-08, the first year Drew's staff had a full allotment of scholarships.
• Baylor is 5-1 all-time in Big 12/SEC Challenges, the best record of any team in either league.
• Baylor has the nation's 11th-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 909 straight games — the last time Baylor failed to make a 3-pointer was more than 29 years ago, on Feb. 21, 1990 vs. Texas Tech (0-8).
• BU has recorded double-digit non-conference wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons (all except 2012-13).
• Baylor has won 6 tournament titles under Drew (2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic, 2013 NIT, 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis, 2017 Hall of Fame Classic and 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational).
MYRTLE BEACH INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
• Baylor returns from a 9-day break after winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational Championship. The Bears claimed the tournament title with wins vs. Ohio, at Coastal Carolina and vs. No. 17 Villanova.
• Jared Butler earned MVP honors after scoring 10 points in the final 6 minutes of the championship game, and he was joined on the All-Tournament Team by MaCio Teague, who led the Bears with 18.7 ppg in the tournament.
• Davion Mitchell averaged 12.3 points in the tournament after entering with a career single-game high of 10 points.
• BU overcame an early 7-point deficit on its way to a 76-53 win over Ohio in the quarterfinals, led by Butler's 19 points.
• The Bears trailed by 8 points with 15 minutes left at Coastal Carolina, but rallied to win 77-65 in the semifinals.
• The championship game vs. No. 17 Villanova featured 18 lead changes, but Baylor closed the game on a 23-12 run over the final 6 minutes to claim an 87-78 win. The Bears made 6-of-9 3-pointers in the 2nd half.
RANKED 18TH IN LATEST AP TOP 25
• Baylor climbed to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 released on Monday. It's the Bears' 5th straight week ranked.
• Baylor was ranked No. 16 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, which tied the 2nd-highest preseason ranking in BU history.
• BU has been in the preseason AP Top 25 in 7 of 10 seasons since the program's first preseason ranking in 2010-11.
• Tuesday is Baylor's 217th game as a ranked team, with 215 of those coming in the last 13 seasons.
• Baylor's highest preseason ranking was No. 12 in 2011-12. The Bears were No. 16 in 2010-11 and 2019-20, No. 19 in 2012-13, No. 22 in 2015-16, No. 24 in 2017-18 and No. 25 in 2013-14.
IMPRESSIVE NON-CONFERENCE NUMBERS AT HOME
• Baylor is 61-4 in its last 65 non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012.
• Baylor is 39-7 in home games against unranked opponents since 2016-17.
• Baylor is 126-16 in non-conference home games in the Drew era, including 100-8 since 2007-08.
