Baylor
Florida
No. 1 MBB Heads to Florida for Big 12/SEC Challenge
1/23/2020 4:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Baylor's 5-1 Big 12/SEC Challenge record is the best by any team in either league
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1/2 BAYLOR BEARS (16-1, 6-0) Location: Waco, Texas Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
BAYLOR (16-1, 6-0) at FLORIDA (12-6, 4-2) Jan. 25, 2020 • 7 p.m. CT Gainesville, Fla. • O'Connell Center (10,133) LIVE STATS: baylorstats.com WATCH: ESPN and the ESPN App Talent: Bob Wischusen (pxp), Dick Vitale (analyst), Kris Budden (reporter) LISTEN: Baylor-IMG College | ESPN Central Texas Talent: John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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RV/RV FLORIDA (12-6, 4-2) Location: Gainesville, Fla. Head Coach: Mike White (Ole Miss, 1999) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
With five Top-25 wins, a 15-game winning streak and a 6-0 start in Big 12 play, it's not like No. 1-ranked Baylor basketball's resume needs a boost.
But, the Bears (16-1) get that chance when they face Florida (12-6) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at 7 p.m. CST Saturday in the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
A preseason top-10 team, Florida fell out of the polls with a 7-4 start that included a loss to Utah State. But, the Gators are 4-2 in the SEC and blew out then-No. 4 Auburn, 69-47, last Saturday.
"Their ceiling is very high," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "They beat up on Auburn, Providence and several other teams. I think it's a very talented team. It's a younger team, which means sometimes you have more inconsistencies. But, this is a team that can a national championship, and so can 40 to 50 other teams this year."
That includes a Baylor team that sits atop the Big 12 standings after surviving a scare from Oklahoma, 61-57, Monday night on the same day the Bears leapfrogged Gonzaga to reach the top spot in the Associated Press poll for just the second time in program history.
"Definitely, it's a great honor and privilege and sign of respect," Drew said of the No. 1 ranking. "But at the same time, you know you're going to get everyone's best shot. The important thing with us is making sure we can control what we can control and give everybody our best shot, too."
With that No. 1 ranking, 6-10 junior forward Tristan Clark knows the Bears have a "big bull's-eye on our back."
"Every game is going to be every other team's championship," Clark said. "We know we've got to bring our 'A' game every day. We can't slack off or anything. It's going to be a good challenge for us."
Clark said he's had a "long journey with a lot of ups and downs," trying to recover from a knee injury that sidelined him for the second half of last season. But, playing 12 minutes in each of the last two games, he's made 7-of-8 from the field and scored a combined 14 points in wins over Oklahoma State and OU.
"I'm starting to get a little feeling back," he said. "The more I practice, the more I play, it's just going to get better. By the time March comes around, I think I'll be 100 percent, for sure. . . . It's more mental than physical. You've just got to start over again, so it's a long process."
The 6-10 big man could be key in defending a Florida frontline that includes 6-10 grad transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. from Virginia Tech (14.8 ppg, 8.7 rebounds) and 6-5 sophomore Keyontae Johnson (12.7 ppg, 6.7 rebounds). The Gators also bring 6-10 freshman Omar Payne off the bench.
"He's a great player," Clark said of Blackshear, who hit a potential game-tying layup that was waved off in an 84-82 loss to LSU. "He was great last year at Virginia Tech, and they had a championship-level team last year. Florida is a young team, and he definitely brings a lot of experience and a lot of composure to the team."
Baylor counters with a guard-heavy attack led by sophomore Jared Butler (16.1 ppg, 3.1 assists) and junior transfer MaCio Teague (13.6 ppg, 4.8 rebounds). Davion Mitchell (9.7 ppg), a transfer from Auburn, played against Florida two years ago in Gainesville and had no points with two assists and two steals in 15 minutes off the bench.
"It kind of reminds me of Texas Tech," Mitchell said of the Gators' home arena, "because it's so loud in there and the student section is ridiculous. They -lay really good at home."
This game also features two of the best in these conference challenges. Baylor is 9-2 overall, including 5-1 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, while Florida is 4-2 overall and 3-1 under coach Mike White. Baylor's lone loss in the Big 12/SEC Challenge was two years ago at Florida, when the Gators were 14-of-25 from 3-point range in blowing out the Bears, 81-60.
"I remember them going into that game struggling shooting the 3," Drew said, "and seems like they didn't miss any of them against us and played extremely well. Florida has the best record and most wins in the SEC in the Big 12/SEC Challenge as well, so Coach White and his staff have done a great job at getting their team focused and ready to play."
Although the Challenge games can be a distraction in the middle of the conference schedule, Drew said "it's a great opportunity to help both conferences as far as NCAA postseason seeding and bids.
"At the same time, it is tough for everybody taking a break in conference," Drew said. "I think our past players are doing a great job at talking to our current guys about what the Challenge means. . . . Up to this point, each and every Challenge we have taken very seriously, because representing the Big 12 is a great honor and privilege, and we want to do our part with that. Doesn't guarantee you're going to be successful, but it gives you a chance."
Saturday's game will be broadcast by ESPN, with Bos Wischusen, Dick Vitale and Kris Budden calling the action.
Baylor's difficult stretch of playing three out of four on the road continues with a trip to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State (9-9, 2-4) at 8 p.m. Wednesday before returning home to host TCU (13-5, 4-2) at 3 p.m. next Saturday.
STORY LINES
• No. 1 Baylor carries a 15-game winning streak into its Big 12/SEC Challenge game at Florida.
• Saturday is the 3rd series meeting – BU won in San Diego in 1981 and UF won in Gainesville in 2018.
• Baylor's 5-1 Big 12/SEC Challenge record is the best by any team in either league.
• Baylor's 9-2 record in conference challenge games is best in the Big 12 (5-1 SEC, 3-1 Pac-12, 1-0 Big East).
• Baylor is 10-5 against Southeastern Conference teams since the 2012-13 season.
• BU is No. 1 in the most recent AP Top 25 and has moved up in the rankings in 9 consecutive weeks.
• Baylor is the nation's No. 1-ranked team for the second time in program history – No. 1 on Jan. 9, 2017.
• Baylor's streak of 12 consecutive AP polls ranked is tied for 5th-longest in program history (all since 2010).
• With a win, Baylor can tie the best 18-game start in program history (17-1 in 2011-12 and 2016-17).
• Baylor's 15-game winning streak is tied for the 2nd-longest in program history (17 in 2011-12 and 15 in 2016-17) and is the nation's 2nd-longest active streak behind San Diego State (20).
• Baylor is the nation's only program with 5 wins vs. AP Top 25 ranked teams this season (5-0).
• Baylor ranks 6th nationally in scoring defense (58.5) and 14th nationally in scoring margin (+14.2).
• BU is coming off a 61-57 win over Oklahoma in the program's first-ever home game as a No. 1 team.
• BU has trailed for only 12% of game time over its last 11 games (52:52 of 440:00), but more than half of that time (30:13) came in Saturday's comeback from 12 down to win at Oklahoma State.
• Baylor's defense has forced 15+ turnovers in 10 of 17 games after doing so in 7 of 34 games last year.
• Baylor has held 5 high-major opponents to their season-low scoring totals – Arizona (58), Butler (52), Texas (44), Texas Tech (52) and Kansas (55). BU has held 16 of 17 opponents below 70 points.
• BU has held 4 Big 12 opponents to 55 or fewer points, matching the program record for a season (4 in 2013 & 2017). Entering 2020, BU held teams to 55 or fewer 23 times in the Big 12's first 23 seasons.
• BU and KU are 3-0 in Big 12 road games this season, while the rest of the league is a combined 4-20.
• BU is No. 1 in the NET rankings with wins vs. No. 3 (road), No. 9, No. 11, No. 16 and No. 33 (road).
• Baylor is the only school with FB, MBB, WBB & VB all ranked. Those teams are a combined 73-7 this year and all four are top-12 ranked (No. 1 MBB, No. 1 WBB, No. 3 VB, No. 12 FB).
• Head coach Scott Drew is in his 17th season in Waco and is BU's all-time wins leader (332-210).
• Baylor is playing its 229th game as a ranked team under Drew – BU was ranked in 2 of 2197 games over the program's 97 seasons prior to Drew. Since 2008-09, BU has been ranked in 226 of 408 games.
• This is the 7th straight year BU has ranked top-10 nationally in offensive rebounding pct (No. 6 this year).
• BU is the only team with 2 players on the Naismith Defensive POY Midseason Team (Vital & Mitchell).
• Baylor is 1 of 6 Power-5 programs to win 18+ games in each of the last 12 seasons since 2008, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina.
• BU has advanced to the postseason in 8 straight seasons, tied as the nation's 10th-longest active streak.
• Baylor is 46-11 in games against non-Big 12 teams over the last 4 seasons since 2016-17.
• Baylor is 52-5 in regular-season non-conference games against unranked teams since December
QUICK HITS
• BU is 5-1 all-time in Big 12/SEC Challenges, the best record of any team in either league. Combined with a 3-1 mark in the Big 12/Pac-10 Series and 1-0 in the Big 12/Big East Battle, Baylor is 9-2 in conference challenges.
• Baylor is 42-4 when leading at halftime over the last 3 seasons since 2017-18 (12-1 this season).
• Baylor has won 89% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (160-20).
• BU is 104-21 since 2015-16 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game (16-1 this season).
• Baylor is 207-94 over the last 9 seasons, averaging 24 wins per season since 2012.
• Baylor's 207 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (251).
• Baylor is 298-141 since 2007-08, the first year Drew's staff had a full allotment of scholarships.
• 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 Gillespie (11) and Devonte Bandoo (7).
• Baylor returned 9 players with at least 26 games of Division I experience, including a pair of transfers who are now starters after sitting out last season – Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague.
• Eight of Baylor's 14 players either have used or are currently using a redshirt year. Five after transferring to BU – Flagler, Gillespie, Mitchell, Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Teague, and three as freshmen — Moffatt, Turner and Vital.
• Eight of Baylor's nine starting point guards under Drew have earned All-Big recognition (14 of last 15 seasons).
• Baylor has defeated 8 top-10 teams in the last 4 seasons, including a 6-3 mark vs. top-10 teams in Waco.
• 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 nationally (1 of 6 in Power-5) 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).
• Baylor has the nation's 10th-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 920 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).
• 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).
SERIES HISTORY
• Baylor and Florida have split the only two meetings between the two programs.
• BU won 72-71 in the Cabrillo Classic consolation game on Dec. 30, 1981, in San Diego.
• No. 22-ranked Florida won 81-60 in Gainesville in the 2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 27, 2018.
BIG 12'S MOST WINS IN CONFERENCE CHALLENGES
• Baylor is 9-2 in conference challenges – 5-1 in Big 12/SEC Challenge, 3-1 in Big 12/Pac-10, 1-0 in Big 12/Big East.
• Baylor's 5-1 Big 12/SEC Challenge record includes wins over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama.
• Baylor's 5-1 record is the best record by any team in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech are all 4-2, while K-State, Texas and Iowa State are 3-3 and West Virginia is 1-5.
• Baylor's 9-2 record in conference challenges is best in the Big 12, followed by Oklahoma State at 7-4, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa State at 6-5, K-State and Texas Tech at 5-6, TCU at 4-3 and West Virginia at 1-6.
BEST RECORD IN BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE
• Baylor's 5-1 record in the Big 12/SEC Challenge is the best of any team in either league.
• Baylor defeated No. 3 Kentucky, 67-62, at Cowboys Stadium in the inaugural challenge on Dec. 6, 2013.
• Baylor improved to 2-0 in the challenge with a 66-63 win at Vanderbilt on Dec. 3, 2014.
• The Bears knocked off Georgia, 83-73, in their first home game in the challenge on Jan. 30, 2016.
• Baylor rallied from 15 points down to win at Ole Miss, 78-75, on Jan. 28, 2017.
• The Bears' lone loss came on the road at No. 20 Florida, 81-60, on Jan. 27, 2018.
• Baylor got back in the win column with a 73-68 victory over Alabama in Waco on Jan. 26, 2019.
STRONG RECORD AGAINST SEC TEAMS
• Baylor is 10-5 against Southeastern Conference teams since the 2012-13 season.
• The Bears have wins at Kentucky, at Vanderbilt, at South Carolina, and at Ole Miss, as well as a neutral-site win against Kentucky and home wins against Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama.
• BU's only losses against SEC opponents in the last eight seasons were at No. 24 Texas A&M in December 2015, vs. South Carolina in the 2017 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, at No. 20 Florida in the 2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge, vs. Mississippi State in the 2018 NIT Second Round and vs. Ole Miss in the 2018 Emerald Coast Classic.
