Baylor
Nicholls
No. 9 MBB Returns Home to Face Nicholls
11/27/2023 2:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears aim to improve to 7-0 on the season
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9/9 BAYLOR BEARS (6-0, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
Nicholls (3-4, 0-0 Southland) vs. 9/9 BAYLOR (5-0, 0-0 Big 12) Nov. 28, 2023 • 7:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN Talent: John Morris (pxp), King McClure (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com Talent: Ryan Boyd (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst) SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 199 or on the SXM App Baylor Social Media:    |
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NICHOLLS COLONELS (3-4, 0-0 Southland) Location: Thibodaux, La. Conference/Affiliation: Southland Head Coach: Tevon Saddler (Nicholls, 2018) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Ranked in the top-10 for the fifth-straight year, the No. 9 Baylor men (6-0) will host Nicholls State (3-4) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Ferrell Center in the first of three games in eight days.
The Bears won their fifth title in their last six regular-season tournaments, beating Oregon State, 88-72, in the opening round and then holding off Florida, 95-91, in Friday's championship of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"You look at the Final Fours every year, and most of them win their (tournaments)," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team is off to a 6-0 start for the third time in four years. "To win two or three games in a short period of time, you have to have that special chemistry and camaraderie and toughness that's required to win in the postseason."
RayJ Dennis scored 22 of his team-high 24 points in the second half against Florida, earning tournament MVP honors and was named the Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year. One of five players averaging double-digit points, the Toledo transfer is averaging 13.8 points, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
"We know what he's capable of," said freshman guard Ja'Kobe Walter, an all-tournament pick at the NIT Season Tip-Off who is averaging a team-best 17.8 points per game. "When we see him going, we already know what's about to happen from there. He was showing it big time, shots down the stretch, clutch moments. Very experienced player, and he was just showing it at the end. He was a big part of why we got that win."
After Walter pumped in a game-high 24 points and freshman 7-footer Yves Missi had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Oregon State, they played limited minutes against Florida because of foul trouble. Walter had 11 first-half points but logged only two minutes in the second half.
"To be honest, it wasn't that hard at all," Walter said. "I wasn't angry on the bench or anything. Just watching my team go out there and do their thing, because I've seen them do it in practice. I was just really joyful on the side."
Drew said the Bears have "really been special from the standpoint that it's more about the team."
"It seems like there are fewer and fewer (teams) where you have everybody just bought-in and committed to the team," Drew said. "When you have those types of teams, it's a joy to coach and you're very blessed. . . . Our biggest strength can always be your biggest weakness. And we have to make sure we keep putting the team first."
While Baylor ranks among the league's best with 90.5 points per game, the Bears are near the bottom in defense, giving up 73.0 points per game and allowing a 43.7% field goal percentage. But Dennis said defense can "really be our identity."
"I know people talk about how good our offense is," Dennis said. "I think we show flashes of how good we can be defensively. And now, it has to become what we do all the time and becomes our identity. I think we can be really special defensively if we consistently hold guys under 70."
Tuesday's matchup could be a 3-point shootout. Led by Walker and Jalen Bridges, who have hit 15 and 11 treys, respectively, the Bears have averaged 8.0 3-pointers made per game and shooting 41.0% from outside the arc.
Nicholls has averaged almost 10 3-pointers made per game and is shooting .358 from distance. Jalen White, Diante Smith and Michael Gray Jr. have combined for 37 3-pointers, while 6-6 junior forward Jamal West is averaging a team-best 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds per game and 3.9 assists per game.
"Nicholls is a tough matchup for a lot of Power 5 schools," Drew said, "because they play non-traditionally, with a 6-7 4/5 man who will be their point guard. And that spreads you out and allows them to have opportunities to get threes."
Tuesday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor standout guard King McClure calling the action.
Story lines
• No. 9/9 Baylor closes out the month of November with its fourth all-time meeting with the Nicholls Colonels.
• The Bears are looking to complete a perfect opening month for the sixth time in the Scott Drew Era and the third time in the last four seasons.
• Ranked at No. 9 this week, The Bears have now been ranked in the top-10 for a fifth-straight year, one of just three programs (Duke and Kansas) to accomplish that feat.
• Tuesday marks one of just four remaining home games scheduled for the Ferrell Center this season.
• BU enters Tuesday with 397 wins all-time at the Ferrell Center.
• The Bears are 3-0 all time against the Colonels, including an 85-56 win last season in Waco.
• All three previous meetings between the two schools have come in the Drew Era.
• The Bears come in on a roll winning the first six games of the season including the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday against Florida.
• The win against the Gators gave BU its sixth title in the last seven regular-season tournaments.
• Baylor is 42-13 in regular-season tournaments during the Drew era
• With wins over Auburn and Florida, the Bears are 20-11 against SEC opponents during the Drew era, including 15-7 since 2012-13, and six of the last seven meetings.
• BU has won 15 of its last 16 regular-season neutral-site contests.
• Baylor's RayJ Dennis poured in 24 points and eight assists against the Gators to earn NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament MVP Honors.
• On the heels of his big week in the Big Apple, Dennis was named the Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week on Monday.
• Jalen Bridges hit 5+ three-pointers for the third time in his career en route to 23 points and all-tournament team honors
• Ja'Kobe Walter also garnered all-tournament team honors, highlighted by 24 points and four steals against Oregon State to open the event.
• BU leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (41.0%)
• Walter is averaging 17.8 points per game, which ranks in the top-5 (top-3 in the Power-5) among freshman in Division I.
• Walter's 107 points are the most through six games by a freshman in program history.
• Walter is the first freshman in program history to collect Big 12 Player of the Week honors (11/13).
• Baylor is replacing four of its five starters and 68% of its scoring from a season ago.
• Only one returning player averaged more than 20-minutes per game last season (Jalen Bridges).
• BU erased a nine-point halftime deficit in the season opener against Auburn to win 88-82 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
• The nine-point halftime deficit matched BU's largest halftime deficit overcome in a win since coming back from 11 down to beat Texas in overtime on Feb. 27, 2019 in Waco.
For full version of Baylor's game notes, click here.
