By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Another year has come and gone at the Ferrell Center. And yet strangely, the 2022-23 closer feels a little different.
No. 7 Baylor plays its final Big 12 game in this building as it plays host to Iowa State Saturday morning. Construction of the Foster Pavilion is moving in such pace that the 2024 Big 12 opener likely will be played in the new home.
But first things first for this Baylor team. The program is honoring six seniors on Senior Day between Dale Bonner, Adam Flagler, Zach Loveday, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Flo Thamba and Jordan Turner.
Five of the six players have remaining eligibility and could return next season. Thamba is the only player who is not eligible to return despite going through Senior Day last year.
“The big emotion is the seniors,’’ Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “I’m not going to jinx anything, but construction doesn’t always finish on time. So, I’m not really getting wrapped up into the last conference game. But what I am getting wrapped up in is that it is the last seniors’ game here.’’
Then there’s the health of this team. One-and-done Keyonte George (ankle) missed Monday’s game at Oklahoma State while guard Langton Love (cornea abrasion) left that game early. Baylor head coach Scott Drew said Friday that both would be a game-time decision. There are reports that Love’s season is over. Time will tell.
Finally, the Bears know they can’t claim or share a third consecutive conference title. That ended when Kansas, which actually wound up winning the outright championship, defeated Texas Tech on Tuesday.
What they can do is win and see what happens with Texas and Kansas State – Baylor, Texas and Kansas State are tied for second at 11-6 – on Saturday to learn if they can earn the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament.
A Baylor win coupled with a Texas loss to Kansas and Kansas State loss at West Virginia gives the Bears the No. 2 seed. Anything less than that and the Bears are probably looking at the No. 4 seed because the tiebreakers don’t favor them between Texas and Kansas State. That’s why they play the games.
Then, there’s Iowa State. The Cyclones are reeling and have fallen in the second division in the conference standings because of a four-game losing streak.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger dismissed the team’s third-leading scorer Caleb Grill earlier this week for team violations. Grill, who played Monday against West Virginia, disclosed on social media that he has been battling a mental illness.
"Unfortunately, I said something that I regret which has cost me the opportunity to finish out my dream at Iowa State," he wrote. "I hope that all the players and Iowa State fans can find it in their hearts to forgive me."
The Bears defense has been better in these two wins over Texas and Oklahoma State. The Longhorns shot 45 percent – decent but not great – and the Cowboys finished at just below 40 percent.
Following this one, it’s time for the postseason and a trip to Kansas City for the Big 12 tournament. Baylor’s opponent will be determined by how the rest of the Big 12 games conclude.
Storylines
• BU has played in the Ferrell Center since 1988, and holds a 393-168 record all-time.
• The Bears will honors six players on Senior Day: Dale Bonner, Adam Flagler, Zach Loveday, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Flo Thamba and Jordan Turner.
• Five of the six players have remaining eligibility and could return next season. Thamba is the only player who is not eligibile to return (went through Senior Day last year).
• This is the second-straight season the Bears are hosting the Cyclones on Senior Day. BU has won three-straight games on Senior Day and five of the last six.
• Saturday is the 46th all-time series meeting – with Baylor holding a 24-21 series advantage.
• BU has won nine-straight and is 17-2 all time against the Cyclones in Waco.
• This is the second-straight season that Iowa State and Baylor have met to open and then close the conference slate for each team.
• In the last meeting, playing without L.J. Cryer, ISU snapped Baylor's four-game winning streak in Ames, the longest road winning streak by either team in the series.
• In the last meeting in Waco, Baylor clinched its second-consecutive Big 12 title with a 75-68 win over the Cyclones.
• The last time out, Baylor held off a hard-charging Oklahoma State team for a 74-68 win, BU's 11th quad-one win (2nd-most in the nation behind Kansas).
• Baylor never trailed at any point in either game against Oklahoma State this season, it led for 78:53 out of a possible 80 minutes.
• In a 75-65 loss to Kansas State, Tchamwa Tchatchoua recorded his first double-double in 392 days with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Keyonte George had a game-high 23 points against the Cats, setting a new program record for the most 20-point games by a freshman (12).
• George's 16.3 points per game rank fifth among freshman in Division I.
• Scott Drew has won 20+ games in 14 of the last 16 years — the Bears had 3 seasons of 20+ wins prior to his arrival.
• Baylor has double-digit Big 12 wins in 8 of the last 9 years. Only Kansas has more double-digit conference seasons in that span. BU didn't reach double-digit Big 12 wins in any of its first 13 years in the league.
Quotes
Adam Flagler
(What confidence does Dale give on the floor) The work that he puts in and the character he has. He’s a selfless guy who just wants to win. When his name is called, he just wants to do what it takes to win. We have all the most confidence when he’s out there that he’s going to do what he has to do to help us out there.
(Is Dale’s defense contagious) I wouldn’t say it’s just the defense, it’s the energy he puts out there. Offensively, he’s going to make the right play to get in the paint and be able to finish or get an assist. He flies around on both ends, so that’s very contagious to have that type of energy and feel for the game. A lot of people gravitate to it and try to step up their game as well because you know he’s putting his best foot forward.
(Have you guys thought about whether you’re going to return next season)
Adam Flagler: I haven’t thought too much about it. I’ve been trying to completely focus. I think we have a championship caliber team. We want to get there, so it’s really hard to focus on that and get the job done.
Dale Bonner: I haven’t put that much thought into it. I’ll worry about that when the season ends. Right now I’m just focusing on winning games.
Scott Drew
(Keyonte and Langston update) Both will be game-time decisions. Both are doing well, so that’s encouraging. We didn’t get anybody else injured in practice today, so it was a good day.
(What can you do on corneal injury) You’ve got to talk to Dave Snyder, I’m not an eye expert. Normal injuries, here’s laser, stem, whatever. Certain injuries there’s not as much for.
(Six guys going through Senior Day) It’s definitely different. Everyone’s experiencing the same thing. How do you approach it with your guys. Some you know are coming back, some you don’t know. At the end of the day, the one thing you want to do as a coach is you want to make a senior’s last memory a positive one. So every coach wants their last game at home to be a good one. As far as who comes back and who doesn’t, hopefully we don’t have to worry about that for another month because the goal is to finish playing as long as you can and not focus on the future.
(What has Flo given the program) Flo is somebody that first of all is really solid as a rock, and what I mean by that is I can’t remember him missing practices or games from injuries or illnesses. He’s sick or injured, he bounces back quick. He’s got great toughness to him and great stability. One of our players, Jake Lindsey, always said the best ability is availability, and Flo is always available and dependable.
(do you wait till after the season to sit down and talk with them about what their plans are) 100%, because you never know what’s going to happen between now and the end of the season. And a lot of that determines what they might think, what their intentions might be, based on that. Again, probably during the course of the season, it’s human nature, grass is always greener on the other side in a lot of different areas and ways. And then, when it’s over, you’re like, ‘Man, that was pretty fun. I want to come back,’ or ‘I want to do this.’ So, I think it’s something where if you’re too caught up in the future, you miss the present, and that’s why we try to really focus on the present, make the most of today.
(does it change Iowa State with Caleb Grill no longer with the team) He’s been in and out because of a back injury. So, they’re used to playing without him. At the same time, we know when he’s playing well . . . making shots, just what he’s capable of, and that was giving them a great lift. But one thing in basketball is it’s that next-man-up mentality. And everybody has different strengths. So, whoever’s on the court, they might not shoot it like him, but they might bring something else to the table that he doesn’t and a strength that he doesn’t. That’s why it always takes a team to win. You look at us in the last two games, just how well Dale’s played and the lift it’s given us. I know with Iowa State, TJ does a tremendous job. They’re really well-coached, they really compete. No. 1 defense in conference, they’ve forced the No. 1-most turnovers. Last year, we had to win to win conference, and I think we were up by 25, and they came back and took a lead on us in the second half. So, it just shows you they’re never going to give up, never going to quit.
(playing Iowa State in the first and last conference game) Watching that game, there’s a lot of things that we do better than we did then. And I’m sure there’s a lot of things they do better than they do now. But it is rewarding as a coach to see you’ve gotten better and doesn’t mean you’ll play better tomorrow. But we execute and we do things at a higher rate than we did back then. And that means our team has improved, which coaches’ jobs are to show improvement and get players to improve, so proud of where we were from 0-3 to where we are now.
(could be the last conference game in the Ferrell Center, with the Foster Pavilion scheduled to open Jan. 4, any emotion in that) The big emotion is the seniors. I’m not going to jinx anything but construction doesn’t always finish on time. So, I’m not really getting wrapped up into the last conference game. But what I am getting wrapped up in is that it is the last seniors’ game here.
(seeing it come along) Whenever there’s bad weather, you’re like, ‘Crud, we just lost a day.’ But definitely, it’s always fun when they’re putting up the structure because it moves so quickly and it starts to take shape. It’s really exciting.
Publisher
Another year has come and gone at the Ferrell Center. And yet strangely, the 2022-23 closer feels a little different.
No. 7 Baylor plays its final Big 12 game in this building as it plays host to Iowa State Saturday morning. Construction of the Foster Pavilion is moving in such pace that the 2024 Big 12 opener likely will be played in the new home.
But first things first for this Baylor team. The program is honoring six seniors on Senior Day between Dale Bonner, Adam Flagler, Zach Loveday, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Flo Thamba and Jordan Turner.
Five of the six players have remaining eligibility and could return next season. Thamba is the only player who is not eligible to return despite going through Senior Day last year.
“The big emotion is the seniors,’’ Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “I’m not going to jinx anything, but construction doesn’t always finish on time. So, I’m not really getting wrapped up into the last conference game. But what I am getting wrapped up in is that it is the last seniors’ game here.’’
Then there’s the health of this team. One-and-done Keyonte George (ankle) missed Monday’s game at Oklahoma State while guard Langton Love (cornea abrasion) left that game early. Baylor head coach Scott Drew said Friday that both would be a game-time decision. There are reports that Love’s season is over. Time will tell.
Finally, the Bears know they can’t claim or share a third consecutive conference title. That ended when Kansas, which actually wound up winning the outright championship, defeated Texas Tech on Tuesday.
What they can do is win and see what happens with Texas and Kansas State – Baylor, Texas and Kansas State are tied for second at 11-6 – on Saturday to learn if they can earn the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament.
A Baylor win coupled with a Texas loss to Kansas and Kansas State loss at West Virginia gives the Bears the No. 2 seed. Anything less than that and the Bears are probably looking at the No. 4 seed because the tiebreakers don’t favor them between Texas and Kansas State. That’s why they play the games.
Then, there’s Iowa State. The Cyclones are reeling and have fallen in the second division in the conference standings because of a four-game losing streak.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger dismissed the team’s third-leading scorer Caleb Grill earlier this week for team violations. Grill, who played Monday against West Virginia, disclosed on social media that he has been battling a mental illness.
"Unfortunately, I said something that I regret which has cost me the opportunity to finish out my dream at Iowa State," he wrote. "I hope that all the players and Iowa State fans can find it in their hearts to forgive me."
The Bears defense has been better in these two wins over Texas and Oklahoma State. The Longhorns shot 45 percent – decent but not great – and the Cowboys finished at just below 40 percent.
Following this one, it’s time for the postseason and a trip to Kansas City for the Big 12 tournament. Baylor’s opponent will be determined by how the rest of the Big 12 games conclude.
Storylines
• BU has played in the Ferrell Center since 1988, and holds a 393-168 record all-time.
• The Bears will honors six players on Senior Day: Dale Bonner, Adam Flagler, Zach Loveday, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Flo Thamba and Jordan Turner.
• Five of the six players have remaining eligibility and could return next season. Thamba is the only player who is not eligibile to return (went through Senior Day last year).
• This is the second-straight season the Bears are hosting the Cyclones on Senior Day. BU has won three-straight games on Senior Day and five of the last six.
• Saturday is the 46th all-time series meeting – with Baylor holding a 24-21 series advantage.
• BU has won nine-straight and is 17-2 all time against the Cyclones in Waco.
• This is the second-straight season that Iowa State and Baylor have met to open and then close the conference slate for each team.
• In the last meeting, playing without L.J. Cryer, ISU snapped Baylor's four-game winning streak in Ames, the longest road winning streak by either team in the series.
• In the last meeting in Waco, Baylor clinched its second-consecutive Big 12 title with a 75-68 win over the Cyclones.
• The last time out, Baylor held off a hard-charging Oklahoma State team for a 74-68 win, BU's 11th quad-one win (2nd-most in the nation behind Kansas).
• Baylor never trailed at any point in either game against Oklahoma State this season, it led for 78:53 out of a possible 80 minutes.
• In a 75-65 loss to Kansas State, Tchamwa Tchatchoua recorded his first double-double in 392 days with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Keyonte George had a game-high 23 points against the Cats, setting a new program record for the most 20-point games by a freshman (12).
• George's 16.3 points per game rank fifth among freshman in Division I.
• Scott Drew has won 20+ games in 14 of the last 16 years — the Bears had 3 seasons of 20+ wins prior to his arrival.
• Baylor has double-digit Big 12 wins in 8 of the last 9 years. Only Kansas has more double-digit conference seasons in that span. BU didn't reach double-digit Big 12 wins in any of its first 13 years in the league.
Quotes
Adam Flagler
(What confidence does Dale give on the floor) The work that he puts in and the character he has. He’s a selfless guy who just wants to win. When his name is called, he just wants to do what it takes to win. We have all the most confidence when he’s out there that he’s going to do what he has to do to help us out there.
(Is Dale’s defense contagious) I wouldn’t say it’s just the defense, it’s the energy he puts out there. Offensively, he’s going to make the right play to get in the paint and be able to finish or get an assist. He flies around on both ends, so that’s very contagious to have that type of energy and feel for the game. A lot of people gravitate to it and try to step up their game as well because you know he’s putting his best foot forward.
(Have you guys thought about whether you’re going to return next season)
Adam Flagler: I haven’t thought too much about it. I’ve been trying to completely focus. I think we have a championship caliber team. We want to get there, so it’s really hard to focus on that and get the job done.
Dale Bonner: I haven’t put that much thought into it. I’ll worry about that when the season ends. Right now I’m just focusing on winning games.
Scott Drew
(Keyonte and Langston update) Both will be game-time decisions. Both are doing well, so that’s encouraging. We didn’t get anybody else injured in practice today, so it was a good day.
(What can you do on corneal injury) You’ve got to talk to Dave Snyder, I’m not an eye expert. Normal injuries, here’s laser, stem, whatever. Certain injuries there’s not as much for.
(Six guys going through Senior Day) It’s definitely different. Everyone’s experiencing the same thing. How do you approach it with your guys. Some you know are coming back, some you don’t know. At the end of the day, the one thing you want to do as a coach is you want to make a senior’s last memory a positive one. So every coach wants their last game at home to be a good one. As far as who comes back and who doesn’t, hopefully we don’t have to worry about that for another month because the goal is to finish playing as long as you can and not focus on the future.
(What has Flo given the program) Flo is somebody that first of all is really solid as a rock, and what I mean by that is I can’t remember him missing practices or games from injuries or illnesses. He’s sick or injured, he bounces back quick. He’s got great toughness to him and great stability. One of our players, Jake Lindsey, always said the best ability is availability, and Flo is always available and dependable.
(do you wait till after the season to sit down and talk with them about what their plans are) 100%, because you never know what’s going to happen between now and the end of the season. And a lot of that determines what they might think, what their intentions might be, based on that. Again, probably during the course of the season, it’s human nature, grass is always greener on the other side in a lot of different areas and ways. And then, when it’s over, you’re like, ‘Man, that was pretty fun. I want to come back,’ or ‘I want to do this.’ So, I think it’s something where if you’re too caught up in the future, you miss the present, and that’s why we try to really focus on the present, make the most of today.
(does it change Iowa State with Caleb Grill no longer with the team) He’s been in and out because of a back injury. So, they’re used to playing without him. At the same time, we know when he’s playing well . . . making shots, just what he’s capable of, and that was giving them a great lift. But one thing in basketball is it’s that next-man-up mentality. And everybody has different strengths. So, whoever’s on the court, they might not shoot it like him, but they might bring something else to the table that he doesn’t and a strength that he doesn’t. That’s why it always takes a team to win. You look at us in the last two games, just how well Dale’s played and the lift it’s given us. I know with Iowa State, TJ does a tremendous job. They’re really well-coached, they really compete. No. 1 defense in conference, they’ve forced the No. 1-most turnovers. Last year, we had to win to win conference, and I think we were up by 25, and they came back and took a lead on us in the second half. So, it just shows you they’re never going to give up, never going to quit.
(playing Iowa State in the first and last conference game) Watching that game, there’s a lot of things that we do better than we did then. And I’m sure there’s a lot of things they do better than they do now. But it is rewarding as a coach to see you’ve gotten better and doesn’t mean you’ll play better tomorrow. But we execute and we do things at a higher rate than we did back then. And that means our team has improved, which coaches’ jobs are to show improvement and get players to improve, so proud of where we were from 0-3 to where we are now.
(could be the last conference game in the Ferrell Center, with the Foster Pavilion scheduled to open Jan. 4, any emotion in that) The big emotion is the seniors. I’m not going to jinx anything but construction doesn’t always finish on time. So, I’m not really getting wrapped up into the last conference game. But what I am getting wrapped up in is that it is the last seniors’ game here.
(seeing it come along) Whenever there’s bad weather, you’re like, ‘Crud, we just lost a day.’ But definitely, it’s always fun when they’re putting up the structure because it moves so quickly and it starts to take shape. It’s really exciting.
