By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Maybe Baylor is simply due against Iowa State. Maybe the Cyclones are just a difficult matchup.
Whatever storyline you choose to follow for the No. 10 Bears’ Big 12 tournament quarterfinal rematch with the Cyclones Thursday in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center is up to you. Regardless, the Bears would like a better showing than the one delivered last Saturday in the regular season finale at the Ferrell Center.
Oddly, the 4th-seed Baylor dropped the two meetings with 5th-seed Iowa State by the same margin (15) and by nearly the same scores (77-62 in Ames, 73-58 in Waco). It was a case where ISU controlled the tempo, forced the Bears to become a half-court team and eliminated one of their weapons, the transition game.
“We got to do a much better job attacking their defense and getting easier looks, protecting the ball,’’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We always want to score in transition and want to make sure we're running whenever we can. But at the end of the day, defensively they're really good. So, we have to execute and do a better job of running our stuff and fighting for positions.’’
Baylor’s health is in play here as well. While Keyonte George (ankle) returned last Saturday, he still wasn’t himself (3-10 shooting, 1-7 3-pointers). Drew said his one-and-one has practiced better in the last couple of days. That could be good news.
What they don’t know is if guard Langston Love (cornea abrasion) will play. He missed last Saturday and is considered a game-time decision.
Baylor-Iowa State isn’t the only odd season-finale, opening conference tournament matchup. And it benefitted the loser of the finale. Wake Forest lost at Syracuse last Saturday but turned around and beat the Orange in the first round of the ACC tournament Wednesday.
Does that give the Bears the advantage?
“The one blessing probably is (that) it was an easy prep,’’ Drew said. “I mean, you didn't have to watch the last five or six games they played because you already just did. And so, we know what they're there about and how they do things. They know what we do and a lot of times it comes down to who executes the best and wants it the most.”
Of course, the formula for the Bears to win is that they have to shoot the 3-ball better. They were 10-28 from the arc (35.8) and were dominated in the paint, 36-14. Baylor also has to be better on the offensive glass, which is such a big part of its philosophy.
The winner advances to Friday’s semifinal to meet the winner of Kansas-West Virginia.
Quotes
Scott Drew
(On Langston and how he’s progressing)
Really, you can't do much for that injury and it's more just when we hear the word ‘go’ and obviously we're praying that we hear that sooner rather than later.
(How’s Keyonte feeling)
I think that was a great game to get him back, get him in the flow, get him in the rhythm. Normally you come back off an injury, that first game back you're just trying to feel things out and figure things out, and then, (the) second (or) third game are a lot easier. He's practiced a lot better the last couple of days and I think that's a good thing to have that now.
(How is the team handling knowing that it’s win-or-go-home from here on out?)
I think we're excited for it. I think we were humbled last Saturday and it doesn't guarantee you we’ll win but I guarantee we'll give it our best shot.
(Any congrats text to Jerome?)
Yeah, I think we bought him lunch. *winks* So, him and his staff deserve it. They did a great job. And again, he's a brother for life. And as long as we don't play him, we're always cheering for him.
(Does having guys that are used to winning help for postseason play?)
I think it definitely can help. At the same time, it doesn't guarantee success. I mean, you look at teams that are veteran this year, you would have thought North Carolina, (the) preseason No. 1 team in the nation would’ve … . So, I mean, the chemistry, motivation, player leadership, a break here or there … I mean, a lot of times close games come down to free throws and I always love the KenPom analytics stat, ‘your free throw defense.’ And I mean at the end of the day, last game, we were 10-for-18, missed front ends and one-of-ones, things that we don't do. You can't win close games and do that. So, hopefully we all got that out of our system (and) we get back to being on point and controlling what we can control and giving our best effort (from) here on out.
(On having LJ back for postseason play this year, didn’t have that last year)
It was just satisfying having back all this year. I mean, there's a lot of teams we play that he's not played in those places. I mean, he's a junior, and (in his) freshman year, (he) didn't play a lot and (in his) second year (he) missed a lot. So, I remember one of the last games we were at, at Oklahoma State, it was the first time he's played at Oklahoma State. So I mean, he was kind of like a freshman going through some of that stuff, too. So, this will be his first Big 12 postseason experience because that freshman year, it was tough to get minutes with Davion (Mitchell), MaCio (Teague), Jared (Butler) and the likes.
(Different feeling once you hit postseason play?)
I tell you, you turn on the TV, you see the excitement around March, you see the buzzer beaters, the great games. And it really peaks up when you arrive in Kansas City. And when you arrive at the NCAA Tournament site, that's when it really goes to another level, but definitely, you can tell the players are excited about not having school with spring break and focus just on basketball.
(On Big 12 Tournament being more of an event this year)
I love it, I love it. The commissioner, one of his biggest strengths is that and I'd be really surprised if our tournament – which already was considered the best – isn't at another level. I mean, he wants to make it like a Super Bowl event and love his vision, love his passion, love his excitement. It makes it fun for all of us.
(You guys have good depth, how much does that help in a tournament setting)
I think everybody in the Big 12 has a chance to win this. Depth, no depth, I mean, why I say that is you got teams that are all capable of winning three games in a row. And this time of year, a lot of teams are only playing seven guys, eight guys. So, really it comes down to each and every night, who wants it the most, who's going to play the hardest, most of all, who's going to execute.
(On Jared Butler signing with the Thunder)
We told our team and everyone applauded and got excited and I mean, we talk to him often and (we’re) proud of how he’s persevered in the G-League to put himself back in this position to be successful. No doubt he will be.
Jalen Bridges
(What do y’all need to do better against Iowa State) I feel like the first two times we played them it was very uncharacteristic of how we play, the style of play we have. I feel like we came out flat both times, and you can’t do that at this level especially in a conference like ours where teams from top to bottom are all capable tournament teams. I feel like we’ve just got to have more energy, more enthusiasm and more effort, and it will take care of itself.
(Is it good to play them right after loss) I would say so. It’s always good to have an opportunity to right your wrongs. We all have things we could have done last game that could have helped us. Now we have the opportunity on Thursday to go take care of it and fix it.
(Facing variety of ISU defenses) Just going back and watching the film and seeing what they threw at us and seeing where we attacked it well and where we didn’t and what we can attack for next time.
(Postseason success) I feel like from here on out it’s one and done, so you’ve got to play every game like it’s your last. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow or later on today. You just have to live in these moments and play every possession like it’s your last.
LJ Cryer
(Simulating crowd noise on road) We usually do that every time we go on the road. You never know how the environment is going to be. It’s typically always loud. That’s just something we always do.
(Do you look at this as a road game) Honestly I feel like every game that isn’t at the Ferrell is an away game, no matter if it’s a neutral site because they typically have more fans than us. It just feels like us against them at the end of the day.
(Back playing in postseason after missing it last year) It’s a blessing, it’s something I always dream of. Last year obviously it was taken from me. That was real upsetting but I’m happy that I got to make it this far and I’m going to soak it all in.
(What did you learn from Jared, Davion and MaCio about having success) At the end of the day, you have to go out there and be a leader and trust your work. You put in a lot of work throughout the season and you just can’t be scared of the moment. You have to go out there and play like you’ve been there before. That’s what they did. They led by example, so hopefully I can do that too.
Storylines
• Thursday marks the first time since 2010 that BU has played a Big 12 opponent in back-to-back games. Baylor beat Texas to end the regular season and then beat the Horns again in Kansas City in the Big 12 quarterfinals.
• The Bears also played Nebraska in back-to-back games in 2009, losing to the Cornhuskers to end the regular season and beating them in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in route to the Finals.
• Baylor is 8-8 all time (7-7 in the Scott Drew era) in the Big 12 Quarterfinals.
• The Bears are 1-4 against the Cyclones in the Big 12 Tournament, with BU's only win coming in 2001.
• Baylor is aiming to win its first Big 12 Tournament title (three title-game appearances).
• BU has only lost three games in a season to one team five times in the Drew Era (2007, Texas; 2012, Mizzou; 2015, Kansas; 2016, Kansas; 2018, WVU).
• Thursday is the 47th all-time series meeting – with Baylor holding a 24-22 series advantage.
• The last meeting between these two in the Big 12 Tournament was a 74-65 ISU win in the Championship game in 2015.
• In the last meeting, The Cyclones held the Bears to a season-low 58 points in a 73-58 Cyclone win.
• Baylor's Adam Flagler (First Team), Keyonte George (Second, All-Freshman and All-Newcomer Teams) and LJ Cryer (Third Team) were named All-Big 12 selections by league's coaches.
• Twelve of Baylor's 13 starting point guards during the Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
• Flagler is one of two Big 12 shooting guards on a five-man list of finalists for the Jerry West Award (nation's top shooting guard).
• Additionally, George was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, BU's first since Quincy Miller in 2012.
• With 479 points, George is just 30 points from Baylor's freshman record of 509 held by Aaron Bruce.
• George's 16.0 points per game rank sixth among freshman in Division I.
• BU is the only Power-Six team to have a guard trio each averaging more than 14.5 points per game.
• BU's 11 quad-one wins are tied for the second-most in the nation behind Kansas.
Publisher
Maybe Baylor is simply due against Iowa State. Maybe the Cyclones are just a difficult matchup.
Whatever storyline you choose to follow for the No. 10 Bears’ Big 12 tournament quarterfinal rematch with the Cyclones Thursday in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center is up to you. Regardless, the Bears would like a better showing than the one delivered last Saturday in the regular season finale at the Ferrell Center.
Oddly, the 4th-seed Baylor dropped the two meetings with 5th-seed Iowa State by the same margin (15) and by nearly the same scores (77-62 in Ames, 73-58 in Waco). It was a case where ISU controlled the tempo, forced the Bears to become a half-court team and eliminated one of their weapons, the transition game.
“We got to do a much better job attacking their defense and getting easier looks, protecting the ball,’’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We always want to score in transition and want to make sure we're running whenever we can. But at the end of the day, defensively they're really good. So, we have to execute and do a better job of running our stuff and fighting for positions.’’
Baylor’s health is in play here as well. While Keyonte George (ankle) returned last Saturday, he still wasn’t himself (3-10 shooting, 1-7 3-pointers). Drew said his one-and-one has practiced better in the last couple of days. That could be good news.
What they don’t know is if guard Langston Love (cornea abrasion) will play. He missed last Saturday and is considered a game-time decision.
Baylor-Iowa State isn’t the only odd season-finale, opening conference tournament matchup. And it benefitted the loser of the finale. Wake Forest lost at Syracuse last Saturday but turned around and beat the Orange in the first round of the ACC tournament Wednesday.
Does that give the Bears the advantage?
“The one blessing probably is (that) it was an easy prep,’’ Drew said. “I mean, you didn't have to watch the last five or six games they played because you already just did. And so, we know what they're there about and how they do things. They know what we do and a lot of times it comes down to who executes the best and wants it the most.”
Of course, the formula for the Bears to win is that they have to shoot the 3-ball better. They were 10-28 from the arc (35.8) and were dominated in the paint, 36-14. Baylor also has to be better on the offensive glass, which is such a big part of its philosophy.
The winner advances to Friday’s semifinal to meet the winner of Kansas-West Virginia.
Quotes
Scott Drew
(On Langston and how he’s progressing)
Really, you can't do much for that injury and it's more just when we hear the word ‘go’ and obviously we're praying that we hear that sooner rather than later.
(How’s Keyonte feeling)
I think that was a great game to get him back, get him in the flow, get him in the rhythm. Normally you come back off an injury, that first game back you're just trying to feel things out and figure things out, and then, (the) second (or) third game are a lot easier. He's practiced a lot better the last couple of days and I think that's a good thing to have that now.
(How is the team handling knowing that it’s win-or-go-home from here on out?)
I think we're excited for it. I think we were humbled last Saturday and it doesn't guarantee you we’ll win but I guarantee we'll give it our best shot.
(Any congrats text to Jerome?)
Yeah, I think we bought him lunch. *winks* So, him and his staff deserve it. They did a great job. And again, he's a brother for life. And as long as we don't play him, we're always cheering for him.
(Does having guys that are used to winning help for postseason play?)
I think it definitely can help. At the same time, it doesn't guarantee success. I mean, you look at teams that are veteran this year, you would have thought North Carolina, (the) preseason No. 1 team in the nation would’ve … . So, I mean, the chemistry, motivation, player leadership, a break here or there … I mean, a lot of times close games come down to free throws and I always love the KenPom analytics stat, ‘your free throw defense.’ And I mean at the end of the day, last game, we were 10-for-18, missed front ends and one-of-ones, things that we don't do. You can't win close games and do that. So, hopefully we all got that out of our system (and) we get back to being on point and controlling what we can control and giving our best effort (from) here on out.
(On having LJ back for postseason play this year, didn’t have that last year)
It was just satisfying having back all this year. I mean, there's a lot of teams we play that he's not played in those places. I mean, he's a junior, and (in his) freshman year, (he) didn't play a lot and (in his) second year (he) missed a lot. So, I remember one of the last games we were at, at Oklahoma State, it was the first time he's played at Oklahoma State. So I mean, he was kind of like a freshman going through some of that stuff, too. So, this will be his first Big 12 postseason experience because that freshman year, it was tough to get minutes with Davion (Mitchell), MaCio (Teague), Jared (Butler) and the likes.
(Different feeling once you hit postseason play?)
I tell you, you turn on the TV, you see the excitement around March, you see the buzzer beaters, the great games. And it really peaks up when you arrive in Kansas City. And when you arrive at the NCAA Tournament site, that's when it really goes to another level, but definitely, you can tell the players are excited about not having school with spring break and focus just on basketball.
(On Big 12 Tournament being more of an event this year)
I love it, I love it. The commissioner, one of his biggest strengths is that and I'd be really surprised if our tournament – which already was considered the best – isn't at another level. I mean, he wants to make it like a Super Bowl event and love his vision, love his passion, love his excitement. It makes it fun for all of us.
(You guys have good depth, how much does that help in a tournament setting)
I think everybody in the Big 12 has a chance to win this. Depth, no depth, I mean, why I say that is you got teams that are all capable of winning three games in a row. And this time of year, a lot of teams are only playing seven guys, eight guys. So, really it comes down to each and every night, who wants it the most, who's going to play the hardest, most of all, who's going to execute.
(On Jared Butler signing with the Thunder)
We told our team and everyone applauded and got excited and I mean, we talk to him often and (we’re) proud of how he’s persevered in the G-League to put himself back in this position to be successful. No doubt he will be.
Jalen Bridges
(What do y’all need to do better against Iowa State) I feel like the first two times we played them it was very uncharacteristic of how we play, the style of play we have. I feel like we came out flat both times, and you can’t do that at this level especially in a conference like ours where teams from top to bottom are all capable tournament teams. I feel like we’ve just got to have more energy, more enthusiasm and more effort, and it will take care of itself.
(Is it good to play them right after loss) I would say so. It’s always good to have an opportunity to right your wrongs. We all have things we could have done last game that could have helped us. Now we have the opportunity on Thursday to go take care of it and fix it.
(Facing variety of ISU defenses) Just going back and watching the film and seeing what they threw at us and seeing where we attacked it well and where we didn’t and what we can attack for next time.
(Postseason success) I feel like from here on out it’s one and done, so you’ve got to play every game like it’s your last. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow or later on today. You just have to live in these moments and play every possession like it’s your last.
LJ Cryer
(Simulating crowd noise on road) We usually do that every time we go on the road. You never know how the environment is going to be. It’s typically always loud. That’s just something we always do.
(Do you look at this as a road game) Honestly I feel like every game that isn’t at the Ferrell is an away game, no matter if it’s a neutral site because they typically have more fans than us. It just feels like us against them at the end of the day.
(Back playing in postseason after missing it last year) It’s a blessing, it’s something I always dream of. Last year obviously it was taken from me. That was real upsetting but I’m happy that I got to make it this far and I’m going to soak it all in.
(What did you learn from Jared, Davion and MaCio about having success) At the end of the day, you have to go out there and be a leader and trust your work. You put in a lot of work throughout the season and you just can’t be scared of the moment. You have to go out there and play like you’ve been there before. That’s what they did. They led by example, so hopefully I can do that too.
Storylines
• Thursday marks the first time since 2010 that BU has played a Big 12 opponent in back-to-back games. Baylor beat Texas to end the regular season and then beat the Horns again in Kansas City in the Big 12 quarterfinals.
• The Bears also played Nebraska in back-to-back games in 2009, losing to the Cornhuskers to end the regular season and beating them in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in route to the Finals.
• Baylor is 8-8 all time (7-7 in the Scott Drew era) in the Big 12 Quarterfinals.
• The Bears are 1-4 against the Cyclones in the Big 12 Tournament, with BU's only win coming in 2001.
• Baylor is aiming to win its first Big 12 Tournament title (three title-game appearances).
• BU has only lost three games in a season to one team five times in the Drew Era (2007, Texas; 2012, Mizzou; 2015, Kansas; 2016, Kansas; 2018, WVU).
• Thursday is the 47th all-time series meeting – with Baylor holding a 24-22 series advantage.
• The last meeting between these two in the Big 12 Tournament was a 74-65 ISU win in the Championship game in 2015.
• In the last meeting, The Cyclones held the Bears to a season-low 58 points in a 73-58 Cyclone win.
• Baylor's Adam Flagler (First Team), Keyonte George (Second, All-Freshman and All-Newcomer Teams) and LJ Cryer (Third Team) were named All-Big 12 selections by league's coaches.
• Twelve of Baylor's 13 starting point guards during the Drew era have earned All-Big 12 recognition.
• Flagler is one of two Big 12 shooting guards on a five-man list of finalists for the Jerry West Award (nation's top shooting guard).
• Additionally, George was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, BU's first since Quincy Miller in 2012.
• With 479 points, George is just 30 points from Baylor's freshman record of 509 held by Aaron Bruce.
• George's 16.0 points per game rank sixth among freshman in Division I.
• BU is the only Power-Six team to have a guard trio each averaging more than 14.5 points per game.
• BU's 11 quad-one wins are tied for the second-most in the nation behind Kansas.
