By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The Big 12 is such an unforgiving conference. As hot as Baylor was winning 10 of 11 before this trip to the state of Kansas, the Bears left frustrated and bewildered.

They should also be concerned.

After what occurred in the second half at Kansas, Kansas State delivered a somewhat sequel performance and sent the Bears winless in this trip to the Sunflower State. Kansas State swept the season series for the first time in three years.

Kansas State outscored Baylor 42-16 in the paint. Adam Flagler was held to four points on one made field goal (1-13, 0-6 from deep) and two free throws.

What made this night more frustrating is that the Wildcats shot 57.7 percent in the second half but just 1-9 from the arc. Baylor's inability to keep the Wildcats out of the paint much less off the rim just added to this.

And it had the makings of a pretty encouraging start. The Bears overcame a 23-13 deficit and took a 34-31 into the intermission. More importantly, they kept likely Big 12 Player of the Year candidate Markquis Nowell scoreless in the first half.

Baylor started getting choppy in the second half and fell into a 49-43 when Scott Drew called a timeout. But it didn't impact anything. Kansas State wound up extending its lead to as many as 14 (65-51).

Nowell finished with a double double. He scored all 14 in the second (10-10 FT) and handed out 10 assists.The Bears shot 37 percent in the second half.

The concerns for the interior defense are something to be addressed. But can they fixed with a soluble solution is another matter.

Keyonte George finished with 23 points including 6-10 from the arc. LJ Cryer added 16 and was 4-7 from deep.

Sometimes, a team isn't as bad as a poor stretch suggests. That's just life in the Big 12.

The Bears return to the Ferrell Center Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. with Texas. The Longhorns won the first meeting, 76-71, Jan. 30 in Austin.

Scott Drew quotes

(second half issues- Scott)

Yeah, I don’t’ know both halves our defense really struggled. We gave up 58% today and 63% at Kansas. And our offense led to some of that. Today they had 19 points on our turnovers. I do think we have an unbelievable backcourt but we can’t give up 19 points in turnovers. Part of being a good backcourt is taking care of the rock. And credit to them they forced us into some turnovers and they took advantage of them. And at the end of the day, in Big 12 games, transition points are huge. That leads to paint points. They outscored us in the paint 42-16. Gotta do that. We had the lowest turnover percentage coming into this week and our guards have done a really good job at that. This week we weren’t as good as we have been.



(defense need to improve- Scott)

Every game we’re going to keep switching up what we do until we find something until it works. I love our staff in that we’re not going to handle the defense not getting better. We’ve shown a lot of strides—that’s why we’ve won 10 of 13. But our offense has been really good. And now when our offense isn’t really good, we have to make sure our defense can carry us because you’re not always going to make shots. Take care of the basketball. Taking away transition points. Getting shots on the offensive end so you can get offensive rebounds. We’ve been really good at that and making free throws. Tonight didn’t get there and make enough. Same thing at Kansas. It’s been one of the best free throw shooting teams I’ve ever had. That will come back.

(Key- frustration with this)

Comes back to all of us. You know, it’s a team effort. In the second half, things that we’re giving up are things we can control. We have to play harder, including myself. Just go out there and just play Baylor basketball that’s what we gotta do. Stop worrying about all the other things. We’re going to figure out what we need to get better at.

(take away from 0-3 start- Key)

I mean everyone knows we went 0-3 then went on that winning stretch. We just figure out our identity. What are we in this for? We always talk about playing for an audience of one, that’s our lord and savior and we want to show that to you each and every night. We were able to go on that winning streak and not focus on that outside noise. Just playing for one another. Playing with joy. Now we’re on a two game winning streak. Now we’re going to go back home and put in more work. That’s really all we’ve gotta do.

(Focus with three games left-Scott)

We try to get better each and every day. The great thing about the Big 12 is there’s quad one opportunities each and every night. There’s top 25 games every night. That’s why Keyonte and these guys came to Baylor to be in the best conference. I’ve been here 20 years and it’s the best it’s ever been top to bottom. So it’s a great honor and privilege and like he said it’s a great opportunity and a great platform to play with joy. We win, we lose, God gets the glory. Everybody lives to play and improve. And I love our guys. They don’t like losing. And they’re great people. And if you have those two things as a coach, you’re pretty lucky.

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

New profile picture

Login to view embedded media

No shame losing to Kansas. This week at Kansas State Tuesday and home to Texas Saturday should foretell Big 12 title hopes.

Baseball team gives up 15 runs in one inning to a directional school

Lady Bears at home again give up leads in last 30 seconds of regulation and again overtime to lose to Iowa State and end up shooting like 32% for the game

Men’s hoops gets outscored by 29 in second half after having a double digit halftime lead to Kansas

Hopefully Equestrian didn’t have a horse break a leg

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
With Baylor adding so many new pieces to the 2023 football roster through the NCAA transfer portal, SicEmSports provides a daily series of breaking down each of these new members and how they fit into the program moving forward.

Sawyer Robertson
Pos.: QB
School: Mississippi State
Ht./Wt.: 6-4-210
Remaining Eligibility: 3 years

What he brings: Well, Robertson looks the part of a big-time P5 quarterback with his size. He was a Rivals250 recruit coming out of Lubbock Coronado High School and understood all of the nuances of the Air Raid offense while he was in Starkville, MS. He knows how to read defenses and distribute the ball to receivers. Robertson also has a big arm so if there are shots that need to be made downfield or he must fit something in a tight window, he can do that. There is a high ceiling with him.

What are the concerns: Given that Robertson redshirted in 2021 and appeared in five games in 2022 – mostly in mop up duty – there’s always going to be the natural reaction of can he do it at the P5 level every week. The late Mike Leach talked in spring camp 2022 that Robertson had an opportunity to unseat veteran Will Rogers as the starting quarterback. Obviously, that did not happen. In fact, there just wasn’t a chance to see Robertson play meaningful snaps. He never threw a pass against a SEC opponent. The attempts came against Arizona, Bowling Green and East Tennessee State. Combined, Robertson was 6-11 for 23 yards.

How he helps the room: He’s the only other signal caller on scholarship after Blake Shapen. It’s just those two along with some backups led by Northern Arizona transfer and Austin native RJ Martinez. Martinez likely will be the No. 3 QB behind those two and take the spot that was held by Luke Anthony in 2022. For Robertson, this is a case where he can assert himself,

2023 Expectations: That really depends on how the Baylor coaches view spring football when it begins on March 21. Robertson has said he wants to compete and do the best job that he can. However, if head coach Dave Aranda, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and QB coach Shawn Bell decide they want a true competition for the starting job, then the tone of the spring and perhaps even further into fall camp becomes far different. Should this be Shapen’s job to lose, he would have to play very poorly in order to do that. Conversely, Robertson would have to give the Baylor coaches reasons to make the switch. The expectations really come back to how this coaching staff navigates this room. It needs to be better after what happened in 2022.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
For the first 20 minutes at the Allen Fieldhouse, it was about as good as could have been for the Bears.

For the final 20 minutes, it was completely something different.
A one-time 17-point lead in the first half - 13 at halftime 45-32 - was quickly erased. Kansas used a 20-4 run to open the to turn everything around and ran away from the Bears Saturday afternoon.

The Bears split the season series with the Jayhawks and now trail KU and Texas by one game in the Big 12 standings.

Baylor couldn't miss in the first half shooting 51 percent and drilling nine of 14 3-pointers. A signature poster dunk from Keyonte George was one of the exclamation points.

George (15), LJ Cryer (13) and Adam Flager (14) had all but three of the points.

But when Kansas stormed out to score the first 10 points of the second half inside the first two minutes, the momentum had swung. Too many easy drives to the basket.

A Scott Drew timeout couldn't stem the tide. Kansas shot 63 percent in the second half and took the lead for good (50-49) on Gradey Dick's 3-pointer with 14:29 to play.

The Jayhawks led by as many as 17. Kansas guard DaJaun Harris scored all 14 of his in the second half. Jalen Wilson finished with a double double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Dick 14 and the Bears couldn't contain Kansas big K.J. Adams who had 17.

Flagler led Baylor 22, while George had 20 and Cryer finished with 15. They combined for only 15 in the second half. While Baylor was decent with the ball with only 11 turnovers, Kansas converted them into 13 points.

It was just the defense that collapsed in the second half and caused this 180.

Bears now have to regroup as they travel to Kansas State on Tuesday.

Postgame Notes

• BU is 3-3 in its last 6 games against KU
• The Bears are 1-20 All time in Lawrence
• Baylor is 12-3 against top-10 ranked teams in the last 3 years.
• The Bears are 52-13 in Big 12 play over the last four seasons.
• The Bears are 26-10 vs. AP top-25 teams over the last four years.
• BU is 17-3 (7-2) this season when leading at the half.
• The Bears are 4-4 this season against ranked teams.
• BU allowed 50-plus points in the second half for the first time since Texas Tech had 51 on Feb. 16, 2022.
• Kansas’ four turnovers were the fewest by a Baylor opponent since Feb. 22, 2014, when West Virginia also had 4.
• Five of Baylor’s seven losses have come when a team reaches 80 points.
• Baylor had multiple 20-point scorers for the eighth time this season.
• Keyonte George scored 20 points for an 11th time this season, tying Lawrence Roberts for the most 20-point games by a freshman in program history. The Bears are 7-4 this season when George scores 20 points.
• Adam Flagler eclipsed the 20-point mark for the 15th time in his Baylor career (8th time this season), the Bears are 11-4 when Flagler scores 20-plus.
• Flagler’s nine field goals tied a season high.
• Flagler appeared in his 120th-career game
• LJ Cryer scored 15 points, his 20th-career game of 15+ points (13 in his career).
• Jalen Bridges appeared in his 90th-consecutive game.

Baylor stuns the defending national champions.

Login to view embedded media
They also beat Army 7-0…


At 8-1, Baylor is off to its best start to a season since 2018, when the Bears got out to a perfect 9-0 start.

Home to Houston Christian Tuesday

Login to view embedded media

Chippewas had a 15-run inning.

Login to view embedded media

We get this under way. Not very high expectations for this team as it was picked ninth in the Big 12 preseason poll. But we'll see how it goes. All games at Baylor Ballpark and afternoon starts.

Of course, Mitch Thompson takes over the program for Steve Rodriguez. The longtime assistant under Steve Smith who is a great recruiter and had an excellent career at McLennon earns his opportunity.

LEADING OFF

• Baylor Baseball opens its 2023 season with four-straight home games, including a three-game series against Central Michigan this weekend before hosting HCU next Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Baylor Ballpark.

• The Bears are celebrating the 25th season at Baylor Ballpark with a special logo and planned promotions throughout the 2023 campaign.

• Eighteen of the Bears' first 21 games this season are home games. The Bears leave the state of Texas just three times this year, all before April 3 (at Duke, at Oklahoma State, at Kansas).

• Baylor returns just 15 players from its 2022 roster and welcomes 23 newcomers, including 10 true freshmen and 13 transfers.

• Nine of the 13 transfers have previous Division I experience in Austin Stracener, Hunter Teplanszky, Daniel Altman, Cole Posey, Will Pendergrass, Casey Sunseri, Cole Tremain, John Ceccoli and Gabe Craig.

• Of the 15 returners, just one position player starter returns while eight newcomers are expected to round out the starting nine.

• Fifth-year senior RHP Blake Helton was named No. 123 on D1Baseball's list of the top-200 starting pitchers in the nation.

• Fourth-year junior RHP Will Rigney was named one of the top-50 seniors, regardless of position, by Perfect Game.

SERIES HISTORY VS CENTRAL MICHIGAN

• Baylor leads the all-time series over Central Michigan, 5-1, though the two sides have not met since 1989.

Friday - 3 pm
Saturday - 2 pm
Sunday - 1 pm

• Friday, Feb. 17 • 3:00 p.m. • RHP Blake Helton (0-1, 2.61 ERA) vs. LHP Garrett Navarra (10-3, 5.15 ERA)
• Saturday, Feb. 18 • 2:00 p.m. • LHP Cam Caley (4-0, 6.68 ERA) vs. LHP Adam Mrakitsch (7-1, 2.37 ERA)
• Sunday, Feb. 19 • 1:00 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (2-3, 5.96 ERA) vs. RHP Keegan Batka (5-3, 4.50 ERA)**

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
We visited with Kansas basketball beat writer Shay Wildeboor about Saturday's second meeting in Lawrence, KS.

Q: When last we saw the Jayhawks, Baylor pretty much had control and beat them to send them to their third straight loss. But it looks like the switch flipped in the win at Kentucky. What's changed about this team?

A: For No. 5 Kansas (21-5; 9-4), its loss in conference play came against No. 13 Iowa State (Ranking at the time) in Ames, Iowa back on February 4. During that game against the Cyclones, a 68-53 defeat, just one player, Jalen Wilson scored in double-figures. He ended up scoring a game-high 26 points, but no other player scored more than eight points for Kansas on that day. Against Iowa State, Kansas shot just 38.6 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from behind the arc.

Since that game, Kansas has been a completely different team. The Jayhawks, in defeating No. 5 Texas back on February 6, saw five players, Gradey Dick (21), Dajuan Harris (17), Kevin McCullar (16), Joseph Yesufu (14), and KJ Adams (10) score in double-figures. Against Oklahoma, a 78-55 victory, four players, Jalen Wilson (18), Dajuan Harris (16), Kevin McCullar (13), and KJ Adams (10) scored in double-figures, while four players, Gradey Dick (26), Kevin McCullar (15), KJ Adams (15), and Jalen Wilson (14) led the way offensively in KU’s most recent win at Oklahoma State earlier in the week.

The biggest difference is the balance this team is showing on the offensive end of the court and the high level of play currently being displayed by Bill Self’s team on the defensive side of the ball. When this team is balanced and defending, they can beat anybody in college basketball


Q: What has Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar meant to this team?

A: I think the answer to the above question was answered when Kevin McCullar, Jr., went down with an ankle injury late in the game at Oklahoma State earlier in the week. This season, he’s averaging 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Offensively, he’s connected on 43 percent of his field goals, 28 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 77 percent of his free throws, but his biggest contribution continues to come on the defensive end of the court and in his leadership.

McCullar, Jr., currently leads the team with 56 steals on the season. He had five steals at Missouri, five steals against Indiana, three steals against Harvard, three steals at West Virginia, four steals against Oklahoma, three steals against Iowa State, two steals at Baylor, two steals at Kentucky, two steals against Kansas State, and three steals at Oklahoma.

While McCullar, Jr., still struggles to shoot the ball, he’s won some games for Kansas with some big-time shots and his ability to drive and score through contact has been key throughout the season. Still, his biggest contribution is, without question, his level of play on the defensive end of the court and his leadership.

Kansas wouldn’t be where it is today without Kevin McCullar, Jr.

Q: If Kansas is going to hold serve on Saturday and split with Baylor, what must it do?

A: First, I think Kansas has to handle the emotions of the day. With ESPN College GameDay in town, it's going to be a long day. As far as the game goes, stick with the same recipe that’s worked during this current three-game winning streak.

First, Kansas simply can’t allow Keyonte George, Adam Flagler, and LJ Cryer to “go off” inside Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Jayhawks will absolutely have to defend at a very high level and throw different looks at Baylor’s extremely talented trio. George, Flagler, and Cryer, as a group, are as good as any three in college basketball.

Second, Kansas must be balanced on the offensive end of the court. The Jayhawks simply can’t afford to be a one or two-man show against the Bears. Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick, Kevin McCullar, Jr., Dajuan Harris, and KJ Adams, Jr., must be productive on offense.

Lastly, and this is certainly something to watch, how well will the bench perform on Saturday and how will Bill Self utilize those guys against Baylor? If foul trouble is a problem, which has been the case at different times this season, will Ernest Udeh, Jr., Bobby Pettiford, Zuby Ejiofor, Joseph Yesufu, Zach Clemence, etc., be ready when called upon?

If Kansas plays the way it's capable of playing, they’ll even the season series with Baylor on Saturday.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor’s Junior Day on Jan. 29 strategically had a select number of 2025 targets on campus because it wanted to be out of in front in particular recruiting races.

That’s how it was with Pearland Shadow Creek athlete Cobey Sellers. While he can play quarterback, Sellers’ future appears to be in the secondary. Baylor offered him as a cornerback.

Login to view embedded media
“Baylor is a school that I really like and am interested in,’’ Sellers said. “[Defensive backs] Coach [Kevin] Curtis and I talk regularly and he gives me great advice. I've also started talking with [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Matthew] Powledge and met him in person on Jr. Day. Also, I'm interested in running track in college and I've watched Baylor track team since I was young.”

Sellers started coming into his own during the 2021 season. He collected 61 tackles, collected nine PBUs and had two interceptions including one that was a Pick6. The transition could not have gone any better for Sellers who played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Fort Bend Christian.

It’s just getting started for Sellers. He has also been offered by Houston, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and UTSA.

While Sellers has made a couple of trips to Waco to hang with the coaching staff and check out a game, the junior day visit gave him a better sense of the community culture – Person over Player as Baylor calls it – really meant.

“Jr. Day was chill, kinda just hanging out,’’ he said. “The recruits and coaches played games, watched the NFL Playoffs, and talked about everyday life.’’

Baylor likes him at corner because of his speed and length. And that speed is only going to get better. He’s running in 100, 200 and 400 during this upcoming track season. The 100 and 400 will be new for him. The 200 isn’t. Sellers personal best in that event is 21.80.

Then there’s the relationship evolving with Curtis. While it’s two years out, the dialogue builds the foundation. Sellers is listening.

“[Curtis’] goal is to make sure his corners understand their assignment first,’’ Sellers said. “Being a great athlete but out of place means you'll be beat most likely. I talk with him weekly.’’

Baylor announced on Feb. 16 that it will begin spring football on March 21. Sellers plans to make the time visit.

“A coaching staff that can help develop my CB skills,’’ Sellers said of what he wants to continue to learn about Baylor. “Also, coaches I can build a relationship with during recruitment that I feel I can trust.’’

As a 2025, Sellers does not have a Rivals ranking.


Login to view embedded media

Basketball season hits crunch time, Brock Jackson, Baylor's new 4 Star football commit, and Spring football starts up.



Came in at 24:16

Listen to the podcast here

It’s a 3-game losing streak.

Login to view embedded media

WACO, Texas -- Baylor football has set its annual Green & Gold spring game for Saturday, April 22 at McLane Stadium. Kickoff time will be set at a later date. The game, presented by TFNB, will air on ESPN+.

The Green & Gold Game will conclude the spring practice season, a slate of 15 practices that will begin on March 21. Practice will include five sessions in March and 10 in April.

Green & Gold Weekend, a community centered event, is back to welcome the Baylor Family to Bear Country. Baylor Athletics will host events throughout the weekend, including the Michael Johnson Invitational at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium and Baylor Softball hosts defending national champion Oklahoma in a Big 12 series. Admission will be free to the Green & Gold Game.

Back for the second year is the Baylor Alumni BBQ Cook Off. Events will be held April 21-22 in Bear Park, just outside McLane Stadium. Details will be released by the Baylor University Alumni Office in the coming weeks. An exciting addition to the weekend is a surplus sale hosted by the Baylor Athletics Equipment services department. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase exclusive team apparel in the Sideline Shop inside Gate C.

Other fan activities include photos opportunities wearing official Baylor football gear, a "This is Bear Country" display and access to an exclusive football ticket deal. Families can check-in at a Cub Club experience that includes face painters, balloon animals and giveaways.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
That 0-3 Big 12 start seems like 100 hundred years ago. Baylor's veteran guards are heating up and the Bears are tied for 1st place in the Big 12.

LJ Cryer delivered 26 points on a blistering performance going 8-11 from long distance as Baylor knocked off West Virginia, 79-67 to win their 10th out of their last 11. Coupled with Texas Tech's 74-67 victory over Texas, the Bears and Longhorns share the top spot. Kansas can join them if it wins at Oklahoma State Tuesday.

Baylor has won 20+ games for the fifth consecutive season and 14 of the last 16. The Bears have also won the last five meetings from the Mountaineers.

Cryer, who had 23 Saturday against TCU, drilled seven of his first eight 3-point attempts. The Bears were 14-27 from the arc and finished at 51 percent. More importantly, the Bears hit the offensive glass better than they had in the previous two games as they finished with 14.

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua played his best game of the four since he returned with 11 points and three rebounds. Jalen Bridges added 12.

West Virginia sprinted out to an early 7-point lead. But the Bears were able to whittle things down and then went on a run to close out the first half to take a 36-29 lead to the locker room.

And the break didn't deter them. They shot 55.6 in the second half and 8-16 from the arc. Baylor built a 15-point lead within the first 5:42 of the second half and never looked back. The Bears led by as many as 19.

While he was held to single digits for the second straight game with six points, one-and-done Keyonte George had a pretty solid floor game with a team-leading nine rebounds to go along with a team-leading seven assists and four steals.

Now, with the rest of the week off, the Bears travel to Lawrence, KS for the second meeting with No. 5 Kansas Saturday at the Allen Fieldhouse for a 3:00 p.m. ESPN's College GameDay will be there.

Postgame Quotes

Scott Drew

All’s well that ends well. After starting off 0-3, a chance to be tied for first place. Now the real fun begins. A lot of basketball left to be played. Tonight I could tell Jon was getting more comfortable out there. I thought the guards really did a great job. Coach Huggins is always going to have a couple of wrinkles, and I thought their trap bothered us early and I thought the guards did a great job, especially when Adam went out Key did a tremendous job running the point and handling the trap and letting us play four-on-three and get a lead and some separation. Second half, I thought the guys were really focused and dialed in. The way we shot the 3, maybe it’s better to play more games and less practice.

(3s opening things up) That definitely opens things up and allows driving lanes. What you love about the team being unselfish is at the end of the game Jon is like run a play for LJ because they knew he was close to the school record (for 3s). You love that unselfishness. I thought Keyonte was tremendous with nine rebounds and seven assists. He almost had a triple-double and really did a lot of unsung things tonight. Obviously LJ was on fire. I know it was an emotional game for Jalen, a lot of friends and people he respects and talks to. At the end of the day, you’ve got to win home court and I want to start by saying thanks to the students. I think it’s our fifth straight student sellout, and that’s so critical, especially with a quick turnaround you need that energy, you need that boost, and I thought the crowd really gave it to us, especially the second half and allowed us to extend it and put it in a comfortable margin.

(Holding WVU to long stretch in first half without a field goal) We needed to hold them to a field goal for a lot longer than that because at the end of the day they did shoot 45 percent and 54 in the second half. I thought they did a better job getting inside. We were mixing up our defenses and the zone changed the momentum tempo a little bit, but like all great programs Coach Huggins made some great adjustments and they did a job getting inside and hurting our zone. When we did get stops we didn’t get as many rebounds. That’s one of the weaknesses playing zone is the rebounding, that’s something if we continue to play zone we’ve got to work more on.

(being in 1st place after starting out 0-3) Well, first, it’s a monster playing anywhere in this league. You look at the analytics and it’s Big 12 team after Big 12 team, and it’s like it doesn’t matter where you are in the standings. Top-20 offense, top-40 defense, top in this, top in that. It’s really, really hard to win on the road. I know we’ve had a couple great road wins, and our crowd has really helped us defend home court. It’s late now, and we need to finish it out.

(LJ just had the hot hand in the first half) Hot hand. And you know what, he got some good looks. Our guys did a great job getting him the ball on time, on target. But they set some good screens. And then, when they were trapping and played zone, that allowed for some good looks. You give a good shooter good looks, they’re a good shooter. And 19 assists, guys were really unselfish. And it was great to see.

(Did they take Keyonte out, only took 4 shots) I think he did a great job taking what the defense gave him. First dime (assist) down there, he got going. And we kept feeding him. This game it was LJ that was going. And that’s the sign of a good team is when someone’s hot, you don’t freeze them out and say, ‘It’s my turn, I’ve got to get a shot up.’ But you feed the hot hand. At West Virginia, Keyonte went for 30-plus, and tonight LJ went for 26. Again, I think every coach would take a triple-double, and that’s basically what Key was close to tonight.

(How this team ranks in shooting) We do have the No. 1 offense out of 353 schools. That’s pretty hard to do. Defensively, we’ve gotten better, but that’s the area where we can make it easier for our offense if we can get more stops and get in transition. And then, I still think it’s going to take time for us to get used to Jon, Jon to get used to playing. But you saw his skill level in the post, he was able to get some buckets. And those are huge, because now all of a sudden, you’re not just depending on the 3’s. And it really makes people make decisions. Are you going to double him? What are you going to do. I saw someone put out that this time last year, Saint Peters was 12-11 and North didn’t know if they were going to make the NCAA Tournament. And we know what North Carolina ended up doing, and we now what Saint Peters ended up doing. There’s a lot of basketball left to be played. We’ve got to keep getting a lot better.


Postgame Notes

• BU is 16-8 against WVU in the Scott Drew Era.
• Baylor is 7-3 all time (four-straight) against WVU in Waco.
• BU is the only team in the Big 12 to have multiple 4+ game win streaks in conference play.
• The Bears are 52-12 in Big 12 play over the last four seasons.
• BU has now won 20 games for a 14th time in the last 16 seasons. They won 20+ games just three times prior to Scott Drew’s arrival.
• BU shot a season high .519 from three-point range.
• The Bears have won 75-straight games when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent.
• Baylor has won its 42nd-straight game when shooting over 50%.
• LJ Cryer became the ninth BU player to make 8+ threes in a game and the first since MaCio Teague had a school-record 10 against Texas Tech (3/7/21)
• Nine made field threes are a career high for Cryer.
• With 26 points on Monday, Cryer has six 20-point games this season, and the Bears are 6-0 in those games (11-0 in his career).
• Keyonte George pulled down a career-high nine rebounds, and tied a career high with seven assists.
• The Bears improved to 5-0 this season when George leads the team in assists.
• Jalen Bridges scored 12 points, his 10th double-figure scoring effort in his last 12 games.
• Adam Flagler scored 13 points in the win his 22nd double-figure game of the season.
• Flo Thamba moved past A.J. Walton and Rico Gathers for the most games played in program history (142).
• Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua scored 11 points, his first double-figure scoring game since he had 21 last year at Kansas State (2/9/22).
• Tchamwa Tchatchoua has led the bears in Bench points in two of his four games since his return (BU is 2-0 in those games).

Turns out Mr. Davilla isn't that firmly committed. Clemson, Colorado , and Purdue visits are on his horizon.

Only took her 18 months to get back on top. An amazing coach/leader of people.
GOAT credentials all over the place.
Big Fan.


Go Bears!

As you could tell for a couple of hours rivals was down. It wasn’t just this site it was a bunch of others. One of our global servers apparently crashed.

But since I’m posting this it’s back up. I thought it was just because people were exhausted with Tim ‘s terrible dad jokes and yanked the site.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor’s football program has built up so much equity with Plfugerville Weiss 2025 wide receiver Adrian Wilson that it may be a case where he is this program’s recruit to lose.

However, there is a lot of time because of the year he graduates – two years from now. Wilson, teammate of Baylor 2023 and January arrival Micah Gifford, has been on campus several times.

Login to view embedded media
The most recent was the Jan. 29 Junior Day where selected 2024 and 2025 targets spent time with the staff to learn what Dave Aranda’s program values.

Of course, the mantra “Person over Player” isn’t just a fancy slogan. It’s something the program believes as part of those values.

“It definitely defined person over player in every aspect,’’ Wilson said. “They made me feel very at home, and I love it. They always make me feel at home no matter the circumstance.’’

The Bears were the first to offer. Houston has since done the same. Other programs have circled including Texas A&M. But it may take until the coming May evaluation period along with the forthcoming summer camp season for more to jump in.

Wilson moved to Weiss after spending the 2021 season at Del Valle. Working with Gifford changed his game to where he was a solid No. 2 receiving threat in 2022.

He finished with 29 receptions for 543 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. That speaks big play. Wilson average 18.7 yards per grab.

Baylor likes that along with the fact he’s nearly 6-3. Tall, athletic and already a matchup problem for shorter defensive backs is always a lethal combination. Wilson has started to develop a solid relationship with Baylor wide receivers coach Dallas Baker.

“Coach Baker really is a great coach,’’ Wilson said. “All the coaches were showing love no matter what position coach it was they told me how much they would appreciate me at Baylor.’’

These next two seasons will be important for Wilson to continue his growth and knowledge of just how to play the position. Plus, he has the opportunity to be the No. 1 receiver for Weiss and emerge as a leader for that program.

Baylor will be watching. Given the number of times he’s already been to Waco, it won’t be hard for the program not to track him.

“Baylor will be in my Top 5 at the end of my recruitment process for sure,’’ Wilson said. “They truly care about more than the game of football. They care about everything including your mental health and family.’’

Wilson does not have a Rivals ranking.

Login to view embedded media

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
With Baylor adding so many new pieces to the 2023 football roster through the NCAA transfer portal, SicEmSports provides a daily series of breaking down each of these new members and how they fit into the program moving forward.

Ketron Jackson
Pos.: WR
School: Arkansas
Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 203
Remaining Eligibility: 2 years

What he brings: A physical presence that the wide receiver corps desperately needs. With Jackson’s height and wingspan, Baylor needed a target who could win more than his share of 50-50 balls. The Royse City product probably can get a little thicker and play at 215 and not lose much if anything in terms of speed or agility. Don’t look past Jackson’s sheer will to want to be on the stage and perform. While he had no ill will against the Arkansas staff, he simply wanted an opportunity to showcase his talents. He wasn’t getting that in Fayetteville. For comparison, no Baylor receiver had more than 33 receptions and 565 yards. It’s not like this is a crowded room.

What are the concerns: Like any P5 skill player transfer with an sporadic track record of production, there’s always going to be some concern if he can take his game to the next level and be the impact his new program envisions. Jackson had his moments with the Razorbacks. He brings 21 career receptions, 374 career receiving yards and four career touchdowns. Jackson started eight games in 2022 but only averaged 23 yards per game. Some of that was Arkansas’ focusing the running game. Some of that was inconsistent play from the quarterback position and QB injuries.

How he helps the room: There is big-play ability. Witness his career 17.8 yards per catch average. The opportunity to be the alpha presents itself. Of course, you just don’t walk into the room and say you’re the guy and immediately cause tension with the rest of the receivers including Monaray Baldwin, Hal Presley, Josh Cameron and Armani Winfield. Jackson must earn it through how he works in this offseason, how he goes through spring practices and the way he carries himself off the field. There are work habits other receivers can possibly pick up from him and use as learning tools. But Jackson didn’t come to Baylor to not crack the starting lineup and not be a factor in this passing game.

2023 Expectations: It was a battle between Baylor and SMU for him. Indeed, Baylor’s substantial NIL deal played a major role. Even so, after Jackson committed to Baylor, SMU made a late run at him. It was somewhat of a close call. But Baylor held on to him. With all of that attention, to much that is given, much is expected. At the very least, Jackson must emerge as one of the top three in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2022. Given how Baylor’s wide receiver group disappointed in 2022, Jackson needs to be the one that raises everybody else’s game.

The Baylor women’s basketball team fell 77-56 on the road at Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon in just its second road loss of the season.

• With the win, Oklahoma State swept the season series for just the third time ever and first since the 2007-08 campaign.
• The loss was the largest by the Bears in Big 12 play since losing by 24 at Iowa State in 2009-10.

WACO, Texas – Baylor senior guard Adam Flagler garnered Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors for a second time this season, announced by the league office on Monday.

It is the third Big 12 Player of the Week award for Flagler in his career. With his second award this season, he joins his teammate, L.J. Cryer, Kansas State's Markquis Nowell and Texas' Marcus Carr as the only players to win it multiple times.


Flagler had his highest-scoring week as a Bear, averaging 24 points while shooting .484% (15-31) in a pair of wins against Oklahoma and No. 17/19 TCU. The senior came up huge against the Frogs in Fort Worth with 28 points, his most since he scored 29 in an overtime road win at Oklahoma State last season. The Bears trailed by 10 points with nine minutes to play, and after the lead was whittled down to six, Flagler scored BU's next 16 points over a four-minute span, turning the six-point deficit into a four-point Baylor lead.

The Duluth, Ga., native also had a team-high four assists and sealed the game at the free throw line, capping his second-straight perfect game from the charity stripe in an 11-for-11 week. The TCU game marked the first time a BU player had 20 second-half points since Flagler did it against North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

The week began for Flagler with 20 points against Oklahoma, his sixth 20+ point outing of the season, while also leading the team with four assists. The Jerry West Award Top-10 honoree found his rhythm in the second half, playing all 20 minutes and scoring 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting to seal the season sweep of the Sooners.

Flagler leads the Big 12 in assist-turnover ratio (2.90) and three-pointers per game (2.74). Additionally, he is second in the conference in three-point percentage (.417), third in assists (113) and seventh in points per game (15.9 ppg). The senior was named to the Jerry West Award Top-10 and the Naismith Award midseason team last week.

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear insider
FORT WORTH – With 14th-ranked Baylor trailing No. 17 TCU by 10 on the road with under nine minutes to go, Adam Flagler decided it was "time to buckle down."

Finishing off a 15-2 run with back-to-back 3-pointers, Flagler scored 16-straight points in a 4 ½ minute stretch and finished with a season-high 28 points to lead the Bears to a 72-68 win over the Horned Frogs Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 7,055 at Schollmaier Arena.

LJ Cryer, who missed the second half of Wednesday's win over Oklahoma with a lower-leg injury, scored 14 of his 23 points in the first half as Baylor (19-6, 8-4) won its third-straight and ninth in the last 10 games to keep pace with fifth-ranked Texas (20-5, 9-3) and No. 9 Kansas (20-5, 8-4) in a tight Big 12 race that has the top six teams separated by two games.

"LJ was coming off an injury, and we didn't know what to expect," said Baylor coach Scott Drew. "Guys did a great job finding him and setting good screens for him. Adam does a great job when guys get hot making sure they get opportunities. That's why (Cryer) gave us a great lift there and Adam gave us a great lift down the stretch."

Playing without leading scorer Mike Miles Jr. and 6-11 sophomore center Eddie Lampkin, TCU (17-8, 6-6) managed to stay in it and even lead for most of the second half by scoring 50 points in the paint and outrebounding the Bears, 32-26. But the Frogs seemed to run out of gas in the final nine minutes, when they were outscored 26-12.

"Coach (Jamie) Dixon is a great coach and put them in position to win the game," Drew said. "We know the importance of good guard play, and LJ and Adam really came through. And I thought the last eight minutes defensively, we finally got a couple of stops. . . . in the last eight minutes, we did more of what we do, and I think that helped."

Drew said it was "on us coaches," but with Miles out, the defensive game plan was to "back it up and pack it in." That led to the Frogs scoring on backdoor cuts and easy layups, as they were up 34-31 at the half and 56-46 with nine minutes left.

"I thought that lack of aggression made it easier for them to get it inside," Drew said. "The last eight minutes, I think we started expecting a little bit more and did what we do. We probably overthought this one."

Cryer's hot shooting helped Baylor get off to a good start, scoring eight of the Bears' first 10 points, with Langston Love knocking down a 3-pointer for a 13-7 lead 6 ½ minutes into the game.

Still trailing by five late in the half, TCU closed on a 9-4 run and went up 34-31 when JaKobe Coles knocked down a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Baylor had just one offensive rebound in the first half and was dominated on the boards, 17-10.

"You've got to give them credit. We like to fight, but they were just tougher," Drew said. "In the second half, I thought we did a better job getting to the glass and doing what we normally do."

TCU took its biggest lead, 56-46, on a three-point play by Xavier Cork with 9:13 remaining. But Baylor responded with that 15-2 run, starting with layups by Cryer and Jalen Bridges.

Flagler then ignited, hitting four-straight shots and putting the Bears up 61-58 on back-to-back 3-pointers. After the Horned Frogs regained the lead with layups by Emanuel Miller and Coles, Flagler gave Baylor the lead for good when he hit all three free throws when he was fouled by Coles outside the arc.

Damion Baugh, who finished with 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, scored on three layups to pull TCU back within two. And then, after Baylor turned it over against the press with 8.1 seconds left, Baugh missed badly on a shot from just inside the 3-point line when Flagler kept him from penetrating.

Flagler then sealed the deal with a pair of free throws with 1.5 seconds left for the final margin.

"We missed free throws, they made their free throws, and there's where the lead goes," Dixon said. "I thought we had some bad offensive possessions . . . but they made the plays, they made the 3's, and we didn't. That's on me to get our guys in better positions to do that."

While Flagler and Cryer combined for nine 3-pointers and 51 points, TCU got better-balanced scoring with five players scoring at least nine points. Coles and Miller added 15 and 10 points, respectively, while Cork and Micah Peavy had nine points apiece.

"I feel like Coach Drew coaches for moments like this," Flagler said, "to go on the road when everybody's against us. But we know who we're playing for. At the end of the day, it just prepares us for the long haul, what we want to do when March Madness comes."

In a quick turnaround, the Bears host West Virginia (15-10, 4-8) at 8 p.m. Monday in an ESPN Big Monday matchup at the Ferrell Center. The Mountaineers had won four of its last five games before getting blown out by Texas, 94-60, Saturday in Austin in the first half of their Texas swing.

Postgame Notes

• BU is 17-5 against TCU in the Scott Drew Era.
• Baylor is 44-43 all time in Fort Worth.
• The Bears have won three-straight games against TCU in Fort Worth.
• BU is 26-9 against AP Top 25 teams over the last four years with 16 of those wins coming away from home
• The Bears are 25-7 in Big 12 road games over the last four seasons.
• BU had multiple 20-point scorers for the seventh time this season.
• Adam Flagler scored a season-high 28 points, including 20 in the second half.
• Flagler’s 20 second-half points were the most by a BU player since he had 21 in the second half against North Carolina last season.
• Flagler eclipsed the 20-point mark for the seventh time this season and the 14th time in his career. BU is 5-2 this season when he goes for 20+.
• LJ Cryer scored 23 points his fight game this season (and 10th of his career) with 20+ points.
• Baylor is 10-0 when Cryer scores 20-or-more points.
• Flo Thamba moved past Matthew Mayer for the most Big 12 wins in program history (53).
• Thamba played in his 141st career game, tying the program record held by Rico Gathers and A.J. Walton.
• Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua led the team in rebounds (7) for the first time since he had 12 rebounds vs. Kansas State (1/25/2022).
• BU improved to 18-2 when Tchamwa Tchatchoua leads the team in boards.