Better not sleep on the Aggies, who usually put a decent team on the floor. They've been to the NCAA tournament in five of the last six seasons under Marin Menzies.
They have a pretty good 1-2 scoring punch between sophomore forward Pascal Siakam. From Cameroon, he's averaging 23.4 points. Meanwhile junior guard Ian Baker is at 14.9 points. NMSU is at 72 points per game so the Bears defense will have to do some work.
Obviously, the Bears need better intensity from the opening tip after being outworked this past Saturday at Texas A&M.
• Wednesday’s game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest-Plus, Baylor’s 148th straight televised game.
• Wednesday will be the 10th series meeting. NMSU leads 5-4, but Baylor won 66-55 on Dec. 17 last season.
• Baylor has won 31 consecutive non-conference home games — last loss to Northwestern on Dec. 4, 2012.
• Baylor has won 21 straight home games against unranked opponents — last loss to WVU on Jan. 28, 2014.
• Baylor has won 10 consecutive games at the Ferrell Center, tying the 5th-longest streak in arena history.
• Baylor ranks top-10 nationally in assists/game (2nd, 22.5), rebound margin (4th, +13.8), offensive rebs/game (5th, 16.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (8th, 1.76). BU is 11th in steal percentage (12.3) and 12th in rebounds/game (43.6).
• Baylor is 1 of 5 teams ranked in the nation’s top 40 in scoring offense and scoring defense, joining Louisville, Pittsburgh, SMU and West Virginia. BU ranks 40th in scoring offense (82.4) and 30th in scoring defense (62.9).
• Baylor is ranked No. 23 by the AP and No. 22 in the coaches poll. BU has been ranked for 19 consecutive polls.
• Baylor is 1 of 12 teams nationally with 35+ rebounds in every game this season, and the Bears have the nation’s 7th-longest active streak with 12 consecutive games of 35+ rebounds.
• Baylor, Michigan State and Oklahoma are the only schools AP-ranked in football and men’s and women’s basketball.
• Baylor is outscoring opponents 43.2–23.0 in the paint and 16.8–7.5 in second-chance points.
• Baylor has a .707 winning percentage over the last four-plus seasons (111-46).
• Baylor hasn’t allowed more than 80 points in 59 consecutive games, the Big 12’s longest active streak.
• Baylor has held opponents under 75 points in 54 of its last 55 games, and BU is 40-15 in that stretch.
• Rico Gathers has 998 career points and needs 2 more to become Baylor’s 29th 1,000-point scorer. He already holds the school record with 965 career rebounds, and his 29 career double-doubles are 5 back of the school record.
• Taurean Prince has scored in double figures in 25 of the last 28 games, averaging 15.4 ppg in that stretch.
• Al Freeman has scored in double figures in 7 of 10 games this season — he had 7 double-digit scoring games last year.
• Lester Medford has 16 career starts at point guard and has 99 assists and 27 turnovers in those games (3.7 A-T ratio).
• Medford is top-30 nationally in assists/game (19th, 6.4), steals/game (11th, 2.7) and AST-to-TO ratio (29th, 3.37).
• Ishmail Wainright has made more field goals over the last 3 games (12) than all of last season (11).
• Jake Lindsey has 29 assists and 4 turnovers, and his 7.25 A-T ratio leads all Big 12 players with at least 2.0 apg.
• BU has won 20+ games in 7 of the last 8 years. BU had only three 20-win seasons prior to Scott Drew’s arrival.
QUICK HITS
• Drew is coaching his 399th game at Baylor (236-162). His .591 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 60+ games, and his teams have a .685 winning percentage since 2007-08.
• Sophomores Johnathan Motley and Terry Maston and freshman King McClure combine to average 22.1 points per game off the bench. They’ve accounted for 83 percent of Baylor’s bench scoring (221 of 267 points).
• Baylor is 44-15 in its last 59 games dating back to Feb. 12, 2014. Thirteen of the 15 losses have been away from home (8 road, 5 neutral) and 10 of the losses have been against ranked teams.
• Baylor is 312-71 in football and men’s and women’s basketball since 2011-12, the nation’s best record in that span.
• Baylor is 50-8 in November/December games when ranked in the AP poll and 61-12 in home games when AP ranked.
• Baylor is 202-93 (24 wins per season) over the last 8-plus seasons and has made 7 postseason appearances (NCAA Tournament — 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015; NIT — 2009, 2013).
• Baylor’s 17-5 postseason record since 2009 is the nation’s 4th-best among teams with 3+ NCAA appearances.
• Baylor is one of only 14 schools nationally to play in the Sweet 16 in 3 of the last 6 seasons.
• Baylor made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history in 2014 and 2015.
• Baylor is 90-11 when leading at the half over the last four seasons, including 8-0 this season.
• BU has won 38% of its games (21-35) when tied or trailing at half since 2011-12, including 0-2 this season.
• Baylor is 38-22 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 10-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
• Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last nine seasons.
• Baylor was picked 5th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, behind Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas.
• Drew is tied with Kansas’ Bill Self as the longest tenured head coach in the Big 12 Conference (13th seasons).
• Baylor has more Big 12 wins in the last 7 seasons (73-63) than its first 11 years in the league combined (45-131).
• Baylor is 28-12 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last seven seasons.
• Baylor’s 5 NBA Draft picks in the last 4 years ranks 8th nationally behind Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas, Arizona, North Carolina and UCLA.
• Baylor has the Big 12’s 2nd-longest active streak (16th-longest nationally) with at least one 3-point FG made in 776 consecutive games. The last time BU didn’t make a 3-pointer was Feb. 21, 1990, a win vs. Texas Tech.
GATHERS NEEDS 2 POINTS FOR 1,000
• Rico Gathers has 998 career points and needs 2 more to become Baylor’s 29th 1,000-point scorer.
• Gathers can become the 11th player to join the 1,000-point club during the Scott Drew era.
• Teammate Taurean Prince is close behind with 927 career points, 73 shy of the 1,000-point club.
SERIES HISTORY
• Wednesday will mark the 10th series meeting between Baylor and New Mexico State.
• Baylor trails in the series 4-5, including a 2-1 mark in Waco and a 1-0 record at the Ferrell Center.
• Baylor dropped the first three series meetings before winning three straight and then dropping the next two.
• Baylor is 12-13 against current WAC members, with New Mexico State (4-5) the most-played opponent. The Bears have also played UTPA (4-3), UMKC (3-4), Chicago State (1-0) and Seattle (0-1).
• Baylor defeated NMSU 66-55 when the teams met on Dec. 17 last season in the first series meeting since 1980.
LAST TIME VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
• Baylor defeated New Mexico State 66-55 on Dec. 17 last season, despite shooting .393 from the field.
• The Bears recorded 13 steals, including a career-best 7 steals by Rico Gathers.
• Johnathan Motley had game-highs with 16 points and 5 blocks.
• Lester Medford and Al Freeman had 10 points apiece, and Gathers added 12 rebounds.
ONE OF THREE RANKED IN FB, MBB AND WBB
• Baylor, Michigan State and Oklahoma are the only schools ranked by the AP in football, men’s and women’s basketball.
• Baylor men’s basketball is ranked No. 23, football is No. 18 and women’s basketball is No. 4.
• Michigan State is ranked No. 3 in football, No. 1 in men’s basketball and No. 24 in women’s basketball. Oklahoma is No. 4 in football, No. 3 in men’s basketball and No. 18 in women’s basketball.
• Baylor, Louisville and Michigan State were the only teams to finish the 2014-15 academic year ranked in the final AP Polls for all three sports.
31 CONSECUTIVE NON-CONFERENCE HOME WINS
• Baylor has won 31 consecutive non-conference home games, dating back to a Dec. 12, 2012, win vs. Lamar.
• The Bears’ last non-conference home loss was Dec. 4, 2012, vs. Northwestern.
• BU is 59-2 in non-conference home games since 2009-10 and 96-12 in non-conference home games during the Drew era.
HOME WINNING STREAKS
• BU has won 21 straight home games against unranked teams, with the last loss on Jan. 28, 2014, vs. West Virginia.
• Baylor has won 10 consecutive games played at the Ferrell Center, tying the 5th-longest streak in arena history.
• Baylor’s last home loss was Feb. 9, 2015, against No. 21 Oklahoma State.
• A win vs. New Mexico State would tie the 4th-longest winning streak in arena history at 11 consecutive.
• The school record for consecutive wins at the Ferrell Center is 15 straight from Feb. 3, 2010 through Jan. 11, 2011.
=DEFENSIVE STREAKS
• Baylor has gone 59 straight games without allowing more than 80 points, the longest active streak in the Big 12.
• Baylor has held teams under 75 points in 54 of its last 55 games is 40-15 during that stretch, including an 11-10 record against AP-ranked opponents.
• Baylor went 54 consecutive games without allowing 75 points before that nation-leading streak was snapped Saturday at Texas A&M, when the Bears gave up 80 points.
• Baylor is holding opponents to an average of 61.8 points per game during that stretch.
They have a pretty good 1-2 scoring punch between sophomore forward Pascal Siakam. From Cameroon, he's averaging 23.4 points. Meanwhile junior guard Ian Baker is at 14.9 points. NMSU is at 72 points per game so the Bears defense will have to do some work.
Obviously, the Bears need better intensity from the opening tip after being outworked this past Saturday at Texas A&M.
• Wednesday’s game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest-Plus, Baylor’s 148th straight televised game.
• Wednesday will be the 10th series meeting. NMSU leads 5-4, but Baylor won 66-55 on Dec. 17 last season.
• Baylor has won 31 consecutive non-conference home games — last loss to Northwestern on Dec. 4, 2012.
• Baylor has won 21 straight home games against unranked opponents — last loss to WVU on Jan. 28, 2014.
• Baylor has won 10 consecutive games at the Ferrell Center, tying the 5th-longest streak in arena history.
• Baylor ranks top-10 nationally in assists/game (2nd, 22.5), rebound margin (4th, +13.8), offensive rebs/game (5th, 16.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (8th, 1.76). BU is 11th in steal percentage (12.3) and 12th in rebounds/game (43.6).
• Baylor is 1 of 5 teams ranked in the nation’s top 40 in scoring offense and scoring defense, joining Louisville, Pittsburgh, SMU and West Virginia. BU ranks 40th in scoring offense (82.4) and 30th in scoring defense (62.9).
• Baylor is ranked No. 23 by the AP and No. 22 in the coaches poll. BU has been ranked for 19 consecutive polls.
• Baylor is 1 of 12 teams nationally with 35+ rebounds in every game this season, and the Bears have the nation’s 7th-longest active streak with 12 consecutive games of 35+ rebounds.
• Baylor, Michigan State and Oklahoma are the only schools AP-ranked in football and men’s and women’s basketball.
• Baylor is outscoring opponents 43.2–23.0 in the paint and 16.8–7.5 in second-chance points.
• Baylor has a .707 winning percentage over the last four-plus seasons (111-46).
• Baylor hasn’t allowed more than 80 points in 59 consecutive games, the Big 12’s longest active streak.
• Baylor has held opponents under 75 points in 54 of its last 55 games, and BU is 40-15 in that stretch.
• Rico Gathers has 998 career points and needs 2 more to become Baylor’s 29th 1,000-point scorer. He already holds the school record with 965 career rebounds, and his 29 career double-doubles are 5 back of the school record.
• Taurean Prince has scored in double figures in 25 of the last 28 games, averaging 15.4 ppg in that stretch.
• Al Freeman has scored in double figures in 7 of 10 games this season — he had 7 double-digit scoring games last year.
• Lester Medford has 16 career starts at point guard and has 99 assists and 27 turnovers in those games (3.7 A-T ratio).
• Medford is top-30 nationally in assists/game (19th, 6.4), steals/game (11th, 2.7) and AST-to-TO ratio (29th, 3.37).
• Ishmail Wainright has made more field goals over the last 3 games (12) than all of last season (11).
• Jake Lindsey has 29 assists and 4 turnovers, and his 7.25 A-T ratio leads all Big 12 players with at least 2.0 apg.
• BU has won 20+ games in 7 of the last 8 years. BU had only three 20-win seasons prior to Scott Drew’s arrival.
QUICK HITS
• Drew is coaching his 399th game at Baylor (236-162). His .591 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 60+ games, and his teams have a .685 winning percentage since 2007-08.
• Sophomores Johnathan Motley and Terry Maston and freshman King McClure combine to average 22.1 points per game off the bench. They’ve accounted for 83 percent of Baylor’s bench scoring (221 of 267 points).
• Baylor is 44-15 in its last 59 games dating back to Feb. 12, 2014. Thirteen of the 15 losses have been away from home (8 road, 5 neutral) and 10 of the losses have been against ranked teams.
• Baylor is 312-71 in football and men’s and women’s basketball since 2011-12, the nation’s best record in that span.
• Baylor is 50-8 in November/December games when ranked in the AP poll and 61-12 in home games when AP ranked.
• Baylor is 202-93 (24 wins per season) over the last 8-plus seasons and has made 7 postseason appearances (NCAA Tournament — 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015; NIT — 2009, 2013).
• Baylor’s 17-5 postseason record since 2009 is the nation’s 4th-best among teams with 3+ NCAA appearances.
• Baylor is one of only 14 schools nationally to play in the Sweet 16 in 3 of the last 6 seasons.
• Baylor made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history in 2014 and 2015.
• Baylor is 90-11 when leading at the half over the last four seasons, including 8-0 this season.
• BU has won 38% of its games (21-35) when tied or trailing at half since 2011-12, including 0-2 this season.
• Baylor is 38-22 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 10-2 in overtime games since 2008-09.
• Baylor is one of 13 teams to be nationally ranked in each of the last nine seasons.
• Baylor was picked 5th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, behind Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas.
• Drew is tied with Kansas’ Bill Self as the longest tenured head coach in the Big 12 Conference (13th seasons).
• Baylor has more Big 12 wins in the last 7 seasons (73-63) than its first 11 years in the league combined (45-131).
• Baylor is 28-12 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last seven seasons.
• Baylor’s 5 NBA Draft picks in the last 4 years ranks 8th nationally behind Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas, Arizona, North Carolina and UCLA.
• Baylor has the Big 12’s 2nd-longest active streak (16th-longest nationally) with at least one 3-point FG made in 776 consecutive games. The last time BU didn’t make a 3-pointer was Feb. 21, 1990, a win vs. Texas Tech.
GATHERS NEEDS 2 POINTS FOR 1,000
• Rico Gathers has 998 career points and needs 2 more to become Baylor’s 29th 1,000-point scorer.
• Gathers can become the 11th player to join the 1,000-point club during the Scott Drew era.
• Teammate Taurean Prince is close behind with 927 career points, 73 shy of the 1,000-point club.
SERIES HISTORY
• Wednesday will mark the 10th series meeting between Baylor and New Mexico State.
• Baylor trails in the series 4-5, including a 2-1 mark in Waco and a 1-0 record at the Ferrell Center.
• Baylor dropped the first three series meetings before winning three straight and then dropping the next two.
• Baylor is 12-13 against current WAC members, with New Mexico State (4-5) the most-played opponent. The Bears have also played UTPA (4-3), UMKC (3-4), Chicago State (1-0) and Seattle (0-1).
• Baylor defeated NMSU 66-55 when the teams met on Dec. 17 last season in the first series meeting since 1980.
LAST TIME VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
• Baylor defeated New Mexico State 66-55 on Dec. 17 last season, despite shooting .393 from the field.
• The Bears recorded 13 steals, including a career-best 7 steals by Rico Gathers.
• Johnathan Motley had game-highs with 16 points and 5 blocks.
• Lester Medford and Al Freeman had 10 points apiece, and Gathers added 12 rebounds.
ONE OF THREE RANKED IN FB, MBB AND WBB
• Baylor, Michigan State and Oklahoma are the only schools ranked by the AP in football, men’s and women’s basketball.
• Baylor men’s basketball is ranked No. 23, football is No. 18 and women’s basketball is No. 4.
• Michigan State is ranked No. 3 in football, No. 1 in men’s basketball and No. 24 in women’s basketball. Oklahoma is No. 4 in football, No. 3 in men’s basketball and No. 18 in women’s basketball.
• Baylor, Louisville and Michigan State were the only teams to finish the 2014-15 academic year ranked in the final AP Polls for all three sports.
31 CONSECUTIVE NON-CONFERENCE HOME WINS
• Baylor has won 31 consecutive non-conference home games, dating back to a Dec. 12, 2012, win vs. Lamar.
• The Bears’ last non-conference home loss was Dec. 4, 2012, vs. Northwestern.
• BU is 59-2 in non-conference home games since 2009-10 and 96-12 in non-conference home games during the Drew era.
HOME WINNING STREAKS
• BU has won 21 straight home games against unranked teams, with the last loss on Jan. 28, 2014, vs. West Virginia.
• Baylor has won 10 consecutive games played at the Ferrell Center, tying the 5th-longest streak in arena history.
• Baylor’s last home loss was Feb. 9, 2015, against No. 21 Oklahoma State.
• A win vs. New Mexico State would tie the 4th-longest winning streak in arena history at 11 consecutive.
• The school record for consecutive wins at the Ferrell Center is 15 straight from Feb. 3, 2010 through Jan. 11, 2011.
=DEFENSIVE STREAKS
• Baylor has gone 59 straight games without allowing more than 80 points, the longest active streak in the Big 12.
• Baylor has held teams under 75 points in 54 of its last 55 games is 40-15 during that stretch, including an 11-10 record against AP-ranked opponents.
• Baylor went 54 consecutive games without allowing 75 points before that nation-leading streak was snapped Saturday at Texas A&M, when the Bears gave up 80 points.
• Baylor is holding opponents to an average of 61.8 points per game during that stretch.
