No. 6 Baylor MBB Faces VCU in Battle 4 Atlantis Semifinals

Thu Nov 25 11:14:42 CST 2021

Complete game notes attached.
Media materials available for download here: http://baylorbea.rs/MediaMBB
Battle 4 Atlantis
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=377967
Game 7 Postgame – VCU vs. Baylor
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[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (5-0)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach: Scott Drew<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1625> (Butler, 1993)

Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats> | Game Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2021/11/25/BU_MBB_Game_Notes_21_22_06_vs_VCU.pdf?id=19797>
BAYLOR (5-0) vs. VCU (3-2)
November 25, 2021 • 4:00 p.m. CT
Paradise Island, Bahamas • Imperial Arena (3,500)

LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast<http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=bay>
WATCH: ESPN
Talent: Karl Ravech (pxp), Jimmy Dykes (analyst)
LISTEN: Learfield/ ESPN 1660 AM in Central Texas
Talent: John Morris<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=52> (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Sirius 81, XM 81, Internet 81

Baylor Social Media: [auto twitter icon] <https://twitter.com/BaylorMBB>  [instagram png] <https://www.instagram.com/baylormbb>  [Facebook PNG] <https://www.facebook.com/BaylorMBB>
[imported - logo_vcu]
VCU RAMS (3-2)
Location: Richmond, Va.
Conference/Affiliation: Atlantic 10
Head Coach: Mike Rhoades (Lebanon Valley, 1995)

Roster<https://vcuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster> | Stats<https://vcuathletics.com/news/2016/3/22/3_22_2016_3261>

STORY LINES

• No. 6/5 Baylor takes on VCU in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. The last time the teams met was the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis first round, a 71-63 BU win on its way to the tournament championship.

• BU has the nation's longest winning streak (11), with 7 at neutral sites and all wins by 9+ points.

• Baylor has won 29 straight non-conference games (+22.9 average margin) dating back to Nov. 2020.

• BU has won 15-straight non-conference road/neutral games (last loss Nov. 8, 2019 vs. Washington).

• Baylor is 24-4 in regular-season tournaments since 2013-14, including 4 regular-season tournament titles.

• Baylor needs two more wins to join Villanova as the only 2-time Battle 4 Atlantis champions.

• BU is 4-0 all-time at Battle 4 Atlantis, with wins over VCU, Michigan State, Louisville and Arizona State.

• Baylor has won 3 of its last 4 regular-season tournaments – 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis (over Louisville), 2017 Hall of Fame Classic (over Creighton), 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational (over Villanova).

• BU has held all 5 opponents to 5 or fewer second-chance points this season (average of 3.8/game).

• Baylor has 47 steals over its last three games – school-record 21 vs. UCA, 16 vs. Stanford, 10 vs. ASU.

• BU defeated Arizona State 75-63 in Wednesday's first round. The Bears shot only 42%, but limited ASU to 36% shooting and attempted 15 more field goals than the Sun Devils with a 43-36 rebounding edge.

• LJ Cryer (15 points vs. ASU) led the Bears in scoring for a 4th-straight game. He now has 89 points in 5 games this season (28.5 pts/40 min.) after scoring 67 points in 20 games last season (13.6 pts/40min.).

• Baylor was No. 8 in the preseason AP Top-25, snapping a school-record streak of 29-straight weeks top-5 ranked. The Bears are currently on a school-record streak of 32-straight weeks top-10 ranked.

• Baylor has been ranked in all 25 spots in the AP Top 25 at some point in the last 7 years.

• BU's 40-straight weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 is the nation's 3rd-longest behind Gonzaga and Villanova.

• Head coach Scott Drew is in his 19th season at Baylor with a school-record 375 career victories, including a 17-8 mark in NCAA Tournaments, which is the 7th-best mark among active coaches.

• Drew has swept AP and coaches' Big 12 Coach of the Year honors each of the last two seasons.

• BU has led by at least 4 points in all 65 games since the start of the 2019-20 season and built a double-digit lead in 56 of 65 games, including 32 of 35 games since the start of last season.

• Baylor went 11-2 vs. AP Top 25 teams last season, including 7-0 against AP Top 10 teams.

• Baylor returned seven letterwinners from the 2021 national championship team, with Flo Thamba as the lone returning starter. The four departed starters are all playing in the NBA, G-League or NFL.

• Among BU returners is Matthew Mayer, who made his career-first start in the opener after coming off the bench in 93 games over his first 3 seasons. He is on 6-player the Preseason All-Big 12 team.

• The Bears also welcomed back Adam Flagler, who came off the bench in 28 games last season and is now starting. He joins Mayer on the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award preseason watch lists.

• BU also returned LJ Cryer, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Jordan Turner and Zach Loveday.

• Baylor welcomed the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history (No. 4) . Trio of freshmen includes 5-star Kendall Brown and 4-stars Jeremy Sochan and Langston Love (out for year with injury).

QUICK HITS

• Baylor's 59-6 record since the start of the 2019-20 season is the nation's best among Power-5 conference teams.

• BU is playing its 284th game as a ranked team under Drew – BU was ranked in 2 of 2,197 games over the program's 97 seasons prior to Drew. Since January 2010, BU has been ranked in 268 of 405 games.

• Baylor joins Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas as the only programs ranked No. 1 in 3 of 5 seasons since 2017.

• Baylor and Kansas are the only Power-5 schools to win 18+ games every year since 2008.

• BU finished last season ranked top-10 nationally in offensive rebounding pct (No. 8) for a 7th consecutive year.

• BU led the nation in 3-point pct. last season (.413) and ranked 3rd nationally in turnover margin (+5.5) and scoring margin (+17.4). The Bears were also top-10 in scoring (6th, 82.9), steals (9th, 8.9/gm) and assists (10th, 16.9/gm).

• Baylor's streak of 9 consecutive postseasons is tied as the nation's 7th-longest active streak.

• Baylor's 2 losses last seasons were its fewest losses since going 13-0 in 1911-12.

• Baylor is 40-21 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last 13 seasons.

• Baylor has won 20+ games in 12 of the last 14 seasons after recording only three 20-win seasons in the previous 100 years of Baylor Basketball (1946, 1948, 1988).

• Baylor is 14-3 in Big 12 road games over the last 2 seasons (rest of league is 59-99 in B12 road games).

• Baylor is 80-5 when leading at halftime over the last 4+ seasons (50-2 over last 2+ seasons, 24-0 last season).

• In the last two seasons, Baylor has recorded the longest winning streak in the Big 12 Conference's 26-year history (23 wins in 2019-20) and 4th-longest winning streak in Big 12 history (18 wins in 2020-21).

• Baylor has won 90% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (198-21).

• BU is 59-4 when leading at any point in the 2nd half of a game over the last 2+ seasons.

• Baylor is 250-99 over the last 10+ seasons, averaging 24.5 wins per season since 2011-12.

• Baylor's 250 wins since 2011-12 are second-most in the Big 12 behind only Kansas (288).

• Baylor is 341-146 since 2007-08, the first year Drew's staff had a full allotment of scholarships.

• Six of Baylor's players have used or are currently using a redshirt year. Two after transferring to BU (Flagler, Tchamwa Tchatchoua), one before transferring (Bonner) and three as freshmen — Turner, Dainja and Love.

• Ten of Baylor's 11 starting point guards under Drew have earned All-Big recognition (16 of last 17 seasons).

• Baylor is 1 of 10 teams nationally to appear in every postseason since 2012 (7 NCAAs, 2 NITs).

• Baylor has the nation's 10th-longest active streak with at least one 3-point FG made in 967 straight games — the last time Baylor failed to make a 3-pointer was more than 30 years ago, on Feb. 21, 1990 vs. Texas Tech (0-8).

• BU is 7-1 all-time in Big 12/SEC Challenges, the best record of any team in either league. Combined with a 3-1 mark in the Big 12/Pac-10 Series and 1-0 in the Big 12/Big East Battle, Baylor is 11-2 in conference challenges.

• Baylor has won 7 tournament titles under Drew – 2007 Paradise Jam, 2011 Las Vegas Classic, 2013 NIT, 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis, 2017 Hall of Fame Classic, 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational and 2021 NCAA Championship.

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS HISTORY

• Baylor is 4-0 all-time at the Battle 4 Atlantis and looks to join Villanova as the only 2-time tournament champions.

• Baylor defeated VCU, Michigan State and Louisville, respectively, to win the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis.

• The Bears knocked off Arizona State 75-63 in the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis first round, improving to 15-5 against Pac-12 teams during the Drew era, including 8-1 in the last seven seasons.

UP NEXT

• Baylor will play a third-straight day on Friday against Michigan State or UConn. If the Bears defeat VCU, they will play in the championship game at 10 a.m. CT. With a loss, BU will play in the third-place game at 12:30 p.m. CT.

GAME-BY-GAME NOTES

• 5-Baylor used a 19-4 run to take a 42-27 lead and led by double-digits for the final 22 minutes in a win over Arizona St. on Nov. 24 in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. LJ Cryer (15 points) led BU in scoring for a 4th-straight game.

• 4-BU started the second half on a 24-3 run in a dominant 86-48 victory over Stanford on Nov. 20.

• 3-Baylor tied a school-record with 21 steals on Nov. 17 in a 92-47 win over Central Arkansas.

• 2-The Bears rolled to an 89-60 win over Nicholls State on Nov. 15. Baylor recorded 33 assists vs. Nicholls State, 3rd-most in program history and most since Dec. 16, 2015.

• 1-Baylor opened the season with an 87-60 win over Incarnate Word on Nov. 12. Five Bears scored in double-figures, led by Matthew Mayer (14 points) and LJ Cryer and Kendall Brown (13 points apiece).

NOTEABLE STREAKS

• Baylor has won 29-consecutive games when leading at halftime (last loss Feb. 29, 2020 at TCU).

• Baylor has won 17-consecutive home games (last loss Feb. 22, 2020 vs. Kansas).

• Baylor has won 15-consecutive non-conference road/neutral games (last loss Nov. 8, 2019 vs. Washington).

• Baylor has won 17-consecutive non-conference home games (last loss Dec. 18, 2018 vs. SFA).

• Baylor has won 27-straight games when shooting 50% or higher (last loss March 18, 2018 vs. Mississippi State).

• BU has won 48-straight when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (last loss March 2, 2019 at K-State).

• Baylor has won 30-straight when scoring 80+ points (last loss Jan. 5, 2019 vs. TCU).

• BU has won 26-consecutive games when holding an opponent below 70 points (last loss Feb. 22, 2020 vs. KU).

• BU has won 26-consecutive games when its bench outscores the opposing bench (last loss Feb. 29, 2020 at TCU)

• Baylor has won 16-consective games when Adam Flagler scores 10+ points (never lost).

• Baylor has won 8-straight games following a loss (last consecutive losses were March 9-14, 2019)

--

David Kaye | Assistant AD for Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-709-5147

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