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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 1, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
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<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-style:normal">Baylor MBB Adds Another Marquee Contest with Michigan State<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-style:normal">BU enters with a 2-0 series advantage against the Spartans</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information, contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280, </span><a href="mailto:WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">WACO, Texas –
</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal">Baylor men's basketball will face Michigan State on December 16, 2023, in Detroit, head coach Scott Drew announced Friday.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal">The game will be played at Little Caesars Arena, home to the NBA's Detroit Pistons, before a showdown with Duke at Madison Square Garden
four days later. Drew and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are two of only six active coaches who have won NCAA Division I National Championships, while also being two of the 10 longest-tenured head coaches in Division I.
<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;font-weight:normal">The Bears and Spartans will meet for the third time, with BU holding the 2-0 series advantage after two wins in the Battle '4' Atlantis
in 2016 and 2021. The most recent meeting was a 75-58 win where guard James Akinjo
</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">scored a game-high 15 points with five assists and three steals to claim tournament MVP honors. At the time, the 17-point win by the Bears was Michigan State’s
largest margin of defeat in five years.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">In the first meeting, Johnathan Motley scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, while Baylor clamped down defensively in the second half
to capture a 73-58 win in the Battle’4’ Atlantis semifinal. BU has won five-straight games against Big Ten opponents.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">The full non-conference schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, but in addition to their game against Duke in Madison Square Garden, the Bears will participate in the NIT Season Tip-off
Nov. 22-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. BU will open the event against Oregon State on the 22<sup>nd</sup> at 6 p.m., on ESPN 2.
</span><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Baylor will begin the season on Nov. 7 at the Sanford Pentagon against Auburn in Sioux Falls, S.D., and host a marquee non-conference home contest against Seton Hall on Dec. 5 as part of the Big
East/Big 12 Battle.</span><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Fans interested in tickets for the upcoming Baylor men’s basketball season can fill out the Baylor Ticket Interest Form</span><a href="https://app.baylorbears.com/BUMBBTix"><span style="background:white"> here</span></a><span style="color:black;background:white">. Those
interested in putting their name on season-ticket waitlist can do so </span><a href="https://app.baylorbears.com/MBBWait"><span style="background:white">here.</span></a><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.<span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<a href="http://www.BaylorBears.com">www.BaylorBears.com</a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Matt Roberts | Associate Director of Athletic Communications (MBB/MGOLF/ WGOLF) <br>
Department of Athletics | Baylor University<br>
C: 254-227-2280</span><span style="color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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