No. 14 Baylor MBB to Host No. 18 BYU in Big 12 Home Opener

Mon Jan 8 15:00:42 CST 2024

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BYU (12-2, 0-1 Big 12)
Location: Provo, Utah
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach: Mark Pope (Kentucky, 1996)
Roster<https://byucougars.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster?view=list> | Stats<https://byucougars.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats> | Game Notes<file:///documents/2024/1/8/BYU_vs._Baylor.pdf>
18/17 BYU (12-2, 0-1 Big 12) vs. 14/14 BAYLOR (12-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Jan. 9, 2024 • 8:00 p.m. CT
Waco, Texas • Foster Pavilion (7,500)

LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast<https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=bay>
WATCH: ESPN+
Talent: Pete Sousa (pxp), Chris Spatola (analyst)
LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com<http://www.centexsportsfan.com>
Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst)
SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 84 or on the SXM App

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14/14 BAYLOR BEARS (12-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993)
Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats> | Game Notes (PDF)<file:///documents/2024/1/8/BU_MBB_Game_Notes_15_BYU_23-24.pdf>
Media Materials Folder<https://baylor.app.box.com/s/pixj7k5dq7uo84maocw4vv2vhlhzh1c8>

Story lines

• No. 14 Baylor hosts No. 18 BYU in its conference home opener at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night on ESPN+.
• BU is selling a limited number of "Standing Room Only" tickets for Tuesday night's game. Fans can purchase tickets, here.<https://baylorbears.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS:BAYLOR:MB24:MB09:&linkID=baylor&dataAccId=502&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_baylor>

• Tuesday is the 11th all-time series meeting – with each team holding five wins in series history.

• This is the first meeting between these two programs as conference foes, and the first meeting since a 76-70 win by BU in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden April 2, 2013.

• This is BU's first Big 12 home-opener where both teams are ranked since Jan. 7, 2015 (vs. No. 12 Kansas).

• Tuesday marks just the second time in the Scott Drew Era that the Bears conference home-opener features two ranked teams.

• The Bears are a nations-best 27-12 vs. AP top-25 teams over the last five years, with 16 of those wins coming away from home.

• BU is 13-7 in conference home openers in the Drew era, including 13 of its last 16 (started 0-4).

• Baylor's 307-119 record since 2011-12 trails only Kansas (345-87) among Big 12 teams.

• Last time out, BU outlasted a feisty Oklahoma State squad 75-70 in overtime for its ninth-straight win at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

• Despite only hitting two three-pointers, the nation's leading 3-point shooting team out-rebounded the Pokes on the offensive glass 16-5, giving them a 12-6 advantage in second-chance points.

• The win was Baylor's first overtime victory since it won 66-64 in Stillwater on Feb 21, 2022.

• Yves Missi recorded his fourth double-double of the season, the most by a BU player since Freddie Gillespie had 10 in 2019-20.

• Baylor opened its brand-new Foster Pavilion with a 98-79 win over the Cornell Big Red, behind 58 first-half points, its most points in a half since scoring 61 against MVSU in the 2022-23 season opener.

•  Ja'Kobe Walter had a game-high 23 points and a season-high 9 rebounds, while Missi scored 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting, becoming the first player since Flo Thamba in 2021 to shoot 1.000 taking at least eight shots.

• The Bears had a historic final game at the Ferrell Center shooting a program-record 67.2% from the field in a 59 point win over Mississippi Valley State (107-48).

• Baylor hit 19 three-pointers, the most by a Baylor team in Ferrell Center history and one shy of the program record (20).

• The Bears lead the nation in 3-point FG% (43.2), rank fourth in offensive efficiency (122.2) and seventh in points per game (88.1).

• RayJ Dennis ranks third in the Big 12 in assists per game (6.2), with the Bears getting 15.3 points per game from Walter to lead the offense, the most among Big 12 Conference Freshmen.

• 15.3 points per game would rank as the fourth-most by a freshman in program history.

• Four Bears are averaging at least 10 points per game, including Dennis (14.2), Yves Missi (10.7), Langston Love (10.5) and Jayden Nunn (10.4). Missi leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.

• Missi's 1.9 blocks per game puts him fifth among freshman in Division I.

Matt Roberts | Associate Director of Athletic Communications (MBB/MGOLF/ WGOLF)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-227-2280
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