Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

BAYLOR BASKETBALL UPDATE: Bears fall to Purdue in NCAA Tourney, garner highly successful season with Drew at the helm

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Now that the bracket’s been notched down to the Sweet 16, it’s time to take a look back at the season that was for the Baylor Bears basketball team.

The green and gold men’s hoops team, under the direction and leadership of the one and only Scott Drew, had a highly successful season – compiling a 21-11 overall record while establishing the team as one of the up-and-coming programs in a very elite conference with a 9-7 mark in Big 12 play.

Despite a disappointing first round Big 12 Tourney loss to Colorado in double overtime, the Bears still made the Big Dance – with BU bursting their bubble status when the final pairings were announced on Selection Sunday.

“How sweet man,” Baylor’s Curtis Jerrells said following the news the team had made the NCAA Tourney. “I was a little nervous. It was faith. First off, we just want to thank God for giving us the opportunity for being a part of the NCAA Tournament.

“This is something that we set out to do all season. We felt like we worked hard enough to do it, and it just came down to that last spot. We just had to have faith, so we just want to thank God.”

Coach Drew concurred with his junior star guard.

“I think I lost my voice in all of the screaming and the excitement, so I apologize for that,” Drew said. “I also want to echo CJ’s [Curtis Jerrells] thoughts about thanking the Lord for helping us get to this situation. Being the 65^th pick is indicative of the Baylor Bears; we persist and we hang in there. When it looks like we are down and out, we are able to come through. This is very exciting for us and the fans.

“When you put in perspective, it is the second time Baylor has been to the NCAA tournament in 58 years. So it has been a long time coming. Being able to progress this far as we have in such a short time is just a tribute to the players that we brought in, the school administration and the community that has been able to support us over this time.”

And regardless of a first round 90-79 loss to Purdue when the NCAA Tournament tipped off last week, the Baylor Bears still have a lot to be proud of – and they also have a lot to look forward to.

“It wasn’t the performance that we wanted, but at the same time I think this team has accomplished a tremendous amount this year,” Drew said. “It’s something that hopefully they can be proud of the rest of their lives.”

Jerrells led the way for Baylor in their match-up with Purdue, netting 27 points while dishing out eight assists in the Bears first round loss to the Boilermakers.

“In the second half, we thought we were coming back,” Baylor sophomore guard Tweety Carter said. “We had all season long. But we just couldn’t come back [against Purdue].”

Also contributing in the scoring department for BU were freshman guard LaceDarius Dunn with 15 points and junior guard Henry Dugat, who matched his freshman teammate by chipping in with 15 points.

“We gained a lot; we gained hunger,” Jerrells said. “I think the taste in our mouth will be a whole lot better next year. And we’ll actually guard somebody.”

One way or the other, the Bears have a lot to be proud of – as senior guard Aaron Bruce can testify.

“When I first got here, thinking of days like this and thinking about going to the tournament wasn’t even in the picture,” Bruce said. “I think it is just a testament [to this program]; the coaching staff, and the people that they brought in. We’re fighters and we are going to keep fighting.

“You count us out, we are going to show up on a board on the NCAA tournament sooner or later, and that is what we did. It is just a credit to those guys, credit to the staff, and everybody that has something to do with [the Baylor basketball program].”

In addition to leading the team in scoring in a losing effort for Baylor against Purdue, Jerrells also became the first player to score at least 27 points and eight or more assists since Dwyane Wade put up 29 points and dished out 11 assists for Marquette in an Elite Eight battle with Kentucky on March 29, 2003 – a game that Wade and the Golden Eagles won to advance to the Final Four.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR 86, TEXAS TECH 73: Bears rally late, Dunn’s 38 points lead to Big 12 victory over Red Raiders

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears are all about breaking and beginning new streaks in 2008.

On Saturday afternoon, March 8 in Lubbock, the Bears broke through another barrier – finally ending a nine-game losing skid at Texas Tech.

After falling behind early, with Texas Tech pushing their lead to 34-25 with 4:12 left in the first half of play, Baylor answered with a 9-0 run to deadlock the game at 34-34 with 1:49 remaining until halftime.

However, the Bears and Red Raiders traded baskets through the final two minutes – with Texas Tech taking a one-point lead, 37-36, through the first 20 minutes of play.

Whatever Drew told his team at the half worked to perfection, as the Bears came out hot in the second half – using a 16-6 run over the first six minutes – taking a 43-52 lead on LaceDarius Dunn’s three-pointer, his fifth trey on the night, with 14:07 left in regulation.

Dunn finished the evening with 38 points and six three-pointers, a new career high for the BU freshman guard, as the Bears completed the regular season with a phenomenal 9-7 conference mark and a 21-9 overall record with Drew at the helm.

Baylor’s lead blossomed to 11 points on Dunn’s sixth swish from beyond the arc, giving the Bears a commanding 63-52 lead with 9:50 left in the second half of play.

Tweety Carter, another green and gold weapon from long-range, hit a trey of his own to push the Bears lead to 66-54 – and shortly thereafter, Dunn hit four consecutive free throws as Baylor’s lead grew to 70-56 with 5:49 remaining.

An emphatic dunk by Kevin Rogers put an explanation point on the evening as the Bears grabbed a 78-63 lead with the clock nearing the three minute mark, with Drew’s Cinderella Baylor bunch picking up a huge Big 12 road victory.

In addition, Drew’s Bears now own an undefeated record against the Red Raiders since Pat Knight took over the program – with Baylor knocking off the younger Knight in his season debut in Waco earlier this season.

Beyond Dunn’s 38 points, two other Baylor players hit double-digits in Lubbock – with Carter netting 16 points and Rogers chipping in with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Bears finished the night with eight three-pointers while shooting 46.4 percent from the field (26-of-56), in addition to draining 26-of-31 free throws (83.9 percent).

Although Oklahoma also won on Saturday, giving the Sooners a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tourney while forcing the Bears to play an opening round game against the 12-seed, Baylor enters the conference tourney in Kansas City with high hopes.

With Selection Sunday right around the corner, and the Big 12 Tourney tipping off on March 13, sports fans across the nation will know exactly where their teams stand in just seven short days.

Check back on Wednesday, March 12, for a Big 12 Tourney Baylor Bears preview – as Drew and company aim to prove to the doubters that the BU basketball team deserves a shot at The Big Dance…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR-TEXAS TECH PREVIEW: Bears head north for Lubbock for season finale hardwood showdown with Red Raiders

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Saturday, March 8, marks the final day of the regular season for the Baylor Bears.

Scott Drew’s Bears aim to bounce back and end the season on a high note – after falling in an ice cold shooting contest with Texas A&M on Wednesday at the Ferrell Center – and hope to secure a top-four spot in the Big 12 Tourney, therefore earning a first round bye in Kansas City, Missouri.

The match-up between the Baylor Bears (20-8, 8-7 Big 12) and Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-13, 7-8) is slated to tipoff at 12:45 p.m. CT on ESPN Plus (KWTX and “The CW” in Waco/Temple).

Baylor is also seeking an NCAA Tournament berth with Drew at the helm, having already garnered 20 wins this season and currently owning an 8-7 record in conference play – sitting in a three-way tie for third place in Big 12 standings.

Texas Tech is coming off a 109-51 defeat at Kansas on ESPN’s Big Monday game, with the Red Raiders getting blown out of the building after picking up a huge win over Texas on March 1.

The Red Raiders own a 13-2 record at home this season, and the Bears are looking to break out of a slump in Lubbock – with Baylor having dropped nine straight contests at Texas Tech.

However, the Bears took care of business in a prior match-up with the Red Raiders earlier this season – with Drew’s Baylor hoops team defeating Texas Tech in Pat Knight’s debut as head coach, 80-74, which aired nationally on ESPN (Feb. 6).

Check back on Sunday, March 9, for postgame quotes, notes, stats and more from the Baylor-Texas Tech Big 12 season finale…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

TEXAS A&M 71, BAYLOR 57: Bears shoot ice cold from field, fall to Aggies at Ferrell Center

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – For some unknown reason, the Baylor Bears haven’t been able to find a way to defeat Texas A&M on their home hardwood over the past four meetings.

Baylor (20-9, 8-7 Big 12) fell to Texas A&M (22-8, 8-7 Big 12) 71-56 on Wednesday, March 5 at the Ferrell Center, the Bears’ fourth straight loss to the Aggies in Waco.

“As far as tonight’s game, I think Texas A&M won the game,” Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew said. “They hit big shots and played very well. Josh Carter hit big shots, Donald Sloan hit big shots, and the interior did a great job defensively. I think we wanted to win so bad for our seniors that you either play great or you come out and play tight.

“I think we came out and played tight. Obviously with their interior [defense] we needed to hit some outside shots. We had some good looks early, and we didn’t make those. Their outside defense was very good.”

The Bears began the game shooting ice cold from the field and beyond the arc, hitting only 24.1 percent of their shots in the first half (7-for-29) while going 0-for-9 from the three-point line through the first 20 minutes of play.

“Physical and half court basketball favors them [Texas A&M],” Drew said. “Again, I thought it was a bit different than the first time we played. Give [Texas A&M] Coach [Mark] Turgeon the credit for doing a great job controlling the tempo and getting the style of play that they wanted.”

Swarming defense was the key to the Aggies defeating the Bears at home, as Texas A&M pressured Baylor’s guards from start to finish – with BU ending the evening making just 21.1 percent of their shots from three-point range (4-for-19).

“I thought early we had some good looks, and as the game went on we started to press a little bit more and then we took some tougher looks,” Drew said. “Early on, I thought CJ [Curtis Jerrells] had a couple of good looks and I know Lace [LaceDarius Dunn] had a good look. It was a situation where we didn’t get off to a good start. After that, we tried to go inside more and they did a good job defensively.”

The Aggies also slowed down the tempo of the game – toning down the pace to work in Texas A&M’s favor over a Baylor offense that thrives when moving at a quicker speed.

“That is what coach [Scott Drew] preaches to us; he just tells us to push the tempo up and get it into our style of game, but I think they [Texas A&M] did a good job of slowing it down, getting inside and doing what they do,” Baylor junior guard Henry Dugat said. “We had a game like that not too long ago [with shots not falling in the first half]. We know that we just have to stick with what we do and what has got us here. Eventually they are going to fall, but tonight was just one of those nights in which they didn’t.”

In addition to shooting ice cold from the field, the Bears and Aggies played a very physical game on the Ferrell Center hardwood – with Texas A&M being known as one of the tougher teams in the conference.

“That is how they play,” Dugat said. “They have good big men down low. They like to bang a lot; that is the style they play, so we are used to it. They are one of the most physical teams in the Big 12.

“I think they just keyed in on us and locked down a bit more. They did a great job defensively on us; obviously, look at the stat sheet.”

On a night that saw the Bears shoot just 33.3 percent from the field (21-for 63), not a single green and gold player hit double-digits in scoring and the team was held to a season-low 57 points.

“It was a tough night tonight; we didn’t shoot like we normally do,” Baylor center Mamadou Diene said. “We play with these guards every day; we know that they can make those shots. We just didn’t hit shots tonight, and sometimes that just happens. Tonight was just one of those nights.

“It was pretty physical, that is the Big 12. Every game is physical, but this one [against Texas A&M] was the most physical game this year.”

Baylor was led offensively by Jerrells and Diene, netting nine points apiece. Also scoring for the Bears was Dugat with eight points, Tweety Carter with seven points and Aaron Bruce with seven points.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, had four players hit double-digits in scoring – with Carter and Sloan leading the Aggies with 17 points each.

After a low scoring first half saw Texas A&M take a 26-21 lead into the break, both teams played a much better second half – with the Aggies outscoring the Bears 45-36 through the final 20 minutes of play, due primarily to A&M hitting clutch free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Unfortunately, the game concluded with some unneeded showboating by the Aggies, as Texas A&M’s Sloan assisted himself via the backboard for an uncontested slam dunk with the seconds ticking off the clock and the road team up by 12.

“I did not like it [Sloan’s final dunk as time ran out],” Turgeon said. “The arena was already hostile. They were throwing bottles all over the place which was ridiculous. I wish he would have just let the clock go out. The game was over.”

The Bears and Aggies return to the hardwood on Saturday – with Baylor slated to face Texas Tech on the road and Texas A&M set to host Kansas – as both teams conclude regular season conference play prior to the Big 12 Tourney tipping off on March 13.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

TEXAS A&M-BAYLOR PREVIEW: Bears set to host Aggies in rematch of epic five-overtime hardwood showdown

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – In approximately 24 hours, a rematch of one of the greatest games to ever hit the college hardwood tips off at the Ferrell Center.

On Wednesday, March 5 at 8 p.m. CT, Baylor (20-8, 8-6 Big 12) will host Texas A&M (21-8, 7-7) as the Bears aim for back-to-back victories over the Aggies – with the game slated to be televised on ESPN2.

The prior BU-TAMU conference contest, an epic five-overtime battle ‘til the buzzer at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena, resulted in a remarkable 116-110 Baylor victory.

After the Bears marathon victory in College Station, Scott Drew’s squad picked up just one win over the next seven Big 12 match-ups before garnering three straight W’s – as Baylor seeks to make it four on Wednesday under BU’s gold dome for the team’s home finale.

Baylor is 12-3 at home this season – and having already won on the road against the Aggies this season, the Bears look to sweep the season series with Texas A&M when they take center stage on the green and gold hoops court Wednesday night in Waco.

The Bears are currently tied for third place with Kansas State in conference standings, pushing to end the regular season on a high note in hopes of acquiring a first-round bye in the Big 12 Championship – running March 13-16 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Drew’s basketball bunch defeated Missouri 100-89 last Saturday for Baylor’s third straight win, as well as the team’s 20^th victory of the season, and the Bears hope to make it 21 on Wednesday with an NCAA Tournament birth on the line.

Although the Bears have dropped three consecutive match-ups with the Aggies in Waco, Baylor looks to end that streak when hosting Texas A&M on senior night at the Ferrell Center – where BU’s three grads-to-be, Aaron Bruce, Richard Hurd and Mark Shepherd, will be honored on Wednesday evening in a pregame ceremony.

Check back on Thursday, March 6 for postgame notes, quotes, stats and more from the annual TAMU-BU hardwood showdown in Waco…

2008 BU@TAMU: Reed Arena Revisited

First the first time, fans will be able to witness the epic showdown between Baylor and Texas A&M held on Jan. 23 at College Station’s Reed Arena – with the game scheduled to be televised on ESPN Classic beginning at 5 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 5.

The Bears three-and-a-half hour marathon victory over the Aggies, a 116-110 Baylor win over then-No. 16 Texas A&M, set seven Big 12 records – including longest game (five overtime periods), most points by a team (116 by Baylor in a conference game), most combined team points (226 in a conference contest), most team rebounds (70 by Baylor), most field goal attempts by a team (97 by Baylor), most team free throws made (29 by Baylor tied a Kansas State record set on Feb. 13, 1999) and most individual free throws made (20 by Curtis Jerrells).

Shortly thereafter, the rematch tips off as the Bears and Aggies get reacquainted – this time on the BU hardwood – in a Ferrell Center match-up at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR 100, MISSOURI 89: Bears rally from double-digit deficit, defeat Tigers 100-89 for third straight Big 12 victory

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – With the second half nearing the 14 minute mark, the Baylor Bears found themselves down by 13 points at home against the Missouri Tigers when Head Coach Scott Drew called a timeout.

At that time, the Bears men’s basketball team was down 69-56 with 14:16 remaining – before making the run they needed to deadlock the game, and eventually win the contest.

“This team, we have been through so much we were just thinking in our heads that there is just too much time left,” Baylor junior forward Kevin Rogers said. “Early leads mean nothing. We were able to come out and execute and play how we know how to play. Any lead is easy to break into, we just need to slow ourselves down and get back to the basics and get stops and score.”

Shortly thereafter, Baylor (20-8, 8-6 Big 12) did just that – clawing past prior problems by pressing the opponents in the backcourt, playing daunting team defense and garnering sharp shooting from the Bears gifted guards – to pull off an 11-point victory, 100-89, against Missouri (15-14, 5-9).

The BU guards, proving throughout the season that they can and will successfully survive by making a high percentage of their shots from beyond the arc, went on a patented Bears run – scoring 14 unanswered behind consecutive three-pointers by LaceDarius Dunn to give Baylor a 70-69 lead with 9:13 remaining in the game.

“We wanted to make [Saturday’s match-up with Missouri] exciting,” Drew said. “The team showed their togetherness and heart. In the second half, being down and finding a way to win is a sign of a team with experience, good leadership and a lot of courage.”

The Bears and Tigers were tied, 77-77 with 6:34 left, prior to Baylor’s senior Mamadou Diene – scoring a season-high 10 points – and Rogers stepping up offensively with back-to-back baskets to put the Bears on top for good.

“Our whole team knew the importance of this game,” Drew said. “Give a lot of credit to Missouri, they played a great game. Defensively, we just weren’t very sharp for 25 minutes of the game. In the last 15 minutes we did a much better job blocking out.”

Blocking out, or lack thereof, was one of the main reasons behind the Bears allowing the Tigers to take a big lead and remain in the fight – although Baylor finally managed to pull together and deadlock Missouri in team rebounding with 41 apiece.

“We played with effort,” Baylor sophomore guard Tweety Carter said. “The first half we came out and we didn’t look like we had the energy defensively. Starting with me, I wasn’t energetic out there like I normally am until the second half. It has to be a 40 minute thing, so we have to continue to get better at that.”

With that being said, the Bears did what was necessary to pick up a much-needed win on a day filled with upsets – including a Texas A&M blowout loss at Oklahoma and a Texas loss to Texas Tech – to give the BU basketball team their 20^th win of the season, as well as their third straight conference victory.

“Nationally, people look at a 20-win season as a pretty big deal,” Drew said. “That is why when a team can reach a 20-win season, it is something to obviously be proud of. At the same time, I don’t think anyone says that they just want to win 20 [regular season games], and the good thing is we have a lot of basketball left.”

For Baylor’s Carter and company, the credit goes to God – as well as teamwork.

“You have to give credit to God for bringing us together,” Carter said. “A lot of us had other opportunities to go to other schools and play for other coaches; when Coach Drew recruited us, he told us that one day it would be a special day for us at Baylor. We need to continue to get better. [Our current 20-8 season] is a great start for us, but we just need to continue to get better.”

The Baylor big men, primarily Diene and Rogers, played a significant role in the victory – especially during the Bears second half rally as the home team’s forwards/centers came through in the clutch.

“Well I think our bigs always have an impact on the game with the standpoint that a lot of times they create advantages with their screens and their play,” Drew said. “I thought [in Saturday’s game against the Tigers] they did a great job finishing and scoring inside.”

Forward Delbert Simpson, a junior transfer from Tyler Junior College, scored a career high in both scoring and blocks while coming off the bench – netting 10 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks on Saturday afternoon at the Ferrell Center.

“It was a great day for me, but a better day for our team,” Simpson said. “I contributed to the team where I feel like I could help out today. I want to win, and the team wants to win. We are a family.”

Baylor’s hoops family also did a phenomenal job of hitting the glass and blocking out late in the second half after a dismal first half left the Bears in a halftime deficit.

“That [second half rebounding] was a major thing,” Simpson said. “With this game in particular, we had to come in and hit the boards to be victorious.”

For the Bears, seven players hit double-digits in scoring – including Henry Dugat (18), Carter (17), Dunn (16), Curtis Jerrells (14), Rogers (12), Diene (10) and Simpson (10) – as the Baylor guards once again came to the rescue.

“They’ve got quick guards; actually I think they’ve got the best guards we have played all year,” Missouri junior forward Lee Lyons, who led the Tigers with 22 points and 15 rebounds, said. “They [Baylor’s guards] are quick, and they can shoot the ball. So you really can’t guard them. In my opinion, I think they are the best guards in the Big 12.”

Rogers also picked up his 12^th double-double of the season on Saturday, and his fifth straight, muscling in 12 points while pulling down 12 boards as Baylor picked up their first 20-win season since 1987-88 – a season that saw the Bears break into the postseason NCAA Tournament.

Currently (as of March 2), the Baylor men’s basketball team is tied for third place with Kansas State with 8-6 records in Big 12 standings – with the Bears owning the tie-breaker if the teams are deadlocked by season’s end – while the Aggies, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech battle it out for fifth.

The Bears final two regular season challenges come this week – a home date with Texas A&M on Wednesday, March 5 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and a road game against Texas Tech on Saturday, March 8 at 12:45 p.m. CT on ESPN Plus – as Baylor aims to finish the season on a strong note with a postseason invite on the line…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

MISSOURI-BAYLOR PREVIEW: Bears, Tigers set to claw it out on the hardwood Saturday afternoon in Waco

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Baylor (19-8, 7-6 Big 12) hits the Ferrell Center hardwood on Saturday afternoon, March 1 with back-to-back victories in their rearview mirror, battling Big 12 rival Missouri (15-13, 5-8) in a game slated to tipoff at 3 p.m. CT.

Saturday afternoon’s match-up between the Bears and Tigers is scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN Plus (KWTX and “The CW” in Waco, Temple and Bryan areas), with Fred White and Bob Sundvold calling the action.

Scott Drew’s Bears are coming off a 68-57 victory over Colorado on Wednesday evening, Feb. 27 in Boulder – the team’s first win in the Rocky Mountains since the Big 12’s inception – and aim for win number 20 of the season on Saturday.

Missouri, meanwhile, fell at home to Oklahoma State in a two-point thriller, 75-73 on Tuesday night, Feb. 26.

After the MU-BU showdown on Saturday afternoon, Baylor has two games remaining in conference play – a rematch with Texas A&M, this time at home, and a road trip to Lubbock to face Texas Tech in the regular season finale.

On Wednesday, March 5, the Aggies will travel to Waco for a battle with the Bears at the Ferrell Center and is slated to tipoff at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2; also, the epic five-overtime Baylor victory at Reed Arena will finally be broadcast on national television when ESPN Classic airs the marathon game at 5 p.m. prior to the start of the rematch.

The BU men’s basketball team concludes Big 12 play on Saturday, March 8 at Texas Tech – where the Bears aim to finish strong before the annual conference tournament, March 13-16 in Kansas City, in hopes of a postseason invite to the NCAA Tourney.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR 68, COLORADO 57: Bears prevail over Buffalos, garner second straight Big 12 victory

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – On a cool evening in Boulder, Colorado, the Bears clawed to an 11-point 68-57 victory over the Buffalos in Big 12 action on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the Coors Events Center.

For the Baylor Bears men’s basketball coaching staff, that means its time to break out the razor as an ongoing winning tradition lives on, after BU Head Coach Scott Drew and company – including Matthew Driscoll, who was the first to be initiated after forward Kevin Rogers and center Mamadou Diene shaved the assistant coach’s head after last weekend’s must-win over Kansas State – began the ritual as a way to motivate the team.

“We lost a lot of games in a row,” Drew said. “So for motivation, with each win, we shave a head; tonight it was Coach [Jerome] Tang’s turn. We played great defensively, taking away the back door shots and taking away the three-point shots.”

With the win, Baylor (19-8, 7-6 Big 12) moves into a two-way tie for fourth place with Texas A&M (21-7, 7-6) – as the Aggies picked up a 98-54 blowout victory over Texas Tech at Reed Arena, dropping the Red Raiders into a four-way tie for sixth place – while Colorado (10-17, 2-11) remains in the conference cellar.

“This was a huge win tonight – every win in the Big 12 is a huge win,” Drew said. “It starts with experienced players and teams. We’ve been on the losing end of the floor; we just needed more experience and more maturity.”

Rogers had a breakout game in Boulder, leading the BU men’s hardwood team with 24 points and 11 rebounds – going 8-for-9 from the charity stripe en route to his 11^th double-double of the season.

“If it takes a double-double for us to win every night, that’s what I’ll do,” Rogers told the Waco Tribune Herald. “With the guards we have, people key on them and I was able to make some shots. I always try to play with confidence and good things happen.”

Guard Henry Dugat also played a significant role in Wednesday’s BU victory over CU, netting 21 points – starting and staying hot from long range on 5-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc and hitting every free throw attempted (6-for-6) – while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out an assist.

“We did a good job of controlling the tempo,” Dugat said in a FSN television interview following the Bears 11-point win. “We control our own destiny, and we can go as far as we want to go.”

Colorado, despite any and all efforts to remain in the game – including holding Baylor’s Curtis Jerrells to just five points and four assists – was led in scoring by guard Richard Roby with 17 points.

“I thought we did a good job on their [Baylor’s] leading scorer, Curtis Jerrells, but [Henry] Dugat and [Kevin] Rogers hurt us,” Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “With a team like that, it is hard to keep everyone down.”

After taking a 34-22 lead into the break on hot first-half shooting, the Bears somewhat cooled down – shooting 36 percent in the second half after hitting 50 percent though the first 20 minutes of play – before cruising to their second consecutive Big 12 victory while breaking the .500 barrier in conference play.

“This game meant a lot to us,” Drew said in a radio interview after Baylor’s 68-57 victory at Colorado. “Our guards did a real good job of getting the ball to Kevin Rogers, and Henry Dugat had a hot hand tonight. We also played great defense and did a good job of getting to the line and making free throws.”

The latest Big 12 standings (Thursday, Feb. 28) have Baylor and Texas A&M holding a two-way tie for fourth (7-6) – with Texas (11-2), Kansas (10-3) and Kansas State (8-5) leading the pack – while a sandwich of teams (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech) sit in a four-way tie for sixth (6-7).

With a mere three games remaining in the regular season – as well as three head shavings tentatively scheduled for the coaching staff – the Baylor basketball team aims to finish the season strong in high hopes of receiving a postseason invite to the NCAA Tourney.

“We haven’t looked too far ahead,” Drew said. “We always look to the next game.”

For the Bears, that next game is a match-up with Missouri on Saturday, March 1 at the Ferrell Center – with tipoff slated for 3 p.m. CT in Waco and scheduled to be televised on ESPN Plus.

After Saturday’s showdown, Baylor’s final two Big 12 games of the regular season are at home against Texas A&M on Wednesday, March 5 at 8 p.m. CT, and on the road against Texas Tech on Saturday, March 8 at 12:45 p.m. CT.

For the latest Baylor basketball news, scores and standings, check back on Saturday evening, March 1 after the Bears and Tigers face off at the Ferrell Center, for postgame quotes, notes, stats and more…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR-COLORADO PREVIEW: Bears prep for Big 12 battle with Buffalos, shoot for second consecutive conference victory

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Baylor (18-8, 6-6 Big 12) swings through Colorado (10-16, 2-10) on Wednesday, Feb. 27 for a Big 12 match-up, pitting the Bears against the Buffalos in Boulder’s Coors Events Center.

The game, which is slated to tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain, will air on FSN Southwest in Texas.

Head Coach Scott Drew’s Bears are fresh off a 92-86 victory over the slumping Kansas State Wildcats, losers of three straight contests after Monday’s loss to the Longhorns, and aim to plow ahead in conference standings on Wednesday at Colorado.

As of Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. CT, Baylor and three other conference teams held onto a four-way tie for fourth place – with the Bears joining Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas Tech with .500 records in the tightly contested Big 12.

Unfortunately for Baylor Bears fans, the BU men’s basketball team is 0-5 in Boulder since the Big 12’s inception.

However, Drew and company have been prone to beginning, as well as breaking, long-standing school and conference streaks – and in the team’s last meeting, on Jan. 30, 2007 in Waco, the Bears prevailed 97-83 at the Ferrell Center.

With Baylor’s postseason hopes and dreams on the line, the young and talented Bears shoot for another Big 12 victory on Wednesday evening against the Colorado Buffalos.

Check back on Wednesday, Feb. 27 after the game’s conclusion, for post game quotes, notes, analysis and more…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

Baylor ends skid, knocks off Kansas State at rowdy Ferrell Center

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – The Baylor Bears men’s basketball team is back on track.

And Head Coach Scott Drew couldn’t be happier about his young team’s terrific turnaround.

After dropping four straight conference contests, Baylor (18-8, 6-6) used a solid second half surge in a 92-86 come-from-behind victory over Kansas State (18-8, 8-4) on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Ferrell Center.

“After the last two press conferences, this one’s a lot more enjoyable for our coaching staff and players,” Drew said. “I’m very proud of the team effort. We did a great job in the second half holding them to 37 percent [shooting], and then us only missing two free throws and shooting a high percentage at 58 percent, where we really moved the ball and took high-percentage shots. Much needed win; it feels great.”

Saturday’s win comes at a good time for the Big 12’s Bears, pulling BU into a four-way tie for fourth place after both Kansas and Texas A&M fell on a college hardwood day filled with upsets.

“I really felt that down the stretch, everybody made big plays,” Drew said. “I was also very pleased because I know how tough the last couple of games have been, not only on our players, but also on our fans, and it was great to see them be rewarded after a couple of sleepless nights as well.”

Curtis Jerrells led the way for Baylor, netting 24 points and dishing out seven assists in the Bears six-point win over the No. 24 Wildcats.

“I can assure you, I stepped up to the free throw line for the first time, and I saw OU players and OU fans, and I kind of couldn’t put it past me,” Jerrells said. “Kool [LaceDarius Dunn] here, he kind of got into me when I was shooting those last ones. I told him he kind of ticked me off, but he did what he had to do to make me mad and to make me not miss, so that was a good job.

“My teammates did a good job of picking me up, [along with] my family, my friends and coach. I really wanted to blame myself for it, but those guys picked me up and put me over the hump.”

Four of Jerrells’ teammates also hit double figures in scoring, with Kevin Rogers (18 points and 10 rebounds), LaceDarius Dunn (16 points, seven rebounds and two steals), Tweety Carter (12 points and three assists) and Aaron Bruce (11 points) all chipping in as Baylor ended a four-game Big 12 skid.

“We still have a couple of games left, so I don’t want to talk too soon and say something out of line,” Rogers said. “We just came out and played as a team today and did some things that we weren’t doing in those last two games, and fortunately we came out with a victory.”

Baylor fell behind early before a hot shooting streak briefly put the Bears on top, but shortly thereafter BU lost some momentum as the Kansas State Wildcats took a 44-38 lead into halftime.

“That’s the reason that we did what we did in the offseason; for the last five minutes of games, to try to close those things out because we lost so many close ones last year,” Rogers said. “In a game like this, that offseason work really paid off.”

The second half was all Baylor, as the Bears battled back from a short-lived deficit and regained control of a must-win game against a very talented Wildcats basketball team – as Kansas State’s Michael Beasley set a new conference record with 44 points to go along with 13 rebounds.

“I don’t know if there’s a better two-man performance that I’ve seen personally than what Beasley and [Bill] Walker put on, but the big thing that I look at is our bench,” Drew said. “Our bench had 32 points and their bench had five, so again it was a great team effort.

“The other thing is that I thought we did a very good job on the boards considering that they’re so good on the boards. Kevin [Rogers] had 10, LaceDarius [Dunn] had seven, and I think we did a very good job limiting them to not as many boards as they normally get.”

Kansas State’s Walker added 31 points for the Wildcats – as he and teammate Beasley contributed to a majority of the KSU scoring.

“All week coach’s been talking about playing as a team, and when we went into halftime, those two guys were beating us by themselves,” Jerrells said. “It takes a team, and you see that we had five guys in double figures, and we just outplayed them as a team tonight.”

The Bears next challenge comes on Wednesday, Feb. 27, as Baylor travels to Colorado to face the Buffalos in an effort to gain ground in the race for a postseason birth.

“Every game is big in the Big 12,” Drew said. “Every game matters, and we’re just going to focus one at a time.”

Baylor’s match-up with Colorado on Wednesday is slated to tip off at 8:30 p.m. and will be televised live (locally) on FSN Southwest.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com