No. 12 Baylor hosts Sam Houston State in a game that pits a pair of teams with conference championship aspirations on Tuesday night in Waco, Texas.
Sam Houston State (1-1) beat Tarleton 91-62 on Saturday behind 15 points apiece from Dorian Finister and Lamar Wilkerson. Kian Scroggins scored 14 points and had eight rebounds. The Bearkats won the Conference USA regular-season crown last year.
Baylor (1-1) bounced back from its season-opening, 101-63 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga with a 72-67 win on Saturday against No. 16 Arkansas. Jayden Nunn scored 16 points and Norchad Omier had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Baylor dropped four spots in Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday.
The Bears had five players score in double figures against Arkansas, which is the kind of balanced approach coach Scott Drew wants as Baylor newcomers get acquainted with the returnees. There are nine new players on the Bears’ roster and Drew knows it’ll take time before the team jells.
Not only did Baylor open the season against a pair of ranked teams, the nonconference schedule still features St. John’s, Tennessee or Virginia in the Bahamas and a trip to play UConn, the two-time defending national champions.
“Here’s the thing with new players: They are out there learning what you want and how to run stuff,” Drew said. “They are out there thinking and if you are thinking you are not playing. Returning players already know what you want them to do, so they are able to play. That’s why these guys will all play better, shoot it better and perform better as the season goes on.”
While nothing seemed to go right against Gonzaga on Monday, by the time Saturday rolled around, the Bears executed a game plan that valued possessions and handled Arkansas’ pressure defense.
The game was tied twice, but Arkansas never held a lead. Drew credited the Bears with taking care of the basketball on offense. Baylor only had eight turnovers and were able to get more defensive stops, which allowed them to play in transition.
“We took care of the ball and shared it a lot more,” Drew said. “We took much better shots and defended a lot better. It was a typical Baylor game.”
The Bearkats hope a rugged nonconference schedule prepares them for meaningful games in February and March. They were 21-12 overall last season and 13-3 in Conference USA play. As the No. 1 seed in the Conference USA tournament, they were eliminated with a semifinal loss to UTEP.
It’s the kind of success that made nonconference games hard to come by, with potential opponents reticent to face the Bearkats after they put themselves on the map last season.
“This is a really tough nonconference schedule,” Sam Houston State coach Chris Mudge said. “I thought last year was tough in the nonconference and then we anted up on this one. It’s difficult to get games when you have a good year. People don’t want to play you.”
