Texas Tech basketball: Scouting the No. 4 Baylor Bears
The Texas Tech basketball team takes on Baylor tonight in Lubbock so here’s what Red Raider fans need to know about the Bears.
No team in the Big 12 had a better non-conference portion of the schedule than the Baylor Bears. Now sitting at No. 4 in the nation and already boasting wins against No. 17 Villanova, No. 12 Arizona, and No. 18 Butler, the Bears bring a 10-game winning streak to Lubbock for a key early conference game tonight.
In a series that dates back to 1937, the Red Raiders hold the overall edge 80-58 and in Lubbock, Tech is 46-19. But in the last 14 meetings between these teams inside the U.S.A., the series is split 7-7.
Most expect this game to be a nip-and-tuck affair. The ESPN.com matchup predictor gives Tech a 60% chance of winning.
Statistically, these teams are remarkably similar. Scoring 76.8 points per game and allowing 62.2, the Red Raiders are putting up 1.1 more points but surrendering 3.3 more points per game.
The similarities do not end there though. That’s because both teams feature young dynamic scorers who are having similar seasons.
While Red Raider fans have enjoyed the emergence of true freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey, who leads his team with 17.4 points per game, Baylor fans have seen sophomore Jared Butler turn into one of the Big 12’s best players as he’s taken his scoring average this year to 17.3 p.p.g.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard has been held below 10 points only once when he managed just 8 against Butler. He’s shooting 42.2% from 3-point range and averaging 2.9 makes from distance per game.
It’s been a great run in Waco for head coach Scott Drew, who is in his 17th season with the Bears. He is BU’s all-time wins leader (327-210) and his .609 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 40+ games, and his teams have a .675 winning percentage since 2007-08 (293-141).
Also, Baylor is playing its 224th game as a ranked team under Drew. According to the Baylor website, BU was ranked in 2 of 2197 games over the program’s 97 seasons prior to Drew. Since 2008-09, BU has been ranked in 221 of 403 games.
What stands out to many about Drew is the fact that he’s built a program in Waco and has not left to chase other opportunities, which many assumed he would have by this point in his career. He’s taken his program to the Sweet 16 four times and twice he’s had them one game from the Final Four.
He is proof that many coaches desire stability and view life at a Big 12 program as a great opportunity. It has actually been rather rare for successful coaches to leave Big 12 schools for other opportunities and Drew is the perfect example. Thus, those who believe that Chris Beard won’t be as quick to leave Lubbock as many in the national media assume need only to point south to Waco where Drew has been in charge for nearly two decades putting together an impressive resume despite coaching at a traditionally sub-standard program while never really flirting with other schools.
So let’s get to know Drew’s 2019-20 team because he’s built another conference-title contender. Here are three things to know about the Baylor Bears.