Game Notes: #18 Baylor

Photo by: Oklahoma State University Athletics

January 05, 2024 | Cowboy Basketball

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#18/18 Baylor (11-2, 0-0) at Oklahoma State (8-5, 0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 | 2:01 p.m. CT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena

Tickets: okstate.com/tickets
TV: Big 12 on ESPN+ (James Westling & Jess Settles)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Internet Radio: okstate.com/listen & The Varsity Sports App
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 57-36 (26-13 in Stillwater); Last: Feb. 27, 2023 in Stillwater (BU, 74-67)

The Basics:

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-5) open up their 28th season of Big 12 Conference play at 2 p.m. CT Saturday against the 18th-ranked Baylor Bears (11-2) inside historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.
OSU rides a five-game winning streak after taking care of Chicago State, 72-53, in Wednesday's non-conference finale.
Baylor christened its new home arena, Foster Pavilion, with a 98-79 win over Cornell on Tuesday night.
Both sides rank among the nation's top-25 in three-point field goals: OSU (25th, 9.8), Baylor (23rd, 9.9).

Tickets:
Reserve your seats at okstate.com/tickets or stop by the OSU Ticket Office.

Watch:
The game will air on ESPN+ with James Westling and Jess Settles. Subscribe to ESPN's over-the-top streaming service for $10.99/month ($110/year) or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for as little as $14.99/month. Visit plus.espn.com for more information.

Listen:
Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb describe the action across the Cowboy Radio Network. Visit okstate.com/radio for a full list of network affiliates. Fans outside the listening area can tune in via the Varsity Sports App or at okstate.com/listen.

Mike Boynton Show:
Hear the latest insights from head coach Mike Boynton Jr. by tuning in to his weekly radio show on the Cowboy Radio Network. The program airs Thursday nights (6-7 p.m.) from the Rib Crib in Stillwater.

The OSU Outlook:

New look Oklahoma State is picked 10th out of 14 teams in the super-sized Big 12.
Senior guard Bryce Thompson, last year's leading scorer, is one of just three scholarship holdovers from a 2022-23 group that won 20 games and reached the NIT quarterfinals after finishing one spot out on Selection Sunday.
Mike Boynton Jr. not only has new faces, but a new approach. The seventh-year head coach used the off-season overhaul as an opportuinity to bring a little more balance to a program that has ranked among KenPom's top-20 defenses in each of the last three seasons but, at times, struggled to score. He put a premium on finding better shooters and ball-handlers and largely succeeded with a freshman class that has been ranked as high as seventh nationally, supplemented by an experienced transfer crop.
Injured, inexperienced and just plain unlucky – that's perhaps the best way to sum up the early portion of OSU's non-conference schedule. A group of nine scholarship newcomers (six of them freshman) took it lumps during a 3-5 start that included four last-second defeats but played some of its best basketball in December.
The Cowboys rank among the top-40 nationally in three-point percentage (.375) after finishing among the bottom-40 last year (.310) and their assist-to-turnover ratio has jumped from a league-low 0.87 to 1.21.
Junior point Javon Small has been the primary catalyst. Boynton calls the ECU transfer his most-impactful addition since Cade Cunningham, and the numbers support him. Small leads the team in points (15.2) and assists (4.9) while averaging 2.3 threes on 43.8% accuracy.
Small has also unlocked opportunities for Thompson, who is averaging a career-best 12.4 points on 23-of-56 three-point shooting (.411).
Energy guy Quion Williams (8.1 ppg, team-best 6.2 rpg) has made the leap from deep reserve to full-time starter as sophomore. He can play the 3 or the 4 and is often tasked with guarding the opposing team's best scorer.
Four of the five members of the OSU frontcourt are freshmen, including both starters:
6-8 power forward Eric Dailey Jr. -- a member of USA's Basketball's FIBA U19 World Cup squad -- is a versatile, inside-out weapon who averages close 10 points and 6 rebounds.
6-11 McDonald's All-American Brandon Garrison (5.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has a team-high 24 blocks while platooning with the group's wise elderstatement, 6-10 Jacksonville grad transfer Mike Marsh (6.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg).
Backing up Small is freshman Jamyron Keller (6.3 ppg), a physical combo guard who can get down hill in a hurry.
Two graduate guards -- John-Michael Wright and North Florida transfer Jarius Hicklen -- add poise and experience. They've combined for more than 3,500 points and 500 triples.
Three other freshmen offer additional depth and upside: 6-6 sharp-shooter Connor Dow, 6-9 forward Justin McBride and 7-1 Isaiah Miranda (a redshirt last year at NC State).

Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Jan. 3 (Stillwater) | OSU 72, Chicago State 53

Bryce Thompson scored 13 points and Eric Dailey Jr. and Javon Small added 12 apiece to lead OSU to its fifth straight victory.
The Cowboy defense set the tone, holding the Chicago State to 29.0% from the field.
CSU's Wesley Cardet, the NCAA leader in points coming in, managed just five on 2-of-11 shooting.
The Cowboys shot 48.1% and held a 43-31 advantage on the boards.
Dailey grabbed nine rebounds and Brandon Garrison added four blocks to his growing total.
The Cowboys forced 13 straight Cougar misses during an early 15-0 run that pushed their lead to 24-6 with just over 12:00 remaining in the first half.
Quion Williams delivered a pair of highlight reel dunks during that stretch, including a one-hand alley-oop from Dailey.
OSU scored the first seven points of the second half to build its largest lead of the night (50-25) with 17:00 to play.

OSU vs. Nationally-Ranked Opponents:

OSU notched three wins over AP top-25 opponents last season: No. 12 Iowa State and No. 15 TCU at home and No. 11 Iowa State in Ames.
Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. has posted 23 wins over nationally-ranked foes – third most in OSU history behind hall of famers Eddie Sutton (49) and Henry Iba (27). 12 of his victories have come inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
All-time OSU is 76-81 on its home floor against nationally-ranked teams.

Winning Ways:

OSU has won a season-best five straight games.
A victory on Saturday would match the program's longest streak since a 6-0 start to the 2020-21 season.
During this five-game run, the Cowboys have trailed for a combined total of 6:03 -- all in the early minutes of the first half. They've led by at least 13 points in each contest.
During this streak, OSU has held four of its five foes under 40% from the field. Chicago State's 29.0% performance on Wednesday marked the eighth time in the Boynton Era that the Cowboys have held an opponent under than 30% mark.
During their five-game winning streak, the Cowboys have knocked down 11.6 per game on 43.0% accuracy. Bryce Thompson (16/32, .432), Jarius Hicklen (10/18, .556) and Javon Small (12/26, .462) have been the main catalysts.

Making a Splash from Three:

OSU is on track to set a school record for three-point field goals. The Cowboys' 9.8 triples per game is well ahead of the pace set by the 2008-09 squad (9.3).
Jarius Hicklen has connected at least once from deep in each of his last nine games.
Javon Small has hit multiple triples in seven straight contests. That's the longest such streak by a Cowboy since Cade Cunningham, who had his own seven-game streak during the 2020-21 season. Thomas Dziagwa was the last to go beyond seven. His nine-game streak covered the last eight games of the 2018-19 season plus the 2019-20 opener.
OSU tied a program record with 17 treys during its Nov. 12 win over Sam Houston.
The Cowboys have hit double-digit triples in six different games this year, matching their total from all of last season.

Also Trending:

This is the Cowboys' first Saturday game. They've played at least once on every other day of the week.
OSU is 8-0 this year when leading at the half but 0-5 when tied or trailing.
Going back to last year, OSU has held 22 straight opponents under 80 points.
Over the last two seasons, OSU is 26-4 when out-shooting its opponent.
OSU has topped the 20-assist mark five times this year, matching its combined total from the last three seasons.
OSU's 16.7 assists would be the program's highest season average since the 2004-05 Sweet 16 team (16.8).
The Cowboys have logged assists on 61.0% of their baskets (25th nationally) and held opponents to a 39.6% assist rate (9th). They're one of just three teams (along with Stanford and Colorado) that rank among the top-25 in both categories.
OSU has held 10 of its 13 opponents to negative assist-to-turnover ratios (0.73 season average).

The Series with Baylor:

The Cowboys lead the all-time series 57-36 and hold a 27-13 edge in Stillwater.
Baylor has made up ground in recent years with wins in three straight and 14 of the last 19.
Baylor has won eight straight visits to Gallagher-Iba Arena. Prior to this run, the Bears were 5-26 in Stillwater (5-22 at GIA).
After 35 years at the Ferrell Center, Baylor basketball has a new home. 7,500-seat Foster Pavilion made its debut on Tuesday night, though OSU's first visit won't come until the 2024-25 season.
Baylor is one of four home-only opponents on OSU's 2023-24 Big 12 schedule (along with UCF, TCU and West Virginia). Prior to this year, the Cowboys and Bears had played a home-and-homes in each of the past 27 seasons.
OSU and Baylor have split 54 Big 12 conference regular season meetings since the league's formation in 1997, but the Cowboys are a perfect 4-0 in Big 12 tournament matchups.

Last Season vs. Baylor:

Feb. 27, 2023 (Stillwater) | #7 BU 74, OSU 68
With scoring leader Keyonte George out due to injury, LJ Cryer and Dale Bonner picked up the slack for Baylor with 15 points each… John-Michael Wright scored 17 and Quion Williams added a then-career high 12 for the Cowboys, who used a 15-2 run to cut a 20-point lead down to as little as four with less than a minute to go…. Baylor responded with five free throw makes to close out the win… Baylor led 41-30 at halftime after shooting 56% in the opening half, including 8-of-16 from deep… The Cowboys outrebounded the Bears 40-32 and enjoyed a 34-18 advantage in points in the paint but were outscored 17-5 at the free throw line.

Jan. 14, 2023 (Waco) | BU 74, OSU 58
It was a lights out performance for Baylor – both literally and figuratively. The Bears made 8-of-15 threes in the first half to build a 39-23 lead and upped the margin to as many as 28 midway through the second half – around the time that a power failure halted play for more than 15 minutes… LJ Cryer scored 16 points with four 3-pointers for the Bears, who scored the game's first 13 points and never trailed… Caleb Asberry had 14 for the Cowboys, who used a 13-1 run to trim the deficit to 17-15 but were outscored 22-8 over the remainder of the period.

Other Memorable Series Moment:

Dec. 28, 1945 -- OSU 65, Baylor 46 -- Led by MVP Bob Kurland, the eventual national champion Aggies handed Baylor its first loss of the season in the All-College tournament title game.
Jan. 22, 2005 -- #5 OSU 82, Baylor 53 -- Joey Graham scored 24 points and OSU picked up its first win on the newly-renamed Eddie Sutton Court.
Mar. 3, 2007 -- Baylor 86, OSU 82 -- OSU fell in Waco, despite JamesOn Curry's 40 points on 7-of-10 three point shooting
Feb. 20, 2010 -- OSU 82, #22 Baylor 75 -- James Anderson scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Mar. 15, 2013 -- #14 OSU 74, Baylor 72 -- Phil Forte hit two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to send OSU to the Big 12 semifinals.
Feb. 6, 2013 -- #22 OSU 69, Baylor 67 (OT) -- Michael Cobbins blocked a Baylor shot and Markel Brown raced the length of the floor for a game-winning lay-in with 0.2 second remaining.
Mar. 21, 2022 -- #12 OSU 83, #2 Baylor 74 -- All-American Cade Cunningham scored 25 to send OSU into the Big 12 final for the first time in 17 years. It was the final loss that season for the eventual national champion Bears.
Jan. 15, 2022 – OSU 61, #1 Baylor 54 -- Playing its third road game in five days, OSU stunned Baylor behind 19 points from Bryce Thompson. It was the program's first-ever road win over a No. 1-ranked team.

Scouting the Bears:

Baylor has played in each of the last 11 postseasons under coach Scott Drew, highlighted by the program's first national title in 2021.
The Bears lost four starters, including a trio of All-Big 12 performers from a team that finished 23-11 (11-7) and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. Adam Flagler (1st Team) and Keyonte George (2nd Team, drafted No. 16 by Utah) joined the professional ranks and LJ Cryer (3rd) transferred to Houston.
Picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll, the Bears are out to an 11-2 start with a mixture of transfers and high-profile freshmen. They're ranked 18th in both major polls, helped by a season-opening win over current No. 25 Auburn in Sioux Falls. Both losses came on neutral floors to Michigan State and current No. 14 Duke.
The Bears lead the nation in 3-point percentage (.448) and also rank high in field goal percentage (2nd, .526), scoring margin (5th, +19.8) and scoring offense (8th, 89.2). They've outrebounded foes by an average of 7.7 per game (32nd).
Ten different Bears have attempted a three this year. Nine are shooting at 40% clip or higher.
6-5 guard Ja'Kobe Walter – a consensus five-star recruit and the Big 12's preseason freshman of the year – has knocked down 31-of-75 (.413). and leads group of five double-digit scorers at 15.9 points per game.
Baylor's backcourt got a boost from the transfer portal with Toledo's RayJ Dennis (13.9 ppg) and VCU's Jayden Nunn (10.4). Dennis – the 2023 MAC Player of the Year – ranks among the top-15 nationally in assists (6.2).
6-7 forward Jalen Bridges (9.7 ppg) is the Bears' lone returning starters and an honorable mention preseason All-Big 12 pick.
Freshman center Yves Missi (10.7 ppg, team-best 6.4 rpg), was a five-star 2024 recruit before reclassifying.

Matchup Mashup:

Mike Boynton Jr. is 0-6 against Baylor in Stillwater, compared to 30-17 against the rest of the league. He's posted multiple home victories over each of the other eight legacy members.
Two of Boynton's 23 top-25 victories have come at the expense of Baylor, most recently on Jan. 15, 2022 when the Cowboys upset the No. 1-ranked Bears in Waco, 61-54. The other came in the semifinal round of the 2021 Big 12 tournament over a Baylor team ranked No. 2 in the nation.
OSU's Jarius Hicklen played for former Scott Drew disciple Matthew Driscoll last year at North Florida.
The Big 12 (KenPom's highest-rated conference in eight of the last 10 seasons) is No. 1 again in 2023-24.
The Cowboys ample opportunity to prove themselves NCAA tournament worthy with 12 of the 18 league games, including Saturday's matchup with Baylor, currently falling into Quadrant I territory.

A Cowboy win would...

Give them their longest winning streak (6) since a 6-0 start to the 2020-21 season.
Be their eighth in the last 10 games on the heels of a 1-3 start.
Make them 1-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since the 2015-16 season when they opened with a 69-48 home win over TCU.
Up their home record to 8-2 with five consecutive victories.
Be their first against Baylor at GIA since Jan. 27, 2015, snapping an eight-game losing streak.
Up their all-time series lead over the Bears to 58-36 (27-13 in Stillwater).
Be Boynton's 24th over an AP ranked opponent.

Up Next: Texas Tech
Tuesday, Jan. 9 | 7 p.m. CT | ESPN+

The Cowboys play each of their next two games on the road at Texas Tech (Tuesday) and Iowa State (Saturday).
The Red Raiders are in their first year under Grant McCasland, a former Baylor assistant who spent the past six years at North Texas. McCasland's Mean Green defeated OSU at GIA during their run to the 2023 NIT title.
Picked eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll, Texas Tech (11-2) takes a six-game winning streak into Saturday's opener at Texas.
OSU has won three straight and six of the last seven series meetings.
The Cowboys swept last year's home-and-home by identical 71-68 scores. Caleb Asberry hit seven threes to lead the Cowboys to a road victory in the regular season finale. In Stillwater, Bryce Thompson scored 21 points and John-Michael Wright converted a game-winning three-point play with 0.4 seconds left.