5-Star SF Kendall Brown Commits to Baylor over Kansas, Vanderbilt, More
Jul 20, 2020
Sunrise Christian Academy's Kendall Brown #10 is seen against Hillcrest Prep during a high school basketball game at the Hoophall Classic, Sunday, January 19, 2020, in Springfield, MA. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
Baylorreceived a high-profile commitment from 5-star small forward Kendall Brown on Monday.
"I've been telling people for a while that I'm going to surprise them," Brown told Rivals.com's Eric Bossi.
Brown is the No. 14 overall prospect in the 2021 class in 247Sports' composite rankings and chose the Bears over Kansas and Vanderbilt among others. He's also listed as the fourth-best small forward and the top player coming out of the state of Kansas in the group.
The Sunrise Christian Academy standout has showcased a tremendous ability to put the ball on the floor to create offense, typically by attacking the rim. His athleticism has also allowed him to create valuable versatility on the defensive end, guarding everyone from guards and wings to stretch 4s.
He must continue to add more power to his frame (6'8'', 205 pounds) to maintain that ability at the collegiate level. It's a process he told Jacob Polacheck of Zagsblog is already underway.
"I've just been lifting every day," Brown said in April. "I'm definitely trying to get stronger during this time period. We've got a hoop outside for shooting and then I've been going for runs."
Offensively, he needs to develop a more consistent three-point shot to better fit the modern game.
Brown, a Minnesota native, is one of the most college-ready players in the 2021 class, and his ability to make an instant impact should put him on the fast track toward the NBA.
He told Adam Jardyof theColumbus Dispatchin April about the key factors in his college choice: "The relationship with the players and the style of play because that's where I'm going to be next year, and I want the best relationship with the coaches and the best help to get me to the next level."
Brown is a significant addition for Scott Drew and the Bears, who finished last season at 26-4 and ranked fifth in the AP Top 25 poll. Although it's too early to identify the exact role he'll fill when the 2021-22 college basketball season tips off, it'd be a major surprise if Brown is not a high-end contributor by the end of his freshman campaign.
While it may end up being a short stay at Baylor, his arrival bolsters the program's short-term outlook.
No. 4 Baylor Upset 76-64 by Unranked WVU Ahead of Big 12 Tournament
Mar 7, 2020
West Virginia guards Jordan McCabe (5), Sean McNeil (22), forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34), and guard Miles McBride (4) celebrate after a score against Baylor during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)
The No. 4 Baylor Bears are limping into the Big 12 tournament after a 76-64 loss to unranked West Virginia in Morgantown.
Since Kansas snapped its 23-game winning streak on Feb. 22, Baylor has looked like a completely different team. The Bears have dropped three of their last five games, including the Jayhawks defeat, and have been inconsistent on both ends of the court.
Head coach Scott Drew has succeeded this season on the strength of a defense that ranks sixth in the nation with 59.6 points allowed per game. The Bears have given up an average of 69.8 pointsin their last five games.
Baylor loses at West Virginia. Bears have now lost 3 of their last 5 and a No. 1 seed is now in serious jeopardy.
West Virginia found success with its bench against the Baylor defense. Jermaine Haley (nine points) and Oscar Tshiebwe (16 points) were the only Mountaineers starters who scored.
Of the seven players West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins used off the bench, five contributed points. Emmitt Matthews Jr., who entered Saturday averaging 5.9 points per game and shooting 38.2 percent, dropped a season-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
This Emmitt Matthews that we haven't seen since December is the X Factor player that West Virginia has lacked for the last month and change.
Huggins' pressure defense created all sorts of problems for Baylor. Davion Mitchell did his part by going 3-of-4 from three-point range, but the rest of the team combined to go 1-of-14 behind the arc.
In other news, the Baylor offense (42 percent from the field overall, 22 percent from the 3-point line) stalls for the third consecutive Saturday, this time in a loss at West Virginia. Great defensive team with a bunch of questions about its offensive prowess.
The Bears' flaws have been highlighted during this five game stretch to close the regular season. They are a defense-first team that gets into trouble when they have to score with opponents. They entered Saturdaytied for 224thin the nation with a 42.9 shooting percentage.
If there is a silver lining for Drew and his staff to take away from this, they still have time to right the ship with the conference tournament next week leading up to Selection Sunday on March 15.
When Baylor made it to the Elite Eight in the 2011-12 season, it finished the regular season 4-4 over its final eight games. That precedent is something Drew can point toward as he searches for answers to keep what once seemed like a dream season going long enough to earn a trip to Atlanta for the Final Four.
Baylor Passes Kansas' Record with 23 Consecutive Big 12 Wins
Feb 18, 2020
Baylor guard Jared Butler (12) shoots over Oklahoma guard De'Vion Harmon (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The No. 1 Baylor men's basketball team hasn't lost since Nov. 8. Let's start there.
With their 65-54 win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center, their 23rd victory in a row, the Bears surpassed the Kansas Jayhawks for the longest winning streak against Big 12 opponents:
Jared Butler led the Bears with 22 points. The sophomore guard is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points per contest. The only other Bear to score in double digits was junior guard Mark Vital, who had 10 points and put his signature on the game with this dunk:
Mark Vital put an exclamation point on 23 wins in a row for No.1 #Baylor 💪💪💪
Head coach Scott Drew's squad has another date with No. 3 Kansas on Saturday. Baylor previously defeated the Jayhawks 67-55 at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 11.
The Bears claimed the top spot in the country on Jan. 20, bumping down the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Baylor lost in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament and has never won a championship, but this team looks primed to make more history come March.
WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 15: Tristan Clark #25 of the Baylor Bears reacts against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half at Ferrell Center on February 15, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Baylor reeled off its 22nd win in a row Saturday as the top-ranked Bears defeated No. 14 West Virginia 70-59 at home in Waco.
The game pitted two of the country's best defenses against one another.
Baylor was allowing the fifth-fewest points per game (58.3), while West Virginia ranked 14th (61.5). The teams were also fourth and second, respectively, in adjusted defense on KenPom.com.
The Bears suffocated the Mountaineers, holding their opponents to 34.5 shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The final score is somewhat deceiving since Baylor led by 28 points, 53-25, with 10:33 left in the second half before taking its foot off the gas a bit.
Notable Performers
Jared Butler, G, Baylor: 21 points (8-of-11 FG; 5-of-7 3P), five rebounds, four assists, two steals
Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor: 13 points (6-of-10 FG; 1-of-4 3P), nine assists, three rebounds, two steals
Oscar Tshiebwe, F, West Virginia: 11 points (4-of-11 FG), 12 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, one assist
Derek Culver, F, West Virginia: three points (1-of-4 FG), three rebounds
Taz Sherman, G, West Virginia: 20 points (6-of-11 FG, 5-of-9 3P), two assists, one rebound
Bears Offense Doesn't Miss a Beat without MaCio Teague
Baylor was without the services of second-leading scorer MaCio Teague, who's dealing with a wrist injury. Not only is the junior guard averaging 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds, but he's also second on the team in made threes (51), knocking down his perimeter chances at a 35.7 percent clip.
Given how good West Virginia has been on defense, Teague's absence was the kind of development that could potentially tip the scales in the underdog's favor.
Instead, the Bears jumped out to a 33-14 lead in the first half. Jared Butler was most responsible for the hot start, pouring in 16 first-half points.
This is the best the Bears have looked since winning at Kansas, having forced 11 Mountaineer turnovers. Butler has 16, already, with 3 straight made 3’s in the corner #Big12MBB
West Virginia went on an 8-0 run to close out the half and raise the possibility of a comeback. Then the Mountaineers opened the second half by going scoreless for the opening 4:10.
By the time Jermaine Haley knocked down a pair of free throws, Baylor's lead had swelled to 17 points, 41-24. The Mountaineers' first made field goal of the half didn't arrive until the 10:14 mark.
Nobody questions Baylor's status as one of the best teams in the country, but there has been discussion about whether the Bears are the best team in the country. They sit fifth in ESPN.com's College Basketball Power Index and fourth on KenPom.com.
A performance this good makes you feel foolish for raising any doubt about the team's ceiling.
Sloppy Play Dooms WVU's Upset Bid
Protecting the ball has been a problem for West Virginia all season. The Mountaineers are 301st in turnovers, averaging 14.8 per game.
Two numbers tell a huge part of Saturday's story: West Virginia had 22 turnovers to only seven assists.
Giving the ball up that many times against an opponent as tough as Baylor is a recipe for disaster. The Bears turned those 22 turnovers into 21 points.
West Virginia has 8 field goals and 20 turnovers. I think that’s a bad ratio...
To say the Mountaineers offense was a mess Saturday would be an understatement.
The guys on the court don't know how to run the offense. Culver is yelling at Sherman to cut, but Sherman is yelling that Knapper is in the wrong spot, and Knapper is shrugging that he doesn't know what they're doing.
Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver battled foul trouble, making it harder for WVU to get into a flow. Tshiebwe fouled out with 1:25 left in the game, and Culver picked up three fouls in the first half.
West Virginia was a No. 3 seed in the West region in Joe Lunardi's most recent edition of Bracketology on ESPN.com. The Mountaineers, losers of three in a row, will almost certainly get bumped down at least one seed and possibly two when Lunardi makes his next projection.
The team's schedule ahead is a double-edged sword. West Virginia doesn't play another ranked team until its rematch with Baylor in its regular-season finale on March 7.
That allows the Mountaineers to rebound against weaker opposition, but they may not improve their stock too much without avenging Saturday's loss or picking up a big win in the conference tournament.
What's Next?
Baylor hits the road to play Oklahoma on Tuesday and then welcomes No. 3 Kansas. on Feb. 22. The matchup with the Jayhawks could have Big 12 title implications since Kansas (11-1) is the only team that could feasibly catch the Bears (12-0) in the conference race.
West Virginia hosts Oklahoma State on Tuesday and plays TCU on the road Feb. 22.
Jared Butler, No. 4 Baylor Upset No. 3 Kansas for 1st Win at Allen Fieldhouse
Jan 11, 2020
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 11: Mark Vital #11 and Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears congratulate MaCio Teague #31 after a basket during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on January 11, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The fourth-ranked Baylor Bears scored their biggest win of the season with a 67-55 victory over the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Head coach Scott Drew's team is off to a 13-1 start after knocking off its Big 12 rival. It's the program's best record through 14 games since 2016-17 (14-0). This also marked the first time Baylor has ever won at Allen Fieldhouse or won a true road game against a Top Five opponent.
The loss also ended Kansas' 28-game home winning streak (two of those victories came in Kansas City) dating to Feb. 6, 2018, and extended Baylor's run of dominance against ranked opposition this season.
Baylor just:
»Won at KU for the first time EVER »Won as a top-5 team over a top-five team for the first time EVER »Beat a top-5 team on the road for the first time EVER »Made it 5-0 vs. ranked teams to start a season for the first time EVER »Laid claim to the best resumé in CBB
Baylor won as it has all year, with a combination of efficiency on offense and hard-nosed defense. It shot 45 percent overall, including 8-of-19 from three-point range. Kansas made just 39.2 percent of its field-goal attempts and had more turnovers (14) than assists (nine).
Notable Game Stats
Jared Butler (Baylor): 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
The demons that have haunted Baylor at Allen Fieldhouse appeared to be out in full force early.
When the Jayhawks held a 20-15 lead after 12 minutes, they were out-rebounding the Bears 13-8. A television timeout with 7:23 remaining before halftime allowed Drew to regroup his team and helped shift the tone of the game.
Baylor finished the first half on a 22-4 run to take a 13-point lead into the intermission. It shot 44.4 percent from three-point range and took advantage of 10 turnovers by Kansas:
HALFTIME at AFH... Baylor closed on a 22-4 run after trailing 20-15 and the Bears lead #KUbball 37-24. Just the fourth time this season KU has trailed at halftime. pic.twitter.com/ERD7FSOocG
It helped that Baylor had some bounces go its way, like when a block by Udoka Azubuike knocked the ball right into the waiting hands of MaCio Teague for a three-pointer just before the shot clock expired:
The second half began as a struggle for the Baylor offense. The team was held to two points over the first seven minutes on 1-of-10 shooting.
Even though points were initially hard to come by, the Bears maintained their advantage by being careful with the ball, committing only five turnovers in the game.
Teague provided a big spark with his first points of the second half on a three that put Baylor up 44-36 with 10:15 to play. That was the start of three consecutive offensive possessions for the Bears that ended with a bucket.
Drew's ability to keep his team composed in an environment that has historically been a nightmare for Baylor, as well as the resolve of the players to not let a cold shooting streak get in the way of the other things they did well, allowed the Bears to secure their fifth win over a ranked opponent.
Jayhawks Hobbled by Injuries
Kansas came into this game unsure of what to expect from Marcus Garrett, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half of Wednesday's win over Iowa State. Head coach Bill Self told reporters he was hopeful the junior guard would make a "speedy recovery" to play against Baylor.
Garrett started and finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, but after he scored the Jayhawks' first basket with a three, he was blanked until 15:24 remained in the second half. He also tied a season high with four turnovers.
Things got worse for Kansas in the second half when Devon Dotson was removed after grabbing his hip.
Devon Dotson has returned to the bench. Left after the first possession of the second half with a left hip injury.
In each of the Jayhawks' three losses, Dotson has struggled or been limited by an injury. He scored 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the opener against Duke but also had six turnovers. The sophomore star shot 5-of-15 in a 56-55 loss to Villanova on Dec. 21.
If Dotson is hampered or sidelined for any length of time, Self will need his other playmakers to fill his shoes. Freshman Tristan Enaruna initially took over when Dotson left the floor, finishing with two points on 1-of-2 shooting.
Kansas (12-3) doesn't have time to piece things together heading into a matchup against 11-3 Oklahoma.
What's Next?
Baylor will return home to host Iowa State on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Kansas will travel for a matchup with Oklahoma on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
The Surprise Threat to Kill Kansas' Immortal 14-Year Big 12 CBB Title Run
Jan 31, 2019
Baylor head coach Scott Drew talks with Baylor guard Jared Butler (12) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerry Larson)
It is once again that time of the year when we foolishly try to convince ourselves that someone other than Kansas is going to win the Big 12.
In one of the most ridiculous streaks at any level of any sport, the Jayhawks have earned at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title in every season dating back to 2004-05. Even the New England Patriots failed to make the playoffs once during that time, and they don't have to deal with as much roster turnover on an annual basis as college basketball teams do.
But Kansas has lost three of its last four games and is only 1-5 in true road contests this season. All of the Jayhawks' noteworthy wins have come by a single-digit margin. They are still going to make the NCAA tournament with plenty of room to spare, but this is arguably the worst they have been since 2000.
There's no time like the present for someone to rise up and end the Jayhawks' Big 12 streak.
What makes this year's top challenger to Kansas different from usual is that before the season began, Baylor was not expected to be good. Six weeks ago, we had already left the Bears for dead.
Baylor narrowly missed the NCAA tournament last year and then lost all four of its leading scorers as departing seniors. Making matters worse, Tyson Jolly transferred in April, and Jake Lindsey—the projected starting point guard—was ruled out for the year following hip surgery in August. The only returning players who scored at least two buckets last season were role players King McClure, Tristan Clark and Mark Vital.
Even with the additions of three solid transfers (Makai Mason, Mario Kegler and Devonte Bandoo) and two top-100 freshmen (Matthew Mayer and Jared Butler), growing pains were to be expected. And when Baylor lost its season opener to Texas Southern—a team the Bears had beaten by an average margin of 24.0 points over the previous four years—it seemed like things might be even worse than feared.
Neither Mason nor Kegler was able to play against Texas Southern, so the roster was especially depleted. But there were problems even at full strength later.
By mid-December, Baylor had added another terrible home loss to Stephen F. Austin and a disappointing road loss to Wichita State, and only one of its six wins (at Arizona) was anything close to impressive. When the Bears played Oregon on Dec. 21, they were ranked outside the top 70 on KenPom.com for the first time since the end of the 2010-11 season.
Through 10 games, no rational person thought Baylor would make the NCAA tournament, let alone vie for the Big 12 title.
But now that the Bears have played 20 games, there are only three teams in the country (Duke, Kansas and Michigan State) who entered play Tuesday with more Quadrant 1 wins. Suddenly, Baylor looks the part of a team that could put together a significant run in the NCAA tournament.
Scott Drew has done one heck of a job with this Baylor team. Gonna be five straight wins — with tonight’s being a huge one at Oklahoma. Amazing aspect is that the Bears have done it all without Tristan Clark — who went down with a season-ending knee injury a few weeks ago.
The Bears are tied with Kansas State atop the Big 12 standings—one game ahead of Kansas in the loss column—and they may well get to 9-2 in conference play before they face their next stiff test.
Naturally, this begs the question: What the heck changed?
How in the world did Baylor go from Quadrant 4 losses to teams from the SWAC and Southland conferences to winning at Oklahoma by 30 and scoring more points against Texas Tech than any other team (including Duke) has this season?
The short answer is that head coach Scott Drew is a wizard who gets underappreciated on a yearly basis.
The slightly longer answer is that the shooting guards are finally doing what they're supposed to do.
Baylor's opponents are shooting better from the field in the past 10 games (42.5 percent) than they did in the first 10 (38.8 percent), and they are also committing 2.7 fewer fouls per game. Moreover, opponents are blocking 1.6 more shots per game over that span and are averaging 2.5 more assists, too. If anything, you'd think from that Baylor would be losing more games now.
But the team's three-point shooting has improved drastically.
Through 11 games, Baylor was shooting 27.9 percent from distance and averaging 69.3 points per game. In the four losses during that stretch, the Bears were a woeful 16-of-83 (19.3 percent) from downtown.
Over the past nine games, though, Baylor is shooting 37.2 percent from deep and is scoring 76.3 points per contest.
Most of the credit belongs to Bandoo and Butler. They were averaging a combined 1.5 made threes through 11 games. Bandoo was shooting 29.0 percent, but that was better than Butler's poor mark of 21.1 percent. But since Christmas, Bandoo is 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) and Butler is 18-of-42 (42.9 percent).
Devonte Bandoo
Just like that, close losses to bad teams have become close wins (and the occasional blowout) against good teams.
And while you always worry about hot streaks eventually fading, 37.2 percent is a sustainable rate of three-point success. Against D-I opponents, Baylor shot better than that in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Bears struggled early while roles took shape and the new guys learned the offense, but they have scored at least 73 points in eight of their last nine games.
It took nearly two months, but things finally clicked, and they have continued clicking through wins over Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Alabama. Even the two losses (at TCU, vs. Kansas) have been competitive, as each were decided by two possessions. Had the Bears shot 37.2 percent from three-point range in those games instead of 27.7 percent (13-of-47), we'd be talking about a 10-game winning streak.
But before we go crowning Baylor as the 2019 Big 12 champions, we need to discuss the remaining schedule.
The Bears already have three road wins in conference play, but they still need to play at Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas. The games against the Red Raiders and the Cyclones are back-to-back in mid-February, and the game against the Jayhawks is the regular-season finale.
If Baylor and Kansas are tied for first place heading into that game, the atmosphere in Allen Fieldhouse is going to be unbelievable. It is always next to impossible for the road team to win in that building, but factor in the threat of the Big 12 streak ending, and Richter scales in other states might feel that one taking place.
There's an even longer streak in play between Baylor and Kansas, too: In 14 tries since they joined the Big 12 in 1996-97, the Bears have never won a road game against the Jayhawks. It's hard to imagine they could finish ahead of Kansas without winning that head-to-head showdown on March 9.
They're getting closer, though.
Since 1996-97, Kansas won 11 of its first 12 home games against Baylor by a double-digit margin, but the past two contests were decided by a combined margin of eight points. And when they met in Waco a few weeks ago, Baylor darn near erased a 20-point deficit in the final four minutes.
The Bears won't be scared of the big bad Jayhawks. Not after all they went through to get to this point.
Kansas fans figure to bookmark this so they can throw it in my face when the Jayhawks win the Big 12 by a multiple-game margin for the fifth time in the past six seasons, but this Baylor renaissance is more than just a feel-good story for January. If the Bears keep shooting at an above-average level, they could win a league title for the first time since winning the Southwest Conference en route to the 1950 Final Four.
Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @kerrancejames.
