Q&A: Baylor reporter provides early glimpse of new-look Bears ahead of top-10 matchup with Gonzaga at Spokane Arena

Nov. 2—Sixth-ranked Gonzaga returns one of the most experienced rosters in college basketball, bringing back four of its five starters from a team that advanced to the Sweet 16.

What would the inverse of that look like?

Meet eighth-ranked Baylor, the team traveling to the Arena on Monday for the first top-10 matchup of the 2024-25 college basketball season.

The Bears had two players selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft, Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi, and lost two others, Jalen Bridges and RayJ Dennis, to the professional route, meaning Scott Drew’s team is replacing four of its five starters from a year ago.

That said, Baylor should hardly be unfamiliar for college basketball purveyors, adding two of the most notable players from the transfer portal and signing a top-10 freshman prospect expected to make contributions from the start.

Brice Cherry, a sports editor at the Waco-Tribune Herald who also covers Baylor men’s basketball, answered five questions to help us get a better feel for the Bears ahead of Monday’s heavyweight matchup in Spokane.

Q: Gonzaga is the first of five high-major/Top 25 opponents Baylor will play during the nonconference schedule. Knowing what the Bears are up against in the Big 12, why is Scott Drew willing to test his team at this level in nonleague play?

Cherry: Drew is fond of trotting out statistical nuggets and tidbits that highlight the success of his program, and here’s one he has repeated often: Baylor is the only school in the country to be a top three seed in each of the past four NCAA Tournaments. One reason Baylor has been able to lock down those types of high seeds is because of the nonconference schedule Drew is willing to play.

Last season, Baylor played neutral-site games against the likes of Auburn, Michigan State and Duke, and though the Bears went 1-2 in those contests and went into the NCAA tourney with 10 losses, they had enough quality wins and a strong enough RPI to warrant a No. 3 seed for the Big Dance.

“If you don’t…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/q-baylor-reporter-provides-early-035900661.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-11-03 03:59:00

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