Pokes Try To Break Losing Streak To Bears

The Baylor Bears come into Stillwater on Tuesday night for their second matchup with the Cowboys this season. Oklahoma State is coming off an energizing win over Kansas on Saturday, but Baylor is coming off a victory of their own against Iowa State. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT.

Dominating the Glass

Baylor ranks 12th in the country in rebounding margin. They outrebound their opponents by 7.3 rebounds per game. Down low, the Bears have Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. who racks up 9.4 boards in an average game. He is a top-50 player when it comes to creating second chances for his team. Lual-Acuil Jr. gets 3.14 offensive rebounds per game. He is also No. 58 in the country in defensive rebounds per game with 6.27.

Protecting the Rim

Baylor has two players that are pretty good at making sure close-range shots don't make it to the rim. Lual-Acuil Jr. and Tristan Clark are both top-15 in the Big 12 at blocking shots. Lual-Acuil Jr. is fifth in the conference with 2 blocks per game and Clark is No. 12 in the conference with 1.1 blocks per game. As a team, the Bears are 34th in the country with 113 total blocks.

Last Time Out

On Jan. 15, the Bears and Cowboys met in Waco, Texas, and Baylor came out on top by a margin of 76-60. Manu Lecomte scored a game-high 30 points. He added four assists and one rebound to his stellar scoring night. Lual-Acuil Jr. helped Baylor's effort with 12 points and seven rebounds. Baylor scored 50 second-half points to beat Oklahoma State. They also showed their rebound prowess, outrebounding the Cowboys 36-31.

Leading the Way

The Bears return the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and third-team all-conference honoree in Lecomte. He is sixth-best in the conference in scoring this season, putting up 16.7 points per game. Lecomte knows how to make shots from the perimeter. He is 31st in the country in 3-point field goals per game, knocking down about three 3-pointers per game. He is also one of the best shooters from the charity stripe, knocking down 89 percent of his free-throw attempts.

Head Coach Scott Drew

The head man at Baylor, Drew took over in 2003. Ten years later, he led the Bears to the Big 12's first ever NIT title. Baylor has also been to two Elite Eights under Drew, first in 2010, then again in 2012. Baylor has been to four consecutive NCAA tournaments. Since 2012, Drew has helped produce NBA draft picks, which ranks sixth nationally in that timespan. Drew graduated from Butler in 1993 and earned a master's degree from Valparaiso in 1994.