Baylor Bears vs. Washington State Preview: 3 Keys to Keeping the Win-Streak Alive
The No. 11 Baylor men’s basketball team returns to the hardwood after 12 days off when the Bears face the Washington State Cougars in the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge on Sunday, Dec. 18.
Sunday night’s showdown between the Bears and Cougars is slated to tip off at 9 p.m. Central Time and will air nationally on ESPN2.
Baylor (7-2) is riding a two-game win-steak to begin the month of December, with a big win over Gonzaga in the Peacock Classic on Dec. 2 and a blowout home victory against Tarleton on Dec. 6.
Washington State (4-5), meanwhile, holds a 1-3 record in December — with losses to Oregon, Utah and UNLV along with a lopsided victory over Northern Kentucky.
Baylor enters Sunday's contest as 10.5-point favorites over Washington State.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few keys to Baylor coach Scott Drew and the Bears keeping the win streak alive against the Cougars.
With school and classes on winter break, main focus can be on basketball.
Baylor freshman guard Keyonte George said it best when addressing the media on Sunday afternoon.
“Definitely will be fun; kind of like an NBA schedule where all you’ve got to do is play basketball,” George said when asked about Baylor’s upcoming slate of December games. “It gives us a lot of time to come together, get in the gym, perfect things that you’ve been working on throughout the season. It’s a blessing that our main focus is basketball.”
As long as George and the Bears can do just that — keeping hoops a priority during the break — Baylor should be able to come out on top against Washington State.
Hitting open shots when the opportunity arises.
"Continuing to work on my shot," Baylor junior forward Caleb Lohner said when asked about what he's been doing in the gym in preparation for the upcoming slate of games. "Being able to hit open shots, help spread the floor a little bit, and still working on my body, working on my feet, and kind of figuring out ways to help this team win in whatever way I can."
If Lohner and the rest of his teammates can hit the open shots and take care of the little things, the Bears should walk away with a win over the Cougars.
Protect the three-point line and defend the rim.
"They're coming off a game this year where they had 19 threes, broke the school record," Drew said when asked about Washington State's basketball team. "It's a team where all of them, one through four, really like to shoot the three, and then Mouhamed Gueye is a real long, athletic big who has some YouTube blocks and dunks that people like looking at."
Gueye, a sophomore forward for the Cougars, is currently averaging 13.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.
As long as this young and talented Baylor basketball team can defend the threes and protect the rim, the Bears should be able to move the win streak to three games and counting.
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Denton Ramsey has been a journalist for over 20 years with a decade of experience as a sports writer and editor for a plethora of newspapers throughout Texas and Alabama. Growing up in Houston and attending Baylor University, Ramsey is a die-hard sports fan with a true passion for writing. He may be reached via email at denton.itb@gmail.com