The Battle of the Brazos will be renewed for the first time in nearly three years when Baylor hosts Texas A&M at the Ferrell Center.
Baylor junior forward Taurean Prince has heard tales about the longtime rivalry and can?t wait for Tuesday night?s game.
?These past two days, I?ve been getting nothing but information on the rivalry,? Prince said. ?It?s been from everybody that has played here and especially from the coaches themselves. I know the importance of it and I?m pretty sure everybody is fired up to play these guys.?
The Bears and Aggies will play for the first time since Feb. 1, 2012 when Baylor pulled off a 63-60 win in College Station. The Aggies bolted from the Big 12 to the SEC the next season, and Baylor has left it up to the coaches of each sport to determine whether to play them again.
Baylor and Texas A&M are scheduled to play again next season in College Station. Tuesday?s game will be the 206th meeting in the rivalry.
?Each program and each coach, the great thing at Baylor is you get to make your own decision,? Baylor coach Scott Drew said. ?Each program has to weigh their options and decide for themselves what?s in the best interest for their team. This gets us ready for what conference will be like with a quality opponent and a good environment and intensity.?
Though the Bears are off to a 7-1 start, they haven?t drawn big crowds to their three home games against Prairie View A&M, SFA and Texas Southern.
The Baylor players expect that to change with the Aggies coming to town.
?Coach has said people will come to this game that probably won?t come to another game this year,? Prince said. ?I just hope it?s packed. The more fans the better, the louder the better. We want to make it as hard on Texas A&M as it would if we played there in College Station.?
After beating South Carolina and Vanderbilt on the road, Texas A&M will be the third SEC team the Bears will face this season. The Aggies are off to a 6-1 start behind a balanced offense and a lockdown defense that has made it difficult for opponents to score.
Scouting the Aggies
After transferring from SMU, junior forward Jalen Jones leads the Aggies with 12.4 points and 6.l rebounds per game. University of Houston transfer guard Danuel House is averaging 11.8 points while shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range. Guard Alex Caruso is averaging 10.6 points and 6.1 assists.
The Aggies feature two long-range threats in Jordan Green and Peyton Allen who have combined to hit 18 of 41 3-pointers.
?Coach (Billy) Kennedy has done a really good job with this team,? Drew said. ?They?ve had some great additions. Jalen Jones was SMU?s leading scorer and rebounder before he transferred. They?ve gotten off to a great start and have defended and rebounded really well. Offensively they?ve got some players who can score.?
After missing the last four games, Drew said senior point guard Kenny Chery?s foot injury is improving but didn?t say whether he?d play against the Aggies.
Junior college transfer Lester Medford has handled most of Baylor?s point guard duties. He was named Big 12 newcomer of the week after averaging 10 points and 7.5 assists in Baylor?s wins over Texas Southern and Vanderbilt last week.
New experience
?Every game I?ve learned something new with this being my first year,? Medford said. ?It?s good playing with my team because they keep me level headed and focused. Once we get Kenny back we?ll be an even better team.?
In their 66-63 win over Vanderbilt last Thursday, Royce O?Neale hit 22 points while collecting four rebounds and three assists. Prince finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists, and the two players combined to hit eight of nine 3-pointers.
?Royce and I did a lot of the scoring, but Lester did a good job getting us in our sets and making sure we ran the right plays,? Prince said. ?We know Rico (Gathers) will do what he does. We know he?s going to come through in those big games.?
Baylor junior forward Taurean Prince has heard tales about the longtime rivalry and can?t wait for Tuesday night?s game.
?These past two days, I?ve been getting nothing but information on the rivalry,? Prince said. ?It?s been from everybody that has played here and especially from the coaches themselves. I know the importance of it and I?m pretty sure everybody is fired up to play these guys.?
The Bears and Aggies will play for the first time since Feb. 1, 2012 when Baylor pulled off a 63-60 win in College Station. The Aggies bolted from the Big 12 to the SEC the next season, and Baylor has left it up to the coaches of each sport to determine whether to play them again.
Baylor and Texas A&M are scheduled to play again next season in College Station. Tuesday?s game will be the 206th meeting in the rivalry.
?Each program and each coach, the great thing at Baylor is you get to make your own decision,? Baylor coach Scott Drew said. ?Each program has to weigh their options and decide for themselves what?s in the best interest for their team. This gets us ready for what conference will be like with a quality opponent and a good environment and intensity.?
Though the Bears are off to a 7-1 start, they haven?t drawn big crowds to their three home games against Prairie View A&M, SFA and Texas Southern.
The Baylor players expect that to change with the Aggies coming to town.
?Coach has said people will come to this game that probably won?t come to another game this year,? Prince said. ?I just hope it?s packed. The more fans the better, the louder the better. We want to make it as hard on Texas A&M as it would if we played there in College Station.?
After beating South Carolina and Vanderbilt on the road, Texas A&M will be the third SEC team the Bears will face this season. The Aggies are off to a 6-1 start behind a balanced offense and a lockdown defense that has made it difficult for opponents to score.
Scouting the Aggies
After transferring from SMU, junior forward Jalen Jones leads the Aggies with 12.4 points and 6.l rebounds per game. University of Houston transfer guard Danuel House is averaging 11.8 points while shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range. Guard Alex Caruso is averaging 10.6 points and 6.1 assists.
The Aggies feature two long-range threats in Jordan Green and Peyton Allen who have combined to hit 18 of 41 3-pointers.
?Coach (Billy) Kennedy has done a really good job with this team,? Drew said. ?They?ve had some great additions. Jalen Jones was SMU?s leading scorer and rebounder before he transferred. They?ve gotten off to a great start and have defended and rebounded really well. Offensively they?ve got some players who can score.?
After missing the last four games, Drew said senior point guard Kenny Chery?s foot injury is improving but didn?t say whether he?d play against the Aggies.
Junior college transfer Lester Medford has handled most of Baylor?s point guard duties. He was named Big 12 newcomer of the week after averaging 10 points and 7.5 assists in Baylor?s wins over Texas Southern and Vanderbilt last week.
New experience
?Every game I?ve learned something new with this being my first year,? Medford said. ?It?s good playing with my team because they keep me level headed and focused. Once we get Kenny back we?ll be an even better team.?
In their 66-63 win over Vanderbilt last Thursday, Royce O?Neale hit 22 points while collecting four rebounds and three assists. Prince finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists, and the two players combined to hit eight of nine 3-pointers.
?Royce and I did a lot of the scoring, but Lester did a good job getting us in our sets and making sure we ran the right plays,? Prince said. ?We know Rico (Gathers) will do what he does. We know he?s going to come through in those big games.?
