Preview: Savannah State at Baylor

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No. 20/21 Baylor (2-1) vs. Savannah State (3-1) Nov. 23, 2015 | 7:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) TV: FOX Sports Net Radio: ESPN Central Texas

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WACO, Texas -- Baylor coach Scott Drew, trying to direct his team to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, will continue to try and find the right pieces for another March Madness run on Monday night when the Bears host Savannah State. 

It's the second of six straight home games for the Bears who come in off a 77-60 victory over Jackson State on Friday, a schedule Drew crafted to make sure his squad had plenty of early practice time.

Drew's biggest task is trying to identify who can fill the roles vacated by two of his best players from last year's 24-10 squad, point guard Kenny Chery and forward Royce O'Neale. 

"We're trying to figure out the new roles for guys and give them the opportunity to get comfortable," Drew told the Waco Tribune. "Especially with the freshmen and guys who didn't play as many minutes last year, confidence is always big. Now without having to travel you can spend more days practicing. Travel wears you out and you have to cut down on some of your stuff."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net

ABOUT SAVANNAH STATE (3-1): The Tigers, picked to finish 12th out of 13 teams in the preseason MEAC poll, come in off a 77-59 road loss at Oregon on Friday. Senior guard Christopher Martin (14.8) and junior swingman Troyce Manassa (12.8) lead the team in scoring while 6-foot-7 senior forward Brian Pearson, a third team all-MEAC preseason pick, leads the team in rebounding (9.0). The Tigers, who scored more than 70 points just four times last season en route to a 9-22 record, have already accomplished that feat twice this season and are averaging 70.3 points per game.

STORYLINES 

• Baylor’s game against Savannah State will be televised nationally on FOX Sports Net. 

• Monday will mark the 3rd series meeting. Baylor is 2-0 vs. SSU with wins by 36 (2005) and 30 (2014) points. 

• Baylor has won 26 consecutive non-conference home games dating back to Dec. 12, 2012. 

• Baylor has won 17 straight home games against unranked opponents — last loss to WVU on Jan. 28, 2014. 

• Baylor is tied for the Big 12 lead in scoring defense, allowing 63.0 points per game. 

• Baylor is No. 20 in the AP Top 25 Poll and has now been ranked No. 22 or better in 14 consecutive AP polls. 

• Baylor has been ranked in the AP Preseason Poll in 5 of the last 6 seasons — last year was the lone exception. 

• Baylor is 46-6 in November/December games when ranked in the AP poll. BU is 59-12 in home games when ranked. 

• Baylor was the only major conference team to hold every opponent under 75 points last season, and the Bears have gone 48 consecutive games without allowing 75 points. 

• Baylor has a .700 winning percentage over the last four-plus seasons (105-45). 

• Rico Gathers has 874 career rebounds and needs 4 more to pass Jerry Mallett for 2nd on Baylor’s all-time list. 

• Taurean Prince has scored in double figures in 20 of the last 21 games, averaging 15.2 ppg in that stretch. 

• Al Freeman has posted back-to-back 20-point games — his career high prior to those games was 13 points. 

• Sophomores Johnathan Motley and Terry Maston and freshman King McClure combine to average 23.6 points per game off the bench. They’ve accounted for 84 percent of Baylor’s bench scoring (71 of 85 points). 

• Baylor is 84-11 when leading at the half over the last four seasons, including 2-0 this season. 

• BU has won 38% of its games (21-34) when tied or trailing at half since 2011-12, including 0-1 this season. 

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