By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
There was a point early in Saturday’s game when Northwestern State head coach Rick Cabrera said, “You just have to look across and say they’re a better team than we are.”
No. 9 Baylor men’s basketball held the Demons to 25% field goal shooting and rolled to a 91-40 victory Saturday night in the Ferrell Center. Cabrera said he was “in awe” at how dominant the Bears were.
“That’s a team that can win a national championship,” Cabrera said. “They have NBA size at every position and NBA talent. You come in here at the start of the game and try to win it, but as time goes on you just focus on getting better.”
Led by freshman forward Yves Missi’s four blocks and 7-foot frame, Baylor’s defense held Northwestern State to 14 made field goals on 56 shots. Bears head coach Scott Drew said this was the first outing where his group put two halves of solid defense together.
Missi, who’s had two or more blocks in six of eight games this season, leads the Big 12 with 19 blocked shots on the year.
Cabrera also said this Baylor (8-0) team’s size is comparable to 2011-12 Kentucky, which won the 2012 national championship and had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis.
Really high praise. That 2011 Kentucky Wildcats team went 38-2 and won the National Championship. They had seven future NBA players, six drafted:
1. Anthony Davis
2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
18. Terrance Jones
29. Marquis Teague
42. Doron Lamb
46. Darius Miller
UDFA. Kyle Wiltjer https://t.co/saec4WMWod— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) December 3, 2023
Drew responded to Cabrera’s statement by saying it’s “pretty hard to beat” how good the 2020-21 Bears were. Drew said that team, led by a three-headed defense of 2021 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Davion Mitchell, top-five finalist Mark Vital and top-15 finalist Jared Butler, will be hard to top.
“That’s three defensive players of the year. That’s pretty hard to beat,” Drew said. “I love how this team plays hard [and] competes. We just have to do this all the time. Now, if we do this the rest of the season, then the answer is yes. Because 25%, that’s remarkable.”
Four Bears hit double digits on Saturday, with senior forward Jalen Bridges’ 16-point day leading the way. Bridges connected on 4 of 8 shots from distance, and he’s made 54.1% of his 3’s over the last five contests.
“When I see one go in I just keep letting it fly,” Bridges said.
Missi added a double-double outing to his four-block performance, securing 13 points and 10 boards. He scored another alley-oop dunk to start the game and said this team continues to get better as they play more games together.
“Hopefully next game we reach another goal and [hold them to] less than 25 [percent],” Missi said.
Senior guard RayJ Dennis added 14 points and six assists, while freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter totaled 10 points and tied a career high with four steals.
Baylor jumped out to a 15-4 lead within the first five minutes of the game, thanks to five quick points by Bridges. The Bears then shrugged off a two-minute drought by outscoring the Demons 19-3 over the final 10:26. Baylor took a 40-14 lead into the break.
Bridges led the way offensively with 10 points on 2 of 3 shots from distance. Missi chipped in with eight of his own, and he and Bridges combined for four blocks (two apiece).
Northwestern State (1-7) scored the first five points of the second half but then got outscored 16-6 over the next 7:39. The Demons shot 33.3% from the field in the second half, which was better than their mark in the first (17.2%), but they were never able to close the gap.
Baylor will stick around and play host to Seton Hall next, as the two programs will clash in the Big East-Big 12 Battle at 8 p.m. on Tuesday in the Ferrell Center. The power conference duel will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Drew said he expects excitement from his team for the Big East-Big 12 Battle.
“We have a lot a lot of guys who haven’t been a part of a Challenge,” Drew said. “That’s exciting, that’s new. That is something that is good, because if it’s your fourth year doing something you’re not [as excited], but you don’t have the experience, so it’s a give-and-take thing.”
The Bears are looking for their 400th all-time win in the Ferrell Center on Tuesday. The only other scheduled game in the Ferrell Center is when Baylor welcomes Mississippi Valley on Dec. 22.
