The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Baylor
No. 24/23 Men’s Basketball preview: vs. Baylor [Feb. 26, 2014]
02.25.2014 | Men's Basketball
Texas enters Wednesday’s game with a 28-7 mark against Baylor during the Rick Barnes era.
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No. 24/23 Texas (20-7, 9-5 Big 12) vs. Baylor (18-9, 6-8 Big 12)
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014 - 8 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,540) - Austin, Texas
GAMEDAY QUICK FACTS
• TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally by ESPNU. Clay Matvick (pxp), Darrin Horn (analyst) and Kaylee Hartung (reporter) will call the action.
• RADIO: The Longhorn Sports Network and KVET (FM 98.1/1300AM Sportsradio the Zone) broadcast every UT game on the statewide network. Craig Way (pxp) and Eddie Oran (analyst) will call the action. Check www.TexasSports.com for a listing of affiliates carrying the game.
• SERIES: Texas leads, 159-82. Last meeting: Texas, 74-60 (Jan. 25, 2014; Waco, Texas)
NOTABLES
• Success Against Baylor under Barnes
Texas enters Wednesday's game with a 28-7 mark against Baylor during the Rick Barnes era. The Horns are 13-2 against the Bears in Austin during the Barnes era. Eight of the 13 wins have come by double-digit margins.
• Holmes Leading by Example
Junior forward Jonathan Holmes leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and ranks second in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and third in blocks (30) this season. He has reached double figures in scoring a total of 20 times in his 25 games played, including a team-high 17 in Saturday's loss at Kansas. Holmes is hitting at a 51.9% (110-of-212) clip from the floor, including a 24-of-63 (.381) mark from three-point range, and a 75.7% (87-of-115) mark from the free throw line.
• Block Party
Texas is averaging a league-best 6.1 blocked shots per game (166 in 27 games) this season. The UT single-season record for blocked shots average is 6.5 per game in 1997-98 (203 in 31 games). Cameron Ridley (2.4 bpg, third) and Prince Ibeh (1.9 bpg, fourth) both rank in the top four in the Big 12 in blocked shots per game.
TEXAS VS. BAYLOR
• Texas leads the all-time series with Baylor, 159-82, including a 28-7 mark during the Rick Barnes era.
• The Horns have won 53 of the last 67 meetings between the two schools dating back to the 1982-83 season.
• The Longhorns are 86-28 against the Bears when the teams meet in Austin.
• Baylor is UT's most common opponent in program history. The teams are meeting for the 242nd time on Wednesday. Texas and Baylor have competed in the same conference since 1915 (SWC and Big 12). The only season Texas and Baylor did not meet since 1906 was in 1908, when the Longhorns did not field a team.
• Baylor was Texas' first opponent in the program's inaugural 1906 season. The Longhorns won the first game of the series, 27-17, on March 10, 1906, in Austin. The Longhorns won all four games played against the Bears that season.
BUILDING A SOLID RESUME
The Longhorns have posted a 5-4 record against AP Top 25 opponents this year. UT's resume includes road wins against No. 14 North Carolina (86-83) and No. 24 Baylor (74-60) and home victories against No. 8 Iowa State (86-76), No. 22 Kansas State (67-64) and No. 6 Kansas (81-69). Texas owns a 6-5 record in away/neutral-site games this season.
NIGHT AND DAY
Through 27 games last year, the Longhorns had posted a 12-15 overall record, including a 4-10 mark in Big 12 Conference play. This season, the Horns are off to a 20-7 start, including a 9-5 mark in league play.
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
Texas is ranked No. 24 in the most recent Associated Press poll (Feb. 24) and No. 23 in the most recent USA Today Coaches poll (Feb. 24). During the Rick Barnes era, the Horns have spent 180 weeks in The AP Top 25, including 84 in the Top 10.
THE LONGHORNS AT HOME
Texas is in its 37th year of play in the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns have registered an all-time record of 447-104 (.811) in the building. Since Rick Barnes arrived in Austin, UT has recorded a 222-32 (.874) mark at the Erwin Center including a 105-24 (.814)record in Big 12 Conference home games. Texas is 176-21 (.893) at the Erwin Center in the last 12 seasons (dating to the start of the 2002-03 season).
CONSISTENT SUCCESS IN THE BIG 12
Texas has reached the 10-win mark in Big 12 Conference play a total of 10 times in the first 15 seasons under Rick Barnes (the first 13 years featured 16-game league schedules). The Horns have recorded at least nine league wins in all but one of Barnes' 16 seasons in Austin. UT has recorded at least 13 conference victories in six of Barnes' first 15 seasons in Austin (13-3 in 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2002-03, 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2010-11).
