The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Baylor
No. 13/13 Women’s Basketball preview: No. 9/12 Baylor
02.03.2022 | Women's Basketball
The Longhorns gear up for a two-game weekend series with the Bears (7 p.m. & 3 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
Game 20 & 21: #13/13 Texas (15-4, 5-3 Big 12) vs #9/12 Baylor (15-5, 5-3 Big 12)
Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 – 7:00 p.m. Central
Ferrell Center (10,284) – Waco, Texas
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022 – 3:00 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,540) – Austin, Texas
GameDay Quick Facts:
• TELEVISION: Both games will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Courtney Lyle (pxp) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will call the action.
• RADIO: 105.3 The Bat broadcasts every UT game on the statewide network. Craig Way (pxp) and Kathy Harston (analyst) will call the action. Check TexasSports.com for a listing of affiliates carrying the game.
• SERIES: Texas leads, 58-46. Last meeting: Baylor 66-55 (March 13, 2021; Kansas City, Mo.).
Notables:
DOUBLE DIP: The No. 13/13 Texas Women's Basketball team will gear up for a back-to-back Big 12 rivalry series this weekend as it travels to Waco to square off with No. 9/12 Baylor on Friday (7 p.m. CT) before returning to Austin to host the Bears on Sunday (3 p.m. CT). Both contests are set to air nationally on ESPN 2. The doubleheader comes as a result of a rescheduling of the Jan. 9 contest in Waco, which was postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Baylor program.
THE SERIES: Texas and Baylor will meet for the 105th time overall on Friday. The Longhorns own a 58-46 advantage over the Bears in the all-time series but will look to snap an 11-game losing streak dating back to Feb. 6, 2017.
THE SCHAEFER FORMULA: Longhorn head coach Vic Schaefer makes no secret in the way his teams have found success over the years. Relentless full court defensive pressure, attention to detail, and limiting turnovers and mistakes have been built in to the identity of his programs. The 2021-22 Longhorns are no different ranking among the best in the country in several defensive categories. UT currently ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 21 in the NCAA holding opponents to just 54.8 points per game. They also lead the league and rank No. 9 nationally in turnovers forced at 23.6 per contest.
SCOUTING THE BEARS: In the first year of the post-Kim Mulkey era in Waco, Baylor has put together another strong season under first-year head coach Nicki Collen maintaining their usual status as a Top-10 program and national contender. The Bears are coming off a 78-77 home loss to No.18/18 Oklahoma on Wednesday which marked their first home loss of the season.
BU ranks No. 3 in the league in scoring this season at 76.5 points per game and rank No.2 in field goal percentage at 45.2.
Baylor is led on both end of the floor by All-American and reigning Big 12 Player of the year NaLyssa Smith. Smith ranks No. 2 in the league and No.19 in the NCAA averaging 20.2 points per contest. She leads the conference and ranks No. 14 nationally in rebounding at 11.4 boards per game. Three other players average double figures for the Bears including Sarah Andrews (12.5), Jordan Lewis (11.9) and Queen Egbo (10.4).
NEXT: Following this weekend's series with the Bears, Texas will hit the road as they head to Lubbock next Wednesday, Feb. 9 (7 p.m., ESPN+) before returning home on Saturday, Feb.12 (7 p.m., LHN) to host No.18/18 Oklahoma.