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Teams: Syracuse Orange (6-0) vs. Baylor Bears (
Rankings: Syracuse (8/7), Baylor (18/17)
Day & Time: Wednesday, November 27, 10:00 p.m. EST
Arena: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui, HI
Line: - 4.5, Syracuse
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Sean McDonough & Jay Bilas
Radio: Syracuse IMG Network
Baylor News: Our Daily Bears
Streak: 1, Syracuse (duh)
First/Last Meeting: Demetris Nichols matched his career high, scoring 28 points, including 10 straight in the first 2:31 of the second half, and Cuse beat the Bears 94-71 on December 16, 2006.
School Connections: Baylor's Director of Personnel is Jared Nuness. So close...
Head Coaches: SU: Jim Boeheim (38th Year, 926-314); Baylor: Scott Drew (11th Year: 184-138)
Last Year: The Bears finished the season 23–14, 9–9 in Big 12 play. A quarterfinals loss in the Big 12 Tourney ensured they'd miss the NCAA Tournament. No biggie, all they went out and did was beat Long Beach State, Arizona State, Providence, BYU, and Iowa en route to the 2013 NIT crown.
Last Game: Baylor led for a grand total of 2:08, but they were ahead when the clock hit zeros. They outscored the Dayton Flyers 27-16 down the stretch and eked out a 67-66 victory to advance to the Maui Invitational finals.
Head Coach: When Scott Drew took over the Baylor job in 2003, it was a disaster. The Dave Bliss scandal threatened to derail the entire program. Fresh off his NCAA magic with Valpo, Drew rebuilt the squad from the ground up, suffering from some lean years (36 wins between '03 and '07). However, he's basically worked a minor miracle since as Baylor has made the NCAAs in three of the past six seasons and won the NIT Championship last year.
"Fear Me, I've Killed Hundreds Of Timelords": F Cory Jefferson and C Isaiah Austin were both named to the 6-player Preseason All-Big 12 team, marking the first time the Bears have had multiple players honored. Jefferson leads the team with 12.6 PPG but they have four players averaging ten points or more. Keep an eye on Brady Heslip, their top three-point shooter.
If Syracuse Wins…: They will be 3-0 in Maui Invitational Championships (1990, 1998)
If Syracuse Loses…: It will be their first-ever loss in the Maui Invitational and lead us directly into the ACC Early-Season Narrative zone.
Fun Fact: Baylor is currently sporting the nation's longest winning streak (11).
Fun Fact 2: Baylor had travel difficulties making it to Syracuse for the 2006 game, forcing the Bears do a walk-through in the Washington, D.C., airport with tape marking the lane on the ground.
Fun Fact 3: Baylor also plays 2-3 zone. Get ready to hear about it.
