Tip: 5 PM
TV: ESPN2

It’s a gorgeous Saturday here in Central Texas, but I’m imploring you to stay inside. Inside the Frank Erwin Center, to be specific. Baylor is coming to town this evening, and is looking to end a 17-game losing streak to the Longhorns. Fortunately, this Bear squad is young and can’t buy a win on the road — they have lost 20 straight true road games heading into today’s matchup.

Baylor (11-8 overall, 1-5 Big 12) started out the year hot against a schedule that doesn’t do the word “soft” any justice. The Bears opened the year with a win over D-2 Angelo State and then scored another nine wins in non-conference play. The truth is hidden behind the scores, though. The combined record of the nine opponents Baylor beat in non-conference play is an abysmal 55-97.

In conference play, Scott Drew’s club has struggled. Their one win came by three at home against a Texas Tech team that is making a lot of noise. Otherwise, the Bears have been absolutely pasted in the Big 12; in their last two losses to Kansas and Oklahoma, the Bears fell by an average of 33 points.

Baylor has not had any statistical standouts on their team this year, but that isn’t to say their team is untalented. Aussie standout Aaron Bruce returns, and is one of the few experienced leaders on the team. The hot-shooting Bruce is averaging just over eleven points in roughly 30 minutes a game. If he gets rolling, Baylor can make a quick run. Texas will need to fight through the screens and stick with Bruce — although he does possess the ability to beat us off the dribble as well.

Big man Kevin Rogers could pose a problem for Texas down low. A teammate of Darrell Arthur at South Oak Cliff, Rogers is a blocking machine for the Bears. He’s leading the team with 12.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds. With the emergence of Dexter Pittman, it should be fun to watch that pair tangle in the paint.

Sophomore guard Curtis Jarrells makes his second Frank Erwin Center appearance in front of his friends and family. A left-handed guard from Del Valle HS, Jarrells is one of Scott Drew’s biggest recruiting scores since stepping foot on the Waco campus. He can find the passing lanes with ease, but knows how to score as well.

Seven-footer Mamadou Diene is playing hobbled as of late, as he has had to struggle through both ankle and knee injuries. Hopefully this will limit his output against Texas today, but don’t be surprised to still see him blocking shots in the middle. The sophomore giant is blocking two shots a game despite only logging 20 minutes in each contest.

In the “interesting subplot” category, junior transfer Mark Shepard played at St. Michael’s Academy in Austin, the same school that produced UT fan-favorite Ian Mooney. If the game gets as ugly as it has the potential to become, we could see this pair of bench players facing off in the waning minutes of a blowout.

For Texas, the biggest thing to watch today is the development of Dexter Pittman. He showed great things on Wednesday against Nebraska, and Coach Barnes seems committed to making him a bigger part of the gameplan, now.

The Horns have actually been doing quite well on the glass without a consistent post presence, but Baylor has a pair of seven-foot centers that could make the rebounding battle something of a challenge. It’s up to Damion James and Pittman to step up in that regard, because we all know that Kevin Durant is going to get his double-double somehow.

Over 2,000 tickets remained as of noon yesterday, so give TBO a call and bring the family down to the Drum. And if Texas fans surprise me and this thing sells out, you can catch it at 5 PM on the Duece. Do they still call it that? And remember the logo? “Yeah, we’re ESPN….but look at how extreme we can be! We’ll draw a 2 in a squiggly font!”

But getting away from memory lane and back to the task at hand. Buy tickets. Show up.