Mar 4, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew reacts on the bench during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
The following are excerpts from conversations with Baylor head coach Scott Drew and freshman guard Keyonte George ahead of Thursday night’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup with Iowa State.
Scott Drew on playing Iowa State in back-to-back games
“Well, I think, for TJ and us, it’s probably an easier scout because we just got done preparing for each other and you don’t have to watch a new opponent and their last four or five games and whatnot. At the same time, it is the Big 12 Tournament. New excitement, and we know the challenges of playing in the Big 12 Tournament. It’s win or go home. I know Iowa State, K-State, Kansas really draw well here so we know how hard it is to win on the road. We have to be that much better since we just lost at home to Iowa State.”
Drew on what makes Iowa State a tough match-up
“I think it starts with the number one defense in conference. Great length, size, physicality. T.J. and his staff really do a great job x’s and o’s wise. They put the guys in position to be successful. If you have the number one defense in our conference, that’s saying something, and I think we shot 27 percent in the first half. It’s not all our fault. Let’s give them credit. Their defense was tremendous.”
Drew on what he hopes to see fixed from the game on Saturday
“We’d like to score a little more, but I think definitely the ball got stuck on sides, got stuck on the baseline, too many turnovers and then when we did have open shots, we didn’t make them. I think, for us, we get shots up, we got a much better chance. Our defense and their defense are similar so it’s frustrating that we would turn the ball over as much as we did. At the same time, I think we’ll keep it out of the areas where we’ve had problems.”
Keyonte George on having another crack at Iowa State
“Iowa State’s a great team. They beat us at their place and our place. It’s crazy how we get another shot. We get another chance to show everybody that wasn’t us. We need to start off this tournament the right way. Play Baylor basketball. Play with joy. That’s what we came here to do.”
George on what went wrong for Baylor on Saturday
“I’d just say we got to play harder. We got to box out, do all the little things, even when we’re not making shots. Our offense can’t dictate our defense. That’s what I feel like happened. But, we figured that out. We understood what we need to get better at. That’s what we’ve been focused on these last couple of days leading up to playing them again.”
George on what makes Iowa State’s defense so tough
“I’ll just say their length. Their bigs are really high. The ball-screen defense is really good. They help the helper. They communicate. Hats off to them. They play really hard on that end.”
