The Bears are 13-5 (3-2) with a win over Oklahoma State and losses to Kansas, to Gonzaga in Dallas, to Washington State in Hawaii, to Florida State in Hawaii and at Iowa State. The Bears return 2 starters from last season (a squad that posted a 28-8 overall record, including a 11-5 mark in the Big XII Conference). The Bears were projected to finish 4th in the Big XII Conference.
The Bears are lead by G LaceDarius Dunn, F/C Perry Jones and F Quincy Acy. Dunn is averaging 22 points/game (leads the team), 5 rebounds/game and 2 assists/game. Dunn has been inconsistent. Last season he scored 27 at Kansas and went 11-for-27 against Hartford. He had played 106 college games going into this season (14 this season) and he had attempted at least 10 three-pointers in 17 of them (including a career-high 16 against Hartford). He had attempted 736 threes in three seasons (132 so far this season). His 299 makes going into this season (55 makes this season) were a school record and left him 91 away (36 away from the record now) from the Big 12 record.
Jones is averaging 14 points/game, 5 rebounds/game and 1 assist/game. Ranked No. 9 by Rivals.com in the class of 2010, Jones is the kind of player Baylor never used to get. Long, lean, skilled and athletic. As a matter of fact, when he signed, head coach Scott Drew said: "Signing a player like Perry is a monumental moment for this program," Drew said. "Perry will not only be a great addition to our team, but will also open numerous doors for our program in years to come."
Acy is averaging 13 points/game, 8 rebounds/game (leads the team) and 1 assist/game. Acy has met plenty of shots he didn't like, specifically any that don't involve him swinging from the rim. If you round up by three one-thousandths of a percentage point, he shot 70% from the field as a sophomore, up from 65% as a freshman. Yet he only took more than 10 shots just twice all season. He's always been one of the most athletic players in the Big 12, but he'll need to develop a couple reliable offensive moves.
G A.J. Walton leads the team in assists with 5 assists/game. Walton is a remarkably versatile player for a point guard but he has been turnover prone at times. He had the task of replacing Tweety Carter and his remarkable assist/turnover ratio. He has 85 assists compared to 57 turnovers so far this season.
The Bears went into the season missing a point guard but was loaded otherwise. They have the league's best player, Dunn, but the rest of the team is young and inexperienced. The Bears aren't off to the start that they wanted but they're right in the thick of the Big XII race. It's time for the Cats to get going and this will be a tough time to do it but at least it's at home.
