The 1-3-1: No. 18 Baylor (7-2) vs Tennessee State (4-5)

After having a week off to recharge, No. 18 Baylor (7-2) returns to the court on Thursday morning against Tennessee State (4-5) in the Ferrell Center. The 11:00 a.m. tip will allow over 5,000 students from 24 local school districts to attend as part of Future Bears Day.

Here is the 1-3-1 on the Bears vs Tennessee State.

One Threat:

While Baylor is deservingly the favorite in this game, they can’t sleep on Tennessee State guard duo Erica Haynes-Overton and Houston native Gia Adams. 

Adams started all 31 games for the Tigers last season as a true freshman, earning Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year — she entered this season on the All-OVC Preseason Team.

Haynes-Overton was tabbed OVC Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday morning, following her 17.0 ppg, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steal performance against Southern Illinois and Stetson last week.

Currently, Adams ranks second in the OVC with 16.7 ppg, while Haynes-Overton finds herself in fourth with 14.4 ppg. 

Three Nuggets:

• Tennessee State is in search of their first road victory of the season, as they currently sit 0-4
• Baylor’s 55-point margin of  victory over UT Arlington was the largest of the Nicki Collen era
• The Bears' win over UTA marked the first time this season they held an opponent to hold their opponent to single digits in three of the four quarters

One Key:

The Bears have been able to see the development of freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs unfold before their eyes over the past couple of weeks. Her efforts on the court have led to Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors, while she leads all Division I freshmen in rebounds per game (9.1) and is the only rookie in the country averaging at least nine boards a contest.

If Buggs can control the boards once again against Tennessee State, it should lead to Baylor having a field day with transition buckets. Expect to see the bench shine once again in the game as well, after they played a significant role this season out scoring the competition 197-125 this season.

Conclusion:

Baylor shouldn’t have much problem with Tennessee State, but the main thing is to come away healthy. The Bears will need to be as close to full strength as possible before Sunday, as they head to the American Airlines Center in Dallas to face No. 20 Arizona (7-1).