Ahead of its Nov. 2 season opener, Baylor basketball is back in action on Friday night and the Bears will take on Illinois. This marks the Bears' second-difficult Exhibition game. Baylor played Florida this past weekend and took down the Gators.
Florida is ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, but the Bears got the best of the Gators in overtime. Now, Scott Drew flips the page to take on the Illini, who is ranked No. 3 in the opening AP Top 25 poll.
Here's how to watch, along with some storylines to pay attention to.
How to watch
- When: Friday, Oct. 23
- Where: State Farm Center, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
- Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
- Streaming: Big Ten +
If you don't have Big Ten +, you can get a one-time pass to see the game HERE.
Storylines to watch
Can Dylan Mingo find the next gear?
Entering the season, the biggest knock on the Bears was potentially the lack of star talent on the team. Turns out, it might be Kayden Mingo, who scored 31 points in the win over Florida. But Mingo has a brother, Dylan, who is a five-star freshman. Many thought he could be the star for the Bears this season.
He scored 12 points in the win over the Gators, but did most of his damage from the free-throw line, making 6-of-8 attempts. Mingo shot just seven times from the floor, making three shots. Mingo is clearly talented and has a limited three-point game, but we want to know if he can find another gear to become that 1B to his brother.
Handling the Illini's size
Much like Florida, Illinois will have some size to handle. The Illini starts 7'1" center Tomislav Ivisic, who is an All-Big Ten caliber player. He started 33 games for Illinois last season and it will give Juslin Bodo Bodo someone to defend down low.
The Bears ended up losing the rebounding battle to Florida by just five, but the Gators were up by a lot more for most of the game. Baylor ended up closing the gap, but that's another concern against these big teams. Does Baylor have enough players to contend for rebounds? Bodo Bodo is the key to that question and the Bears need more out of him.
Who becomes Baylor's knock-down shooter?
Baylor brought over both Brett Decker Jr. and Isaac Celiscar, both being proven shooters. Decker Jr. is among the best three-point shooters in the entire country, but he shot just two threes in the win over Florida. He's supposed to be the specialist and we want to see what he can do with more of a sample size.
It was Isaac Williams Jr. who made three-of-four threes last game. If the game is close, and or in doubt, which of these guys can step up and nail a three? Kayden Mingo or Williams could be the answer, but there are other players we want to see come up with some big shots.
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