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Iowa St.-Baylor Preview

Feb 3, 2010 - 3:44 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Iowa State (13-8) at Baylor (16-4), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Baylor came away with some confidence following a big road win in its last game. Its defensive play in Waco has been a boost all season.

The No. 20 Bears take on Iowa State on Wednesday night, looking to win their fifth straight home game against the Cyclones.

Baylor (16-4, 3-3 Big 12) returns to Waco following an 80-77 overtime win over then-No. 6 Texas in Austin on Saturday - the Bears' first regular season victory over the Longhorns since 1998. Tweety Carter finished with a season-high 27 points, and Baylor scored 27 points off Texas' 18 turnovers.

"This was a great win for us, but it doesn't stop here," said Carter, whose team had suffered narrow losses in two meetings with ranked opponents over the previous two weeks. "We've got to stay focused and we can compete with anybody on any given day. We just have to come out and play like we played tonight."

A.J. Walton hit two free throws with 10 seconds remaining after the Longhorns pulled within a point. Walton, who went 6 of 7 at the free-throw line after going 9 for 19 in his first 19 games, finished with 14 points and added six steals and four rebounds.

Once again, Baylor put on an impressive defensive performance, holding Texas to 38.6 percent shooting. The Bears are limiting opponents to 63.9 points per game and 36.6 percent shooting, which is among the best marks in Division I.

Baylor ranked 10th in scoring defense in the Big 12 last season, allowing 70.1 points per game. Coach Scott Drew credits the improvement to transfer Ekpe Udoh, who averages 13.7 points and 10.7 rebounds while ranking fifth in the nation in blocks per game with 4.2.

"Ekpe's impact on the floor, it's obvious," Drew said. "The impact that people don't know about is the mental approach he has to the game, the leadership. ... The same thing with how he affects the game when he doesn't block shots, but alters them or intimidates them or changes people's game plan."

Following their impressive display on the road, Udoh and the Bears return to Waco, where they won their first 10 games before a 76-74 defeat to then-No. 11 Kansas State on Jan. 26. Baylor is holding opponents to 59.5 points per game at home.

After playing their last three conference games against ranked opponents, the Bears will get a slight reprieve when Iowa State (13-8, 2-4) comes to town. The Cyclones are 0-3 against ranked opponents this season and 0-17 against Top 25 teams since a 72-60 win over then-No. 12 Iowa on Dec. 9, 2005.

Iowa State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 64-63 win over Colorado on Saturday. Craig Brackins finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds and the Cyclones outrebounded the Buffaloes 52-26.

Brackins threw the ball away on an inbounds pass with nine seconds remaining, giving Colorado a chance to win, but the Buffaloes' shot bounced off the rim. Iowa State trailed 31-25 at the half and committed seven turnovers in the first eight minutes.

"We have some issues starting games," coach Greg McDermott said. "We have to figure out. We either have to make some changes in our preparation or make some changes in the lineup."

One problem has been the play of Scott Christopherson, who moved into the starting lineup after Lucca Staiger decided to leave to play professionally for his native Germany. Christopherson struggled Saturday, shooting 0 for 7 and scoring two points.

Baylor has won four straight at home over Iowa State, but it lost the teams' only meeting last season 71-62 in Ames.