Savannah State @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 23, 2015 ) Savannah State 61, Baylor 100

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. continued to leave his mark on the Baylor record book in his last outing, but his exploits on the basketball court in that game figure to fade from his memory long before everything else he has experienced this week. The 21st-ranked Bears attempt to wrap up a memorable week for their senior center Sunday when they host Savannah State.

Lual-Acuil, who reunited with his parents for the first time in four years at the Dallas airport Thursday after they flew in from the Sudan to watch him receive his diploma this weekend, arrived at the Ferrell Center roughly 30 minutes before the start of Baylor's 99-68 win over Texas Southern - a game in which the 7-footer finished with 18 points and recorded his 100th career blocked shot. "The team really wanted it to be a special night for Jo. They really wanted him to play well, wanted us to play well. And they knew he'd be emotional," coach Scott Drew said. As luck would have it, the Bears put on a good show for everyone else in attendance, setting a program record by shooting 66.12 percent from the field - two-hundredths of a point better than in their season-opening win over Central Arkansas. Baylor will represent the fourth ranked foe Savannah State has faced thus far and is the second of four straight top-25 opponents it will face before the end of the month after opening that stretch with Wednesday's 113-66 loss at No. 10 Texas A&M.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest

ABOUT SAVANNAH STATE (3-9): The Tigers lead the country with 475 3-point attempts - 100 more than the next team entering Saturday - and are tied for ninth in Division I in made 3-pointers per game (11.3). Senior forward Javaris Jenkins (8.7 points) has emerged as Savannah State's most dynamic offensive threat recently, averaging 23 points per game over his last three outings after totaling 35 in his first nine contests. Leading scorers Dexter McClanahan (13.3 points, 1.3 steals) and Alante Fenner (11.9, 1.7) are the only Tigers scoring more than 10 points per game but are two of five players averaging at least one steal for a team that ranks ninth in Division I in the category (10.4).

ABOUT BAYLOR (8-2): Leading scorer Manu Lecomte (17.2 points) returned from a one-game absence and played with a wrap on his injured left thumb, but the Miami (Fla.) transfer showed no ill effects, finishing with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting while adding six assists and three steals. Freshman forward Mark Vital (hamstring) returned from a one-game absence as well in Thursday's rout, tying his career high of seven rebounds while logging only 18 minutes. Following a five-game stretch in which he totaled 23 points on 6-of-23 shooting, fellow senior Nuni Omot has stepped up in a big way over the last three games, averaging 22.3 points on 27-of-38 from the field - including 26 points per game on 22-of-29 shooting in his last two.

TIP-INS

1. Baylor has won 46 consecutive games against unranked non-conference opponents.

2. Savannah State has surrendered at least 100 points in seven of its 12 games and ranks last in Division in scoring defense (96.6 points).

3. The Bears have scored 112 points inside the paint over their last two games, including a season-high 58 against Texas Southern.

PREDICTION: Baylor 109, Savannah State 71