Provo • Forget their lofty ranking, undefeated record and roster filled with future professional basketball players. The No. 6-ranked Baylor Bears are just plain good, BYU coach Dave Rose said Thursday after practice as the Cougars (8-2) prepared for the 8-0 Bears' visit on Saturday.
"They are a really long, athletic team that switches defenses a lot," Rose said. "They have a real balanced scoring team. Their point guards are really different. So whatever point guards they have in the game at the time kind of changes the style and the tempo that they play at. It is a team that is put together very well."
It starts with center Perry Jones III, a 6-foot-11 sophomore who was suspended the first five games of the season by the NCAA for taking improper benefits, $700, as a high-schooler. Jones is averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.
But the Bears also boast 6-9 Quincy Miller (12.3 ppg) and 6-7 Quincy Acy (12.0 ppg), giving them the best frontcourt the Cougars will see this season, and one of the best trios in the country.
"I think they had 10 dunks the other night in a game," Rose said. "That's probably more dunks than we have had all season."
It is the highest-ranked team to visit Provo since No. 4 San Diego State visited and lost 71-58 to the Cougars on Jan. 26, 2011.
Rogers doubtful
It appears BYU will be without sixth man Stephen Rogers not only against the Bears, but also for the next half-dozen games. Rogers, a 6-foot-8 junior, hurt his knee in practice Thursday and was taken to a nearby hospital for an MRI. A BYU basketball spokesperson would not confirm reports that Rogers underwent surgery for a torn meniscus and will be out for a month, maybe longer. Rose said he'd give an update on Rogers' status Friday.
"He had to come out of the Utah game the other night because he bumped knees," Rose said. "But today it seemed pretty serious. He was in a lot of pain."
Home and home deal
The Cougars have trouble getting teams from the Big 12 and other major conferences to come to the Marriott Center, and it appeared at first that was going to be the case with Baylor. After some initial talks, Baylor coach Scott Drew wasn't interested in a home-and-home deal, but changed his mind and agreed to it a few months later.
Rose said Drew's only stipulations were that the game be played on this particular date (Dec. 17) and be finished by 3 p.m. so the Bears could get back to Waco on Saturday night. Baylor has a home game on Monday against Paul Quinn, an NAIA school in Dallas.
Briefly
UCLA transfer Matt Carlino becomes eligible to play for BYU on Saturday, but will not start, Rose said. Carlino will get some playing time, the coach said. … Rose said he has not decided yet whether Craig Cusick or Anson Winder will start at point guard against the Bears.
drew@sltrib.com
BYU basketball vs. top-10 teams since 2006
* At Marriott Center
x At neutral site
# At opponent's home court
Date Result
Nov. 15, 2006 # No. 5 UCLA 82, BYU 69
Nov. 23, 2007 x BYU 78, No. 6 Louisville 76
Nov. 24, 2007 x No. 1 North Carolina 73, BYU 63
Dec. 8, 2007 x No. 9 Michigan State 68, BYU 61
Jan. 3, 2009 * No. 6 Wake Forest 94, BYU 87
Feb. 27, 2010 * No. 10 New Mexico 83, BYU 81
March 20, 2010 x No. 7 Kansas State 84, BYU 72
Jan. 26, 2011 * BYU 71, No. 4 San Diego State 58
Feb. 26, 2011 # BYU 80, No. 6 San Diego State 67
March 12, 2011 x No. 7 San Diego State 72, BYU 54
No. 6 Baylor at BYU
P Saturday, noon
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