Baylor's next non-conference game is not just any average tune-up. It's against arguably one of the best mid-major teams in the country.
For Monday's game at the Ferrell Center, the 19th-ranked Bears (10-1) welcome Portland State, which has already knocked off one ranked team in the past week.
The Vikings (10-3) beat then-No. 7 Gonzaga 77-70 on Tuesday and ride a three-game winning streak into Waco. Baylor, meanwhile, has won four in a row but has endured a pair of tight games in its last two.
In their last game last Monday, the Bears won 74-59 over Hartford, but allowed the Hawks to get within five with 4:27 left, before pulling away. They also trailed Texas-Arlington by two with 1:11 remaining on Dec. 20 until Curtis Jerrells bailed them out with three free throws and a pivotal steal in a 79-76 victory.
Jerrells, the Bears' leading scorer at 17.2 points per game, scored a season-high 29 in that game, then had one of his biggest career nights against Hartford. The senior guard recorded his first career triple-double and fourth in school history with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Jerrells is one of five players in double figures for one of the nation's best offenses, which has averaged 81.2 points. LaceDarius Dunn has made a team-leading 35 3-pointers and scored 15.9 points per game off the bench, while Henry Dugat, who passed the 1,000-point mark against Hartford, has averaged 13.3 points.
"I think it's an accomplishment to be part of that," Dugat said. "Not too many people who come through here get in that club. I'm grateful for it."
Kevin Rogers, the team's leading rebounder at 7.1 per game, could join Dugat in that club. He has 999 points coming into Monday and could become the school's 22nd player to reach that plateau.
Portland State is playing the middle contest of a five-game road trip.
After beating Gonzaga, the Vikings also survived a scare in their last game Saturday at Texas Southern. The Tigers tied the game at 55 with 2:10 remaining before Portland State scored eight unanswered points for a 63-55 win.
Last season, the Vikings won the Big Sky Conference and earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, losing in the first round to eventual national champion Kansas. They returned three starters from that team, including leading scorer and Big Sky MVP Jeremiah Dominguez.
The senior guard, who averages a team-best 13.5 points, scored a season-high 25 against Gonzaga and is one of five players scoring in double figures, three of whom are transfers who sat out last season.
Phil Nelson, a Washington transfer, has scored 11.8 points per game, and junior guard Dominic Waters, who came to Portland State from Hawaii, has averaged 11.1 points. Jamie Jones transferred from Portland and has averaged 10.5 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds.
Portland State's three losses have come by a combined 10 points.
The two schools have never met, but Baylor has a 9-1 record over Big Sky opponents.
