Scott Drew emphasizes why the Big 12 is a special conference

After starting 3-0 in Big 12 play, Baylor dropped three games in a row, but on Wednesday night, they rebounded to score a victory at UCF to get back in the win column.

Baylor’s three-game losing streak was brutal on the hearts of Bears fans and coaches as they lost at Kansas State in overtime, at Texas by a bucket, and then at home vs. TCU in a triple-overtime marathon that came down to the final possession. And the road only got tougher as BU hit the road for a matchup with UCF.

Thankfully for head coach Scott Drew, the Bears finally came out on the positive side of a hard-fought contest, pulling away for the 77-69 win in Orlando. In his postgame presser, Drew was asked about the challenge of playing in a league as competitive as the Big 12 night-in and night-out.

“I think first, because the students and the fans, they appreciate great basketball. So it makes it really tough to win on the road,” Drew commented, noting that every team in the conference packs their home stadium no matter who’s in town.

“I mean, (it’s) like the Super Bowl, doesn’t matter who’s playing in it, people are showing up. And when you’re playing in the Big 12 doesn’t matter who you’re playing, it’s a big game, people are showing up and it makes it hard to win on the road, and that really helps.”

Drew then went a little further, laying out the reasons why Big 12 play has become such a war zone.

“You have a great home fanbase, because they love to be entertained with great high-level basketball, No. 1. And then, No. 2, as far as I think, the media, the exposure that the Big 12 gets — because again, we do our job in the non-conference, which sets you up to be the best conference, which sets you up for marquee matchups, which get you national TV.”

To wrap up his comments on the matter, Scott Drew joked that he and the rest of the Big 12 coaches are colluding to make all these league games so close.

“And then, all us coaches make a deal with TV that every game is going to be one possession or overtime, and they pay for our physical at the beginning of the year and we’re good with it.”

During the months of January, February and March, trips to the doctor’s office must be pretty routine for these Big 12 coaches trying to survive conference games two nights a week.