No. 4 Baylor opens Big 12 at Oklahoma (Dec 30, 2016)

Before the season began, Baylor coach Scott Drew took a look at his team's nonconference schedule and shook his head a bit.

"Yeah, who made that?" Drew joked at Big 12 Media Day when he looked over a schedule that included games against Oregon and Xavier plus a tournament that led to games against Michigan State and Louisville.

More than two months later, Drew can't quite exhale yet as a conference schedule featuring a double round-robin in the top RPI conference in college basketball awaits his Bears, but the strong early season schedule has paid off.

The Bears are 12-0 in non-conference play entering Friday's Big 12 opener at Oklahoma and have climbed up to No. 4 in the polls.

Baylor has done it despite losing lottery pick Taurean Prince, the school's all-time leading rebounder in Rico Gathers and the starting point guard from last season in Lester Medford.

The Bears have been boosted by the improvement of forward Johnathan Motley, who is averaging 16 points per game after averaging 11.1 last season as a sophomore.

"I think he's a guy that's probably as productive as anyone in the league right now," Sooners coach Lon Kruger said.

While the Bears have soared not only due to Motley's emergence but the addition of 7-foot junior college transfer Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. on the interior. Lual-Acuil is averaging 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 blocks.

That could be a problem for Oklahoma, which hasn't had much production from its inside players to this point.

Khadeem Lattin started well offensively, scoring 10 or more points in five of the Sooners' first six games. He hasn't cracked double digits since, though, and although he remains in the starting lineup, sophomore Jamuni McNeace has had more playing time in the last two games.

At the other inside spot, the Sooners have rotated through three starters -- freshmen Kristian Doolittle and Matt Freeman and sophomore Dante Buford -- with little success.

"We've had good stretches," Kruger said. "We've had too many poor stretches though. Too many poor moments.

"We still need consistency. Conference play is kind of a new season in a way. Guys are anxious to get started."

The Bears enter this game wanting to carry things over from the start of the season as they try to end Kansas' run of winning at least a share of the conference regular-season title for 12 consecutive seasons.

Oklahoma comes in needing to push its non-conference experiences into the past.

For the first time in four years, the Sooners have dropped three consecutive games. Without a marquee win before Big 12 play begins, Oklahoma will need to turn things around quickly to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

The Sooners get a boost with the expected return of senior guard Jordan Woodard. Woodard, Oklahoma's leading scorer, missed a game for the first time in his career on Dec. 21 after suffering a leg injury in practice.

The experience of playing without Woodard against Auburn might've made it easier for the young Sooners to realize how much ground they had to make up.

"I don't know if they realize how far they've got to grow," Kruger said. "We don't have that core of older guys around them like we did last year. I think they're getting a better sense of it all the time. We've got to string together good minutes."