Takeaways from Baylor's win over Sacramento State

The Bears returned to Foster Pavilion tonight, fresh off a 2-1 road trip in Las Vegas and the Players Era Festival with wins over San Diego State and Creighton, but a loss to a ranked St. John's squad. Fans across the country were able to get their first look at Cameron Carr, who has far and away been Baylor's best player so far and hot name among NBA draft circles, as well as the continued development of five-star freshman Tounde Yessoufou.

While tonight's game was much closer in the first half than Baylor fans would have liked, with the Hornets jumping out to an early lead, there were still notable names both on the court and on the sidelines that made the Hornets a more formidable opponent than your average Big Sky opponent. Mike Bibby, a former NCAA champion at Arizona and a 14-year NBA veteran, is the head coach of the Hornets, returning to the sidelines after a short but successful stint as a Phoenix-area high school head coach.

With him, Bibby has brought NBA names and attraction to the program. Brad Miller, Bibby's former NBA teammate with the Sacramento Kings, is an advisor to the program, and former NBA MVP Shaquille O'Neal operates as their general manager, with O'Neal owning a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings and his son, Shaqir, a senior forward, on the Hornets. With another non-conference win in their pocket, let's hit on what came from the Bears' closer-than-expected 110-89 win.

Slow start and slower defense

As has become an unfortunate trend this year, the Bears didn't come out with a sense of urgency from the opening tip. The Hornets started out the game hot from three-point land, getting out to a 14-5 lead in the game's opening minutes. The Hornets led for most of the first half before a 6-0 run by the Bears at the end of the first half pushed them ahead.

Former Memphis signee and social media sensation Mickey Williams showed why he was such a highly touted high school prospect, finishing with 16 first-half points and 20 in the game. He was able to consistently get downhill and penetrate the paint against Baylor's guards, and he and guard Prophet Johnson gave Baylor fits. While Baylor was able to tighten the screws and seemingly overwhelm the Hornets in the second half, the 46 points given up in the first half were a regression for the Bears' defensive performance.

Yessoufou finds a grove

All five of Baylor's starters were able to get into double figures, and Issac Williams' 11 points off the bench made six Bears with at least 10 points in Baylor's triple-digit victory. However, the biggest sign of encouragement for the Bears was the career-best shooting performance for their five-star freshman.

Yessoufou scored 27 points on an efficient 11-15 from the field. Without a major interior presence for the Hornets, Yessoufou was able to easily get to the rim and limit the poor shot selection and jumpers, only taking one three-pointer on the night. He was able to create more transition opportunities for himself, with four steals and the generally fast-paced game. Cameron Carr continued to be the steady offensive engine, and the Bears once again won the rebounding margin, but the Bears got a glimpse they needed to see of what the offensive ceiling for this team could be when firing on all cylinders.