HOUSTON — During this weekend’s Sweet 16 appearance, Baylor hopes to turn Reliant Stadium into Ferrell Center South.

While Duke sits on the East Coast, Saint Mary’s on the West Coast, and Purdue in the Midwest, Baylor is only a three-hour drive from Houston. More than 40,000 fans are expected for the South Regional, and the Bears hope most of them will be wearing green and gold.

“Oh man, it’s exciting to be playing at home,” Baylor guard Tweety Carter said. “We hope that we can have a great turnout, and it looks like it will for our fans. I know the joy we can bring to Waco just by winning games.”

Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh stretches before practice Thursday at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

The No. 3-seeded Bears hope to take their third step toward the Final Four with a win over Saint Mary’s at 6:27 tonight to earn a spot in Sunday’s Elite Eight.

After knocking off No. 14 Sam Houston State and No. 11 Old Dominion in New Orleans, the Bears (27-7) will face their third straight double-digit seed against No. 10 Saint Mary’s. The Gaels (28-5) reached Houston by upsetting No. 7 Richmond and No. 2 Villanova for their first NCAA tournament wins in 51 years last weekend in Providence, R.I.

‘Seeds don’t matter’

“Our team realizes that seeds don’t matter,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We know we have our challenges in front of us. We’ve faced some good shooting teams and some good passing teams before. But there’s a reason they’re in the Sweet 16 because they do it a little better than anybody else.”

Baylor’s biggest task will be slowing down Saint Mary’s fifth-year senior center Omar Samhan, who is averaging 30.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the NCAA tournament, and 21.5 points and 10.9 rebounds for the season.

Many college basketball fans have learned Samhan’s name for the first time in the last two weeks, and he’s enjoyed the publicity. When the outgoing 6-11 star walked on the podium for media interviews Thursday, he stood and waived at the reporters.

But he obviously knows when to quit clowning and focus when game time rolls around.

Playing in the West Coast Conference, Samhan believes the Gaels have been overlooked all year, and now they’re proving doubters wrong.

“People think we should be scared because we don’t play in gyms this size and we don’t have McDonald’s All-Americans on our team,” Samhan said. “But we don’t need McDonald’s All-Americans to win. We don’t need a huge gym to win. I think that’s what I want America to know, and everybody to know, that we are America’s team.”

Long-distance shooters

While Samhan draws most of the notoriety, the Gaels are a balanced team with great shooters. Guard Mickey McConnell is averaging 14 points and shooting a remarkable 51.7 percent from 3-point range, while guard Matthew Dellavedova is averaging 12.3 points while hitting 40.7 percent of his treys.

Forward Ben Allen is another solid scorer who is averaging 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range. Allen and Dellavedova are among five Saint Mary’s players from Australia.

“Typically, Australian basketball players are very heady, very intelligent and team-oriented,” Drew said. “They spend so much time shooting the ball and working on the outside shot that normally they’re very efficient at it. Aaron Bruce was an outstanding Australian player for us.”

Baylor hopes to counter Saint Mary’s efficient shooting with its athleticism and length in a zone defense that has baffled teams all season. Baylor has one of the biggest front lines in the country featuring 7-0 center Josh Lomers and 6-10 forwards Ekpe Udoh and Anthony Jones.

Baylor’s size around rim

“We’ve seen teams that are as athletic as Baylor, but probably aren’t as big,” Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “They’re long and big on the back line. What makes their zone unique is their size around the basket.”

With their speed and athleticism, the Bears would have an advantage if they get Saint Mary’s into a transition game. LaceDarius Dunn is averaging a team-high 19.4 points per game, while Carter is averaging 15.1, and both can bury treys or take it to the basket.

“We know Saint Mary’s is going to bring it, so we have to match their intensity,” Dunn said. “We just have to stay focused and not get caught up in the things that are going on right now with all the publicity we’re getting.”

jwerner@wacotrib.com

757-5716

#3 BAYLOR vs. #10 ST. MARY’S

Tipoff: 6:27 p.m., Reliant Stadium, Houston

TV: CBS Channel 10

Radio: 5:57, KRZI-AM (1660)

Records: BU 27-7, SM 28-5

Series: first meeting

Live blog: Follow the Tribune-Herald ’s courtside updates from the game on wacotrib.com.

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