Baylor coach Scott Drew reveals game plan for playing James Nnaji against TCU

Big 12 play has arrived for Baylor and Scott Drew. Sitting at 10-2 on the season, the Bears will hit the road to take on a TCU program that also has 10 wins. The Horned Frogs lost by just four points to Michigan, arguably the top team in the nation, and beat both Florida and Wisconsin this season.

On Friday, Drew previewed the game and mentioned getting his new center James Nnaji on the court.

"Yeah, this is that time of year where everybody gets a little more excited because you know Big 12, what a great opportunity," Drew said of playing TCU. "And TCU is one of those teams that five of the last six games have come down to four points or less. So, been a really competitive matchup and Coach Dixon does a great job.

"So, one, trying to make sure with a whole new team, we know exactly what we want to do in one possession games. And obviously, we've been teaching that all year long, but it becomes even more valuable now that Big 12 is playing. Things will get a lot tougher with people who haven't had any chance to scout each other now.

"And then, at the same time, trying to bring James [Nnaji] along and get him caught up to speed so that he might have an opportunity to help us."

How much will Nnaji play?

Baylor center James Nnaji — Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Baylor has been running with a small starting five this season while bringing center Caden Powell in off the bench. But with the addition of 7-foot center James Nnaji, who was a former 31st overall pick in the NBA Draft, Drew hopes to get him on the court against TCU.

How many minutes? That will depend on Nnaji's conditioning and ability to learn the offense and defense.

"Well, I can tell you that he hadn't played five-on-five since summer and was rehabbing an injury," Drew said of his new center. "So, physically, it's going to take a little time to get caught up, and then with basketball, offense, defense, all that stuff, what I'd love to see is a triple-double.

"But let's just start with being able to be on the court and help us. What amount, we'd like to try to put him out there, see what he can do, and then go accordingly. It might be two minutes, four minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes, who knows? But we'd like to give him a chance."

Baylor will take on TCU at 1 p.m. CT on TNT.

How much will Nnaji play?

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