By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            After a defensive performance for the ages, defending national champion Baylor (9-0) laid to rest any remaining doubts about who will be the No. 1-ranked team in the country when the new polls are released Monday. 
            Holding sixth-ranked Villanova (7-3) to its fewest points in the Jay Wright era (21^st season), the Bears (9-0) blew out the Wildcats, 57-36, Sunday afternoon in the Big East/Big 12 Battle before a sellout crowd of 10,284 at the Ferrell Center. 
            "It was a great atmosphere," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team won its program-record 19^th-straight home game and eighth in a row against a top-10 team. "Fans always make a difference. When they come and they're loud, they affect it. It helped with the defensive intensity, for sure."
            Baylor's stifling defense held Villanova to its fewest points and shooting percentage (.222) in Wright's 21 seasons and the first time the Wildcats have been held under 40 since 1979. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 36 points tied the fewest by an AP top-10 team in the shot clock era. 
            Wright, who won national championships in 2016 and '18, credited Baylor's "bigs" of Flo Thamba, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Matthew Mayer for being able to switch off and guard on the perimeter. Villanova hit just 2-of-13 from outside the arc in the second half. 
            "Those three bigs can guard anybody on the perimeter," Wright said. "They can rebound, they can guard anybody in the post. That's the basis of their defense. Those guys are back, and they're better than they were last year."
            Villanova's defense also frustrated the Bears, who shot just 39% from the floor (22-of-56) and scored 27 points below their scoring average. 
            "Coming in, I think Villanova was the fourth-best offense in the country and we were the sixth-best offense in the country," Drew said. "So, the defenses were really good against top offenses. I think both of us missed shots we normally make, but I think that was attributed to none of the shots were easy on early. What happened was, when you got an open one, you didn't have a rhythm."
            Baylor didn't exactly light the world on fire, but the Bears held Villanova scoreless for over seven minutes and had a 12-4 lead at the second media timeout. The Wildcats missed nine of their first 10 shots and didn't get to double-digit points until a 3-pointer by Collin Gillespie cut their largest first-half deficit to 25-12 with 2:48 left. 
            "We do what we always do," said grad transfer point guard James Akinjo, who had a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists. "Coach Drew does a great job of getting us to play (defense), but that's what separates you. We've got a really good team, everybody can score 1 through 5, but the separator is getting those stops."
            Gillespie hit another 3-pointer in the last minute of the first half to pull the Wildcats back within 10 at the break, 25-15. The Wildcats' leading scorer coming into the game with a 17-point average, Gillespie didn't score in the second half and finished with just six points. 
            "We lost him twice, and he got two 3's," Drew said of Gillespie, who was just 2-of-7 from the floor. "That was a good reminder of just how good he is. Villanova missed some shots that I know normally they make. Coach Wright is an unbelievable coach, and Villanova is a great team. our guys were so excited to play because of the respect we have for Villanova."
            With 'Nova never really able to get on much of a run, Baylor reeled off nine unanswered points and built a 40-22 lead on an LJ Cryer 3-pointer. The Wildcats went almost six minutes without scoring, Caleb Daniels ending the drought with a trey. 
            The exclamation point came with 46.3 seconds left when Adam Flagler beat the press with a long pass to Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who dunked it and completed the three-point play to put the Bears up 55-34. 
            Flagler was Baylor's only other double-figure scorer with 10 points and five assists, while freshman Jeremy Sochan just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the last minute. 
            After losing four starters from last year's 28-2 team, Baylor started the season ranked No. 8, but climbed to No. 2 last week and will likely move up to No. 1 with top-ranked Purdue's 70-68 loss to Rutgers on a buzzer-beating shot close to half-court. The Bears have been ranked No. 1 in three of the previous five years. 
            "Every coach will tell you that the goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the year," Drew said. "But, I will tell you that it always means something. It means something to the fans, it means something to your coaches, your players. It's a great sign of respect for other people that have come before you, the work they've put in."
            After a few days off for semester final exams, the Bears will face Oregon (5-4) at 9 p.m. CT next Saturday, Dec. 18, in Eugene, and return home to host Alcorn State (1-7) on Dec. 20.