By Kevin Erpenbeck

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UK Hoops has become all too familiar with Baylor in recent years, having played the Bears three times since 2012. But no matter how often UK sees them, the task of facing the Bears never gets any easier.

“It’s a tough game to play for the second game of the season,” said head coach Matthew Mitchell.

The No. 11 Cats will face No. 8 Baylor at Rupp Arena on Monday for their “Pack the House” game. The Top-15 matchup is the second game of three UK plays in a six-day stretch to open the 2014-15 season.

UK is 1-2 in its matchups against Baylor. The first matchup came in the second game of the 2012-13 season, when the then-No. 1 Bears dismantled UK 85-51 in Waco, Tex. Baylor was coming off a perfect season and a national championship run the year before, and still had iconic women’s college basketball player Brittney Griner dominating the frontcourt.

The two teams faced each other twice last season, once during the regular season and then in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cats won the first meeting in Dallas, Tex., 133-130 in quadruple overtime, setting an NCAA record for point total in a game. However, the Bears would get their revenge in the Sweet 16, overpowering UK for a 90-72 win.

Throughout recent years, Baylor has had some of the top recruiting talent come through its program, including Griner and point guard Odyssey Sims of last season. This season looks to be no different, as sophomore forward Nina Davis is primed to take the spotlight as the new Baylor star. The 5-foot-11 player was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season, and had the fifth highest field goal shooting percentage in the nation.

The superior talent and consistent success has given the Bears the respect they deserve, and makes them that much more difficult to prepare for no matter when or how many times you play against them, Mitchell said.

“They’re a really great team,” Mitchell said. “They are very aggressive at all times and play really fast. We have to make it an up-tempo type of game and play fast to have any chance to win.”

But because the game is so early in season, Mitchell thinks it serves as a double-edged sword for both teams.

“(The game) won’t be as clean as it will be if we played a month later,” Mitchell said. “But Baylor is in the same boat. They’ve had the same amount of time to practice as we have. It may not be clean, but still very important. It would be very meaningful to win.”