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WACO, Texas _ Before the Southland Conference season begins this weekend, the University of Central Arkansas Bears will have one last non-conference date on Tuesday afternoon, with one of the best teams in the nation.

The UCA Bears will take on the second-ranked Baylor Bears at 3 p.m. at the Ferrell Center on ESPN+ and The Bear 91.3.

Baylor (6-0) owns a victory over No. 5 Illinois (by 13 points), among others and is 2-0 at home, with victories over Southland Conference preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin (83-52) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff ( 99-42) in its most recent game last Monday. The Baylor Bears have not played since.

UCA (1-6) has had a holiday layoff of its own since a 92-28 victory over Champion Christian in its home opener on Dec. 19 at the Farris Center. The Bears, after six consecutive road games against stiff competition, dominated the smaller division Tigers, leading 50-11 at halftime and holding Champion to just six field goals for the game (6 of 49, 12.2 percent).

The Bears had 13 of 14 players in the scoring column and shot a season-high 53.8 percent from the field and 82.4 percent (14 of 17) from the free-throw line. UCA also outrebounded Champion 50-27 and forced 23 turnovers. The 64-point margin of victory was short of the school record of 77 points in a 142-65 win over Philander Smith back in 1990 as an NAIA program.

Baylor leads the overall series with UCA, winning 107-66 in 2017 and 105-61 to open the 2019-20 season a year ago. The common denominator in both games was spectacular perimeter shooting by the home team. Baylor connected on 18 three-pointers last season and a combined 31 in the two games. Baylor shot 62 percent (31 of 50) from beyond the arc in the previous matchups.

Baylor is just as good or better this year, shooting 47.3 percent from three-point range, which ranks first in the nation. Five players have made at least 12 threes, led by junior guard Davion Mitchell with 15, while shooting 53.6 percent. Five Baylor players average double-figure scoring, with MaCio Teague and Adam Flagler at 15.3 points per game and All-American Jared Butler at 14.8. 

As a team, Baylor is third in the nation in scoring at 93.7 points per game, trailing only No. 1 Gonzaga and Iowa. The Bears also have a +32.7 scoring margin.

UCA has had success from three-point range this season as well, shooting 37.1 percent over seven games. Senior guard DeAndre Jones has a tea-high 14 made threes, followed by senior guard Rylan Bergersen with 11 and sophomore forward Jaxson Baker with 9. Nine different Bears have made at least one three-pointer. UCA's season-high was nine three-pointers at Memphis and at Arkansas.

Bergersen is UCA's leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points per game, followed by Jones at 10.3 and Eddy Kayouloud at 9.3. Bergersen has scored in double figures in all seven games this season and 12 straight dating back to last season, and has been in double figures in 22 of his last 23 games.

The Bears will open Southland Conference play at McNeese at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lake Charles, La., then return home to host New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Farris Center.