WACO, Texas – In each of the past two Decembers, the Northwestern State men's basketball team has made a trip to the Ferrell Center on Baylor's campus to face the Bears.
 
Although the Demons' current roster does not feature one player who saw action in those two games, there is at least one Northwestern State player who will not consider the surroundings to be unfamiliar when the Demons face the No. 9 Bears at 5 p.m. Saturday.
 
"I played junior college in Waco (at McLennan)," senior forward Justin Wilson said. "Baylor was a school that I went to watch their games. It's going to be an intense game, and we're preparing well for it."
 
Northwestern State (1-6) will face a high-octane Baylor attack that ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 93 points per game.
 
The Bears (7-0) are one of 18 remaining unbeaten teams and will be the Demons' first ranked opponent of the season, continuing a trend. Northwestern State has not played a ranked opponent since facing No. 12 Baylor on Dec. 20, 2022, and the Bears are the first top-10 opponent for the Demons since meeting then-No. 1 Baylor on Dec. 28, 2021.
 
Five of Baylor's seven wins have come by at least 15 points, including a 108-70 win against Nicholls this past Tuesday.
 
"Baylor's a top-five program the last 10 to 15 years," first-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "We're going to win the game, get better, compete and work hard. We're going to treat it like the next game on the schedule, but we're realistic. One, it's a road game, and two, you're playing against some high-level guys. We're going into this with an opportunity to play another game and try to win it."
 
While the Demons are in the midst of a stretch of seven straight games away from Prather Coliseum, Saturday's game offers a bit of a homecoming for a couple of Demons.
 
Wilson, a Dallas native, is one of four native Texans on the NSU roster – two of which have ties to the Waco area. In addition to Wilson, junior guard Jae Slack played his junior college basketball at Temple College, located roughly 35 miles south of Baylor's campus.
 
"It's going to feel like a homecoming," said Wilson, who is shooting a team-best 57.1 percent from the field. "Finally since I started playing college ball all my family will be able to see me play. It's special to me, and I'm looking forward to it."
 
After a nine-day break, Northwestern State returned to action this past Tuesday at ULM, falling to the Warhawks, 74-70. Saturday's matchup is one of the Demons' six remaining non-conference games.
 
Falling between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, players like Wilson have even more reason to enjoy seeing their families in the stands.
 
"They've been away from their families for a long time," Cabrera said. "Some of the guys even stayed here after summer workouts. I've always been a family guy. I'm like that with my staff and players. I want them to understand their family will always come first.
 
"I told our guys the other day, one of our core values is to be appreciative. I don't want them to be 'have to' guys. I want them to be 'get to' guys. You get to play Division I. You get to play at Baylor. You get an opportunity for your family to see you play."
 
One thing Wilson will "get to" do Saturday is to put both parts of the term student-athlete together.
 
Wilson said the McLennan coaching staff encouraged their players to watch Baylor games as teaching tools, which meant taking notes – something Wilson took to heart.
 
"They showed us this is the next level," Wilson said. "They told us, 'If you want to go to the next level and make money, watch these guys, because they always give it their all, and they know what they want to be.' I took both mental and physical notes. I put them in my phone. I could actually still show you some."