Perry Jones III Returns As Baylor Takes On Prairie View A&M

After sitting out the first five games of the year due to an NCAA suspension, Perry Jones III makes his season debut tonight as the Baylor Bears take on the Prairie View A&M Panthers in Waco.

Jones, a Big 12 preseason Player of the Year candidate, was suspended six games for receiving improper benefits prior to coming to Baylor, and sat out the Bears' final game of last season -- an 84-67 blowout loss to Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 tournament - before watching the start of this season from the sidelines.

Tonight's game is a rematch of a drubbing Baylor put on Prairie View last year, beating the Panthers 90-45, thanks, in no small part, to Jones' 16 points and 13 rebounds. In that game, Baylor's long defense held the Panthers to 25.4% shooting from the field.

Baylor, which was one of the tallest teams in the country without Jones, grows taller with the addition of the 6-11 Jones and will play against a smaller Prairie View team whose three leading scorers are 6-1, 6-3 and 6-4 guards. No one on Prairie View's roster tops out over 6-9, while Baylor will trot out Jones, 6-11 Quincy Miller, 6-10 Anthony Jones and 6-7 Quincy Acy.

Without predicting an outcome, let's just say that Baylor might win the rebounding edge.