Baylor Bears
Big 12 (24-11, 9-9)
Baylor cruised through the non-conference portion of their schedule, losing only to Syracuse in Maui. They beat teams like Colorado, Dayton and Kentucky and appeared to be a contender for a Big 12 title. But that changed quickly as the Bears won just one of their first seven conference games. Coach Scott Drew has been digging out of that hole ever since.
Big Wins: 11/8 vs Colorado (72-60), 12/6 vs Kentucky (67-62), 3/4 Iowa State (74-61)
Bad Losses: 1/15 at Texas Tech (72-82), 1/28 West Virginia (64-66), 2/26 at Texas (69-74)
Coach: Scott Drew (11 seasons at Baylor)
Why They Can Surprise:
When it comes to pure talent, Baylor is right up there with the best teams in the Big 12. Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin form one of the most intimidating frontcourt duos in the country. Jefferson, a 6-9 senior, leads the Bears with 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. Austin, at 7-1, is a beast in the paint. His numbers have slipped during his sophomore season, but he is still one of the best shot blockers around. The emergence of Rico Gathers has taken away some of Austin’s rebounds and provides Coach Drew with some great frontcourt depth. In the backcourt, Kenny Chery has had some amazing outings. The junior point guard knows how to find the big men in the paint and can light up the scoreboard himself at times. Brady Heslip takes advantage of the attention paid to Jefferson and Austin and connects on an amazing 47.3 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Why They Can Disappoint:
So why does this team keep losing? Turnovers are often a problem. Although Chery does a good job keeping his down, he does need to play smarter at times and not put his teammates in a position where they are going to turn the ball over. Of course the consistency has not been there for this team, but when they are on a roll, they can beat anybody. They can lose to just about anybody too when Jefferson and Austin are contained.
Probable Starters:
Kenny Chery, Junior, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 5.0 apg
Brady Heslip, Senior, Guard, 11.8 ppg
Royce O’Neale, Junior, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.7 apg
Cory Jefferson, Senior, Forward, 13.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Isaiah Austin, Sophomore, Center, 11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Gary Franklin, Senior, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 2.4 apg
Rico Gathers, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Taurean Prince, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Ish Wainright, Freshman, Guard, 2.0 ppg, 1.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.1 (70th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.0 (119, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.4 (119, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.2 (106, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (57, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.7 (31, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.7 (271, 9)
Rebound Margin: 7.4 (11, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (39, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.1 (152, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NIT First Round win over Long Beach State
2013 NIT Second Round win over Arizona State
2013 NIT Quarterfinal win over Providence
2013 NIT Semifinal win over BYU
2013 NIT Final win over Iowa
2012 NCAA Second Round win over South Dakota State
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Colorado
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Xavier
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kentucky
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Sam Houston State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Old Dominion
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over St. Mary's
2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to Duke
2009 NIT First Round win over Georgetown
2009 NIT Second Round win over Virginia Tech
2009 NIT Quarterfinal win over Auburn
2009 NIT Semifinal win over San Diego State
2009 NIT Final loss to Penn State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Purdue
2001 NIT First Round loss to New Mexico
1990 NIT First round loss to Mississippi State
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
