Baylor Bears: 25-7, 11-6 in the Big 12
Head coach: Scott Drew (14th season)
Players to watch: Johnathan Motley (17.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG); Manu Lecomte (12.4 PPG, 3.9 APG); Al Freeman (9.8 PPG, 38.3 3PT%)
Season recap: After starting the season 15-0, the Bears find themselves stumbling again at the worst time. Nonconference wins against Michigan State, Oregon and Louisville have been overshadowed by upsets at the hands of Kansas State and Texas Tech in February and an early exit in the Big 12 tournament. Although Baylor has one of the most athletic teams in the country, the Bears have struggled to close games in the last month of conference play.
Motley is the centerpiece for Baylor, and the junior raised his scoring average by more than six points from a year ago. At 6-foot-10, Motley is an intimidating presence on the glass and helped make the Bears the fourth-best rebounding team in the nation in terms of rebound margin. Baylor relies on upperclassmen such as Freeman, Lecomte and guard Ishmail Wainwright to surround Motley and provide some much-needed scoring on the perimeter.
The Bears are one of the best defensive teams in the nation—allowing only 62.7 points per game—with big man Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. averaging 2.6 blocks per game. Baylor came into the season with relatively low expectations, but now faces the pressure of advancing deep into the tournament as a higher seed.
How they make a run: Motley saves his best for the Big Dance and Lecomte and Freeman provide enough perimeter shooting to help the Bears rediscover their groove and advance deep in the tournament by mixing up their defensive looks.
How they falter: After losing in the first round each of the last two seasons, Baylor starts slow against an upstart opponent and falters down the stretch, leading to another upset and quick departure.
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