Baylor Bears
Big 12 (24-9, 11-7)
Due to road difficulties, Baylor did not stick around the Big 12 title chase for very long, yet Coach Scott Drew filled in some holes very nicely and put together a very good season. This group desperately needed some shooters and Coach Drew found junior college transfer Lester Medford and developed small forward Taurean Prince to fill the void.
Big Wins: 1/24 Oklahoma (69-58), 2/7 at West Virginia (87-69), 2/25 at Iowa State (79-70)
Bad Losses: 11/28 vs Illinois (54-62), 1/17 at Kansas State (61-63), 2/9 Oklahoma State (65-74)
Coach: Scott Drew
Why They Can Surprise:
Prince normally comes off of the bench and is one of the best sixth men in the country. He averages a team high 13.8 points and adds 5.3 rebounds and nearly 1.0 block per game. Rico Gathers is the star of the frontcourt though. The junior is an absolute monster on the glass and a bruiser in the paint. Royce O’Neale starts at the small forward spot and is a great rebounder in his own right, but Gathers usually gathers up everything that comes anywhere near him. Freshman Johnathan Motley has been a pleasant surprise and is another player who has stepped up to help fill holes left by departed players a season ago. He is averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Even though the team as a whole does not block that many shots, Prince, Gathers and Motley are all capable shot blockers and that has really helped turn this into one of the better defenses in the Big 12.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Kenny Chery has developed into a fine point guard, but his assist-to-turnover ratio has fallen this season. And the turnovers are a potential problem for the Bears and much of that falls on Chery. The turnover number for the team as a whole is way too high and the turnover margin is awful. That is especially true away from Waco, Texas. Baylor has not had much luck away from home, especially in Big 12 play with the exception of a nice win at West Virginia. On the road this team seems like they have to grind out a win, which they can do against the likes of TCU and Texas Tech, but that is not going to cut it against a tournament caliber opponent.
Probable Starters:
Kenny Chery, Senior, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 spg
Lester Medford, Junior, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg
Royce O’Neale, Senior, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg
Rico Gathers, Junior, Forward, 11.7 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Johnathan Motley, Freshman, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Al Freeman, Freshman, Guard, 4.9 ppg
Taurean Prince, Junior, Forward, 13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Ishamil Wainright, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.7 (110th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.0 (30, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.5 (178, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.9 (51, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (87, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.7 (31, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.7 (257, 7)
Rebound Margin: 8.5 (6, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (39, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (162, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Nebraska
2014 NCAA Third Round win over Creighton
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Wisconsin
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
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
