Baylor-Savannah State First Half Thoughts

Baylor is rolling in this game. If the Bears are making threes, they’re a top 15 team. When their shots don’t fall, they can lose to anybody in the Big 12 (though that’s not saying much with every Big 12 team ranked in the top 60 on KenPom).

The only problem I had in the first half was Baylor’s early 3-point defense. Savannah State will chuck anything at anytime, and Baylor helped on drives too often. Baylor can’t be that lackadaisical as the competition increases. There were plenty of positives though:

Nuni Omot is rolling:

Omot opened 3-of-5 from the perimeter and he’s made 14 of his last 21 3-point shots. Baylor desperately needs an offensive player to step up until Terry Maston returns. Omot has been that dude.

King McClure needs to keep shooting:

Savannah State extended their zone quite far early in the game. McClure made his first two threes. Manu Lecomte also added a deep look too.

Mark Vital’s energy is a huge plus:

Vital wakes up and plays. He slipped during one sequence on offense. Baylor led by 16 points. It was a very easy time to not worry about getting back up. But Vital gets back on defense and moves like a madman. Once he develops a shot, he’ll be an all league player.

The turnovers aren’t that concerning, at least in this game:

Baylor had six turnovers before the under eight timeout. But Savannah State’s defense is designed to turn opponents over. They also yield plenty of open shots. Baylor took that trade-off and has a giant lead.