Election Night Disaster: Baylor Loses to Texas Southern 72-69

Playing without Makai Mason and Mario Kegler, Baylor blew a 17 point second half lead to lose to Texas Southern 72-69. This is the worst loss of the Scott Drew era.

Baylor led 40-27 at halftime. Tristan Clark picked up three fouls in the first half, and he grabbed his fourth early in the second half. He fouled out late too.

The Bears struggled mightily in the second half. A good team would have crushed Baylor tonight. A bad team worked them in the second half and beat them.

There are ways to spin this loss and say the season isn’t over. Mason and Kegler are two of and possibly Baylor’s best players. But this loss is catastrophic. Texas Southern is ranked 277th on KenPom. They might be better than that, but this team isn’t good. Baylor sure wasn’t tonight.

Baylor missed free throws. They were 3-of-11 from the line. They took legions of awful shots. And they turned it over 19 times. It takes a lot of problems to lose to Texas Southern. Baylor made plenty of them.

King McClure was very good tonight. He did a nice job leading the team, and he helped key big Baylor runs. He finished with 21 points.

Baylor—even without two of their best players—had no business losing this game. This team had no business blowing a 17 point second half lead. That can happen occasionally against a top 25 team. It can’t happen to a team you pay to come lose to you.

The Bears are certainly off everyone’s radar now. They have a chance to make this night a footnote on a run to a great season. Or they have the chance to make this the night that foreshadows a dumpster fire season. They have time to write that story. Hopefully there aren’t any more nights like this.