Baylor Beats Texas State 72-63; Three Reactions

Baylor beat Texas State 72-63.

I have an early flight to get to Baylor-Oklahoma (I’ll be up at 5:00), so I’ll have three quick thoughts below.

Tristan Clark did not play. He had a non-operative procedure on this knee. Baylor reports he’s expected back next week.

1) Some terrible stretches- Baylor led by 13 in the first half, and the Bears ended up trailing early in the second half. The Bears had the game in hand, as they led by 17 in the second half. Texas State pulled within six.

The Bears had a terrible finish against Washington. If this team is a Final Four contender—and they should be if Clark can return to form—then they can’t go through stretches like this. Their going to have some ruts. But they have to lock in better.

2) They’ve shown flashes- There’s a reason I’m a little more negative in that first paragraph. This team legitimately should have high expectations. Those expectations exist because Baylor flashes some brilliant moments. Davion Mitchell is a monster on the ball. Jared Butler can score easily. Freddie Gillespie is an above average Big 12 starter on both ends.

3) The man-to-man defense is ahead of schedule- There are some rotations the Bears have missed, and they’ll need to balance switching and icing ball screens. But for a team that used to play quite a bit of zone, they’ve held all three opponents to less than .9 points per possession. That’s a fantastic figure.