Baylor Beats Coastal Carolina 77-65; Three Takeaways

Despite trailing by eight in the second half, Baylor picked up a double digit victory in the semifinals of The Myrtle Beach Invitational. The Bears will take on Villanova in the finals at 4:00 on Sunday.

Here are three takeaways:

1) MaCio Teague needs to keep attacking- Baylor’s junior transfer was hesitant at times in the Texas State game. His shooting form is a little unorthodox, and he let late stunts and closeouts deter him from shooting.

Teague has been excellent in this tournament. He’s combined for 38 points in the first two games. The offense needs him to keep getting to the hoop and shooting when he has any space.

2) Baylor’s defense needs to focus more on worrying about 3-point shooters- Coastal Carolina started an unconscionable 9-of-13 from deep. But the Bears worried a little too much about big men rolling to the rim and trying to slow drivers. While that’s a fine concern—and the Bears entered the game at No. 13 in defensive efficiency, so a lot of this is overblown—the Bears needed to focus on defending triples. Coastal Carolina needed to go wild from beyond the arc to beat them. Against better opponents, Baylor needs to worry about finding shooters, especially in transition.

3) Mark Vital keyed the comeback- The Bears looked like they were headed to their second loss of the young season. Then Vital stopped Coastal Carolina’s offensive rebounding. Vital is a monster gathering rebounds and steals. He’ll also take flight for his dreams: