Perfect in the Ferrell: Baylor Downs Texas Tech 88-73

The Baylor Bears (21-1, 13-1) beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders (17-9, 9-8) 88-73 on the back of MaCio Teague’s 35 points on 10 made threes on only 12 attempts.

The win secured Baylor’s first perfect season at home since moving into the Ferrell Center.

After Baylor sprinted out to a 16-3 early lead, it looked like Baylor was set to boat race the Raiders. Kyler Edwards turned things on with 13 first half points on 3-4 3PT, and Baylor’s lead had dwindled to 34-32 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

On a Sunday senior day, Mark Vital — the school leader in Big XII wins — tallied a signature double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. MaCio Teague dropped 35 points on 10 made threes, which is tied for the 2nd-most in a Big XII game and ties the school record. Tristan Clark, who declared a medical retirement from basketball in this his senior season, was on the sideline with his teammates to celebrate senior day the the conclusion the Baylor’s greatest regular season in school history.

In the second half, the Raiders kept things close until 7 minutes left in the game. A Jared Butler (18 pts, 5 ast ) made three pushed the lead into double digits for good. From there, Baylor pulled away with threes, lobs, and layups as the Fival sliced and diced Tech’s vaunted defense. Baylor scored a blistering 1.397 points per possession. To put that in perspective, Gonzaga’s No. 1 rated offense has averaged 1.26 points per possession this season.

As a team, Baylor was 15-24 from three. Making 63% of your threes is a good way to win games and is an outrageous percentage, even for the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the nation. Davion Mitchell (17 pts, 7 ast, 6-7 FG) hit all three of his attempts from outside the arc, and Butler added 2 of his own. All of Baylor’s threes came from the starting guards.

This game was a perfect conclusion to the regular season, displaying everything that has made Baylor one of the best teams of the season. The Bears bombed from three, exploded in the second half, and played stifling defense when it mattered most. They did it, too, with their signature 4-guard lineup around Vital, which is possibly the most potent two-way lineup in college basketball.

Baylor will be the No. 1 seed in the Big XII Tournament. They’ll have a bye before facing the winner of TCU vs Kansas State on Thursday.