Early Exit in KC, Bears Lose to Oklahoma

Baylor couldn’t overcome an abysmal night from outside the arc. Oklahoma couldn’t miss. In that somewhat surprising fashion, the Oklahoma Sooners upset the 2-seed Bears to advance to the semifinals of the 2022 Big 12 Conference tournament.

After a 7-0 opening for the Sooners, Baylor fought back to earn a 4 point lead going into halftime. The shooting woes continued in the second half, with the Bears

Baylor shot 2-17 from 3 for a measly 12%, and was still within striking distance after a scoring burst following the under-4 media timeout in the second-half. Baylor had multiple opportunities to extend and hold that lead, but the shots wouldn’t fall.

Even though the Bears protected the ball very well (6 turnovers), created 16 OU turnovers, and generated 14 second-chance points, the poor shooting night ended the Bears’ conference tournament run in Kansas City.

James Akinjo, Matt Mayer, Jeremy Sochan, and Flo Thamba all scored in double digits. Dale Bonner found some aggression and matched his season-high of 9 points.

It is notable that Kendall Brown appeared to roll his ankle and did spend some time in the locker room. He was able to return to the game.

Focus turns to the NCAA Tournament, where Baylor’s #1 seed is potentially at risk. That being said, a week of rest isn’t the worst thing in the world for a team that is fighting the injury bug.