https://www.si.com/college/2023/02/15/march-madness-predictions-champion-purdue-alabama-ucla-daily-cover
Baylor (20-6, 9-4 Big 12)
History is not on Baylor's side when it comes to winning a championship with a defense that rates as poorly as the Bears' does. Baylor currently ranks as the No. 79 defense in the country per KenPom, and no team ranked outside the top 50 has ever won it all.
That said, I think there's reason to believe the Bears' defense will look a lot different by mid-March. Baylor has played most of the season without big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who only recently returned from a devastating knee injury suffered late last season. Tchamwa Tchatchoua is one of the toughest players in the country, an emotional leader for this Baylor team and, most importantly, the quarterback of its no-middle defense when on the floor. The Bears' D wasn't the same last year after Tchamwa Tchatchoua went down, contributing to their early tournament exit against North Carolina. Since returning earlier this month, Tchamwa Tchatchoua looks healthy and has steadily increased his minutes load. This could be a much better defensive team in a month.
And if Baylor starts defending at a higher level, watch out. No team has a more dynamic backcourt than Scott Drew's club, with three prolific shotmakers in Keyonte George, LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler, each of whom has scored 20 or more points at least five times this season. Combine three explosive guards with an offense that also is elite at getting on the offensive glass and getting to the free throw line, and the Bears are more than capable of winning a shootout or two in March.
Since an 0-3 start in Big 12 play, Baylor has won 10 of 11 games. The 2020-21 champs are starting to look like a title team again, and if Tchamwa Tchatchoua can help fix the defense, Baylor has a great chance to make it to Houston and win it all.
Baylor (20-6, 9-4 Big 12)
History is not on Baylor's side when it comes to winning a championship with a defense that rates as poorly as the Bears' does. Baylor currently ranks as the No. 79 defense in the country per KenPom, and no team ranked outside the top 50 has ever won it all.
That said, I think there's reason to believe the Bears' defense will look a lot different by mid-March. Baylor has played most of the season without big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who only recently returned from a devastating knee injury suffered late last season. Tchamwa Tchatchoua is one of the toughest players in the country, an emotional leader for this Baylor team and, most importantly, the quarterback of its no-middle defense when on the floor. The Bears' D wasn't the same last year after Tchamwa Tchatchoua went down, contributing to their early tournament exit against North Carolina. Since returning earlier this month, Tchamwa Tchatchoua looks healthy and has steadily increased his minutes load. This could be a much better defensive team in a month.
And if Baylor starts defending at a higher level, watch out. No team has a more dynamic backcourt than Scott Drew's club, with three prolific shotmakers in Keyonte George, LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler, each of whom has scored 20 or more points at least five times this season. Combine three explosive guards with an offense that also is elite at getting on the offensive glass and getting to the free throw line, and the Bears are more than capable of winning a shootout or two in March.
Since an 0-3 start in Big 12 play, Baylor has won 10 of 11 games. The 2020-21 champs are starting to look like a title team again, and if Tchamwa Tchatchoua can help fix the defense, Baylor has a great chance to make it to Houston and win it all.
