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Baylor Basketball

Baylor can't find offensive groove, falls 83-74 in Big 12 semifinals to OSU

March 12, 2021
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KANSAS CITY — The No. 2 Baylor men’s basketball team (22-2, 13-1) fell in the Big 12 Championship semifinal to No. 12 Oklahoma State (20-7, 11-7) in Kansas CIty, 83-74. 

This was certainly a tale of runs and stamina. The Bears were flat in the first half and couldn’t quite find footing, and things never picked up consistently in the final 20. This young Oklahoma State team will certainly be dangerous in March, and they proved so with a win tonight. 

The first half of this game was a weird fever dream filled with sporadic play, lackluster defense and John Higgins simply being John Higgins. Baylor would rush out to an 8-2 lead, but it quickly became an 11-8 Oklahoma State advantage. They were just so much faster. 

That advantage would waver here and there, but the Cowboys would ultimately hold on to the lead late in the half and find themselves up 35-30 at the break. It was Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell combining for 22 that led the Bears, but everyone else was nonexistent offensively. 

Moreover, Baylor shot a dismal 2-13 from deep and didn’t make it to the free-throw line once. The bench was outscored 10-4 and the Bears trailed fastbreak points 15-2. It’s tough to have a lead like that. 

Despite the bleak aura at the half, Baylor came out of the break poised. Things stayed close, but the Bears used a barrage of mini-runs to take the lead at 45-43 with 14 minutes to go. The lead would expand, but the Cowboys were just too good to let it get out of hand. 

The bad guys would eventually go up late in the game and find a way to hold it, finishing on a 13-2 run. 

Teague’s hot streak continued, but it just was not enough as Oklahoma State found its way to the 83-74 win. 

Win or lose, hats off to Mark Vital who finished with 15 boards. He was spectacular. We’ll see you next week in Indianapolis.

Discussion from...

Baylor can't find offensive groove, falls 83-74 in Big 12 semifinals to OSU

3,446 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by BUGWBBear
canoso
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I don't appreciate John Higgins any more than any other Baylor fan, but to call him out in this article is just plain bush league.

And the Bears didn't lose their offensive groove nearly as much as they've lost their defensive groove.
StatMan
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Drake, Baylor shot 4-of-15 from 3-Point Range in the 2nd Half. Nice comeback from the 5-point halftime deficit to build an 8-point lead, but then Cade Cunningham hit two big 3-point baskets, the 2nd of which gave Oklahoma State the lead for good. The nation's best 3-Point Shooting team finished a woeful 6-of2-8 from beyond the arc tonight. If the Baylor Bears can go on a 6-game winning streak...well, you know what that means. Time for Baylor Nation to prepare for the Big Dance. #MarchMadness #GoBears
Johnny Bear
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canoso said:

I don't appreciate John Higgins any more than any other Baylor fan, but to call him out in this article is just plain bush league.

And the Bears didn't lose their offensive groove nearly as much as they've lost their defensive groove.

I feel the same about Higgins as most BU fans, but I don't think he or the refs in general were a factor in this game. Yes, there were some blown calls, but they pretty much evened out. Lousy shooting and too many lapses on the defensive end are what did us in on this one. And the way they're playing right now, OSU is a potential Final 4 team.
BUGWBBear
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Focus gone. Not coming back either. They like playing with their food too much and Drew needs to find his Bobby Knight if possible.
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