Postgame Takeaways: #10 Baylor 66, OSU 64

#10 Baylor (23-5; 11-4) guts out a gritty road win over Oklahoma State (13-14; 6-9) in Stillwater, Oklahoma 66-64.  Next up for the Bears is a top 10 match-up against Kansas in Waco on Saturday.  

Positives

• This has been a tough year with injuries, but let’s step back for perspective.  We are 23-5 and #4 in KenPom with only 3 regular season games left.  Our only loss outside the top 20 in KenPom is to OSU at home.  We are 77-11 in the last 3 years.  That is an 88% winning percentage.  45 straight weeks in the top 10.  
• Adam Flagler was amazing tonight.  29 points and 7 three pointers.  Only one turnover.  
• James Akinjo had a rough game but boy was he clutch when it mattered, hitting the last two buckets but also assisting on Baylor's first bucket to Thamba in OT.  
• Outside of the last 8 minutes of the first half where the Bears gave up 24 points, the defense was good.  The zone in the second half stifled the Cowboys.  The Bears end up holding OSU to 0.89 points per possession but that had to be under 0.7 outside of that 8 minute stretch in the first half.  
• Took care of the basketball, only 12 turnovers.  The Bears turned OSU over 17 times.  
• 7-8 from the free throw line.   Good to see Matt Mayer making his free throws.  
• Held OSU to 6-23 from 3, wingspan matters.  
• 6-2 on the road in the toughest conference in college basketball.  

Needs Work

• Outside of Flagler, that was a rough offensive performance.  
• Allowing lots of easy lobs to Cisse in the first half.
• Shot selection wasn’t great tonight, Flo forced a lot of tough looks.  We had a few shot clock violations.