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Baylor Basketball

Gameday Thread: #10 Baylor (23-5; 11-4) vs #5 Kansas (23-4; 12-2)

February 26, 2022
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#10 Baylor (23-5; 11-4) hosts #5 Kansas (23-4; 12-2) on February 26th at 7pm CST in Waco, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN.  

KenPom Prediction:  Baylor 78 Kansas 74

Torvik Prediction:  Baylor 78 Kansas 74

Evan Miyakawa Prediction:  Baylor 76 Kansas 74


Coaches

Kansas:    Bill Self (59); 751- 227 (545-122 at KU) 21 NCAAs; 13 Sweet 16; 10 Elite 8; 3 Final 4; 1 NC; 5 Level 1 Viol

Baylor:  Scott Drew (51); 415-229 overall (394-218 at Baylor); 9 NCAAs; 5 Sweet 16s; 3 Elite 8s; FF; 1 National Championship

Head to Head:   27-6 Bill Self

Last 5:  3-2 Self


Kansas Starters

Guard:  Dajuan Harris (SO) 6-1 170 lbs; 6 ppg; 4 asst; 2 st; 46% FG; 31% 3pt; 80% FT

Guard:  Ochai Agbaji (SR) 6-5 215 lbs; 20 ppg; 5 reb; 2 asst; 51% FG; 45% 3pt; 75% FT

Guard:  Christian Braun (JR) 6-6 220 lbs; 15 ppg; 6 reb; 3 asst; 52% FG; 35% 3pt; 75% FT

Forward:  Jalen Wilson (SO) 6-8 225 lbs; 11 ppg; 7 reb; 50% FG; 29% 3pt; 68% FT

Forward:  David McCormack (SR) 6-10 250 lbs; 10 ppg; 7 reb; 52% FG; 70% FT

Kansas Bench

Guard:  Jalen Coleman-Lands (SR) 6-4 190 lbs; 4 ppg; 48% FG; 44% 3pt; 80% FT

*Guard:  Remy Martin (SR) 6-0 175 lbs; 8 ppg; 3 reb; 3 asst; 44% FG; 36% 3pt; 76% FT

Forward:  Mitch Lightfoot (SR) 6-8 225 lbs; 5 ppg; 3 reb; 65% FG; 55% FT

Guard:  Joseph Yesufu (SR) 6-0 180 lbs; 3 ppg; 36% FG; 25% 3pt; 63% FT


Baylor Starters

Guard:  James Akinjo (SR) 6-1 190 lbs; 13 ppg; 2 reb; 6 asst; 2 st; 39% FG; 31% 3pt; 83% FT

Guard:  Adam Flagler (JR) 6-3 180 lbs; 14 ppg; 2 reb; 3 asst; 45% FG; 40% 3pt; 73% FT

Forward:  Matt Mayer (SR) 6-9 230 lbs; 10 ppg; 5 reb; 1 st; 41% FG; 33% 3pt; 65% FT

Forward:  Kendall Brown (FR) 6-8 205 lbs; 10 ppg; 5 reb; 2 asst; 59% FG; 30% 3pt; 73% FT

Forward:  Flo Thamba (SR) 6-10 250 lbs; 5 ppg; 5 reb; 1 blk; 52% FG; 58% FT

Baylor Bench

*Guard:  LJ Cryer (SO) 6-1 185 lbs; 14 ppg; 2 asst; 48% FG; 47% 3pt; 78% FT

Guard:  Dale Bonner (JR) 6-2 170 lbs; 3 ppg; 2 asst; 33% FG; 18% 3pt; 72% FT

Forward:  Jeremy Sochan (FR) 6-9 230 lbs; 8 ppg; 6 reb; 2 asst; 49% FG; 31% 3pt; 54% FT

*injuries, status uncertain

Discussion from...

Gameday Thread: #10 Baylor (23-5; 11-4) vs #5 Kansas (23-4; 12-2)

24,111 Views | 345 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by william
boognish_bear
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boognish_bear
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boognish_bear
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Dallas Mavs radio play by play guy

boognish_bear
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Jack Bauer said:

Big12 Magic Number: (any combo of YOUR team's win or other team's loss)
Kansas - 3 to win outright, 2 for tie
Baylor - 4 to win outright, 3 for tie

Kansas
@TCU- 3/1
TCU - 3/3
Texas- 3/5

Baylor (need to win out and KU to lose at least one for a share of Big12)
@Texas - 2/28
Iowa State - 3/5


So you are telling me I'm gonna have to pull for TCU…ok….one time
boognish_bear
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Limited IQ Redneck in PU
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Louise Romano said:

Pretty simple: Can't shoot, can't defend, can't rebound, did not come to play, do not appear to be taking the 1st loss to them personal. I can't buy the injury rap either. KU peaking at the right time.


This post tells me how much you know a out bb. Can you make a pizza?
Limited IQ Redneck in PU
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IowaBear said:

I'll never understand why people are so surprised when we put up horrendous 3t shooting percentages. Said in August this was an average at best 3 Pt shooting team. Factor in its missing its best 3 point shooter and guys like Mayer and Akinjo are in the low 3s % wise and you get games like this.


Isnt it great? A comeback win over the #5 team in the country?
BUCANDOIT82
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DanaDane said:

He's been a huge help on the defensive end. Just makes some boneheaded passes at the wrong time.
Mayer easily has not only the fewest turnovers per minute on our team, but on any team in the Country. He makes the fewest mistakes on both ends of the court. Prejudice!
BUCANDOIT82
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PaperBear89 said:

Noteworthy: WE did not storm the court after beating Kansas:-)
What else is there to say?
Crawfoso1973
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BUCANDOIT82 said:

DanaDane said:

He's been a huge help on the defensive end. Just makes some boneheaded passes at the wrong time.
Mayer easily has not only the fewest turnovers per minute on our team, but on any team in the Country. He makes the fewest mistakes on both ends of the court. Prejudice!
Mayer doesn't turn it over much because he is not asked to create for others. He averages 1 assist per game. Pretty much his entire role on offense is just to score the ball. Defensively, he does make a lot of mistakes because sometimes he gambles too much selling out for steals which puts him out of position. His gambling also leads to silly fouls.

All that said, I love Matt and the energy he brings to the team. He is clutch and fearless, and his energy and hustle last night was the difference maker for us. Even with his offensive struggles this year we can always count on his energy and effort.
Louise Romano
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Limited IQ Redneck in PU said:

Louise Romano said:

Pretty simple: Can't shoot, can't defend, can't rebound, did not come to play, do not appear to be taking the 1st loss to them personal. I can't buy the injury rap either. KU peaking at the right time.


This post tells me how much you know a out bb. Can you make a pizza?








This post was written when we were down 13 and had nothing on the court. I always knew we had a chance, but KU is still the better team. We just came back when we finally decided to take that last loss personal and got so sick of the way we were playing.

As far as your comment: I have noticed on this site that many people just abuse others with similar comments. FYI, I am 6'4", played bball in Italy, coached at the middle school level, and I've only been following BU bball since my daughter enrolled in the foreign exchange program. So you can say what you wish, but everythig in my comment was 100% ACCURATE at the time I wrote it.

We won bc of grit, and as I've said about MM in a previous thread which you may not have read, the value of MM is NOT as a scorer, but it is his disruption around the rim. So if you had read all of my posts in total you would have known that.

I am sick and tired of people on this site who berate others with all-encompassing comments that have no value except to devalue the human race like yours.
Louise Romano
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...so now you can put me on IGNORE bc I don't even know what a "redneck" is. Are you an American Indigenous Person? Is that what it means? OK, now put me on IGNORE.
BaylorJoy
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Limited IQ Redneck in PU said:

Louise Romano said:

Pretty simple: Can't shoot, can't defend, can't rebound, did not come to play, do not appear to be taking the 1st loss to them personal. I can't buy the injury rap either. KU peaking at the right time.

This post tells me how much you know a out bb. Can you make a pizza?


If you want to comment on basketball, great. But keep the stupid and ignorant comments to yourself. Geez. We're all fans of the same team, have some camaraderie. The comment was obviously made when we were down 13 and I remember seeing many others post similar comments. I guarantee many others were thinking the same thing during those moments.
Crawfoso1973
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But why post such nonsense? It's the same posters who panic and throw the coaches and players under the bus any game we lose. Hell, we didn't even lose this one. We were behind 13 against a top 5 team and immediately these kinds of posters overreact and start attacking our players and coaches.
Hotsauce
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My favorite part of last night's game was seeing our two stud freshmen on full display. They both grew up quite a bit, particularly KB who was playing with a level of aggression we hadn't seen yet.

I loved the play where he went coast-to-coast at full speed, with complete control...unfortunately he didn't quite finish at the rim, but it was still great to see. They both hit HUGE threes at key moments also.
Louise Romano
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Crawfoso1973 said:

But why post such nonsense? It's the same posters who panic and throw the coaches and players under the bus any game we lose. Hell, we didn't even lose this one. We were behind 13 against a top 5 team and immediately these kinds of posters overreact and start attacking our players and coaches.
If you read my only 2 posts, I never criticized any "individual" player. It was a total team let down to open the game. In fact, if I had posted positive comments I would have been heckled by comments like ARE YOU WATCHING THE BU-KU GAME? etc. What I suppose I should have said, was add a tag that to come back we were going to have to get into the paint and muck the game up bc KU was running perfect set O and all our shots were contested.

This team has already proven earlier in the year and climaxing with the Villanova game they CAN defend. The question is one of chemistry and grit. That team is a FF team, but we have seen so much inconsistent play and even when we play well we still go through a lot of mental mistakes for a stretch.

Kentucky is still my pick to win it all, KU is good enough to do so as well. TT is also a tough gritty team especially on D so they could make a run. Gonzaga will pull another Gonzaga until they play regular season tough competition. Timme is not really that great of a player when you just blanket him. Arkansas also could make a deep run, but I've seen Kentucky 4x this year and I am telling you when they are hot there is no team that can play with them...and this is why I love tournament play bc you almost have to put 6 perfect games together in a row. This year the field is totally upset prone so who really knows. I just know that IF the BU team gets hot and doesn't suffer mental lapses for 5-7 minutes at a time they could win it. The incentive is certainly there but we've had plenty of incentive this year followed by a bad game.

Anyway, you won't find me criticizing any single player, but I will always question strategy, game plan, determination, hustle and other things that take away your ability to overcome obstacles.

Last night what I saw in the 2nd half was a battling gritty team that took it to KU rather than wait for them to attack. The less talented team ALWAYS must take it to the opponent and show them you can beat them with toughness and grit aka MM rebounding and disrupting around the rim, Thamba getting dirty at the rim, KB making end to end great plays which he may be the best in the big 12 at doing, Akinjo being smart but you have to live with his misses and by the way to go deep in the tourney he must shoot well bc he can get any shot he wants anytime he wants. Flag has got to be more consistent. I am only guessing his knee is causing some issues but he still has the best driving floater bank shot around, and then Sochan who I have known from Europe decided it was time for his aggression to show.

So I guess this about covers it!
BUCANDOIT82
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Crawfoso1973 said:

BUCANDOIT82 said:

DanaDane said:

He's been a huge help on the defensive end. Just makes some boneheaded passes at the wrong time.
Mayer easily has not only the fewest turnovers per minute on our team, but on any team in the Country. He makes the fewest mistakes on both ends of the court. Prejudice!
Mayer doesn't turn it over much because he is not asked to create for others. He averages 1 assist per game. Pretty much his entire role on offense is just to score the ball. Defensively, he does make a lot of mistakes because sometimes he gambles too much selling out for steals which puts him out of position. His gambling also leads to silly fouls.

All that said, I love Matt and the energy he brings to the team. He is clutch and fearless, and his energy and hustle last night was the difference maker for us. Even with his offensive struggles this year we can always count on his energy and effort.
His Box +/- last night was +16 against Kansas in a game we won by 10 points. So one of us is missing something about his play.
Crawfoso1973
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Louise Romano said:

Crawfoso1973 said:

But why post such nonsense? It's the same posters who panic and throw the coaches and players under the bus any game we lose. Hell, we didn't even lose this one. We were behind 13 against a top 5 team and immediately these kinds of posters overreact and start attacking our players and coaches.


This team has already proven earlier in the year and climaxing with the Villanova game they CAN defend. The question is one of chemistry and grit. That team is a FF team, but we have seen so much inconsistent play and even when we play well we still go through a lot of mental mistakes for a stretch.



Anyway, you won't find me criticizing any single player, but I will always question strategy, game plan, determination, hustle and other things that take away your ability to overcome obstacles.


Questioning this team's grit and consistency, what planet is this coming from? With so many injuries we have battled back time and time again with grit and determination. We won yesterday playing 7 guys against a top 5 team. You say you were a basketball coach, do you not know how injuries can wreck havoc on a team's rhythm and chemistry? Every game the coaching staff has been tasked with finding new combinations of players to fill roles, all the while treading water in the toughest conference in America. Our effort and grit is beyond reproach.
Crawfoso1973
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What am I missing about his play? Did you even read my post before responding?
DanaDane
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BUCANDOIT82 said:

DanaDane said:

He's been a huge help on the defensive end. Just makes some boneheaded passes at the wrong time.
Mayer easily has not only the fewest turnovers per minute on our team, but on any team in the Country. He makes the fewest mistakes on both ends of the court. Prejudice!

I don't know why I'm even responding to you because it's been obvious all year that you're simply trolling and trying to get reaction, but turnovers aren't the only measurement of boneheaded passes. They kill open scoring opportunities, even when they don't result in a turnover. So, feel free to go back under your bridge now.
Limited IQ Redneck in PU
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Louise Romano said:

...so now you can put me on IGNORE bc I don't even know what a "redneck" is. Are you an American Indigenous Person? Is that what it means? OK, now put me on IGNORE.


You questioned the team being ready to play. You cut down our team. Congrats on your height and jr high coaching. I have coached games on the same court Baylor played on last night. Stop questioning the ability of our coaches and the players desire to win.
If a player misses a ft you dont say omg he doesnt want to win or isnt prepared to play .
DanaDane
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Crawfoso1973 said:



Mayer doesn't turn it over much because he is not asked to create for others. He averages 1 assist per game. Pretty much his entire role on offense is just to score the ball. Defensively, he does make a lot of mistakes because sometimes he gambles too much selling out for steals which puts him out of position. His gambling also leads to silly fouls.

All that said, I love Matt and the energy he brings to the team. He is clutch and fearless, and his energy and hustle last night was the difference maker for us. Even with his offensive struggles this year we can always count on his energy and effort.

Agree with all this, but I will also say the major thing he provides from the defensive side is that he's 6'9" and does something that our small guards can't -- he causes some good outside wing shooters to alter their shot which sometimes throws them off, when he's not gambling. He had a visible impact on Agbaji last night.
Crawfoso1973
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DanaDane said:

Crawfoso1973 said:



Mayer doesn't turn it over much because he is not asked to create for others. He averages 1 assist per game. Pretty much his entire role on offense is just to score the ball. Defensively, he does make a lot of mistakes because sometimes he gambles too much selling out for steals which puts him out of position. His gambling also leads to silly fouls.

All that said, I love Matt and the energy he brings to the team. He is clutch and fearless, and his energy and hustle last night was the difference maker for us. Even with his offensive struggles this year we can always count on his energy and effort.

Agree with all this, but I will also say the major thing he provides from the defensive side is that he's 6'9" and does something that our small guards can't -- he causes some good outside wing shooters to alter their shot which sometimes throws them off, when he's not gambling. He had a visible impact on Agbaji last night.
Agreed 100%.
boognish_bear
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boognish_bear
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vanillabryce
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This is exactly right. Mayer did very well on Agbaji and Braun too. Mayer's ability to rotate and close out is really excellent.

Closing out on shooters and going over ball screens to recover are two of the hardest things to maneuver on defense in my opinion.

Mayer can close out from far away and disrupt their rhythm. This year he's shown the ability (he's not perfect - Martin beat him once last night) to close out while staying on the floor so he doesn't give up a drive.
Stefano DiMera
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It's like people think they're watching 3rd grade girls basketball.

High level basketball is a game of runs...who cares about a 10 pt deficit in the first 3 minutes.. only Baylor fans.

It's the horrible combination of the 'misery loves company' effect and everyone trying to be the first on social media to post their hot take.
vanillabryce
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You are the same poster who stated our entire team had a low basketball IQ earlier this year.

It was ridiculous then, and even more so today.
boognish_bear
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Don't forget strategic use of the "ignore" button can make this site a much more enjoyable experience.

Ignore > Seeing Dumb S
bear2be2
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Stefano DiMera said:

It's like people think they're watching 3rd grade girls basketball.

High level basketball is a game of runs...who cares about a 10 pt deficit in the first 3 minutes.. only Baylor fans.

It's the horrible combination of the 'misery loves company' effect and everyone trying to be the first on social media to post their hot take.
Baylor also has a lot of ignorant basketball fans. Like most universities in Texas, we have a lot of fans that apply a football mentality to the basketball team, not understanding that the two games are not terribly comparable.
DanaDane
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Louise Romano
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vanillabryce said:

You are the same poster who stated our entire team had a low basketball IQ earlier this year.

It was ridiculous then, and even more so today.
I said it was relative to LAST YEARS TEAM and this still holds true.
Louise Romano
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Limited IQ Redneck in PU said:

Louise Romano said:

...so now you can put me on IGNORE bc I don't even know what a "redneck" is. Are you an American Indigenous Person? Is that what it means? OK, now put me on IGNORE.


You questioned the team being ready to play. You cut down our team. Congrats on your height and jr high coaching. I have coached games on the same court Baylor played on last night. Stop questioning the ability of our coaches and the players desire to win.
If a player misses a ft you dont say omg he doesnt want to win or isnt prepared to play .
This is exactly what I mean. I speak 6 languages so I am very careful to use the proper words because I have to make sure they are in context.

I NEVER SAID THAT I QUESTIONED THE TEAM'S "DESIRE" TO WIN. I DID QUESTION READINESS TO PLAY. Your statement in that regard is factual.

I NEVER CUT DOWN THE TEAM. That is purely100% your interpretation of my comment. That's on you!

However, you questioned my knowledge of bball in general and that is what I do not understand about posters who revert to grade school debate tactics to make a point.

I also NEVER said a word about Drew's ability to "coach." In fact, I was anxious to see how he would handle the rotation with all the injuries and various skills. I always am aware of that. IMO, it has taken a while but he has used the smaller line up effectively most of the time.

Your FT comment is out of left field as they say and has no relevance to anything. I guess you chose not to put me on IGNORE. I think your posting life would be better if you did so.

I HAVE NOTICED MANY POSTERS TAKE WHAT OTHERS SAY AND THEN BLOW IT UP LIKE GOSSIP SO THAT ENDS UP NOTHING LIKE IT STARTED. I do not do that.
IowaBear
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Well said Louise
Louise Romano
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Crawfoso1973 said:

Louise Romano said:

Crawfoso1973 said:

But why post such nonsense? It's the same posters who panic and throw the coaches and players under the bus any game we lose. Hell, we didn't even lose this one. We were behind 13 against a top 5 team and immediately these kinds of posters overreact and start attacking our players and coaches.


This team has already proven earlier in the year and climaxing with the Villanova game they CAN defend. The question is one of chemistry and grit. That team is a FF team, but we have seen so much inconsistent play and even when we play well we still go through a lot of mental mistakes for a stretch.



Anyway, you won't find me criticizing any single player, but I will always question strategy, game plan, determination, hustle and other things that take away your ability to overcome obstacles.


Questioning this team's grit and consistency, what planet is this coming from? With so many injuries we have battled back time and time again with grit and determination. We won yesterday playing 7 guys against a top 5 team. You say you were a basketball coach, do you not know how injuries can wreck havoc on a team's rhythm and chemistry? Every game the coaching staff has been tasked with finding new combinations of players to fill roles, all the while treading water in the toughest conference in America. Our effort and grit is beyond reproach.
You are correct. If you read it correctly, I did not say WE HAVE NO GRIT. However, I believe for this team to make a deep run it will need that same grit and chemistry to get there. Geez, I am just in awe of how people can take a comment, twist it, and come up with a dissertation on something I never said. It happens way more on here than I ever thought.

Maybe I just revert to Italian so I am careful to say the right thing 100% of the time without concern for criticism on a non-comment.
 
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