No. 3 Baylor holds off Iowa State, clinches Big 12 title 75-68

WACO, Texas — The No. 3 Baylor men’s basketball team (26-5, 14-4) snuck past Iowa State (20-11, 7-11) at home to cap off the regular season and win the Big 12 title 75-68.

Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears are Big 12 champions. Had I told you that during a midseason 4-4 skid where Kansas and Texas Tech were rolling, you certainly would’ve been surprised. But here we all are, witnesses to what is on the cusp of being a dynasty. 

Had you turned this game off at the 7:53 mark with the idea that a 25-point blowout was boring and not worth your time, you would certainly be shocked with how this one played out. Iowa State led inside the four-minute mark, and this one became a game to remember. 

The first half of this game was a rout — until it wasn’t any longer. Iowa State opened the scoring with a 2-0 lead, and Baylor proceeded to go on a remarkable 29-2 run of death. At 29-4, Baylor fans actually gave a round of applause to the Cyclones when they hit the six-point mark at 7:41. 

From that point, though, Iowa State went on a tear. A 23-10 run in favor of the visiting team meant that Baylor’s once 23 point lead was squandered to just 10. The freshman tandem of Kendall Brown and Jeremy Sochan scored 11 and 10 respectively to aid the Bears, but Baylor’s 39-29 lead at the break could’ve been much larger. 

The second half brought a myriad of points. At the 10 minute mark, the two teams were on pace to score 86 combined in the half and had shot 18-26 from the floor. If you took a shot, you were almost sure to make it. 

That was certainly to the benefit of the Cyclones. Iowa State pulled within two at 58-56 and forced a Baylor timeout at the 8:43 mark, screaming back from their once daunting deficit. The timeout halted nothing. The Cyclones soon led 60-58. 

From there, both teams locked in defensively. The game remained knotted at 62-62 for two minutes between the 6:30 and 3:47 marks. A Cyclone 16-footer would offer the boys from Ames the lead, but an immediate James Akinjo three to answer made it 65-64 Bears with 3:34 to go. 

Akinjo followed up with a layup and assist to Brown to make it a five-point game. The senior point guard took over when Baylor needed it most, and the Bears held on to win 75-68. 

Akinjo finished with 20 points, six assists, four boards and two steals, a marvelous stat line to show the difference he can make in March. Brown added 16 points and 10 boards to boot. 

The Bears now have consecutive conferences titles for the first time in 71 years. Despite multiple key injuries and some extreme lows, Baylor basketball perseveres. Now, begin the debate on when it’s appropriate to bow out of the conference tournament.