RSBear said:
Did they get a scouting report?!
That would mean a good coach.
Baylor found themselves waiting longer than usual on Selection Sunday to hear their names called, and when it was the landing spot wasn’t exactly ideal. The Bears will enter their 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament trip as the seventh seed in the Seattle 3 region, which sends them to Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.
Up first for Baylor (19-12) is 10th-seeded Alabama (20-10), in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Tip-off between the Bears and Tide is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on ESPN 2.
The Tide are currently riding a four-game skid and finished in the middle of the pack in the SEC, as they were tied with Mississippi State and Georgia at 9-7 in conference play.
Here is the 1-3-1 on the Tide.
Baylor will need to focus on All-SEC First Team Guard, Brittany Davis. The grad student leads Alabama in scoring with 17.3 PPG, and has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, including ten 20-point performances.
Davis (9-points, 7 boards) didn’t play up to her standards as the Tide were ousted by Kentucky 71-58 in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Expect her to come out firing against the Bears on Saturday.
● Baylor is making its 19th-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, which is the fifth-longest active streak in the country behind Tennessee (41), Stanford (35), UConn (34) and Notre Dame (27), and 21st appearance overall.
● The Crimson Tide's deepest run came in 1994 with the team advancing to the Final Four.
● The Bears are 54-17 in the Big Dance and have made 15 trips to the Sweet 16.
The elephant in the room, besides Big AL, is the fact that the winner of Saturday’s game between Baylor and Alabama will likely see the heavy favorite and hometown team UCONN in the second round.
Head coach Nicki Collen knows her team is under a microscope heading into March, but if they can focus on a few basic elements of the game, then they can beat anyone on any given night.
"People are going to say we're not Baylor anymore," Collen said. "We're not the dominant Baylor, but we're good enough to go beat anyone... From our perspective, that's who we need to be. Because we're not bigger than anyone, we're not stronger than anyone. We have to be focused on rebounding, we've got to be focused on defending and let the rest take care of itself."
There have been a few roster announcements over the course of the week for Baylor, with one player hitting the portal and another returning via their Covid eligibility.
Kendra Gillespie has missed a majority of the season with “personal issues” and announced via Twitter earlier this week that she would be entering the transfer portal.
Jaden Owens let it be known before the team left Waco that she will be back next season, to which Bella Fontleroy replied “We wouldn’t let her leave anyway”.
RSBear said:
Did they get a scouting report?!
The fact that we are looking at giving someone with no coaching experience a chance and we're constantly playing for a Final Four two years ago is something that everyone needs to realize and understand. Win or lose this game, this program needs to regroup and fix something during the summer.kbrun said:
I'm ready to give Sophia a shot at coaching.
Hope we win. And I'm not an expert. Just a realist for how we play. We are living and dying by the 3. As long as we get to live, I'm good.Stefano DiMera said:
The experts on this thread.. hilarious..as we pull within one
Stefano DiMera said:
The experts on this thread.. hilarious..as we pull within one
I still stand by the fact that we scored 4 points in the first quarter and she didn't adjust to get points inside when we had an obvious height advantage. Win or lose, that was not good coaching.Stefano DiMera said:
The same offensive system being torched on page 1 of this thread has brought us back.
How bout just letting the game play out before saying Nikki doesn't know what she's doing.
Glad you're enjoying the run. Thankful for your convenient support.Stefano DiMera said:
Games aren't scripted.. sometimes you get down and have to come back.. sometimes you get a lead and have to hold on.
Basketball is a game of multiple runs.. sometimes the run is at the beginning.. we took our punch and didn't go down and fought back.. unlike our 'fans'.
You obviously don't understand the statement. And you should know better than to call anyone "honey"Stefano DiMera said:
Honey my support isnt convenient..I used to be one of 30 or do odd fans watching Maggie Davis in the HOT in the late 80s.
RSBear said:
I watched Suzie Snider in Marrs McLean
She is one of the worst.BellCountyBear said:
Dear Lord, I can't stand listening to Beth Mowins.