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Baylor Basketball

McClure steps up with huge game to seal comeback win over Creighton

November 21, 2017
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After Wisconsin put together a run to threaten Baylor last night, the Bears had to do a better impersonation of that performance to take down Creighton 65-59. It barely happened, but it happened all the same. Most importantly, it proved Baylor can win under duress and move away from the bread and butter to do it. 


Take away Manu Lecomte, take away the game (almost)

With Khyri Thomas glued to Lecomte’s hip, Baylor’s leading scorer was held to a season-low nine points. Had he put together a performance in line with the first four games this season, Baylor walks away with an easy W.

With the Belgian struggling to get proper looks, shooting just 2-of-8 from the floor, Baylor had to correct course with someone else. Thomas was holding his ground against Lecomte in the first half, letting up just one shot and in the second half, Lecomte struggled more shooting just 1-of-6 (all three-point tries). His reliability was truly tested, shifting the focus to someone else to pull through.

That was King McClure who finished with a career-high 19 points, coming in the clutch in the last five minutes, tying the game up at 50 thanks to a three-point play and taking the lead with a layup for Baylor’s first lead of the game. Not only did he have a career-high score but 15 points came in the final 20 minutes, giving the team a lift with two three-pointers that Baylor could hardly the side of a barn with, in the first half.

Credit also lands on Jo Lual-Acuil and Terry Maston both putting up 15 points, the latter even showing some range with a three-pointer to seal the deal while Lual-Acuil strung together another double-double.


Shooting looked worse than it really was

Baylor may have walked away from the first half down 33-24 but it wasn’t due to poorer shooting, Creighton simply shot more and in combo with more free throws put Baylor against the wall in the second half.

The Jays weren’t terribly efficient in either half, just had the luxury of shooting 33 times to Baylor’s 25 shots made worse by Baylor’s personal foul trouble that Creighton avoided. There were embarrassing cold spells like a nine-miss streak in the second half but Creighton matched that and more, shooting under 30 percent in the second half while Baylor found its mojo shooting just under 50 percent with safer shots inside where Maston and Lual-Acuil made their mark.

There were strings of embarrassing moments like nine-straight missed shots from the field but Creighton had more and even had the exact same cold streak. Ultimately, even if Baylor could have put up better shots, free throws came throw again shooting 11-of-11 in the second half to bury the game.


Ball control controlled the game

After having a good handle on possessions the last few games, TOs veered its ugly head again. The Bears’ 16 turnovers marks the second time this season it's crossed 15. It took seven games last season to cross the mark twice. Creighton's man defense really did a number on the team.

Surprise, surprise, Jake Lindsey was the only player to avoid turning anything over (although, he played a team-low 13 minutes). Five of six players to turn the ball over had multiple TOs, with Lecomte and Jo Lual-Acuil among the biggest offenders. Lual-Acuil was particularly careless (or at least outplayed) allowing Marcus Foster to steal the rock twice from him in the first half alone.

Baylor had 11 turnovers in the first half, with Creighton turning them into 10 points. That was ultimately the difference in the first half. When Scott Drew’s team kept the ball close to the chest in the second half, the Jays were afforded just three points on five takeaways, liberating Baylor’s offense to run away with the second half 41-26.

Put in perspective, Baylor held a 31.4 percent turnover rate the first half compared to 14.7 percent during the comeback which in turn led to doubling the points per possession as well, allowing McClure and his surrounding cast to thrive.

Discussion from...

McClure steps up with huge game to seal comeback win over Creighton

10,556 Views | 15 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by NoBSU
snarebear55
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While we only won this game because Creighton shot atrociously from 3 (can't remember the last time a Baylor opponent shot that poor % from 3 with that high volume), the fact McClure stepped up in the 2nd half was more than comforting. We saw against South Carolina last year the one dominant big, Lecomte combo doesn't work when the opposition has a great perimeter defender. And in the first half, I was starting to worry this year could be derailed because we didn't have a second guard/wing capable of creating offense, and teams were starting to figure out how to defend us. McClure playing like that is the difference between this team sneaking into the tournament and this team making noise into the second weekend and beyond. We HAVE to have another guard/wing capable of generating offense besides Lecomte, and what I saw from McClure that second half was more than huge. Here's hoping he keeps it up.
Bear8084
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snarebear55 said:

While we only won this game because Creighton shot atrociously from 3 (can't remember the last time a Baylor opponent shot that poor % from 3 with that high volume), the fact McClure stepped up in the 2nd half was more than comforting. We saw against South Carolina last year the one dominant big, Lecomte combo doesn't work when the opposition has a great perimeter defender. And in the first half, I was starting to worry this year could be derailed because we didn't have a second guard/wing capable of creating offense, and teams were starting to figure out how to defend us. McClure playing like that is the difference between this team sneaking into the tournament and this team making noise into the second weekend and beyond. We HAVE to have another guard/wing capable of generating offense besides Lecomte, and what I saw from McClure that second half was more than huge. Here's hoping he keeps it up.


Only won this game because they shot terrible? It was a team effort to win this game and they shot terribly from the 3 because of our length and closing down the middle lanes at the basket making them try and jack contested 3 after contested 3 against our length.
Hotsauce
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snarebear55 said:

While we only won this game because Creighton shot atrociously from 3
Not going to give Drew's half time adjustments any credit?
snarebear55
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I love how people focus only on the 3pt part of my comment. Creighton shot 5-30. No defense in the history of college basketball is good enough to force that consistently from 3. I actually think the defense on this team is really good. And we defended pretty well. We also got lucky as heck. It was a 6 pt game. If Creighton even shoots 30% (still a bad percentage), that's a 12 pt swing. That's my point. We were lucky to win given how poorly we played the first half and how poorly Creighton shot from 3. Don't know how that's debatable. Despite the luck, the fact McClure played so well is something, if sustainable, that will be huge going forward. Again, my actual point.
Bear8084
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snarebear55 said:

I love how people focus only on the 3pt part of my comment. Creighton shot 5-30. No defense in the history of college basketball is good enough to force that consistently from 3. I actually think the defense on this team is really good. And we defended pretty well. We also got lucky as heck. It was a 6 pt game. If Creighton even shoots 30% (still a bad percentage), that's a 12 pt swing. That's my point. We were lucky to win given how poorly we played the first half and how poorly Creighton shot from 3. Don't know how that's debatable. Despite the luck, the fact McClure played so well is something, if sustainable, that will be huge going forward. Again, my actual point.


It's debatable because a large part of that was because of our defense and the adjustments made by Drew after halftime. The commentators were even breaking down how our defense had changed and was forcing contested 3s.
setshot
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McClure and Maston stepped up their game in the second half tonight, and the Bears looked much more like the team they need to be if they are going to make the post season Tournament and do something once they are there. Neither Wisconsin nor Creighton are ranked in the top twenty five, but both are very good programs and these two victories, particularly the one tonight against Creighton, which had the equivalent of a home court advantage, were excellent ones for the Bears.

Fraschilla mentioned a couple of times, perhaps more, the conditioning problem that is slowing Maston down right now, and he is exactly right. It does not affect his shooting nor his passing, but it really shows up on the boards. I counted at least four times he was in position to get a defensive rebound in the second half, and came up empty because he just got out jumped or out quicked, and the size differential favored him. He has in the past been a quick leaper, with an impressive wing span to bring to bear on his task of securing the boards, but twice he was unable to make goal when he had the advantage because he did not get off the floor effectively and his lack of conditioning was evident in his inability to get up and down the court very well.

This problem may work itself out as the season progresses, but he needs to shed about ten pounds by the time we get to conference play because the lack of size and experience off the bench means that he will be on the floor for a lot more minutes. The team relies on his ability to score and to rebound, and it is time for him to make the transition from the sometimes player of the past to a dependable one of this, his senior year.

King McClure needs to average fifteen points a game for us to be a real player in this loaded conference. He has an NBA shot and an NBA body, but the question with him has always been his lack of aggressiveness at the offensive end, coupled with a tendency to accumulate unproductive fouls that put him on the bench too often. We saw tonight a major step forward in floor leadership and a willingness to attack the basket, as well as to shoot the deep three, something well within his capability.

If those two players will play four quarters like they played the last two, pedal to the metal, this team will beat some good teams up ahead. They are playing the zone in an impressive manner, rebounding well, and seem to have good team chemistry. Let me say it right now, and without reservation, Scott Drew is now close to, if he is not well within, the circle of elite coaches in college basketball. We are seeing a very good team, one that will win a lot of games, and quite frankly, the level of talent is not that great, though it is good. The total is greater than the sum of its parts, the very definition of a good team, and game to game this man is rarely out coached. His demeanor is calm, and his rotations well calculated. I salute him and what he has accomplished, and this comes from one of his critics from several years back.

Like nein, I prefer the man for man as a basic defense, with the zone as more of a situational one, but year to year Drew has shown that he can coach the zone and fall back on a man for man when the match ups favor, or require it. What I am seeing with this year's team is the Baylor zone being played with man for man priciples, each player shifting effectively but finding the open player and moving into a strong defensive posture as quickly as possible. They actually intimidated the Creighton team in the second half, something that is not easy to do in a zone unless it is properly played, and they played it almost perfectly in that comeback bid..
NoBSU
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setshot said:

McClure and Maston stepped up their game in the second half tonight, and the Bears looked much more like the team they need to be if they are going to make the post season Tournament and do something once they are there. Neither Wisconsin nor Creighton are ranked in the top twenty five, but both are very good programs and these two victories, particularly the one tonight against Creighton, which had the equivalent of a home court advantage, were excellent ones for the Bears.

Fraschilla mentioned a couple of times, perhaps more, the conditioning problem that is slowing Maston down right now, and he is exactly right. It does not affect his shooting nor his passing, but it really shows up on the boards. I counted at least four times he was in position to get a defensive rebound in the second half, and came up empty because he just got out jumped or out quicked, and the size differential favored him. He has in the past been a quick leaper, with an impressive wing span to bring to bear on his task of securing the boards, but twice he was unable to make goal when he had the advantage because he did not get off the floor effectively and his lack of conditioning was evident in his inability to get up and down the court very well.

This problem may work itself out as the season progresses, but he needs to shed about ten pounds by the time we get to conference play because the lack of size and experience off the bench means that he will be on the floor for a lot more minutes. The team relies on his ability to score and to rebound, and it is time for him to make the transition from the sometimes player of the past to a dependable one of this, his senior year.

King McClure needs to average fifteen points a game for us to be a real player in this loaded conference. He has an NBA shot and an NBA body, but the question with him has always been his lack of aggressiveness at the offensive end, coupled with a tendency to accumulate unproductive fouls that put him on the bench too often. We saw tonight a major step forward in floor leadership and a willingness to attack the basket, as well as to shoot the deep three, something well within his capability.

If those two players will play four quarters like they played the last two, pedal to the metal, this team will beat some good teams up ahead. They are playing the zone in an impressive manner, rebounding well, and seem to have good team chemistry. Let me say it right now, and without reservation, Scott Drew is now close to, if he is not well within, the circle of elite coaches in college basketball. We are seeing a very good team, one that will win a lot of games, and quite frankly, the level of talent is not that great, though it is good. The total is greater than the sum of its parts, the very definition of a good team, and game to game this man is rarely out coached. His demeanor is calm, and his rotations well calculated. I salute him and what he has accomplished, and this comes from one of his critics from several years back.

Like nein, I prefer the man for man as a basic defense, with the zone as more of a situational one, but year to year Drew has shown that he can coach the zone and fall back on a man for man when the match ups favor, or require it. What I am seeing with this year's team is the Baylor zone being played with man for man priciples, each player shifting effectively but finding the open player and moving into a strong defensive posture as quickly as possible. They actually intimidated the Creighton team in the second half, something that is not easy to do in a zone unless it is properly played, and they played it almost perfectly in that comeback bid..
No surprise but setshot nails it again.
rudylaw
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Good breakdown on Drew's second half adjustments.

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2017/11/22/no-22-baylor-comes-from-12-down-to-beat-creighton/
NoBSU
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rudylaw said:

Good breakdown on Drew's second half adjustments.

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2017/11/22/no-22-baylor-comes-from-12-down-to-beat-creighton/
rudylaw, that is a great article. Coach Fran used to write a lot of those for ESPN in his Basketball 101 days.
OsoVerde
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The turnover issue was on display perfectly in this game as the OP mentioned. If we can limit our turnovers to under ten a game, we will win lots of games. Our defense is so strong; we just have to give it time to set up.

Another key for us is Clark's development on the defensive end. We just don't have enough big men. We need him to be able to play productive minutes without being out of position on D.
NoBSU
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setshot - given the usual scheduling lull (something that I love that Drew does) around class finals, are we going to have enough games for Maston to "play his way into shape" by conference? Plus rather than maxing the increased practice time as allowed after fall term ends and spring term begins, Drew does the player family friendly thing of letting them off a few days. I am thinking this is all on Maston to fix with diet and workouts.
ColomboLQ
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I agree with a lot of what you have posted (but then again, I always do). I think that Maston needs to commit himself to being a leader on this team and commanding the ball down the low post. He is the only guy that can really create for himself consistently, especially down low. If he is able to do that and McClure continues to play aggressively, this team will be really really good. But if this team has to rely on Big Jo to score down low or being a leading scorer, we are gonna fall well short of expectations.
NoBSU
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ColomboLQ said:

I agree with a lot of what you have posted (but then again, I always do). I think that Maston needs to commit himself to being a leader on this team and commanding the ball down the low post. He is the only guy that can really create for himself consistently, especially down low. If he is able to do that and McClure continues to play aggressively, this team will be really really good. But if this team has to rely on Big Jo to score down low or being a leading scorer, we are gonna fall well short of expectations.

Also Maston has to be able to cover low to give Jo some rest. Jo played like 74 total minutes in KC.

Which puts Clark in a big role at PF for those minutes. Drew is creative. If he has to go four guards like when he played Rogers at post and Lace basically at 4 for long minutes then he will get a lot out of his pieces. Of course, having CJ who could guard 1-4 helped.
ColomboLQ
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NoBSU said:

ColomboLQ said:

I agree with a lot of what you have posted (but then again, I always do). I think that Maston needs to commit himself to being a leader on this team and commanding the ball down the low post. He is the only guy that can really create for himself consistently, especially down low. If he is able to do that and McClure continues to play aggressively, this team will be really really good. But if this team has to rely on Big Jo to score down low or being a leading scorer, we are gonna fall well short of expectations.

Also Maston has to be able to cover low to give Jo some rest. Jo played like 74 total minutes in KC.

Which puts Clark in a big role at PF for those minutes. Drew is creative. If he has to go four guards like when he played Rogers at post and Lace basically at 4 for long minutes then he will get a lot out of his pieces. Of course, having CJ who could guard 1-4 helped.
I haven't kept up with offseason basketball too much, but on the broadcast last night they mentioned 2 guys that weren't playing and might be available later in the year. Who are they and what's their story? Are they supposed to contribute this year?
NoBSU
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ColomboLQ said:

NoBSU said:

ColomboLQ said:

I agree with a lot of what you have posted (but then again, I always do). I think that Maston needs to commit himself to being a leader on this team and commanding the ball down the low post. He is the only guy that can really create for himself consistently, especially down low. If he is able to do that and McClure continues to play aggressively, this team will be really really good. But if this team has to rely on Big Jo to score down low or being a leading scorer, we are gonna fall well short of expectations.

Also Maston has to be able to cover low to give Jo some rest. Jo played like 74 total minutes in KC.

Which puts Clark in a big role at PF for those minutes. Drew is creative. If he has to go four guards like when he played Rogers at post and Lace basically at 4 for long minutes then he will get a lot out of his pieces. Of course, having CJ who could guard 1-4 helped.
I haven't kept up with offseason basketball too much, but on the broadcast last night they mentioned 2 guys that weren't playing and might be available later in the year. Who are they and what's their story? Are they supposed to contribute this year?
Jolly (guard) is injured out until late December. Allen (post) is away from the team for personal reasons. Unknown return.

Kegler is sitting out as a transfer. He is a stud.
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