Baylor Basketball Mops the Floor with Minnesota 67-48, Advances to Crown Semifinals

LAS VEGAS — The Baylor Men’s Basketball team (17-16, 6-12 Big 12) eased past the Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-18, 8-10 Big Ten) in the first round of the College Basketball Crown tournament by a score of 67-48 late on Wednesday night. Despite over three weeks without a game since the Bears crashed out of the Big 12 tournament, the Bears executed at a high level and played clean against the Gophers.

Obi Agbim carried the Baylor offense early with a trio of first-half threes before Tounde Yessoufou and Cameron Carr took over in the second half, finishing with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Agbim finished with 17 points while Carr was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. 

While the Bears did not shoot the ball incredibly, they took care of the ball, worked the Minnesota zone defense thoroughly on most possessions, and did not turn the ball over. The Bears finished with just three turnovers before garbage time (five at the final horn) and 38 points in the paint.

The game broke open when the Bears made a first-half “kill-shot” run, outscoring the Gophers 11-1 midway through the first half to build a 27-19 lead. Minnesota fought back with a 6-0 spurt to draw within three, but a blistering 17-1 start to the second half for the Green and Gold doomed Minnesota to the offseason. 

The Baylor lead maxed out at 21 points, and Isaac Williams foul trouble — picking up his fourth personal foul at the 17:41 mark of the second half — was inconsequential with the Gophers scoring a paltry 0.842 points per possession compared to the Bears’ 1.136.

With the entire team crowding Scott Drew during his postgame television interview, the vibes are high for the Bears. Their stay in Vegas is extended through at least Saturday afternoon, when the Oklahoma Sooners will face off with Baylor. That game is set to tip off at 12:30 p.m. on FOX.