Podcast and Review: Baylor Roasts the Ducks For Christmas

Baylor heads into the Christmas break with a big 57-47 home court win against Oregon.  The Bears move their record to 7-4 on the season with this victory while Oregon falls to 8-4.  Here are some observations on this win.

Positives

• Great activity on defense and on the glass.  The Bears dominated another Pac12 opponent on the boards with a 33-18 rebounding edge.  
• The Bears now have a top 25 efficiency defense according to KenPom.  They held their second top 50 opponent in the past 7 days to 0.8 points per possession and under 50 points total.  Yes, Oregon was without their best player but they are still a talented, athletic team.  
• Efficient closing the game out on both ends of the court.  
• Mark Vital was tremendous.  11 points and 8 rebounds and 0 turnovers.  
• 5 steals by King McClure.   3 assists and a spinning lay-up by Jared Butler.  Butler played with a lot of poise.  
• Tristan Clark continued to do good work in the paint.  Mario Kegler was fantastic defensively and on the glass.  
• The Pac12 Assassin continued to make plays when the game was on the line.  Mason closed the game with this tremendous lay-up.  He played a delicious floor game- 14 points; 4 assists and 0 turnovers.  

Needs Work

• Offense.  Please  Santa bring us some 3 point makes in our stockings this year.  While you are at it, give us a team that shoots over 75% from the free throw line.  
• Curbing turnovers.  Some of those turnovers by King McClure- yikes.  Kegler and Clark were bad tonight as well in this department.  Matt Mayer’s one handed bullet pass cross court into Champion’s Club row was also a thing of beauty.
• Lack of a killer instinct.  Oregon is down 35-19 with 16 minutes in the second half.  Instead of putting the Ducks away, the Bears score 10 points in the next 12 minutes and Oregon pulls within 3.  But ultimately the Bears went on a 12-5 run from that point on and got the W.