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Baylor Basketball

Baylor named No. 9 seed, will face No. 8 Syracuse to open NCAA Tourney

March 17, 2019
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The Baylor men’s basketball team has been named the No. 9 seed in the West Region of the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament early on Sunday evening. The Bears (19-13) will face the Syracuse Orange (20-13), the No. 8 seed in the region to open the tournament. The first-round matchup will take place in Salt Lake City. 

Baylor’s return to the NCAA Tournament is their first since 2017 after missing the field in 2018. The postseason appearance is the program’s 11th overall and their 8th appearance since 2008.  Baylor advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 3 seed in 2017. 

Syracuse, the No. 6 from the ACC, finished the season 20-13 with a key victory over No. 1-overall seed Duke.

Gonzaga, potentially Baylor’s second round matchup, is the No. 1 seed in the West Region.

Following an 8-4 record in non-conference play that included losses to Texas Southern and Stephen F. Austin, Scott Drew’s team put together the bulk of their resume in Big 12 play where they finished with a 10-8 record. Among their 10 wins was a 73-62 defeat of Texas Tech in Waco, the Big 12’s regular season champion, as well as 73-70 and 73-69 victories over Iowa State, the Big 12 Tournament Champion. 

Baylor’s 10-8 mark in league play was enough for a fourth-place finish in the Big 12. After losing starting sophomore forward Tristan Clark for the season with a knee injury, Baylor went on a 6-game winning streak to improve their overall record to 15-6 and 6-2 in league play. 

However, injuries to starting guards Makai Mason and King McClure broke momentum as the Bears lost three of their next four games before Mason’s return to the lineup spurred on an upset victory over No. 19 Iowa State in Ames. The victory started a 3-game winning streak and put the Bears back in the race for the conference title. 

Baylor went on to lose their final four games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, including losses at No. 16 Kansas State, at No. 13 Kansas and against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. They also dropped a home contest against Oklahoma State during the stretch.

In 14 games played, Clark led the Bears in the regular season with 14.6 points on 73.7% field goals. Mason also averaged 14.6 points per game while playing in 26 of Baylor’s 32 games. 

Sophomore Mario Kegler (10.7) and freshman Jared Butler (10.1) also averaged double digits for the Bears over the course of the season. 

Baylor’s NCAA Appearances under Scott Drew

2008 - First Round - No. 11 Seed

2010 - Elite Eight - No. 3 Seed

2012 - Elite Eight - No. 3 Seed

2014 - Sweet 16 - No. 6 Seed

2015 - First Round - No. 3 Seed

2016 - First Round - No. 5 Seed

2017 - Sweet 16 - No. 3 Seed

Discussion from...

Baylor named No. 9 seed, will face No. 8 Syracuse to open NCAA Tourney

6,581 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by RD2WINAGNBEAR86
Russell Gym
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What Drew has built at Baylor is amazing, considering both the short-term and long-term histories of BU basketball.
RD2WINAGNBEAR86
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Coach Drew is a badass. I am not a basketball guy, but it seems he continues to do more with less. I was not expecting us to go Dancin' this season, so anything going forward is gravy!!!!
"Never underestimate Joe's ability to **** things up!"

-- Barack Obama
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