Baylor dominates second half, defeats Villanova 62-51 to advance to Elite 8

INDIANAPOLIS—The No. 1 seed Baylor men’s basketball team (25-2) marched back to knock off No. 6 seed Villanova (18-7) in Indianapolis, 62-51, to punch its ticket to the Elite Eight. 

You can breathe. Granted you only have 48 hours to do so, you can breathe. The fact that Baylor shot so poorly and still won this game just shows how dominant this squad can be. It’s been said that even when two or three players are off, two or three players will be on. This was not true. And the Bears still won. 

This is typically the part of the show where I list leading scorers and wild stat disparities. And while I’d love to do so, there are simply no highlights in the scoring column. However, this stat says it all: Villanova, the team with the least amount of turnovers in the nation, turned the ball over 16 times compared to Baylor’s six. And the good guys had 22 points off turnovers compared to the bad guys’ four. 

That was the difference. 

Recapping the first half, I needed a drink. That was far too close for comfort, but Baylor was playing immaculately in every aspect outside of the ball simply going in the basket. I know that’s a weird phrase that you can appropriately respond to with, “So everything was clicking except the most important thing?” But if you watched the game, you get it. 

Statistically, Baylor led the turnover battle 7-5, points off turnovers 9-4, offensive rebounds 8-5 and bench points 7-2. These aren’t daunting, but a lead in these categories typically translates to the Bears being up. That said, Baylor was 2-12 from deep and 10-29 overall. That translated to a 30-23 deficit at the break. 

The first 10 minutes of the second half? Just as stressful. Tied at 41 with 10:26 to go, though, the Bears mounted their comeback with a 6-0 mini-run that garnered just enough momentum for Baylor to lead the rest of the way. The seas were never entirely calm, but there was just enough gas in the tank. 

In the final 20 minutes, a 28-18 points in the paint advantage, 9-1 turnovers margin and 13-0 points off turnovers lead helped Baylor punch its ticket to the Elite Eight by the final of 62-51. 

Here’s the best part of an oddly poor shooting performance: what are the odds it happens again with this team? Defense traveled and gave Baylor the win, but it’d be unbelievable if the Bears shot this poorly again moving forward. 

This one is behind them. Catch the typical Baylor shooting team in the next round and you’re in trouble. See you guys in the Elite Eight.