Baylor Bears
Big 12 (19-13, 10-8)
Despite suffering through a rash of key injuries, Baylor was able to hang around in the Big 12 title race and put together a very good season. The most impactful injury happened to forward Tristian Clark. He played in just two conference games before a knee injury ended his season. Most expected the Bears to drop off quickly without their star who was averaging 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. But Coach Scott Drew deserves a lot of credit for pulling his team together and leading them to the tournament.
Big Wins: 1/19 Texas Tech (73-62), 1/28 at Oklahoma (77-47), 2/19 at Iowa State (73-69)
Bad Losses: 11/6 Texas Southern (69-72), 12/18 Wichita State (58-59), 3/6 Oklahoma State (64-67)
Coach: Scott Drew
Why They Can Surprise:
Without Tristan Clark, Baylor does lack frontcourt depth. However, there are a lot of big guards who keep this team very effective on the glass. The one true forward in the regular rotation is Freddie Gillespie. The transfer from Division III Carleton College barely saw the floor early in the season, but has turned into a strong rebounder who can do a surprising amount of damage offensively as well. Mario Kegler, at 6-7, and Mark Vital, at 6-5, are also very good rebounders. Add in 6-3 senior King McClure, and the Bears are not a team that anybody can get the best of when it comes to rebounding.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Injuries have been the main factor limiting this team. They have gone stretches without Makai Mason, King McClure, Mario Kegler and, of course, Tristan Clark. And that is not even counting Jake Lindsey, who was lost for the year before the season even started. Thus, it will be very important for this group to stay healthy throughout the tournament. Shooting the ball efficiently has been a problem too. Only a handful of teams in the country are worse at the charity stripe and that could cost Baylor in those grind it out NCAA Tournament games. It will also be very important for Makai Mason, King McClure or Jared Butler to be consistent from beyond the arc in order to generate quick offense and create space in the paint.
Probable Starters:
Jared Butler, Freshman, Guard, 10.1 ppg, 2.8 apg, 3.1 rpg
Makai Mason, Senior, Guard, 14.6 ppg, 3.3 apg
Mark Vital, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 ppg, 7,2 rpg
Mario Kegler, Sophomore, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Freddie Gillespie, Junior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Key Role Players:
King McClure, Senior, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Devonte Bandoo, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.8 (201st in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.7 (56, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.0 (198, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.9 (74, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (150, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.9 (213, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.3 (291, 9)
Rebound Margin: 6.4 (18, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.9 (136, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (202, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NIT | First Round win over Wagner |
| 2018 | NIT | Second Round loss to Mississippi State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over New Mexico State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over USC |
| 2017 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to South Carolina |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Yale |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Georgia State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Nebraska |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Creighton |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Wisconsin |
| 2013 | NIT | First Round win over Long Beach State |
| 2013 | NIT | Second Round win over Arizona State |
| 2013 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Providence |
| 2013 | NIT | Semifinal win over BYU |
| 2013 | NIT | Final win over Iowa |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over South Dakota State |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Colorado |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Xavier |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Kentucky |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Sam Houston State |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Old Dominion |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over St. Mary's |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Duke |
| 2009 | NIT | First Round win over Georgetown |
| 2009 | NIT | Second Round win over Virginia Tech |
| 2009 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Auburn |
| 2009 | NIT | Semifinal win over San Diego State |
| 2009 | NIT | Final loss to Penn State |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Purdue |
*all team stats through 3/10
