Baylor Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Bears
Season Overview
Baylor has a very experienced and talented starting lineup that can lead the Bears back to the NCAA Tournament. However, if Baylor wants to make a deep run, they will need bench production.
Their bench is very thin on paper. Nuni Omot is the only player with any Division-I experience, but he has only played at Baylor for half of a season. Freshmen Vital, Clark and Jolly will have a chance to play consistent reserve roles, but they will need to be productive immediately. If Baylor can get consistent production from their bench, they could crack the top-25, but if they fail to get bench production, Baylor could slip to the bottom half of the Big 12.
As mentioned previously, the Bears starting five is very strong and experienced, but most importantly, it fits together perfectly. Lecomte is a capable facilitator, but he is more of a scoring guard. Playing him next to another creator in Jake Lindsey gives Lecomte the freedom to run off screens and to look to score while Lindsey plays the facilitator role. McClure provides another perimeter scorer and gives Baylor three reliable shooters on the perimeter.
The frontcourt fits just as nicely. Maston is someone you can give the ball to in the mid-range or in the post to get you a basket, but he is not a great defender. Lual-Acuil can cover for Maston’s deficiencies with his shot-blocking prowess. Omot gives Baylor a totally different look as a stretch four and can be paired with either Lual-Acuil or Maston which gives them significant lineup flexibility.
It is safe to project Baylor as a top-35 team and as a potential NCAA Tournament team. However, Baylor could slip in the Big 12 standings due to the insane grouping from 3-7. You can make an argument for up to eight teams to finish in the top half of the conference. This logjam is even crazier because these teams are grouped so close together nationally. I am not the only one who feels this way, ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has 8 Big 12 teams in his preseason bracket.
Next: Marquette 17-18 Season Preview
I have Baylor finishing seventh in the Big 12, but so many teams are so comparable that this would not eliminate them from NCAA Tournament consideration. Even if Baylor falls to seventh, they should still make the Big Dance with their veteran and well-balanced roster as long as they can grab a couple key non-conference wins.