Big 12 Basketball: Each team’s worst performance of the last decade
By Joey Loose
Baylor
March 19, 2015 (Georgia State 57, Baylor 56) (GS: 82)
In the fifteen years since Scott Drew took over a program in shambles, the Baylor Bears have done some pretty solid things. They’ve made a pair of Elite Eights and four Sweet Sixteen’s in the past nine years, plus an NIT title in 2013. For context, Baylor was in the NCAA Tournament only 1 time between 1950 and the beginning of their resurgence in 2008, so Drew really has revitalized this program. However, deep runs have not always accompanied these solid seasons.
Twice in recent years, Baylor has been upset in the opening round of the Tournament. They’ve avoided major upset or devastation in the regular season, so we’ll turn our attention to these games. A 79-75 loss to 12-seed Yale was not impressive, but we’re giving the edge to how Baylor lost to the 14-seed Georgia State, so sit down (don’t fall out of your chair) and let me explain how it happened.
It’s bad enough to lose to a 14-seed, but what made this performance Baylor’s worst was how they played down the stretch. Baylor hit two free throws to take a 56-44 lead with just under three minutes to go before watching Georgia State score the last 13 points of the game, with RJ Hunter’s big shot at the end the ultimate dagger. Turnovers, missed shots, and an important missed free throw doomed the Bears down the stretch, erasing what could’ve been another impressive Tournament run.
Again, it’s easy to focus on the bad, but Baylor’s had some really great Tourney runs as well. There’s no shame that many of these runs ended to impressive Final Four teams, and Scott Drew just might have one of those for himself someday soon.