Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Kansas State, Texas Tech leads before conference tournament

By Jason Kinander

AMES, IA - MARCH 9: Texas Tech Red Raiders Tariq Owens #11, Davide Moretti #25, Deshawn Corprew #3, Kyler Edwards #0 run off the court after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones 80-73 in the second half of play at Hilton Coliseum on March 9, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Texas Tech Red Raiders won 80-73 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - MARCH 9: Texas Tech Red Raiders Tariq Owens #11, Davide Moretti #25, Deshawn Corprew #3, Kyler Edwards #0 run off the court after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones 80-73 in the second half of play at Hilton Coliseum on March 9, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Texas Tech Red Raiders won 80-73 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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WACO, TX – FEBRUARY 10: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. #0 of the Baylor Bears celebrates with fans after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at the Ferrell Center on February 10, 2018 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
WACO, TX – FEBRUARY 10: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. #0 of the Baylor Bears celebrates with fans after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at the Ferrell Center on February 10, 2018 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

5. Baylor Bears (19-12, 10-8 Conference Play)

The Good

Baylor well exceeded expectations in 2018-19, going from an NIT reach to a firm NCAA tournament team in a matter of months.

On paper, this Baylor team is awfully thin on talent. Baylor lost several of its top scorers from last season, and didn’t bring in an eye-opening recruiting class.

However, Scott Drew made it work. Makai Mason, a graduate transfer from Yale, played as well as anyone could’ve expected, averaging nearly 15 points per game, dropping a season-high 40 points against TCU in February. Freshman Jared Butler was named to the All-Freshman team in the Big 12 after averaging ten points per game.

The highlight of the Bears’ season was a six-game winning streak in the middle of February, which put Baylor at a tie for first place in the Big 12 standings at the time.

The Bad

Part of the reason why Baylor’s success in conference play is so surprising is because of how poorly they performed during their non-conference schedule. Baylor dropped games against Texas Southern, Wichita State and Stephen F. Austin, with the games against Texas Southern and SFA coming at home.

In addition to Baylor’s rough start, injuries in the early season were a major detriment to the Bears. Senior guard Jake Lindsay went down early in the season with a shoulder injury, and rising star sophomore Tristan Clark played in just two Big 12 games before going down with a knee injury.

The Bottom Line

Of all the surprises in the Big 12, the season put together by the Baylor Bears absolutely tops the list. Scott Drew’s squad is one of the best stories heading into the NCAA Tournament, and with a little March magic, the Bears Cinderella season can run all the way to the Final Four.

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