NCAA Basketball: Buy or sell Baylor, Butler, Ohio State, Maryland and Oregon?

Baylor Bears – Buy

Baylor was expected to be good and was expected to be one of the better teams in the Big 12 especially with the prospect of their big man and star Tristan Clark returning from Injury. Everyone will tell you that even with the expectation of Baylor being very good no one expected them to be one of the teams who can win a title. The Bears have a good team and one of the least flawed teams in the country right now.

What makes Baylor a title contender is their defense. They are one of the best defensive teams in the entire country. They protect the rim and coach Scott Drew utilizes a zone to score even the best offenses down. Heading into the showdown with Kansas, Baylor is allowing under 60 points per game at 58.4 a contest. The Bears have done this against some of the top competition in the country as well. They held Butler to a season-low 52 points. The Bears also held Arizona and Texas Tech to under 60 as well.

Early in the season, Baylor was still struggling to find their identity on the defensive end, they were still winning games and were able to get a win against Villanova. Once the calendar flipped to December the Bears found their defense and started racking up quality wins. Most of these wins have been without star Tristan Clark contributing much as he is still working his way back from injury. Baylor does have another star to lead them on the offensive end.

Jared Butler has emerged as one of the best guards in the Big 12. He along with big man Freddie Gillespie leads the Bears on offense. Baylor is talented enough on offense to beat almost anyone. They have won shootouts and they have won defensive battles. The Bears are very good and should not be taken lightly.