Baylor Basketball: Takeaways from Bears overtime victory over Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 07: Forward Freddie Gillespie #33 of the Baylor Bears walks off the court with Special Assistant and Director of Player Development Jared Nuness after the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 07, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – JANUARY 07: Guard Chris Clarke #44 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is fouled by forward Tristan Clark #25 of the Baylor Bears (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Baylor gives up the paint

On the season Baylor averages 4.5 blocks per game, and they had four versus Texas Tech. That total could have been a lot higher if the Baylor rotation was better. In retrospect, Drew Scott should want that total lower, because a lot of block shots, simply means a lot of shots in the paint.

The absence of Mark Vital on the defensive end is without a doubt a variable that must be taken into consideration. Vital has made a Big 12 All-Defensive team and now has 49 steals in 28 games, which is good enough for seventh in steals per game in the Big 12. His absence, however, is not the reason for the flashing red light that is a warning beacon.

Block shots are not an indication of good team defense, quite the opposite in fact. They may be part of playing defense, and some players specialize in it, but those players are most useful when their teammates do not play proper defense on the perimeter.

On Monday night, Texas Tech got into the paint a lot, seemingly at will. Baylor allowed Texas Tech to attempt 23 shots in the paint and connect on 15 of them. Even more alarming was the hand full of layups off of baseline inbound plays coming from a Chris Beard timeout.

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