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Baylor vs. Illinois: 5 biggest storylines for 2020-21 matchup

By Benjamin Zacher

CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles the ball against Joe Toussaint #1 of the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles the ball against Joe Toussaint #1 of the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Scott Drew Baylor Bears Davion Mitchell (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)
Scott Drew Baylor Bears Davion Mitchell (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

2. Scott Drew’s crew was one of the best teams in all of college basketball last year and could have won a national title – now, they are on a mission to seal the deal

A number of teams last season were robbed of the opportunity to qualify for – and make noise in – the NCAA Tournament last season.  Dayton, San Diego State, and East Tennessee State were among those who had, arguably, their most talented teams in program history – and never got the chance to see them succeed in the tournament.

Luckily, for Baylor, they were not one of those teams – but they were robbed of a true ending to the greatest season in program history.  With the exception of Gonzaga, no other team is going through this season with as high of expectations – and as big of a chip on their shoulders – as the Baylor Bears.

Again, Baylor did not enter the 2019-20 season with high expectations, but by the midway point of the season, they had earned their second-ever No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll (the last – and first – time came in 2017).  And, although the Bears ended the regular season with a disappointing 3-3 split in their final six games, they were still a top-5 team in the nation.

With over three-quarters of their scoring returning from last season, optimism is high in Waco, Texas – and understandably so.  Sealing the deal should be easy for a Baylor squad that returns so much from such a great squad – and having those expectations only speaks volumes to the job Scott Drew has done at the helm.

Drew inherited an awful situation with the Bears when he took the head coaching job in 2003 and experienced losing seasons in his first four years.  However, since then, he has turned Baylor into a national powerhouse and has become the all-time wins leader in program history – but he has never been able to lead his squad to the Final Four.

If the NCAA Tournament had not been canceled last year, Baylor would have had their best shot to reach their first Final Four since 1950.  But now, the Bears have the opportunity to finally achieve that – and it could all begin with a huge resume-boosting victory over the Illini, ahead of their Dec. 5 showdown against Gonzaga.

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