Quentin Grimes vs Davion Mitchell a key storyline for Houston against Baylor

4. Baylor can utilize its “death lineup” without much worry

The Bears have had the same starting lineup this entire season. Mitchell, Teague, and Jared Butler are the starting guards, with 6’5 wing/forward Mark Vital playing at the four-spot and 6’11 big man Flo Thamba at center. But this lineup doesn’t stay on the court together for long, as Thamba plays around 12-15 minutes a game, and sometimes even fewer depending on the matchup.

There are times when UNLV transfer big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua plays at the five-spot as well, providing both energy and size up front off the bench, However, the best lineup for Baylor offensively is when Vital goes to the small-ball five, with backup forward Matthew Mayer at the power forward position. This maximizes the team’s offense, with lethal shooters all over the court and the ability for the guards to do whatever they want.

This lineup also isn’t bad defensively, as Vital is capable of guarding bigs inside with his toughness and physicality. That doesn’t go for any big, as the elite ones can take advantage. We saw that in the Villanova game with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl when he was having his way with Vital. At the same time, the Bears’ offense isn’t the same when Thamba and Tchatchoua are on the court.

The good news for Baylor is that Houston’s frontcourt isn’t going to cause problems for Vital at the center spot. Their options include Justin Gorham, Fabian White, Brison Gresham, and Reggie Chaney. Since the Bears don’t have many post scorers, look for the Cougars to play guard-heavy lineups to maximize what they themselves want to do.

Houston doesn’t have the frontcourt players to make Baylor pay when they go “small” so look for the Bears to have Vital at the five-spot a fair amount of the time. But the Cougars will be comfortable with their defense as well against those lineups, which as I explain next, could provide them an advantage as well.