After 40 minutes of overwhelming deflections, steals and disruptions, it was fitting that Quincy Acy sealed fourth-ranked Baylor‘s 75-73 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday by swatting an inbounds pass away. The undefeated Bears may have allowed KSU to shoot 50% from the field, but they also rattled the Wildcats on their home floor with their superhuman length and athleticism. At one point during the second half, Baylor turned three steals near midcourt into dunks and layups at the other end in the span of four possessions. And before Acy’s final swat as time expired, it was another deflection by Baylor that prevented a potential game-tying layup by Angel Rodriguez, who could not convert a wide open look when a trailing defender tipped the ball out of bounds.
Baylor turned the ball over 18 times itself, but KSU finished with 20 turnovers and looked uncomfortable all night long, especially in the second half. Scott Drew has mostly played some form of 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone during the past few seasons, but tonight he went strictly man-to-man in the second half. It paid off. Though KSU found open perimeter looks against BU’s zones, the switch to a man look let the Bears’ defenders hound the opposing guards. It’s scary to imagine what could happen if Baylor continues to defend at this level.
Offensively, Baylor executed when it needed to. When KSU used an 19-7 run to take a one-point lead at the final media timeout, Drew’s team hardly panicked. It did not jack up ill-advised shots; it did not play selfish basketball. Instead, using great spacing and patience, Pierre Jackson took the ball and made good things happen. Even if he wasn’t directly responsible for an assist in the final minutes, he facilitated the offense and let his stars go to work — in particular, Acy and Perry Jones. His team’s defense took care of the rest, all the way until the final buzzer.
Baylor still didn’t play a perfect basketball game, but it’s impossible not to be sold on this team after watching last night’s win in Manhattan. Despite the turnovers, the Bears held off a surge from the home team and kept its composure in one of the most difficult environments it will face this season. That’s a sign that bodes well as BU chases a Big 12 title and a trip to the Final Four.
A few other general thoughts from the game:
- Hello, Rodney McGruder: After scoring 20 points against Missouri on Saturday by getting in the paint, McGruder kept attacking on Tuesday. This time, he torched the Bears for 30 points and made big shot after big shot down the stretch. In a losing effort, McGruder’s leadership is a huge positive for Frank Martin.
- Scott Drew‘‘s timeouts saved the game: On Saturday, Frank Haith opted not to use a single timeout until the end of the first half, as he instead watched KSU build an insurmountable lead. Drew took a different approach, instead calling two timeouts during the early portion of the first half. It left his team with just one timeout late in the game, but Drew kept his team in contention by settling his players down early.
- Pierre Jackson was brilliant: Jackson could not have played a better game on Tuesday night. With 11 assists and just three turnovers, Baylor’s point guard used his blazing speed to burn KSU defenders over and over again. When they tried to trap him in the corner, Jackson found a way to pass out of it. And when they hounded him one-on-one, he always seemed to find an open teammate. He was also a defensive pest and grabbed five rebounds. Baylor’s offense shot an efficient 54% from the field, mostly because Jackson’s quickness and penetration led to open looks for BU’s elite big men.