By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
Baylor is entering what is arguably the most crucial part of its season, as the program looks down the barrel of an intimidating February slate. The Bears are 12-9 (2-7 Big 12) and sit tied for 13th in the Big 12.
The team’s hopes of punching a ticket to the Big Dance have dwindled after posting its worst conference start since 2006, but with the turning of the calendar comes fresh opportunities. Crazier things have happened before for the Bears.
“These guys have been working hard,” head coach Scott Drew said. “As a coach it’s just like a parent. You see your kids grind and you see when your kids deserve something.”
In 2014, the Bears entered conference play 12-1 and ranked seventh in the nation. Led by a roster that returned over 60% of scoring and minutes from the previous season, as well as being packed full of potential NBA talent, Baylor had high expectations ahead of facing one of the toughest Big 12 fields this century.
Conference play began with a top-10 matchup against No. 9-ranked Iowa State, who showed the Bears out of Ames as quickly as they welcomed them in. The Bears suffered a 15-point loss. This loss would spark a 2-8 opening half of conference play that had many Baylor fans ready to file the season away as a wash.
The Bears were not put down that easily.
Baylor proceeded to go on a 10-2 run to close the season, combined with the conference tournament, to qualify for a No. 6 seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
“Anything can happen in March,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said in a 2022 interview. “That’s why it’s called March Madness.”
Just about anything did happen for the Bears in 2014, as they fought their way from second-to-last in the Big 12 at the close of January to bagging a historic NCAA win in the Round of 32. Baylor conquered No. 3-seeded Creighton 85-55 and held Doug McDermott, the nation’s leading scorer (27.2 PPG) and National Player of the Year, to just 15 points in the matchup.
While there are a multitude of qualities the 2014 team had that the current Baylor squad lacks — frontcourt depth and a traditional point guard, to name a few — the possibility of a turnaround is still in the cards.
The Bears’ future lies in the hands of their ability to figure out the incongruities the team struggled with throughout the first month of the year. For one, scoring ability has been demonstrated through two 18-plus point-per-game scorers in freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou and redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr, as well as the team previously showing the sixth ranked offense in the nation, according to KenPom.
If such off-ball consistency and defensive perimeter protection that was demonstrated in wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia can be reborn, then the Bears’ February may not be as grim as fans have written up January to be.
“We’re finally defending in a way where we could win really tough games,” Drew said. “I think everyone is starting to become really locked in.”
Time will tell if a full turnaround is still on the table for Baylor by March. The team’s hopes for now will have to share the same sentiment as the one shared by CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein: “bring on the madness.”
“At this point, all we can do is win our home games because this is the hardest league to win on the road,” Drew said.
The Bears’ next matchup is against Colorado at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Foster Pavilion. The game will also be streamed on Peacock.
