By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
The Bears are hoping to get back on track in the NCAA Tournament after a slow finish to the regular season, closing out with a 3-3 record.
Baylor struggled from the field against Colorado to open the Big 12 Tournament, shooting just 30.6% from the floor and 3-for-21 from three. The Bears tried to make up for the poor shooting game by winning the rebounding battle 37-33.
“We challenged them to go to the boards,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “If you’re not making shots, you’ve got to get extra possessions.”
It was not enough to overcome the offensive woes as they dropped their first matchup of the tournament to the Buffs.
Baylor was selected as the No. 6 seed in the Sacramento 2 Regional, extending the program’s streak to 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bears will look to regain momentum on the national stage.
“The toughest teams win in March,” Collen said. “If we’re going to be good in March, the rest of March, we’re going to have to toughen up.”
This go-around, the Bears will find a new challenge in No. 11 seed Nebraska. They also could take on an earlier opponent in No. 3 seed Duke, who is matched up against No. 14 seed Charleston.
The Cornhuskers are coming off of their dominant win over Richmond in the First Four. They arrive as the final of 12 Big Ten teams in the tournament, finishing with a 7-11 conference record, but are coming onto the national stage on a down note. They went 2-7 in the season’s final stretch, including a 72-69 loss to Indiana, the No. 13 seed in the conference tournament.
Nebraska struggled against seven NCAA Tournament-bound teams and its ranked opponents. The Cornhuskers lost by a combined 62 points against its four top-25 foes.
The Cornhuskers’ offense is characterized by spreading the love. They rank third in the Big Ten with 18.4 assists per game while boasting a 1.33 assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth-best in the conference.
Baylor finds a familiar foe in the other Durham matchup: No. 3 seed Duke. The Bears started their regular season with a statement win over the Blue Devils back in November. They won 58-52 in Paris behind redshirt sophomore guard Taliah Scott’s 24-point Baylor debut. The Bears’ victory over then-No. 7 Duke proved to be their best win of the season
They are one of three teams Baylor has already faced in the Sacramento 2 Region, including No. 7 seed Texas Tech and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State.
Duke boasted a 16-2 conference record while finishing first in the ACC and winning the conference tournament title game over Louisville in overtime.
Under ACC Coach of the Year Kara Lawson, the Blue Devils are led by Toby Fournier and Taina Mair, who both were named All-ACC First Team and Defensive Team.
They are set to take on No. 14 seed Charleston, the lone representative from the CAA after finishing with a 16-2 conference record and a conference tournament championship.
