Baylor has an O. Any d. Is not. In the final week of college basketball’s regular season, it seemed that the Beers stood as co-favorites with Gonzaga to win an undefeated record, the Big 12 Tournament Championship, and the 2021 ICAA title.
Meanwhile through the beginning of the 2019-20 season the defense that terrorized opponents was missing, until it was.
Villanova dominated Baylor for 28 minutes in the South Zone semifinals on Saturday, but the Beers’ dozen minutes were enough to produce a 62-51 victory for every other team still alive in the NCAA tournament Served as a threat.
“It was the plan throughout the game, but it worked better in the second half,” Baylor coach Scott Drew told reporters after the game. “To force Villanova to 16 turnovers; I don’t know when the last time he had 16 turnovers, but usually they are at six, seven or eight.
“I always know they have it. They have shown me over the years. In the last two years, we have won more games than any Power 5 team in the country. Therefore they have earned that right; He has earned that trust. Now, it is not a guarantee that you are going to come out and win. It is not guaranteed that you are going to play a great second half. “
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Baylor’s resurgence as a basketball program began with defense. The Bears had the No. 4 defense in the 2019-20 season, and they broke teams in every way that a team could. They ranked best in steals, blocks, defending opponents’ shots and reversing their memories.
The character was still there when this season began, so even though it withers, it seems logical to assume that it will blossom again when the season was at stake.
Against Villanova, who came in at halftime. The Wildcats led 50 percent from the field, 38 percent on 3-pointers and 30-23 at the break.
Bear did not completely change his personality until he changed his defense. Around 12:20, they played long enough to surrender a thundering sting to Brandon Slater to protect the man, who claimed three Bears defenders as victims, switching to a matchup zone. Which left the Wildcats.
Villanova converted 38% of his field goal attempts, missed each of the nine 3-pointers, rolled the ball nine times and scored just 21 points. He rolled the ball well on the first doubles property against the matchup, making open right-side 3s for Cole Swider and Chris Archidanco, but neither fell. Wildcats then fracture, forcing dribbling into traffic for frequent turnovers or quick, competition jumps.
“We did a very good job of being in front of our man,” All-American guard Davian Mitchell told reporters. “And we knew the defense was going to commit the crime. And that’s what they did.
He said, ‘I felt that I would have to put more pressure on the ball. … especially because those people are really good each. They make perfect plays most of the time. If I can interrupt the crime and take them to the other side and waste time, it will help us. Justin Moore is a very good guard. I just tried to work hard for him, and we came out with a win. “
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Many had detected a drop in Beeler’s defense over a three-week COVID halt that affected the program. And of course D was not A-OK since that time.
It was not fully researched, however, to learn that the Bears began to slide on that side of the ball before their February schedule was called off. Entering Saturday’s game, they had allowed each of their eight high-key opponents to score at least one point per point after stagnation. But he did the same in two straight matches before that break.
It was probably a touch of competitive fatigue. They dominated the Big 12. He invested so much energy in his defense last season to see the end of the season, as well as the NCAA tournament being canceled. Assuming there was still another six weeks before this year’s March Madness began.
They had reached a point with the strength of their offense where it was able to take them through the toughest of Big 12 games. They went on to finish third in the nation in offensive efficiency due to their ridiculous 3-point accuracy, which ranked No. 2 in Division I, and were able to outscore teams like Kansas and Oklahoma State. It was not going to work against Villanova, and this time there was no margin for error.
Mitchell said, “We knew that if we wanted to win, we would have to reverse them.” They are a really fundamental team. They don’t turn the ball over. They are the No. 1 team in the country who don’t turn the ball over. So we knew that we had to get them out of our comfort zone for us to win. And we did a really good job. “
The boiler is back. Yes, that boiler: which many believed could win the NCAA Championship in 2020, one that looked like a reasonable bet to match Gonzaga’s undefeated regular season until a shutdown led to a slide Defensive slip not extinguished.
Now it is again a force.
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