Here are three takeaways from #9 Baylor’s 75-65 road loss to #14 Kansas State:
Goodbye, Big 12 title hopefuls
It seems like all of the Big 12 are eyeing No. 3 Kansas, even though No. 8 Texas is only half a game behind first place. When Baylor (20-8, 9-6 Big 12) lost to the Jayhawks 87-71 on Saturday, he was still in good shape if he took care of business at Kansas State on Tuesday.
Well that clearly didn’t happen, so now? Unfortunately, the Bears are pretty much out of chances for a regular season conference title, barring something incredible. Going into Saturday’s ESPN GameDay contest against Kansas, Baylor was one of the hottest teams in the country. He had won nine of his last ten and was rolling, but now all of that has come crashing down.
Things look to be moving away from Baylor for a second straight second half at Sunflower State.
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) February 22, 2023
The Bears won’t have a chance to “do well” when they host the Longhorns in front of a sold-out Ferrell Center on Saturday. Maybe the team can learn from this failed trip on Sunflower State and use it as fuel to make a deep run in March.
The team looks gassed
Everyone in green and gold seemed to be moving in slow motion throughout the night. The team certainly had an effort, but it looked like the athletes just gasped from their loss to the Jayhawks over the weekend. That’s no excuse, though, as all of the Big 12 are tired at this point of the year.
Baylor is falling apart.
— Lane Gillespie (@LaneGillespieTV) February 22, 2023
The good news is that Baylor will have the rest of the week to prepare for Texas in Waco. It’s by no means an easy encounter, but it’s a good shot for the team to get back on track and have a good outing.
No decisive third blow
It’s easy to point to the transition and midfield defense as the areas of concern for the Bears. And while that is definitely something that needs improvement, the group also really lacked someone like Adam Flagler or Jalen Bridges to lend a hand on the offensive end.
This team relies heavily on Flagler and Bridges, I get that, but with the way this roster is constructed, they’re going to have to have those guys putting in numbers if this team is going to go deep. I mentioned a few games ago that these guards were good enough to allow one of them to have a “night off”. That might be the case in a home game when the defense looks great, but this team has had no chance of sticking with the Wildcats (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) without help from Flagler or Bridges.
Adam Flagler was… nothing short of amazing. But Keyonte George and LJ Cryer were phenomenal
— Parker Rehm (@parker_rehm) February 22, 2023
Live and learn, though. This group will be fine, because ultimately, March is really important. Fans have every right to be upset, especially since the conference title feels like an afterthought now. But there’s still a lot to be excited about in the coming weeks.
Chirping: @MichaelHaag_
Find more Baylor coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
