Why Baylor Will Win March Madness

The Baylor Bears season was filled with peaks and valleys. However, they still managed to be a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. There was a point where this team was the undisputed No. 1 team in the country, as they began the season on a 15-game winning streak. The streak included notable victories over Villanova, Oregon, Iowa State and TCU. 

However, the streak came to an end, and then disaster struck. Their best big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua suffered a season-ending ACL tear, and their leading scorer at the time, LJ Cryer, went down with a foot injury. 

Despite all the adversity, they are here and in a prime spot to be back-to-back National Champions, and here are the reasons why they fulfill that prophecy. 

(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.)

Reason No. 1: Veteran Leadership

Baylor may be in a position to win a second consecutive title, but this group is very different from last year’s. The Bears are led by upperclassmen James Akinjo, Adam Flagler and Matthew Mayer. However, Baylor’s experience comes from guys who developed under last year’s team.

Adam Flagler was not a starter last season. The same goes for starting center Flo Thamba. LJ Cryer was a true freshman who barely saw the court. The only starter who has significant experience is Matthew Mayer. The only “outsider” is their leading scorer, James Akinjo, who transferred from Arizona.

This team learned a lot about winning in March by watching and proved they could compete against anyone during the regular season.

Reason No. 2: Mentality

I mentioned in the open how much adversity this Baylor team has gone through just to reclaim their status as one of the best teams in the country this season. Even though we will never know just how good this team would have been if they were full strength, the injuries thrust others into more prominent roles, and the Bears have maintained success with moving parts. 

The next-man-up mentality created by Scott Drew creates depth on a team that only goes seven deep. After Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua’s injury, Kendall Brown and Thamba were called on and have flourished. Brown and Thamba are tied for the highest offensive rating on the team. 

We’ve also seen Akinjo emerge into an All-American level scorer after Cryer’s injury. Since Cryer’s last fully healthy appearance in late January, Akinjo has only had two games where he has scored less than 10 points.

Reason No. 3: Elite Defense

What makes Baylor such a scary matchup is not the myriad weapons they have on the offensive end. Instead, it’s their suffocating defense. The Bears enter the tournament 14th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 16th in turnover percentage. 

They had some incredible defensive performances over the season, but the most notable was what they did to Villanova. They held the Wildcats, who are a two-seed in the tournament, to just 36 points for the entire game. If there’s one thing that can carry through a tournament, it is defense, and the Bears are one of the most formidable units in the field.