INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — When head coach Scott Drew took over the Baylor Basketball program, there was a lot of work ahead of him. Back then, in 2003, Baylor had reached the NCAA Tournament once since their 1950 Final Four Run. Now, Baylor is one of the elite programs in the country. On Monday, they made their third appearance in the Elite Eight under Coach Drew.
To start, Baylor (25-2) had all the confidence early and looked to run away from Arkansas (25-7) without a fight. Baylor started the game on a 7-0 run, quickly pushing the lead to 12 under 5 minutes into the game. By the 11-minute mark, everything was going Baylor’s way as the lead surged to 18.
However, Arkansas was determined to keep its season alive. When Baylor guard Davion Mitchell picked up his 2nd foul in the first half, Arkansas began to creep back. From that point until the half ended, Arkansas trimmed the lead from 13 to 8 and looked to be seizing momentum.
In the second half, the back and forth pace continued; Baylor had a lead as large as 12 while Arkansas cut the deficit as close as 5. However, Arkansas was never able to regain control and Baylor pulled away for the 81-72 win.
Down the stretch, the veteran guards Mitchell and MaCio Teague for Baylor were the difference. Teague had 12 of his game-high 22 points in the 2nd half. Mitchell shook off a slow start to score 10 of his 12 points after half as well.
With the win, Baylor wraps up the South Region and reaches the first Final Four for the program since 1950. Baylor has been forced to play several styles in the tournament but has been able to advance. Senior guard MaCio Teague sees that as proof of how good this team is.
“We can play any style of basketball. We can adjust to certain situations and we can overcome it all,” said Teague.
Baylor Shoots Lights-Out While Arkansas Cools Off
For Baylor, their perimeter shooting is a staple of their high-powered offense. Baylor is the most efficient team from the perimeter at 40.8% from three through the regular and postseasons. In turn, their efficient shooting leads to a potent offensive attack ranked 6th in the nation with 83 PPG.
In the Elite Eight matchup, their shooters were on another level, knocking down over 50% of their threes (8-15 3PT). MaCio Teague hit 3 of those, including a dagger in the second half to help fend off an Arkansas run.
In contrast, Arkansas was on fire in the first half (3-4 3PT) but cooled off after halftime (0-7 3PT). In fact, Arkansas was ineffective on all jump shots in the second half. All 10 of their made field goals in the second half were layups and dunks. Coach Eric Musselman credited Baylor’s veteran leadership after the game.
“I just think they’re a really good team. They got All-Americans. We had three freshmen in our starting lineup. Obviously we were the youngest team left in the Sweet 16. Those guys earned their starts based on how they played. But it’s asking a lot for three freshmen in the Elite Eight game,” said Musselman.
Up Next
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 2 Houston, Saturday, April 3, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.
