Baylor coach Scott Drew and his basketball team would go schizophrenic if they tried to keep an eye on all the scenarios swirling around them.
So they’ll focus on what matters most.
If the No. 4 Bears beat West Virginia at noon Saturday in Morgantown, they’ll have a shot at a Big 12 co-championship and tighten their grip on a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA tournament.
If the Bears (26-3, 15-2) lose to the Mountaineers (20-10, 8-9), Kansas will clinch the Big 12 title regardless of whether it beats Texas Tech at 1 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock. At 16-1 in the Big 12, the Jayhawks control their own destiny since they’re a game ahead of the Bears.
“With this being our last one and the chance where Kansas would slip up at Texas Tech, you have a chance to share for a title,” Drew said. “The big thing is we control what we can control. It (West Virginia) is a very tough place to play, the third-best defense in the country, so they’re a very tough team to score on.”
Should Baylor and Kansas tie for the Big 12 title, the Bears would earn the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament in Kansas City. Since the two teams split their head-to-head series, Baylor would win the tie-breaker since Kansas would have a loss to higher seeded Texas Tech while the Bears lost to lower seeded TCU.
Both teams have earned first-round byes Wednesday in the Big 12 tournament. Baylor and Kansas will begin tournament play in the quarterfinals on Thursday at the Sprint Center.
The Bears hope they can put together the same kind of performance they delivered in their first game against the Mountaineers when they rolled to a 70-59 win on Feb. 15 at the Ferrell Center.
Hitting five of seven 3-pointers, Jared Butler led the Bears with 21 points while Davion Mitchell and Matthew Mayer contributed 13 points apiece. Baylor shot 51.8 percent from the field while holding West Virginia to a 34.5 percentage
West Virginia is led by a pair of talented big men: 6-9 Oscar Tshiebwe is averaging 11.1 points and 9.2 rebounds while 6-10 Derek Culver is averaging 10.5 points and 8.6 rebounds.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins’ teams are known for their physical style of play, and the Mountaineers are especially tough to beat at WVU Coliseum where they’re 13-2 this season.
“They push, shove, and they try to out-tough you, and they don’t disappoint,” said Baylor forward Freddie Gillespie. “Coach Huggins always tries to get the meanest, toughest dudes. Their crowd is huge, they also play a big part in it. Coach Huggins is just a really intense, aggressive coach, and it comes down to his players.”
Drew said that it will be a game-time decision whether forwards Mark Vital and Tristan Clark play against the Mountaineers due to knee issues. Though both sat out against Texas Tech, the Bears pulled out a 71-68 overtime win on Monday at the Ferrell Center behind an 18-point performance by Devonte Bandoo and 17 by Butler.
“Mark has been looking good, so we’re hoping he’ll be a go,” Drew said. “But we won’t know until warm-ups. He’s had a good couple days of rehab. Tristan will be a game-time decision as well. He’s done a little less, so probably a better chance Mark plays.”
Fifteen Big 12 wins usually equates to a championship, but not this season with Baylor and Kansas far outpacing everybody else in the league. Last year, Texas Tech and Kansas State were co-champions with 14-4 records.
“I was talking with Obim (Okeke) about it,” Gillespie said. “I was like, ‘Man, this is really tough. We might have one of the best records ever in the Big 12 and still be second place.’ But it’s competition. Kansas was just slightly better. That’s why it’s Kansas, that’s why Coach (Bill) Self has been there so long.”
Drew believes the Bears will be well prepared for the NCAA tournament because of the variety of styles they’ve seen in the Big 12 and the high level of competition.
“You always want to be playing your best ball at the end of the year,” Drew said. “There’s no better way to prepare your team than teams that are going to be NCAA tournament-type teams. You’re talking about two of the best defenses in the country (Texas Tech and West Virginia). If you can score and be efficient on the offensive end against them, you can do that against most anybody.”
— WACOTRIB