Pregaming – Baylor

Teams: Oklahoma State (17-11, 5-9) vs. Baylor (18-10, 7-7)

For entertainment purposes
The Cowboys last pre-NIT home game of 2011 is on ESPN2 as well as ESPN3 at 6 PM. OSU hasn’t been ranked all year and Baylor hasn’t seen the polls this side of 2010. OSU continues to sit, inexplicably really, at #59 in the RPI while the Bears slide in at #72. The Cowboys are favored by 2 if you’re so inclined.

Behind enemy lines
Full Court Press

Homework
Baylor has been rather up and down since the last time they tangled with the Pokes. A pair of wins over A&M were the high points. A home loss to Texas Tech (sans Singletary) was definitely the low. They’re fighting for their bubble-loving lives at this point, 7-7 and only matchups in GIA and home against the Horns left.

I popped their bubble in the podcast last Friday but that may have been a bit premature. I think if they beat Texas they’re in no matter what and if they beat OSU, lose to Texas, and win a pair in Kansas City, that probably gets them in too.

From the “I cannot believe this is happening” department, LaceDarius Dunn needs 12 points for the all-time Big 12 scoring record and 7 threes for the all-time Big 12 three-point record. So you can bet he’s going to be yanking from everywhere tonight.

What I’m worried about
Moses, Pilgrim, and Sidorakis deserve to toast GIA with one last win to cap off the roller coaster careers they’ve all had. I hope they all leave with good memories because all three have played their tails off all year. A tip of the hat to three guys who put in the work and went hard every time. Best of luck in the future.

Two random stats that (probably) only interest me:
JPO is shooting 85% from the line in the last 5 minutes of games this year. His overall FT average is 75%.

These are the two most selfish teams (statistically speaking) in the Big 12. Baylor is slightly less self-centered, averaging 11.96 assists/game while OSU puts up a very narcissistic 10.21 assists/game.

Video to get you ready
Despite the loss I thought OSU played really well in the second half against A&M, maybe even better than in the Tech game even though they won that one.