Preview: Baylor hoops

Vitals

Tip: 4:30 PM
Location: Waco, TX
TV: ESPN
Online Stream: here
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Online radio: here
Announcers: Brent Musburger, Fran Fraschilla, Holly Rowe
Line: Bears -4.5

Records

Cowboys – 12-4 (2-2)
Bears – 12-5 (3-1)

Best win

Cowboys – NC State (KenPom: #29)
Bears – Kentucky (KenPom: #16)

Worst loss

Cowboys – Virginia Tech (KenPom: #150)
Bears – College of Charleston (KenPom: #176)

KenPom rank

Cowboys – #17
Bears – #42

Data nerds

[table id=84 /]

Adj. efficiency – Points per 100 possessions (adjusted for quality of opponent and site of game).
Adj. tempo – Possessions per game (adjusted for schedule and pace of other team).
Effective FG % – Takes into account extra value of 3s.

Three things to watch

1. Road weary – And when I say “road weary” I mean I’m weary of watching this team play basketball games on the road. Not much more to say other than Ford has lost 20 of 21 on the road. That has to stop at some point or he’s going to lose his job over it.

2. Can the D carry? – Oklahoma State is one of the nation’s elite teams on defense. Ken Pomeroy has them as the fourth most efficient defensive team in his tempo-free stats (see above). The problem for the Cowboys is that four of Baylor’s most efficient players are 6’7 or taller. I don’t know if we’ll have an answer for that.

Cory Jefferson scares the crap out of me. He’s the 14th most efficient offensive player in the country (Pomeroy) and he was terrifying in our game down there last year. Arm Soucek with a police baton and let it ride, I guess.

3. Musburger unplugged – He’s off the rails at this point. You all know about the national title McCarron girlfriend thing but he topped that by calling Holly Rowe “smokin'” last week in Lawrence.

Anything short of him making out with Scott Drew’s wife coming out of the 12-minute 1st half timeout is possible at this point. And that scenario might not even be totally out of the question.

Prediction

KyPort: Bears 74-61
KenPom: Bears 66-65