[Real NCAA Basketball] Baylor (No. 25) vs. A&M (No. 18)

I missed this game and just saw the highlights. Was it every bit as good of a game as it looked on both the highlights and the box score?

 

Definitely.

Baylor's a fun team to watch, really like to push the ball. Their games with UT should be awesome.

 

Well... Most of us had to settle for watching it online via CSTV live feed. So maybe my view is flawed. But the game wasn't actually that exciting. Last years 2OT TAMU/UT game and the 3OT UT/OSU game were thrilling. This game kind of dragged on. TAMU missed FTs, both teams shot like 35% from the field, it was ugly. It was like waiting for a team to lose rather than a team to win.

 

I dunno Max - I still think that is wishful thinking on your part. I mean I looked at their non-conference schedule and the SOS looks to be pretty weak with the only good win being at Notre Dame. Losing at home to Arkansas (a team that Joe Lunardi currently has not making the NCAA tournament) looks to be their worst loss, so far.

Barring a collapse that is 2006-2007 Oklahoma State proportions, I do believe that Baylor is in but I don't know if they can win 7 out of 12:

1) home against Oklahoma - should be a win especially if Griffin is still out
2) at Texas - loss
3) home against Texas Tech - probably a win but Tech has been a schizo team this year, very capable of pulling off the upset
4) at Kansas - loss
5) at Oklahoma State - even though they are down this year, it will be very hard for Baylor to win at Gallagher-Iba (just ask Texas about that), so I got a loss here
6) home against Texas - they will obviously have a better shot at winning this one compared to the game in Austin but I think they will lose this one, too.
7) at Oklahoma - going to give them a win here only because Griffin will still be out, I believe.
8) home against Kansas State - I'm going to be a homer here but I really think that KSU is a team that is only going to get better and they have the better team on paper, so I'm putting a loss here as well.
9) at Colorado - win as CU is terrible despite Robey.
10) home against Missouri - I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt here but Missouri is never an easy game for anyone.
11) home against Texas A&M - I know that Baylor beat them at College Station but I am going to go with the upset here and pick aggy to win in Waco.
12) at Texas Tech - I think this will be another loss, too.

So I got them finishing 21-9 (9-7 in conference) which should be good enough but then again last year, Kansas State won 23 games overall and 10 in the conference and finish in the top 4 in the regular season and still didn't make the NCAA tourney. I think Baylor has to win 2 games minimum in the Big 12 tourney to seal their bid to the NCAA tourney.

BTW, Joe Lunardi has Baylor as a #6 seed in the NCAA tourney (as of 1-21-08):
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

 

Manny, they have 2 losses. One was a hiccup to Arkansas. The other was a 3 point loss to the #6 team in the nation, Wash. St. I think they're every bit as good as their record would suggest so far. They just beat the #19 team in the nation on their home court last night.

We'll see...they may very well fall apart. Anything can happen. But I don't think they're going away. I don't think A&M beats BU at home...and I don't think they get swept by UT.

 

You're lucky. The game sounded like a classic. Speaking of, I wonder if ESPN classic will show a replay?

 

Well yeah, I know that they have 2 losses...I was just saying that if they start losing games in the conference and finish with 9 or 10 losses, that the committee traditionally looks at things like non-conference schedules and Baylor's isn't that good (games against patsies like Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M, Southern, etc.). Losing at home to an Arkansas team that may not make the tourney could be the difference between a 3 seed and a 5 seed for them. And for the record, I did say that I think they make it but they are obviously not a sure thing at this point (really the only sure things from the Big 12 are Kansas and Texas).

A&M was obviously overrated but I still think that they can turn it around because of their talent level. Baylor probably doesn't lose to aggy in Waco but I picked it that way because Baylor is a team that has inexperience in playing games that mean something and the postseason. How they are able to handle the pressure will say a lot about if they are a team that can cause damage in the NCAA tourney. But once again, I think they do get in. I'm just saying that you can't take anything for granted - I mean look at KSU last year with their 10 wins in conference and 4th place finish and they are a program like Baylor that traditionally is not thought of as a perennial NCAA team.

 

What an amazing game...Good for Baylor...

 

I can't believe this game wasn't on TV. Channel 51 was showing Mizzou and Texas Tech.

 

Clips are on ESPN. Man, great seeing Baylor on Around the Horn and PTI...I wish I can act like we've been there before, but I can't, so I won't. Woo!

 

BTW, I think it is hilarious that the ads on this thread are "Ziggy" and "Earth Ziggy"...LOL!