Three Thoughts on Baylor’s 72-64 Loss to Clemson
The Baylor Bears were looking to return to the Sweet 16 for the first time since winning the National Championship in 2021. But first, they had to overcome a tough No. 6 seed in the Clemson Tigers.
The backstory for this game ties back to Clemson’s head coach, who last month alleged the Big 12 of manipulating its NET to improve its perception across college basketball. So the two met in Memphis with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, and it was the Tigers who outlasted Baylor to move on for a 72-64 victory.
Clemson was Firing on All Cylinders
The Tigers played one hell of a game on Sunday night, shooting 49% from the field and led for the final 36 minutes and 33 seconds of the contest. One of the biggest things that stood out in Clemson’s performance was how well they moved the ball offensively. There were several instances when the Tigers made that extra pass that presented a wide-open look, and it certainly showed up on the box score. On the night, Clemson had 16 assists to Baylor’s six and also got 10 points off the bench, while Baylor managed just two. With Langston Love out, the Bears just didn’t appear to have the firepower needed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, and despite a monstrous comeback attempt, they fell short. It was a massive with for Brad Brownell’s group, as this is Clemson’s first win over a top-three seed since 1980.
Too Little, Too Late
It looked like Clemson was going to cruise to victory in this one, leading 55-43 with under nine minutes left in the game. But then, Baylor decided to wake up. The Bears went on a 19-9 run to close it to 64-62 with two minutes to play, but Clemson was able to hang on for the win. And in the final 2:10, Clemson went 8/8 on free throws to clinch the win. They were clutch down the stretch and deserved this victory over Baylor.
This One Hurts
Baylor was consistently one of the best teams in the Big 12, right behind Houston and Iowa State this season. And when the Bears fell to Clemson, that meant only Houston could make it two Big 12 teams in the Sweet 16.
For the best conference in America, that’s not what any of us were hoping for. However, we knew it was possible, since we talked all year about how the Big 12 had great depth, but may have only had one or two elite teams. But my hopes included at least three in the Sweet 16. And that won’t happen.
And then, there was Clemson coach Brad Brownell’s comments about the Big 12 last month, when he said, “A couple of things that folks don’t understand, you can manipulate the NET. And there’s a strength of schedule dynamic where the Big 12 has managed it with their scheduling. Their nonconference scheduling, they’re playing 300-level teams and winning by 40 and 50 points to increase their offensive and defensive efficiency numbers, which is a big part of the NET tool. So that’s why you see teams trying to win at the end of games by 30 or 40 points instead of putting in your walk-ons.”
This is what I said on our YouTube page heading into the game (Go subscribe here).
Unfortunately, Brownell and the Tigers got the last laugh and are heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
