Baylor has already shown it can hang with elite competition, even if Sunday’s matchup with No. 7 Texas is the first ranked opponent on the regular-season schedule.
The Bears have been tested in exhibition play and came through both times, beating preseason No. 1 Florida 82-76 in overtime before going to No.
3 Illinois and winning 95-91 five days later.
The formula in both of those games was clear: Baylor owned the glass. It outworked Florida 8-2 in overtime and finished with a 47-38 rebounding edge against Illinois. That same edge will matter again against a Texas team that has beaten its first three opponents on the boards by an average of 15.7 per game.
One of the biggest problems Baylor has to solve is Texas big man Vokietaitis, who has been a force early. He is averaging 21.3 points in 22.4 minutes per game and has hit 23 of his first 29 shots.
He scored 26 against Grambling State and went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line. If he gets the ball a step from the rim, Baylor is likely looking at a clean finish or a trip to the stripe.
That puts a lot on Juslin Bodo Bodo and Caden Powell. They need to meet him farther from the basket before the pass comes in, then wait until he puts the ball on the floor before bringing help. Texas freshman Joe Sterling has also been dangerous from deep, making 10 of 15 threes, so Baylor can’t afford to overcommit too early and leave him open.
The Longhorns have also been punishing teams with second chances. Through three games, they’ve collected 38 offensive rebounds and turned those into 52 second-chance points. When Bodo Bodo or Powell steps out to challenge a shot, someone else has to find former TCU forward David Punch before he slips inside for an easy finish.
Baylor’s own rebounding group has been active, too. Dylan Mingo, Isaac Celiscar and Evan Chatman each grabbed six boards against Yale, and that helped the Bears win the rebounding battle 37-28. Mingo, who leads Baylor with 5.7 rebounds per game, should stay close to the lane when Texas shoots so he can clean up misses and push the break himself.
Mingo has been a disruptive force in another way as well, with 13 steals through three games. Baylor turned Yale’s 17 turnovers into 24 points on Tuesday, and that kind of quick-strike scoring could matter again here. One possibility is Mingo jumping a pass into the post when a guard gets stuck with the dribble, creating a runout before Vokietaitis and Punch can recover.
That said, clean chances may be limited. Texas is averaging only 9.3 turnovers and forcing 17 per game, and it scored 31 points off Gardner-Webb’s 23 giveaways.
Baylor has tightened up its own ball security, cutting turnovers from 16 in the opener to nine in each of its last two games. If the Bears can keep that up and steal a couple of easy baskets off Texas mistakes, they’ll give themselves a real shot late.
In Other News...
Baylors Coaching Search Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
Baylors coaching search is moving in the background at a moment when the on-field picture has become a lot more interesting. Under interim head coach Joe Klanderman, the Bears have won their last two games and stayed alive in the Big 12 Championship race, giving the program a jolt of momentum after Dave Aranda was fired. Even with the season still in front of them, the process is already taking shape, and it is beginning to look like a search with more layers than a simple interim-to-full-time handoff.
Reports say Baylor is expected to interview Robert Griffin III for the job, while Jeff Traylor and Zach Kittley are also among the names in the mix. Klanderman has made clear he would like the permanent role, but he is not actively pushing his case during the season, which leaves the Bears balancing competitive urgency with a decision that could define the programs next chapter. For a team still playing meaningful football, that kind of uncertainty can linger a little longer than anyone would prefer. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Coaching Search Just Turned Into A Debate Fans Will Feel
Baylors coaching search is moving into a familiar and potentially emotional direction, with the school expected to interview Robert Griffin III for its vacant head football coach job after firing Dave Aranda. Griffin is one of the most recognizable figures in program history, a former Bears quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, and his name alone gives the search an immediate jolt of nostalgia and intrigue.
The appeal is obvious, but so is the question mark. Griffin has no collegiate coaching experience, though he does work as a college football analyst and has coached a seven-on-seven team, which at least gives Baylor a chance to hear how he sees the job and the programs next step. The university is aiming to make a decision by late November, so the conversation around this hire figures to move quickly and carry plenty of weight with fans who remember what Griffin meant in green and gold. [Read more 🡒]
BYU-Baylor Suddenly Has A Game-Day Problem Fans Need To Watch
A nationwide grounding of flights has put Baylor in an awkward spot heading into its trip to Provo, Utah, for Saturdays game against BYU. The disruption has affected 10 Power Four teams and several Group of Six programs, and Baylors travel plans are now in question because the earliest possible departure could come Saturday morning.
If the Bears cannot get out as scheduled, the game could be pushed into a tricky corner on the calendar. BYUs agreement not to play on Sundays limits the options for a makeup date, and Baylor is not the only program dealing with the fallout, with Arizona State and UCF among the others caught in the same travel mess. [Read more 🡒]