NCAA: Baylor sliding as they drop two straight games

NCAA: The second-ranked Baylor University Bears are in serious need of regrouping. The team has lost two straight games. The Bears lost to the third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks 68-73 a few days ago. While unfortunate, the loss is something pundits could accept because it was a clash between two of the best teams in the NCAA right now. After that setback, you’d expect a team of Baylor’s caliber to bounce back. Unfortunately, that was not the case on the 4th of February when they suffered their first home loss of the season to an unranked Kansas State, 56-54. This is a tough situation for a team that had its sights on reclaiming the number one spot in the rankings a couple of weeks back. These losses have that goal fading in the distance like a morning fog on a warm day.

The two-game losing streak will definitely send them tumbling down the latest rankings.

Both Baylor and Kansas State had trouble finding their shot, but Baylor simply could not buy a bucket to get their offense going. The Bears shot a dismal 38.5% from the field and a forgettable 53.8% from the free throw line. Coach Scott Drew blamed their lack of aggressiveness when it came to getting offensive rebounds as well as their difficulty in minimizing turnovers. Both of those factors allowed Kansas State to stay in control for most of the game.

Baylor’s Manu Lecomte missed a key jumper with 20 seconds left that could have given them the lead. Jonathan Motley missed two shots in the dying seconds that could have sent the game into overtime. That’s two many “could have”, “would have”, “should haves” for a team that was fully expected to dominate their opponents.

Baylor will get another crack at preventing a full-on downward spiral as they visit Oklahoma State later this week.