Some teams have endured long pauses due to COVID-19 issues within their programs and made a spectacular return. Gonzaga is the best example. The Zags had 17 days between games in December. When they got back, it was for a neutral court game against Iowa. It seemed like a difficult place. But the Zags shot 51.4% of the field, including 50.0% of the 3-point line, cruising to a 99-88 win over a fellow Final Four contender.
So it is certainly possible to be great after a layoff.
But it is not a likely scenario.
And we were all reminded of one such Tuesday night when Baylor played for the first time in 21 days, struggled with a bad team from Iowa State and was lucky enough to escape with a 77-72 victory that left the Bears unbeaten and improving to 18-0 overall, 10-0 in the Big 12.
“Really excited to win,” Baylor coach Scott Drew told reporters afterwards. Really excited to be back. Does three weeks of free time affect your game of course? 100 percent.’
That is the right attitude.
Would Drew have wanted his Bears to do better, that he never left a team that is profitless in the Big 12 with 17 points, and that Iowa State wouldn’t shoot for nearly 50% of the field? Yes of course. That is obvious. But all that really matters is that Baylor played 40 minutes of live basketball for the first time in a long time, ran up and down with another team, avoided what would have been a defeat in Quadrant 4 and kept a zero. in the loss column. So the Bears will be happy to take the win, move on, and hope to be sharper on Saturday when they play Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. They remain # 2 in the updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 Wednesday morning daily basketball rankings.
Wednesday Top 25 and 1 ranking
IN: BYU
FROM: LSU