Baylor Bears earned No. 1 – but now it’s time to move on

By Will Schreefer | Jan 13, 2017

Jan 7, 2017; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears forward Johnathan Motley (5) shakes the hand of guard Al Freeman (25) after picking up a foul against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second half at Ferrell Center. Baylor won 61-57. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

The Baylor Bears earned their short time atop the college basketball world – now it’s time to move forward with the real work of the season.

It’s safe to say not many saw this Baylor coming in the preseason. After a disappointing early exit in last season’s NCAA tournament and the graduation of key rotation pieces like Taurean Prince and Rico Gathers, the Bears were mostly picked to finish somewhere in the middle of the Big 12 pack.

A early win over Oregon and a preseason tournament run through a strong Battle 4 Atlantis field made Baylor one of the season’s early surprises, with an unbeaten record and arguably the best collection of wins in the young season. Their roll continued through the rest of the non-conference schedule and the early portion of the conference slate, culminating with a 15-0 record and the No. 1 spot in the AP poll.

The run ended on Tuesday night, with Baylor getting rocked in Morgantown by West Virginia’s relentless press. The Bears committed 29 turnovers (close to 40 percent of their overall possessions) and lost by 21 points, with West Virginia’s student section storming the court at the end to the tune of “Country Roads.”

The Bears will almost certainly be replaced in the No. 1 spot come Monday – most likely by Kansas (barring a loss at home against Oklahama State on Saturday), the team that sits at second in both the coaches’ poll and the AP. It was a short run.

But that’s the thing about the No. 1 spot – it usually is. Villanova’s “lengthy” run at the top spot this year — all of five weeks — stood as the longest in the country since Kentucky’s wire-to-wire regular season run in 2014-15.

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Last year, six different teams were ranked at No. 1 for part of the season, and only two (Michigan State, with four in a row, and Kansas, with two non-consecutive two-week runs) managed even four weeks with the No. 1 mantle.

Even with that ‘Nova run this year — which comprises half the season so far — there have already been four different teams ranked at the top of the AP poll, with a fifth likely to come this Monday.

While Baylor’s reign was short, it was deserved. They had three top-25 KenPom victories in their non-conference slate, with two other top-50 wins. No one else in the top 15 got past two wins over top 25 teams, and those that got close (Louisville and Butler, who both beat No. 27 Indiana) definitely didn’t do it while staying undefeated.

And Baylor followed up that strong non-conference slate with victories over quality Big 12 opponents, in Iowa State and Oklahoma State, to start conference play 3-0. An undefeated 15-0 record, with almost half the wins coming over top 50 squads, is just impressive.

While their KenPom adjusted efficiency never rose above sixth, too many people seem to forget that the preseason prediction doesn’t fall out of KP’s ratings until the end of January – a positive part of his overall system, but one that surely somewhat “penalized” Baylor during their surprise run.

It’s refreshing to see the top ranking be handed out on strictly on the merits of resume, which must be the case for Baylor, a squad comprised entirely of recruits outside the top 100 that began the season outside the top 25.

Did we really know Kentucky was the best team in the country in weeks 3 and 4, when their only win against a non-cupcake came against an up-and-down Michigan State team? I know, baked into early season polls is past history, strength of recruits, and what we think will happen – there’s not much we do know just three weeks into the season. But Baylor ground its way into that spot with an early season run that would be excellent for just about any program.

The Bears may now have lost their perch atop the polls, but getting to No. 1 is never the goal of a season, anyway. With the pressure of holding on to the top spot lifted, Baylor can simply focus on getting better while working through a bear of a Big 12 schedule.

There are certainly a few things — cutting down on offensive turnovers, and improving the defensive rebounding, for example — I’m sure Scott Drew would like to see improve come NCAA tournament time. They can work now in a spotlight that’s a bit less harsh and schadenfreude-y, to be the best they can for the games that really matter in March.

Next: 12 Biggest Cinderellas In March Madness History

The best news for Baylor?

They don’t play West Virginia again until Feb. 27.