Fansided

College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 18

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
19 of 25
Next
Mar 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew on the sidelines against the Texas Longhorns at the Frank Erwin Center. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew on the sidelines against the Texas Longhorns at the Frank Erwin Center. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports /
7

Baylor Bears

Last week: 24-6, 11-6 Big 12
Last rank: 8

Three wins in four games is a nice way to close the year out for Baylor, as the Bears own one of the most impressive overall resumes in the nation but were mired in a rough patch for much of February.

Following a huge victory on Monday over West Virginia, Baylor picked up a road victory against Texas on Saturday in its regular season finale. The Longhorns finished last in the Big 12 so the win isn’t particularly impressive, but Baylor’s offense played a strong game without point guard Manu Lecomte and completely dominated the glass.

Jonathan Motley cemented his place on the first-team All-Big 12 squad with 17 points and 17 rebounds. While the Bears need Lecomte healthy to think about the second weekend and beyond, strong games from rarely used guards King McClure and Jake Lindsey were welcome enough developments.

Baylor is strong on both sides of the ball on the interior with Motley dominating and is now up to fifth in the country in total rebounding percentage. Scott Drew has mixed in a number of different looks to the zone this year, helping Baylor own the nation’s No. 10 adjusted defense as a result.

The Bears advance to Thursday’s Big 12 quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed and will take on desperate Kansas State in the opener.