NCAA Tournament 2017, Baylor vs New Mexico State: Highlights, score and recap

Highlights, score, and recap of the battle between Baylor and New Mexico State in the NCAA Tournament

Baylor has been one of the more intriguing teams in the country all year. After jumping out to a 20-1 record, and holding the No. 1 ranking in the country at one point, the Bears struggled a bit with the back end of their Big 12 schedule. The Bears lost six of their last eleven games, and came into the tournament on a bit of a slide.

RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket

They’re still excellent on both sides of the ball. Their offense is 22nd per KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings, and the defense comes in at 14th. Jonathan Motley is their best player and go-to offensive option, though he does a little bit of everything on both ends. Jo-Lual Acuil is a monster at the back end of the 2-3 zone, and Manu Lecomte is an excellent (though turnover-prone) guiding hand for the offense.

The New Mexico State Aggies are led by senior Ian Baker, who scores from every level for his team and gets to the free throw line in a big way. The Aggies do an excellent job defending the 3-point line, getting to the free throw line, and hitting the offensive boards.

New Mexico State gave the Bears all they could handle in the first half. Building a lead that went as high as 8, the Aggies held a 2-point lead after the 1st-half buzzer. But they were unable to sustain in the second half, missing too many free throws and struggling on offense in a way they hadn’t when building the lead. Baylor escaped the ignominy of a loss to a 14-seed, and finished the game in encouraging fashion for its deeper-round chances, winning the second half by 20.

Three Stars

The Baylor bench carried the team to a victory today. The less-heralded pair of Terry Maston and Al Freeman were the best players on the floor for the team today. Maston, a backup forward, hit 9 of his 12 attempts on the day and carried the Bears in the first half while they were struggling. He finished with 19 points, and was key in keeping Baylor afloat through a rough first half.

Al Freeman did much the same, nailing all 3 of his 3-point attempts and getting to the line 6 times. He finished with 21 points, grabbed some rebounds, and added a steal for good measure. If Baylor can continue to get contributions like this from its bench, they become a much scarier postseason team.

It was a team effort for New Mexico State in its upset bid. Braxton Huggins was the leading scorer, hitting three of his deep balls and ending at 19 points for the night. The Aggies put in a spirited effort in the first half, but were unable to match the depth and talent of the Baylor squad through the whole game.

Final

Texas A&M Aggies

73

Baylor Bears

91

Highlights

Next Game

Baylor moves on to face the winner of the SMU-USC game, happening later in the day on Friday. USC won its First Four game to get a spot in the round of 64, but SMU has to be the favorite. They ride into the tournament on a 16-game win streak, and looking to prove the Committee wronged them by handing them a 6-seed. A second round matchup between Baylor and SMU would be a Sweet 16-worthy showdown, and one of the best games to peg for Sunday. We’ll be here with the coverage on FanSided no matter what the matchup.