NCAA Tournament 2017 Sweet 16: Grading Each Team’s Title Hopes

March 18, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jordan Mathews (4) and guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) react against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 19, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Baylor Bears forward Johnathan Motley (5) reacts during the second half against the USC Trojans in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports /

Baylor Bears (3) – East Region

Once upon a time, the Baylor Bears were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country. That feels like eons ago as the back-half of the regular season and Big 12 play really exposed them as a very good, but certainly not great team. They lost four of their final seven games leading into March Madness and seemed to be hitting the typical Baylor wall. But hey, at least they avoided getting upset early this time around!

Despite that bit of shade, Baylor is a dangerous team. Johnathan Motley is an elite-level talent in college basketball capable of attacking the game on both ends of the floor in a variety of ways with his length and athleticism. Moreover, the team as a whole has shown that they’re capable of locking down on defense and exploding on offense.

However, the big question for the Bears is whether or not they have the predictable letdown game coming their way or not. As talented as Motley is, he’s just one man on this Baylor team. When you look around the rest of the roster, it’s hard to pinpoint one or two players that you’d want to rely on or feel comfortable doing so. This is over-simplified, sure, but Baylor doesn’t have the complete team that you need to win a National Championship, it would seem. Again, there’s a chance, but it’s going to take some good breaks for the Bears.

Chances: Need Some Luck

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