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Baylor women’s basketball: Can NaLyssa Smith lead Lady Bears on deep run in March Madnes?

By Scott Rogust

Mar 6, 2022; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor seniors Queen Egbo (4), head coach Nicki Collen, forward NaLyssa Smith (1), and guard Jordan Lewis (3) celebrate winning Baylor’s twelfth consecutive regular season Big XII championship at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2022; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor seniors Queen Egbo (4), head coach Nicki Collen, forward NaLyssa Smith (1), and guard Jordan Lewis (3) celebrate winning Baylor’s twelfth consecutive regular season Big XII championship at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baylor Bears have the chance to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament this season. Here is a preview ahead of March Madness.

It is March, which means it is time to fill out your brackets and watch some great basketball. The March Madness tournaments are set to begin, where there will be 68 women’s basketball teams competing to hoist the National Championship. One team looking to do so at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN is the Baylor Bears.

This season, Baylor held a 25-5 record and won the Big 12 regular-season title after going 15-3 against conference rivals. The Bears have been no strangers to making a deep run in the annual tournament, but here is why they can do so in 2022.

Baylor women’s basketball: 1 player to watch NaLyssa Smith

When looking at Baylor’s roster and who could really make a difference in the NCAA Tournament, the one player to watch is senior forward NaLyssa Smith. This is the best statistical season of her collegiate career.

Through 30 games, Smith is averaging 22.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks, all of which were career-highs. Additionally, Smith has a field goal percentage of 56.1.

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Ahead of the Big 12 Tournament, Smith was named the conference’s women’s basketball player of the year award, which she did so unanimously. This is now the second consecutive year in which she was named the best player in the Big 12.

For comparison’s sake, Smith averaged 18.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31 games in the 2020-21 campaign.

Baylor women’s basketball: 1 reason Lady Bears will cut down the nets

When looking at the Bears and figuring out why they can make a deep run to win their fourth National Championship, it is due to their success when attempting their shots.

Through 30 games, Baylor is shooting 46.09-percent from the field, which is the eighth-best field-goal percentage in the nation. The only other teams with better percentages are Iowa, UConn, Murray State, South Dakota State, BYU, USC Upstate, and North Carolina State.

As mentioned in the section above, Smith has the best field-goal percentage on the entire team. There are four other players that are shooting over 40.0-percent, and they are Queen Egbo, Caitlin Bickle, Jordan Lewis and Sarah Andrews.

The made shots have, obviously, contributed to Baylor having one of the top-scoring offenses. The Bears are ranked 14th in scoring offense with 77.2 points scored per game.

If Baylor can do the same thing in the tournament as they have had during the entire regular season, they will be a tough team to beat.

Baylor women’s basketball: Recent NCAA Tournament History

When looking back at the past five seasons, the Bears have had some great success.

In the 2016-17 season, Baylor won the Big 12 regular-season championship and made it to the Elite Eight, where they were eliminated by the Mississippi State Bulldogs

For the 2017-18 campaign, the Bears won the Big 12 regular-season championship and the Big 12 tournament but were sent home in the Sweet Sixteen by Oregon State.

The 2018-19 season was one to remember for Baylor, as they went 37-1 on the year and won the NCAA Championship after defeating Notre Dame 82-81.

There was obviously no end result for the Bears the following season, as it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the Bears were the conference regular-season and tournament champions. Baylor made it to the Elite Eight, where they fell to UConn.

Given how far the Bears have gone in the last five years, including hoisting the National Championship in 2019, and how they are a top-five team in the entire nation, Baylor is a team to watch to make a deep run in the tournament. If you are filling out brackets, it may be in your best interest to have Baylor advance at least three rounds.

If you’re still not sure who to root for in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, our Flavor Finder can help you find a new favorite.

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