Smith, Hillmon meet in Sweet 16
When Baylor’s Nalyssa Smith last shared a court with Michigan’s Naz Hillmon, the two were teammates on the 2018 USA Basketball women’s U18 national team.
In the years since, both have morphed into collegiate All-americans. Smith was tabbed Big 12 Player of the Year this season after averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game, while Hillmon earned the nod as Big Ten Player of the Year by posting 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per night.
The two will meet as opponents Saturday, when No. 2 seed Baylor clashes with No. 6 seed Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s Tournament at 2 p.m. in the Alamodome.
“We know the biggest challenge is going to be Naz, so we’re looking at how to guard her,” Smith said. “Different ways of helping, or different ways to shut her down. We know a lot of strengths and weaknesses about her. It’s going to be a good game.”
Hillmon, a 6-foot-2 junior forward, has shown explosive scoring ability in the post this season, racking up 50 points in an 81-77 loss to Ohio State on Jan. 21.
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey praised Hillmon as a “great player” and “tremendous scorer,” capable of running the floor and playing strong inside.
But defense has been the Bears’ hallmark through the past few seasons, as Baylor leads the nation this year with a 31.7 opponent field goal percentage.
In Tuesday’s second-round win against Virginia Tech, Baylor yielded just four points in the paint and held the Hokies to 30.2 percent shooting. Bears center Queen Egbo racked up seven blocks.
“Our posts are just so tough to get past,” Bears guard Dijonai Carrington said Tuesday. “Any time our guards got beat on the drive, we knew there’s no point in us fouling, because we have Queen and Nalyssa back there who are going to send that the other way. I’m just proud of the way we protected the paint and protected the basket.”
Asked Tuesday to reflect on her first trip to the Sweet 16, Mulkey paused and rattled through a few other standout moments from her 21-year tenure before placing the 2004 matchup against Tennessee. With 15 Sweet 16 appearances as the Bears’ coach, including a current run of 12 straight, some of the particulars become a bit harder to place.
The Sweet 16 memories likely will be easier to recall for Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico, as this year’s run marks the program’s first trip to the tournament’s third round. Mulkey said she’s built a relationship with Barnes Arico over the years, calling her easy to admire and root for.
Mulkey also has ties to Michigan assistant coach Toyelle Wilson, who spent six seasons on Baylor’s staff before leaving following the 2019 national championship.
But Mulkey brushed off the novelty of seeing a former assistant on the opposite end of the floor, instead focusing on how Baylor can rekindle the level of play that sparked a 90-48 drubbing of Virginia Tech.
“How do I keep what we did the other night going? I wish I could give an explanation on exactly why it was that way,” Mulkey said. “What we hope is we do play that way every night. Realistically, that’s hard to do. … I hope we’re excited for a Sweet 16 opportunity. I hope we can understand the expectations this program has and we can emulate it. We’ll certainly try to.”
The start of the Sweet 16 presents a new dynamic for the tournament, as fans will be allowed in the Alamodome at up to 17 percent capacity, or about 11,000 people.
Baylor, led by East Central alumna Smith, is likely to be one of three local favorites alongside No. 6 seed Texas and No. 2 seed Texas A&M.
“We’re going to have a lot of fans,” Smith said. “People’s families finally get to come. Everybody who wasn’t on the ticket list gets to come watch the game, so it’s about to be very exciting.”