Bears aim to end run of 2nd-round futility

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Baylor coach Scott Drew’s nimble mind never stops sprinting, why he was offering up math equations Saturday as the Bears prepared to play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“What I love about coaching, and I joke with our staff, it’s like getting a four,” Drew said of finding the ideal combination of players to try and win championships. “Five minus one is four, two plus two is four, three plus one … there’s a million ways to get there.”

Drew knows the most important number the Bears are trying to reach is 16 — as in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Third-seeded Baylor (2410) takes on sixth-seeded Clemson (22-11) at 5:10 p.m. Sunday in the FedExForum with a berth in the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles on the line.

“Our confidence is through the roof,” Bears guard Ja’Kobe Walter said of Baylor defeating 14thseeded Colgate 92-67 on Friday night in the first round. “A lot of us had good games, with double figures (in scoring) from four people. … We’re all gifted scorers, and when we’re playing together, we’re really good.”

In that sense, they’re carrying on a Baylor tradition. The Bears won a national title under Drew in 2021 and have won the last six NCAA Tournament openers they’ve participated in. The issue of late is getting past the second round, as Baylor has failed to advance to the Sweet 16 the last two seasons following its national title three years ago.

Bears junior guard Jayden Nunn transferred from Virginia Commonwealth and figures he can be part of the combination to push Baylor over the second-round speed bump.

“I haven’t been a part of those (losses), but I’ve been watching college basketball, so I know they got put out in the second round the past couple of years,” Nunn said. “I’m just looking to help them get over the hump and do whatever I can to get this win, because I want to go to the Sweet 16 — I want to go as far as we possibly can.”

Baylor is 6-2 in the second round in Drew’s 21 seasons in Waco — meaning he was 6-0 in such games three years ago. For its part, Clemson advanced to the second round for only the second time this century.

“You typically think there are probably 15 great programs that are getting to the Sweet 16 every year,” Drew explained of the difficulty of getting to this point. “I mean, it’s hard to get to the tournament, and it’s hard to win a game in the tournament. And then when you look at national championships, you probably look back and say, ‘God really blessed us.’ ”

The Bears made 16 of their 30 3-point attempts against Colgate, tying a program record for an NCAA Tournament game.

“When we make 16, I love it,” Drew said of proper shot selection among his players. “When we make five, we’ve gotta do something else. But you adjust to everything. If you’re getting great looks but they’re not going in, you probably need to mix in more of (going to) the paint and getting to the free-throw line.

“If you’re getting good shots and they’re going in, you’ll continue to let it fly. I don’t think we’re ever telling a player to turn down an open shot and a good shot. But as a player, I think you always know, ‘If I miss four 3s in a row, I (need to) do something different.’ ”

As for that proper combination of players who can win a title?

“With us, it’s really who fits our culture,” Drew said. “And the more the players like one another, the more they’re going to compete for each other. They’ve got to be coachable and people we want to be around — who represent our program and university the right way.”

Baylor and Clemson haven’t played in more than 40 years and never with NCAA Tournament advancement on the line. The Tigers easily knocked off 11th-seeded New Mexico 76-55 on Friday to advance to the second round for the first time since 2018.

“Once you get in March, you kind of have to wipe the slate,” Clemson guard Joseph Girard III said. “So after the New Mexico game, where not a lot of people picked us to win, we were on edge and had a lot of competitive spirit and fire.

“You have to wipe it away and realize there’s a new 40 minutes ahead of you, especially against a team like Baylor.”