Trip to Waco to set Big 12 tone
AUSTIN — The most consequential Big 12 season of coach Shaka Smart’s tenure will begin Saturday in one of the harshest possible environments.
Texas (10-2) has dropped three straight to Baylor at the Ferrell Center, including an 84-83 overtime loss last February. And this year’s sixth-ranked Bears (10-1) are even better.
“They’re playing really, really well,” Smart said. “On the defensive end, there’s a ton of challenges Baylor presents with their offense. They’re one of the more efficient offensive teams in the country. Defensively, they’re one of the better teams in the country. They’ve really ramped up their aggression on the defensive end.”
Baylor has just one résumé blemish this season, a 67-64 loss to Washington at the Armed Forces Classic in Anchorage, Alaska. The Bears haven’t stumbled since, embarking on a nine-game winning streak that has featured victories over No. 12 Arizona, No. 17 Villanova and No. 18 Butler.
Coach Scott Drew’s team is as balanced as they come; Baylor is one of 10 teams ranked among KenPom’s top 30 in defensive (No. 14) and offensive (No 26) rating. Texas has been solid defensively (No. 41), but ranks 106th in points per 100 possessions (103.7)
The Longhorns’ most productive offensive stretches tend to coincide with prolonged runs of stifling defense. They have displayed an ability to get out in transition and convert following a miss or live-ball turnover, especially when guards Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey or Andrew Jones receive a quick outlet pass.
Problem is, stopping Baylor isn’t easy.
Guards Jared Butler and MaCio Teague averaged a combined 32.2 points and 5.5 3-pointers per game. Sturdy senior forward Freddie Gillespie averages nine points and 9.2 rebounds. The rest of the roster is filled by players who are confident and capable in their roles.
“They really, really thrive when they’re able to do what they want to do on offense,” Smart said. “They do a good job moving the ball, sharing it with each other, getting to different pick-and-roll actions. They have multiple guards who can come off and attack.
“Jared Butler, I think, is as good as any guard in the league. He’s one of the guys who really spearheads their pick-and-roll offense. So we have to be aggressive against what they do.”
Smart remixed his starting lineup Monday for the team’s final nonconference tune-up against High Point. Out were sophomores Ramey and Gerald Liddell; in were Andrew Jones and Kamaka Hepa.
Jones bounced back from an abysmal outing in last week’s rout at Providence, putting up 13 points on nine shots with four assists in 24 minutes. Hepa, in his second career start, had his biggest contribution of the season in finishing with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 24 minutes.
Smart seems keen on using Hepa more. Liddell has struggled and the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Hepa provides size, length and coveted intangibles, even if he’s a bit stiff as an athlete.
“I just felt like he’s a guy who is completely committed to the team, a guy who does a phenomenal job on the offensive end of just moving the ball around and helping his teammates get shots, and that’s something we need,” Smart said. “He just is a high-level person. And when he goes out there on the floor, he’s playing for Texas, and that’s something we really value. Hopefully, he is a really good example for our guys.”
If the guards play each other to a standstill, it could be on the Longhorns’ bigs to decide the outcome.
Gillespie and Texas forward Jericho Sims are about the same size, but the former plays with the sort of violence Smart has implored his own big men to try and channel. Baylor’s leading rebounder and shot-blocker (2.4 per game) will plant in the post and battle for 40 minutes — Sims and Texas’ other bigs will have to match his aggression while staying out of foul trouble.
“They’re one of the more efficient offensive teams in the country,” Smart said. “They’ve got terrific guards and their bigs are really good at playing with efficiency and offensive rebounding and finishing around the basket.”
A strong start in the Big 12 guarantees nothing.
Texas began 2-0 in league play last season before dropping 10 of 16. But a road win over a top-10 program such as Baylor would set a greater tone than last year’s early wins over last-place West Virginia and an undermanned Kansas State team.
“The biggest thing is, the conference season is a marathon,” Smart said. “If you look at the Big 12 over the past several years, everybody goes through twists and turns. You want to be playing your best basketball at the end because that’s how college basketball works and it puts you in position to do some great things in March. But at the same time every single one of these games matters.”