If Tuesday afternoon’s clash between No. 3 Baylor and No. 6 West Virginia was any indication, this is a wild March, as the Bears are back on track and have won the title of the big 12 of the regular season. dramatically overcoming the Mountaineers 94-89 in overtime on the road. Although it was anything but certain until the final 20 seconds, the victory should bring some relief to Bears fans who wonder if their team could regain the shape it enjoyed during the 17-0 start before a three-week layoff due to the COVID-19 protocols or would lose its second consecutive game.
The title of Baylor’s Big 12 is the first in the program’s history, and securing it on the road against a team of the top 10 showed that the Bears (19-1, 11-1) are still serious contenders for the national title as well. That seemed all but certain after Baylor lost 71-58 at No. 17 Kansas on Saturday after a lackluster victory over the modest Iowa State last Tuesday. But the WVU game was the team’s third defense after the 21-day break between games, and it was the best the Bears ever looked like before the layoff.
The victory came with its share of controversy after a questionable charge from Miles McBride, of West Virginia, with 27 seconds to go, ended the Mountaineers’ chances. Davion Mitchell then hit a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining to put the Bears in five points, and the Mountaineers (17-7, 10-5 Big 12) did not score again.
Mitchell and Jared Butler combined to score 45 points for Baylor, but a surprise hero was Matthew Mayer. The junior striker left the bench to tie the best of his career with 18 points, 15 of them in the second half, after West Virginia opened a 50-43 lead at 13:54.
Baylor is the third No. 1 seed projected in Jerry Palm’s most recent Bracketology, and the Mountaineers are projected as No. 2 seed. Neither team should move because of Tuesday’s result. This can be disappointing news for Bears fans who hope to see their team return ahead of Michigan for second place overall behind Gonzaga. But the most important thing on Tuesday is that Baylor has finally returned to looking like himself.