Some teams suffered long breaks due to COVID-19 issues in their programs and returned spectacularly. Gonzaga is the best example. The Zags had 17 days between games in December. On their return, it was for a neutral court game against Iowa. Seems like a difficult place. But the Zags shot 51.4% from the field, including 50.0% from the 3-point line, and sailed to a 99-88 victory over a rival from Final Four.
So it is possible to be great after a layoff.
But this is not a likely scenario.
And we were all reminded of such a Tuesday night, when Baylor played for the first time in 21 days, struggled with a bad Iowa State team and were lucky to escape with a 77-72 victory that could put the Bears unbeaten improved to 18 -0 overall, 10-0 in the Big 12.
“Really excited to win,” Baylor coach Scott Drew later told reporters. “Really excited to be back. Does that obviously affect your game? 100 percent.”
This is the right attitude.
Would Drew want his Bears to perform better, never to follow a team that was unbeaten in the Big 12 by 8 points, by 17 points, and to prevent Iowa State from shooting nearly 50% off the field ? Yes of course. It goes without saying. But the only thing that really matters is that Baylor, for the first time in a long time, played 40 minutes of live basketball, running up and down with another team, avoiding what a quadrant 4 defeat would be, and hold a zero in the loss column. The Bears will therefore just like to get the win, move on and hope to be sharper on Saturday when they play Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse. They remain number 2 on the updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily rankings for college basketball Wednesday morning.
Wednesday’s Top 25 and 1 Rankings
IN: BYU
OUT: GVE