No. 24 Purdue | No. 25 (tie) Butler | Full List
No. 25 (tie): BAYLOR BEARS
Last Season: 24-10, 11-7 Big 12
If you don't watch much college basketball before March, you saw Baylor only briefly -- and in the most unflattering light.
Trust us: Before No. 14 seed Georgia State scored the final 12 points of a 57-56 upset that sent bestooled coach Ron Hunter to the floor (and into the permanent March Madness highlight mix), the Bears' combination of 3-point threats and dominant offensive rebounding had made them one of the sneaky-good surprises of the season.
The frontcourt half of that package is back, but for Baylor to match last season's solidity -- and make a better impression come March -- an unproven coterie of guards will have to hold up its end of the bargain. -- Eamonn Brennan
Best Case: The Bears have big bodies that bang the backboards for second shots. They had the highest offensive rebound percentage in the country last season, and should do the same this year. Rico Gathers is a beast and Taurean Prince has size, length and great bounce. Baylor has to have good guard play and decision-making to be among the top 25 all season and advance in the NCAA tournament.
Worst Case: You cannot win consistently on offensive rebounding alone, and the guards have to play well. If they don't, it will be another quick exit from the NCAA tournament.
"Baylor has arguably the best starting frontcourt in the league with Prince, Johnathan Motley and Gathers. If they can get enough consistent scoring from their backcourt, they could be the surprise team in the Big 12 this year."
No. 24 Purdue | No. 25 (tie) Butler | Full List
