2010-11 College Basketball Predictions: Baylor
November 18, 2010
Excitement for Baylor basketball is very high. That’s because the Bears played in the Elite 8 last season in front of 47,492 fans at Houston’s Reliant Stadium. After going 28-8 last year and ending up 11-5 in the league, the Bears enter their 2010-11 season rated inside the Top 20. Baylor will have to replace three starters, but top scorer LadeDarius Dunn is back and incoming freshman Perry Jones is one of the top recruits in the country. Head coach Scott Drew recognizes this team is gifted, but it will be tough to replace the leadership they had last season from Ekpe Udoh, Tweety Carter and Josh Lomers.
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College basketball picks are offered right here at college basketball free picks. Jack Jones looks forward to working on his 37-23 (62%) college basketball run to pick up right where he left off last year.
Frontcourt:
Udoh set a Big 12 single-season record for blocked shots last year, so clearly that’s impossible to replace. The 6’10” Perry Jones will not be the same defensive presence that Udoh was, but he can make up for it with his ability to score around the hoop. Many believe he will even be the Bears’ top offensive player this year. Almost every recruiting service had Jones as a Top 10 player, and he is supposed to be a 2011 NBA lottery pick. Baylor has never had player leave for the pros after a single season, but Jones is probably going to be the first. The loss of 7-footer Josh Lomers isn’t getting as much attention as it should. He stepped his game up at the end of last year. Still, there is some size here with the return of starting three Anthony Jones at 6’10”. Jones put up 6.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG as a solid contributor last season, while junior Quincy Acy put up 9.3 PPG as a sophomore last season. Acy was the team’s sixth man and obviously their most athletic player, dunking 10 times on Texas last season.
Backcourt:
Drew believes that LaceDarius Dunn is one of the most underrated players in the nation after posting 19.6 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. He feels that Dunn will be able to score at will, but hopes he can improve on his ball-handling and distributing skills this year. Though Udoh will be missed on defense, no player will be tougher to replace than Tweety Carter. The senior point guard was the heart and soul of this team, and his vocal leadership will be sorely missed. Taking over for Carter will either be sophomore A.J. Walton or freshman Stargell Love. Walton put up 3.8 points in 17.6 minutes per night last year, while Love is a nice young talent.
Jack’s Pick: 3rd Place in the conference – The Bears tied for second in the conference last season and gave eventual champion Duke all they could want in the Elite Eight. It’s tough for me to see them having that same kind of year with the players they lose, especially Carter and Udoh. Still, the Bears can compete with anyone in the nation with a frontcourt of Acy, Anthony Jones and Perry Jones along with Dunn at shooting guard. I wonder about this team’s depth and their ability to find a floor leader who can handle the ball, and that’s why I have them third in the Big 12.