ESPN Men's Basketball

Our friends at The Mag are previewing one high-profile school per day for their Summer Buzz series. For the sake of all that is synergistic, yours truly will be attempting the same, complementing each comprehensive preview with some analytic fun. Today's subject: Baylor.

In retrospect, there were three real candidates in the contest for 2010-11's Most Disappointing Team. (Believe it or not, there is no ESPY for this. But there should be.) Those candidates were Michigan State, Kansas State and Baylor. To me, the winner is Baylor, and I'm not sure it's even close.

Michigan State was mediocre, but at least the Spartans rallied in time to keep Tom Izzo's NCAA tournament appearances streak alive. Kansas State was massively disappointing on and off the court, but Jacob Pullen caught fire late in the season, the Wildcats easily secured a tournament bid, and Frank Martin's team fought to a valiant, prideful end in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Loss or no, Pullen and Co. could walk off the floor with heads held high.

Baylor, on the other hand, never got there. For all the expectations and talent -- the Bears were a popular preseason Final Four pick thanks to the arrival of touted recruit Perry Jones and the return of star guard LaceDarius Dunn -- Scott Drew's team just never seemed to sort it out.

Earlier this year, during the glorious height of Bubble Watch -- my body still hasn't recovered from the circadian disruptions -- my editor Brett and I would frequently get on the phone and hash things out. Who deserved to drop off? Who deserved to stay on? Why or why not? Each week, it seemed, brought some measure of discussion about Baylor. Every week, we kept waiting for the Bears to give us a reason -- besides the general softness of the bubble -- to warrant serious bid consideration. Every week, Baylor disappointed.

It was a weird, frustrating experience. I can only imagine how Baylor fans felt. Eventually, the Bears mercifully dropped off The Watch, finishing 18-13 and underperforming even the most bearish (sorry) analysts' preseason predictions.

Why? Why was a team so talented also so very mediocre? The answer is actually pretty simple: point guard play.

For all of the talent at Baylor last season, the Bears never recovered from the loss of former point guard Tweety Carter, who helped lead the team to the 2010 Elite Eight appearance that so inflated 2011's expectations. With Dunn and forward Ekpe Udoh garnering most of the headlines for that run, Carter's excellent point guard play often went unnoticed. With Dunn back, Jones arriving, and forward Quincy Acy preparing to take a larger role, it was assumed that sophomore point guard A.J. Walton would be able to pick up right where Carter left off, that the Bears' vaunted high-flying offense would just keep putting points on the board.

That didn't happen. Oh, did it ever not happen. Walton struggled, and that's putting it nicely. He posted one of the highest turnover percentages in the country in 2011, coughing up the ball on 32.1 percent of his possessions. In 2010, Baylor's turnover rate was 20.2 percent -- not great, not bad, right in the meat of the curve.

In 2011, with Walton at the helm, that team turnover rate jumped to 23.4 percent, one of the highest figures in all of college hoops. (Team rank: No. 322. Ouch.) Walton was, to put it bluntly, a turnover machine, and those turnovers contributed in a big way to Baylor's overall offensive mediocrity. Throw in Walton's shaky shooting, and the Bears' offense lost much of its dynamism, especially on the perimeter.

Per Ken Pomeroy, in 2010, the Bears ranked No. 3 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. In 2011, they ranked No. 92. More than anything else, turnovers were the reason.

Of course, it would be unfair to lay all of the blame at Walton's feet. For one, Baylor's defense wasn't nearly as good as it had been the previous season. Most assumed Jones would make up for the loss of Udoh; instead, the touted freshman came along slowly, a prototypically gifted athlete who hadn't quite figured out how to turn his talents into dominance. That was especially true on the defensive end, where Udoh's shot-blocking -- not to mention the presence of 7-foot banger Josh Lomers -- was sorely missed. The drop-off in adjusted defensive efficiency wasn't quite as pronounced as the offensive side, but the Bears suffered a major dip all the same.

Now, as 2012 approaches, how does Baylor avoid a similar fate? Dunn is gone, but Jones and Acy are back, and they're joined by another elite talent in incoming freshman Quincy Miller, the No. 3-ranked power forward in the class of 2011. Deuce Bello, a touted small forward prospect, is also arriving this fall. The Bears will have another supremely long and athletic team, one most experts will pick to contend for the Big 12 title and a spot in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. But can they get the offense back on track?

Again, the answer is point guard play. A major improvement by Walton in his junior season is one option. But there is another: In April, Baylor inked point guard Pierre Jackson, one of the top junior college players in the country. When asked why he chose Baylor, Jackson gave his appraisal of the BU personnel to the Magic Valley Times-News:

"What Baylor has coming back next year - the front line is crazy," said Jackson. "... They got a couple NBA-caliber front-line players and they've got a couple freshmen coming in that are NBA caliber already on a couple mock drafts."

"Baylor needed a point guard pretty bad last year," said Jackson [...]. "I guess I was the perfect guard for that situation."

He's not wrong: Baylor desperately needed a point guard last year. If Jackson is even so-so -- as long as he doesn't cough the ball up too frequently -- he could be the piece that puts Baylor over the top.

Of course, as above, there are other issues. The Bears have to get better defensively. Jones has to turn all that talent -- the dude is 6-foot-11 with silky guard skills, for goodness' sake -- into star-level productivity. Miller and Bello have to be ready to contribute immediately, and Acy has to be even better on the glass.

College hoops is not the place for magic bullets. Things aren't as simple as plugging in one player for the other. There are rarely magic bullets. But Baylor, perhaps more than any team in the country, had a singular, obvious problem in 2011. If Drew can correct it -- whether with Walton or Jackson or some combination therein -- he might have a very scary team on his hands.

If he can't, the Bears are almost sure to improve. But they won't be nearly as good as they should be. Sound familiar?

HOUSTON -- Some quick thoughts from a high-energy game in front of a highly-energized crowd here at Reliant Stadium:

• The crowd advantage does matter. This place is green and it's LOUD. In the last five minutes of the half, Duke looked completely rattled. Remember, these Blue Devils have never played for a chance at the Final Four. The name on the jersey doesn't mean diddly in this building.
• Baylor's athleticism is showing up all over the court. The Bears are much better in transition (7-0 edge in fast-break points) and the explosiveness of Ekpe Udoh and Quincy Acy is something Duke simply can't match. The big men have 12 combined points for Baylor, and the Bears are dominating Duke inside, with 20 points in the paint.
• And forget about Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn. No one in a Duke uniform can match them. The guards have been sensational and forcing tempo and upping the freneticism for Baylor. Carter has 10 and Dunn 13.
• Brian Zoubek's three fouls hurt but aren't a killer. The 7-footer looks extremely frustrated and hasn't really been effective in this game in the face of guys as big as him but more athletic. The Plumlee brothers have given the Devils critical minutes here, and with their skill set, might be a better option anyway.
• Duke isn't going to win with Kyle Singler going scoreless. The junior is 0-for-6 from the floor, saddled in part by foul trouble. Take Nolan Smith out of the equation and the Blue Devils are 7-of-19. They can't win that way.

HOUSTON -- A quick look to the Elite Eight matchup in the South Region, where the last Final Four ticket will be awarded:

Key to the game: The battle on the boards just might decide who goes to the Final Four. Between Brian Zoubek, Lance Thomas, the Plumlee brothers, Ekpe Udoh and Josh Lomers, there’s more than enough heft in the post to make things interesting.

In its first three games of this NCAA tournament, Duke is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 14.3 boards per game. That not only leads to easy putbacks, but it extends Duke’s possessions. Never was that more important than against slow-down Purdue, when the Blue Devils topped the Boilers by 21 on the backboards.

Baylor, meanwhile, is up eight boards per game on opponents and really took it to Omar Samhan and Saint Mary’s in the Sweet 16. The Bears topped the Gaels by 12 on the boards, but it was their 14 offensive rebounds that really made the difference.

“We can’t jump with them,’’ Thomas said. “We’re going to have to put bodies on them and let them know it’s going to be a game for 40 minutes.’’

Player to watch: Kyle Singler. He has been the difference maker for the Blue Devils, especially as Jon Scheyer has struggled in this NCAA tournament (just 6-for-26 from the arc). Singler is 13-for-22 outside of the paint, while his teammates are only 19-of-58. He’s also drained eight 3-pointers, and against Baylor’s zone, his ability or inability to get off a good shot will drastically affect Duke’s chances.

“I don’t know if he’s an X factor, but he’s probably an A, B, C, D, E, F, G factor,’’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Singler is one of the best players in the nation for a reason. He’s tremendous. He’s been playing great basketball and he’s a great player.’

Who has the edge: It’s open season on No. 1 seeds (perhaps West Virginia feels less unhappy about the perceived slight now?), and I think Duke might just fall into the heap as well. I expect a close game and a well-played matchup, but I’m not sure that the Blue Devils have what it takes to counter the athleticism of the Bears’ guards. If LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter can shoot it, I think Baylor makes its first Final Four since 1950.

HOUSTON -- The picture shows the Baylor team huddled up at midcourt and just two words appear above the photo:

We’re Special.

The makeshift fliers hung everywhere inside the Bears’ locker room, taped to the doors, the walls, above lockers and on lockers.

“It’s something we did as players,’’ Quincy Acy said. “We just feel like there’s something special going on here. You can feel it. I don’t know how to describe it but you can feel it.’’

You could certainly see it on Friday night. The Bears put a hurting on Saint Mary’s usually reserved for a 1-16 first-round game, a 72-49 win that, believe it or not, wasn’t even that close.

The Gaels could do absolutely nothing against the Baylor zone -- the usually high-scoring, good-shooting team hit only 6 of 22 3-pointers and shot an anemic 35 percent from the floor -- and was equally helpless to stop Baylor.

LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter looked like they were on rollerskates as they blew by the flat-footed Gaels. Dunn finished with 23 points and Carter 14, reinventing athletic ways to score with each trip down the court.

Baylor makes its first appearance in the Elite Eight against either Duke or Purdue on Sunday.

“The best part was just seeing the excitement on all of the players’ faces,’’ Scott Drew said. “All that hard work finally paying off for them.’’

No one in the Baylor locker room would bite on the idea that they were interested in quieting the ever-yapping mouth that is Omar Samhan. They just wanted to play their game, didn’t think about it -- all of the perfect clichés. But the fact remains that Samhan, stuffed and crushed by Ekpe Udoh and Josh Lomers, finished with the most inconsequential 15 points ever recorded in a basketball game. He needed 17 shots to score those 15 points and struggled to get anything by Udoh and Lomers.

“No, we didn’t even talk about that at all,’’ Lomers said with a slight smile. “Just play our game.’’

Samhan may have taken over the spotlight this week, but the Bears have long been hanging in the shadows.

Picked to finish 10^th in the Big 12, even as they started to put together good wins, the Bears were overshadowed by Kansas’ success, Texas’ failures and Kansas State’s surprising turnaround.

Now the Bears will have to guard against an unfamiliar foe -- success. Baylor’s thumping of Saint Mary’s ought to come packaged with game tapes from Syracuse. The Orange dismissed the Gaels’ West Coast Conference foe, Gonzaga, with ease, playing so well it seemed effortless. With or without Arinze Onuaku, Syracuse looked like a Final Four team.

And then the Orange got squished by Butler.

Baylor players said on Thursday they were in town for a business trip. They’ll need to keep their tie and their heads straight for Sunday’s Elite Eight game.

“We’re not done yet, we know that,’’ Acy said. “We haven’t won anything yet.’’

But they are awfully close to doing something no one could have expected. Never much of a player on the national scene to begin with, the program was written off after the 2003 tragedy/scandal involving Patrick Dennehy and Dave Bliss.

Now the Bears are 40 minutes from the Final Four.

“Forty minutes from the Final Four? In a word? Fantastic! Ecstatic! I don’t know if I can do that,’’ Udoh said.

How about special?

HOUSTON -- Wrapping up a 72-49 Sweet 16 game that was never a game here at Reliant Stadium. Baylor moves on to its first Elite Eight since the tournament expanded (Baylor played in and lost the national title game in 1948), and a program decimated only seven years ago will play for a Final Four berth with a serious home-court advantage. It was every bit as green and loud in here as it was for Michigan State at last year's Final Four in Detroit.

Whoever the Bears face -- either Purdue or Duke -- will have its hands full. Here's why:

• Baylor is every bit as good inside as it is out. It's hard to judge from the rout of Saint Mary's since the Bears were so much more athletic and talented, but the fact is the Tweety Carter-LaceDarius Dunn combo in the backcourt can dominate and so can the Ekpe Udoh-Quincy Acy-Josh Lomers triple threat inside. Mix in the way the Bears play defense with their zone and there's a very good reason why Baylor is in the Elite Eight.

• The only worry the Bears have right now is falling into the Syracuse trap. Remember, the Orange absolutely pasted Gonzaga in the second round and fell apart against Butler on Thursday night. Baylor can't afford to put a whole lot of stock in this win. The Bears played near flawless basketball, but the caveat is the opponent wasn't exactly up to snuff either. I'd suggest not even watching the tape.

• You have to feel for Omar Samhan and the Gaels. The quotable senior ends his collegiate career humbled and silenced. He had 15 points but they were all but inconsequential in this rout. Samhan was exposed against the much stronger and tougher Baylor big men.

HOUSTON -- Some quick thoughts from a halftime beatdown that resembles a CYO versus NBA All-Star game.

Yes, that's the correct score. No, it is not a typo. Yes, it is that bad.

• The word mismatch does not adequately describe what's happening here. Baylor is stronger, tougher and more athletic at every single position. Saint Mary's has no one who can penetrate the Baylor zone, no one who can contain LaceDarius Dunn or Tweety Carter, no one who can match up with Ekpe Udoh.

• The Gaels, who said they played against zones all year, look like they've never seen one before in their lives. They are 2-of-12 from behind the arc, have no idea how to get the ball inside and have spent more time standing around than moving.

• Omar Samhan has gone from potential NBA player to a guy in need of a stand-up routine. The big man has two points and cannot get his shot off against the Baylor bigs. He's 1-of-8 from the floor.

• Meantime anyone who thought the Baylor to the Final Four pick was just trendy, please consult the score. Dunn and Carter have 27 points combined and have done things with the basketball that the St. Mary's players couldn't do with a ladder. Mix in a 25-15 rebounding edge against a team that has just as much size, six 3-pointers and just two turnovers and what's not to like?

HOUSTON -- For four years he was the best-kept secret in college basketball. As Patty Mills stole the Saint Mary’s show, Omar Samhan worked his act in the shadows.

Now Mills is gone, Saint Mary’s is in the Sweet 16 and the college basketball world is on an Omar binge.

Three-year-olds accost him in the Safeway for his autograph and a media starving for something other than Bull Durham clichés hang on his every word.

If only Taylor Swift would notice him.

“Are those cameras on?’’ Samhan asked from the podium during pre-game interviews on Thursday. “I love you, Taylor. You should call me.’’

Hey, rumors once paired the singing starlet with Gonzaga’s Matt Bouldin, so she’s familiar with the West Coast Conference.

If Saint Mary’s keeps winning, it’s not like she could avoid hearing about him.

Ali Farokhmanesh's 3-pointer may be the picture of the NCAA tournament, but Samhan is the sound.

He is an uninhibited trash-talker. Upon exiting his locker room, Samhan spied a Baylor player across the way. “Bring it on,’’ he said, before going over to introduce himself to Tweety Carter.

And he’s an unabashed predictor.

“I said we were going to win the national championship,’’ Samhan said. “My coach said, ‘You did not just say that,’ but I did and I mean it.’’

But the tongue-wagging big man is very conscious of being just a lot of white noise.

“He says what he says but he also knows what he’s doing,’’ Randy Bennett said. “He’s enjoying the moment, but when the game starts he’s as focused as anybody.’’

On the bulletin board in his dorm room is every critical article written about him this year. When a friend found something arguing why Saint Mary’s couldn’t beat Baylor, he immediately asked for a copy and hung it on the wall of honorable dishonor.

His mom keeps the good stuff, a stack of laudatory stories that Samhan won’t enjoy until after the season is over.

"My friends always come in and are like, 'Oh wow,' and then they start to read and they're like, 'Why do you have this on your wall?" Samhan laughed.

The clips are perfect fodder for a kid once considered too overweight, a complete diamond in the rough that no team other than the Gaels was much interested in taking a leap on. He is fueled by doubters, people who counted Saint Mary's out against Richmond and said he couldn't handle the brawling nature of the Big East when the Gaels played Villanova.

Saint Mary’s is a tiny Catholic school, chronically stuck in the second fiddle role behind Gonzaga.

The Gaels needed a spokesman.

And they found a bullhorn.

“People think we should be scared for some reason, because we don't play in gyms this size, because we don't have McDonald's All-Americans on our team,'' Samhan said. "We don't need McDonald's All-Americans to win. We don't need a huge gym to win. We're 11 guys that work hard and play hard together. I think that's what I want American to know and everybody to know, that we're America's team.''

NEW ORLEANS -- A red-hot start carried Baylor to a 38-28 halftime lead over Old Dominion on Saturday in their second-round East Regional game at New Orleans Arena.

The Bears, who looked jittery for much of their first-round game on Thursday, raced out of the gate in this one and built a quick 10-1 lead behind the shooting of Tweety Carter. That's significant because Carter was held to a season-low two points in the first round and only took three shots.

He was more active in the first half and was clearly looking for his shot. His runner at the halftime buzzer padded the Bears' lead to 10 points.

The backcourt tandem of LaceDarius Dunn and Carter was too much for Old Dominion in the first half. Dunn and Carter combined for 24 points and hit 9-of-14 shots.

Give the Monarchs credit for battling and hanging around despite the Bears shooting 55.6 percent from the field.

Gerald Lee had 10 points in the first half for ODU, but they didn't come easily against Baylor's big front line. Lee's been a little under the weather this week and hasn't been 100 percent.

The pace of the game is also much more to Baylor's liking. Old Dominion has to find a way to slow it down in the second half with its defense. The Bears thrive when the game is played in the 80s. The Monarchs would prefer it to be in the 60s.

NEW ORLEANS -- A couple of Sweet 16 berths will be decided Saturday in the Big Easy.

And no matter how it shakes out, some droughts will be coming to an end. Some longer than others.

Kentucky, with all its tradition, hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2005.

Wake Forest’s last Sweet 16 trip came during the 2004 season when a guy named Chris Paul was running the show in Winston-Salem.

Baylor and Old Dominion have never reached the Sweet 16 under the current format. The Bears lost in the national championship game to Kentucky in 1948, but the tournament included just eight teams back then.

Here’s a preview of Saturday’s East Regional second-round games at New Orleans Arena:

Game 1: (3) Baylor vs. (11) Old Dominion, 5:45 p.m. ET

How they got here: The Bears (26-7) beat Sam Houston State 68-59 in the first round, a game that was tied with a little more than three minutes to play. It was Baylor’s first NCAA tournament win in 60 years. The Monarchs (27-9) beat Notre Dame 51-50 in the first round. It was their first NCAA tournament win in 15 years. They’ve won six straight games and nine of their last 10 heading into Saturday’s game.

Scouting the game: If you like defense, then settle in. Old Dominion wouldn’t mind “uglying” this one up. The Monarchs win with defense and rebounding. Notre Dame was their 12^th opponent this season to be held to 50 points or less. The Bears also play smothering defense, ranking ninth nationally in field-goal percentage defense. They held Sam Houston State to 34 percent shooting on Thursday. The difference in the two teams is that Baylor wants to get out and run, make the game an up-and-down affair and force Old Dominion to play in the 80s. The Monarchs are extremely balanced offensively and don’t lean on one or two players. Seven different players have led Old Dominion this season in scoring. Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh could end up being the ‘X’ factor in this game. He’s a shot-blocking machine in the middle and doesn’t give up anything easy around the basket.

Bear to watch: Senior guard Tweety Carter is coming off a subpar game with a season-low two points on 1-of-3 shooting. He was just never able to get involved in the offense and was neutralized by Sam Houston State playing a triangle-and-two defense. That was just one game, though, and Carter is just as capable of going off for 20-plus points in Saturday’s game.

Monarch to watch: Senior forward Gerald Lee is the only player on the team averaging in double figures. He was quiet in the first-round win over Notre Dame with just nine points and three rebounds. But with Baylor starting three players 6-10 or taller, the Monarchs will need more out of Lee offensively. He’s an unselfish player and will get the ball to the open man. But he’s also Old Dominion’s most reliable option when they need big baskets.

They said it: “They’ve got an outstanding defense and have done it against quality teams. They beat Georgetown by holding them to 57 points, so they’re a Top 20 defense in the country for a reason. They’ve got size and length and have a lot of similarities to our team.” -- Baylor coach Scott Drew

Game 2: (1) Kentucky vs. (9) Wake Forest, 8:15 p.m. ET

How they got here: The Wildcats (33-2) routed East Tennessee State 100-71 in the first round and were never threatened. They shot 51.7 percent from the field and led by as many as 40 points in the second half. The Demon Deacons (20-10) beat Texas 81-80 in overtime in the first round on Ishmael Smith's pull-up jumper with 1.3 seconds to play. Wake Forest had lost five of its last six games coming into the tournament.

Scouting the game: Wake Forest is one of the few teams in the country that can match Kentucky’s size. That said, keep an eye on the Deacons’ 7-foot senior center, Chas McFarland, and the Wildcats’ 6-11 freshman forward, DeMarcus Cousins. McFarland has gotten under more than a few players’ skin in the ACC, and Cousins has had a problem at times this season with keeping his emotions in check. He vowed not to be lured into any extra-curricular stuff with McFarland. “I’m telling you all now. I’m not trying to get in a fistfight. I’m just trying to play ball,” said Cousins, who's drifted in and out of foul trouble this season. The Deacons insist they want to run with the Wildcats, who are scary in the transition game when everything’s clicking. Smith was called a one-man fast break by Texas coach Rick Barnes, but he has to keep his turnovers down against the Wildcats. He had eight in the win over Texas. The Wildcats turn turnovers into points, and it starts with freshman point guard John Wall, who leaves his own vapor trail when he’s blazing up the court. The Deacons killed the Longhorns on the boards Thursday. If they’re going to hang around in this one, they’re going to need their share of second-chance points.

Wildcat to watch: Freshman guard Eric Bledsoe has been on a tear. He made a Kentucky NCAA tournament-record eight 3-pointers in the first-round win over East Tennessee State and is 15-of-21 from 3-point range over his last three games. When he’s shooting well and scoring at a high clip, the Wildcats are just about impossible to defend with all of their other weapons. In Kentucky’s only two losses this season against South Carolina and Tennessee, he was a combined 5-of-17 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

Deacon to watch: Sophomore forward Al-Farouq Aminu had 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Deacons’ first-round win over Texas. He was the only player in the ACC this season that averaged a double-double with 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. At 6-9, he’s the kind of inside-outside threat that could cause trouble for Kentucky’s big men and is also an explosive finisher in transition.

They said it: “The one thing I talked about is we’re not a 3-point shooting team. That’s not why we win. We win because of defense. We win because of rebounding. We win because of our shot-blocking ability and our ability to create good shots for each other. If we make 3s, we’re better than that. But that’s not why we win.” -- Kentucky coach John Calipari

NEW ORLEANS -- As Baylor’s players left the locker room Thursday on their way to the playing floor at New Orleans Arena, several of them were playfully shouting, “Sam who?”

They know now after being taken to the final minutes by No. 14 seed Sam Houston State before pulling away and winning 68-59 in a first-round East Regional matchup.

The game was tied at 55-55 with just over three minutes to play, and Baylor’s A.J. Walton missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity. Sam Houston State was unable to capitalize and take the lead, and Baylor turned on the jets.

Quincy Acy had a dunk, and it was the LaceDarius Show from there. He scored the Bears’ next eight points, as the Bearkats kept firing away and missing from 3-point range.

Sam Houston State finished 6-of-31 from behind the arc. Senior guard Ashton Mitchell was just 1-of-11.

Baylor junior forward Ekpe Udoh showed just why some around the country consider him to be one of the most complete big men in college basketball. He finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. He also had five of the Bears’ 14 turnovers.

The Bears also had their struggles from 3-point land, going just 5-of-20. Senior guard Tweety Carter had a season-low two points on 1-of-3 shooting.

Baylor will now face Old Dominion in Saturday’s second-round game.

NEW ORLEANS -- Say this for Sam Houston State: The Bearkats aren’t bashful when it comes to launching 3-pointers.

They don’t seem real intimidated by No. 3-seed Baylor, either.

Trying to make it the second straight upset in as many games at New Orleans Arena, Sam Houston State leads Baylor 31-30 at the half of their East Regional first-round game.

Neither team has shot it very well from 3-point range, but Sam Houston has lulled Baylor into playing its game. The Bearkats were 2-of-16 from behind the arc in the first half and the Bears were 4-of-13.

The other thing that plagued the Bears in the first half was that they had just one offensive rebound.

Ekpe Udoh was the one who kept Baylor close. He had 10 points and six rebounds.

The Bears’ backcourt tandem of Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn was a combined 1-of-5 from the field. Carter only took one shot in 19 minutes.

NEW ORLEANS -- Kentucky coach John Calipari won’t be counting made jump shots this week in the Big Easy.

For that matter, he won’t be counting jump shots at all. He’ll gladly tell you that the Wildcats’ ability (or inability) to knock down perimeter jumpers won’t dictate how far this team goes in the NCAA tournament.

Say this for the Wildcats: They’ve made it this far, a No. 1 seed in the East Regional sporting a 32-2 record, and their 3-point shooting has been dreadful at times.

“If we’re not hitting our 3s, we’ll find other ways to score,” Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall said. “That’s what we do. That’s what we’ve done all season. We’ll score off our defense, go inside to our big guys, make tough 2s.

“We just look at the 3s as a bonus.”

A very scary bonus if you’re the other team lining up against the Wildcats and they happen to be hitting that day.

As Calipari said earlier this season, “If we’re making shots, we bury people.”

But the Wildcats have also had to grind out more than a few this season, and at some point in this tournament, grinding becomes a way of life.

Really, it becomes a necessity when you shoot 16 percent from 3-point range as Kentucky did during one stretch in February. And then in the SEC tournament, the Wildcats shot just 25.4 percent from behind the arc.

Will it catch up to them? We’re going to find out.

Here’s a preview of the first-round East Regional games in New Orleans on Thursday:

Game 1: (6) Notre Dame vs. (11) Old Dominion, 12:25 p.m. ET

How they got here: The Irish (23-11) have won six of their last seven games, including three victories over nationally ranked teams. Their only loss in that stretch was a two-point decision to West Virginia in the Big East tournament semifinals. The Irish needed a big finish to ensure their sixth trip to the NCAA tournament in 10 seasons under coach Mike Brey. They had lost seven of 10 games from the middle of January to the middle of February prior to their hot close. The Monarchs (26-8) won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship to earn an automatic berth. They’ve won eight of their last nine games entering the tournament. Their best win was a 61-57 triumph over Georgetown in December.

Who to watch: Notre Dame senior forward Luke Harangody is back and looking healthy after missing five games in late February and early March with a bruised right knee. Now coming off the bench, he said Wednesday it’s the healthiest he’s felt, which is good news for the Irish. He’s averaging 22.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. The Irish tweaked their offense late in the season and are now playing more of a slow-down game.

What to watch: The Monarchs are an excellent rebounding team and rank fifth nationally in rebounding margin at plus-8.8. Junior forward Frank Hassell leads the way with 6.6 rebounds per game. He’s one of five players on the team averaging at least 4.2 rebounds per game. Old Dominion is 22-4 when it outrebounds its opponent.

They said it: “You know, you just can’t make that change [on offense[ unless you have guys that are really good with the ball. We’ve led the nation in assists to turnovers the whole season. If you’re going to make more passes every possession and throughout 40 minutes, you’ve got to have guys that can do that and big guys that can do that.” -- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey

Game 2: (3) Baylor vs. (14) Sam Houston State, 2:45 p.m. ET

How they got here: The Bears (25-7) have won eight of their last 10 games, tying with Kansas State for a second-place finish in the Big 12 Conference. The No. 3 seed is their highest in program history. Baylor is the only NCAA Division I team this season with no loss of more than seven points. Its seven losses have come by an average margin of 5.6 points. The Bearkats (22-7) won the Southland Conference tournament championship to receive an automatic berth. They enter the NCAA tournament having won 17 of their last 19 games. They played Kentucky to a 102-92 loss back in November in Rupp Arena and drilled Auburn 107-89 on the road in December.

Who to watch: Baylor 6-foot-10 junior forward Ekpe Udoh has been the perfect complement to all of those guards in the Bears’ lineup after transferring over from Michigan. The Big 12 Conference’s Newcomer of the Year, Udoh set a Big 12 single-season record with 124 blocked shots and is also averaging 9.8 rebounds per game.

What to watch: The Bearkats love to run, love to force the tempo and aren’t shy about shooting the 3-pointer. They’re also an extremely unselfish team and lead all NCAA Division I teams with an average of 20.9 assists per game.

They said it: “We didn’t come up here to just win one game. We’ve come up here to win games, and that’s what we’ve worked to do all season long. So we’re going to continue to do that.” -- Baylor senior guard Tweety Carter

Game 3: (16) East Tennessee State vs. (1) Kentucky, 7:15 p.m. ET

How they got here: The Wildcats (32-2) swept both the SEC regular-season and tournament championships. Their only losses were to South Carolina and Tennessee. They won their 26^th SEC tournament title in overtime last week, a 75-74 victory over Mississippi State in Nashville. The Buccaneers (20-14) are back in the NCAA tournament for a ninth time and have been the essence of perseverance. They overcame the tragic death of sophomore Seth Coy in a car accident in July and then lost their top player, senior guard Mike Smith, to a season-ending knee injury prior to the season. Still, they played their best basketball down the stretch, winning their last six games, including the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championship.

Who to watch: The Wildcats have three sensational freshmen, all of whom will probably be playing in the NBA next season, but the guy who makes them go is Wall. Nobody in college basketball gets up the court as quickly as he does, and he’s also one of the best finishers in the country when he gets into the lane. Wall has struggled with turnovers at times and isn’t a great shooter, but go back and count how many clutch plays he’s made for the Wildcats this season.

What to watch: Calipari will try to join Rick Pitino as the only two coaches to take three different schools to the Final Four. Pitino took Providence, Kentucky and Louisville. Calipari has taken Massachusetts and Memphis. If Calipari does reach the Final Four with Kentucky, he would be the first coach to get to the Final Four in his first year at that school since 1998 (Bill Guthridge at North Carolina and Tubby Smith at Kentucky).

They said it: “I think all brackets are hard. Some may be harder than others. This guy may say this bracket’s hard. This guy may say that bracket is really easy. There is no easy road to Indianapolis. Don’t let anybody tell you there is an easy road. There is none. They’re all hard.” -- Kentucky coach John Calipari

Game 4: (8) Texas vs. (9) Wake Forest, 9:35 p.m. ET

How they got here: The Longhorns (24-9) limp into the NCAA tournament. They’ve lost nine of their last 16 games, a fade that’s even more stunning when you consider they started the season 17-0 and were ranked No. 1 in the country for two weeks in January. It’s not like the Longhorns have been going up against all powerhouses, either. Nine of their last 16 opponents finished with losing records. The Demon Deacons (19-10) have been a carbon copy of the Longhorns in a lot of ways. They’ve lost five of their last six games and were routed 83-62 by Miami their last time out in the ACC tournament. The Deacons do own six wins against RPI top 50 teams, but just about all of those came in the first half of the season.

Who to watch: Texas senior forward Damion James thought about turning pro last season, but decided to come back. He’s averaged a double-double for the Longhorns (17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds) and tried to be more of a leader, but he hasn’t had a lot of help around him as Texas faded down the stretch. He admitted after a stinging 19-point loss to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals that the team had lost its focus and its passion. We’ll see if the Longhorns can get it back.

What to watch: The Longhorns and Deacons are both athletic, although neither team shoots it particularly well. Both will look to run and get out in transition. Teams forced Wake Forest to slow it down during its slide to end the regular season, but the Deacons shouldn’t have to worry about that Thursday. The team that works the boards the best and gets the most second-chance points is probably going to win this game.

They said it: “We’re going out there with attitude. But people forget we were the best team in the country. We’re still the same team. We just have to go out there with that swagger and that demeanor and go out there and go at it.” -- Texas senior forward Damion James

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tickets may never be this hard to get in Kansas City again with a Kansas State-Kansas Big 12 tournament title game at the Sprint Center Saturday at 5 p.m.

Get here early. Parking will be a premium and your eyes will be blinded by a purple haze on one side and a parade of blue filing in from all over downtown K.C.

• What’s great about this time of year is seeing the big-time guards who step up and win these games. You can put Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente in this category officially going forward into the NCAA tournament. Pullen hit a 3-pointer with 1:59 left, holding his hand extended for an exclamation. He nailed the trey after a wild possession ended up in his hands, giving him a clear shot to the basket. The 3-pointer was the dagger for the Wildcats as they took a 74-69 lead before winning 82-75. Pullen then got to the free-throw line for two more. And when the Wildcats needed to stretch the lead one more time, Clemente was there to finish. Clemente managed the game quite well, keeping the Wildcats in check as Baylor continued to trade the lead with the Wildcats.

• Kansas State still needs to get more inside, but as long as the guards rebound they should be good to go against Kansas on Saturday night and beyond. Dominique Sutton had 14 boards which would be huge if he could duplicate an effort like that Saturday. But Jamar Samuels has to get more than one board like he had against Baylor. Sutton did score 14 but the guards led as expected with Pullen scoring 26 and Clemente 24.

• Kansas State could tighten up its defense, but let’s not dismiss how offensive a team Baylor can be going forward. The Bears have multiple weapons that will be tough to keep in check next week in the NCAA tournament. LaceDarius Dunn hit a big trey late in the game and finished with 26 points. Tweety Carter was a bit out of control with six turnovers to just four assists. That has to change for the Bears to advance next week. But the name you should remember from here is Ekpe Udoh. He is something special with the way he can score facing the basket, and of course on the offensive putback. He’s tough to keep off the backboard. The Bears had 18 turnovers, which is far too many against a team like Kansas State that thrives on taking advantage of a situation like that in an important game.

• Kansas State and Baylor certainly have the look of two teams that can play into the second weekend. Both teams are flawed, but they create matchup problems. Still, it comes down to this: if the guards are on for Baylor, as they were earlier in the Big 12 tournament, then the Bears can advance. Kansas State has to have Pullen and Clemente play well. They did. They won.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Baylor coach Scott Drew had the Bears in the Big 12 final a year ago, finishing strong after a disappointing conference season.

The Bears lost to Missouri, missed the NCAAs but raced out to the NIT final.

The carry-over was there for Baylor, leading the Bears to a record-tying 25 wins after Thursday’s quarterfinal victory over Texas at the Sprint Center. But there is still more to claim. The Bears are facing Kansas State in the semifinal Friday night with a chance for a second consecutive appearance in the Big 12 title game.

Just digest that for a second. Baylor. In the Big 12 title game for the second straight season.

That just doesn’t compute nationally, but it’s reverberating here in the Big 12. The Bears aren’t going anywhere. They have arrived as a real contender with a lineup that will lose key senior guard Tweety Carter next season, but will return the rest of the core of the team and adds a top-five talent in big man Perry Jones.

But that’s for another season. The Bears can improve their national standing with the selection committee with a win Friday night.

“We’re all fighting for top seeds,’’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Kansas and Kansas State are fighting for a one seed. Texas A&M a high seed and if we win maybe a two. Missouri won this tournament last year and got to the Elite Eight.’’

It’s not a farfetched concept for Baylor, either. Kansas will be the favorite regardless of what happens Friday night against the Aggies. With a decisive win over Oklahoma State Thursday, the Wildcats proved they are a real threat to advance to the Elite Eight. The Aggies would be thrilled to be playing in the second weekend after two exits to No. 1 seeded teams the past two seasons.

Baylor? The Bears are new to all of this but are playing with such a sense of pride, purpose and passion that it’s a good watch from start to finish. Carter and LaceDarius Dunn can motor and score. You can’t watch Ekpe Udoh and not be impressed by his ability, effort and overall performance. The Bears also showed a bit of an edge and toughness against Texas.

“Being on the bubble is hard,’’ Drew said. “When I was at Valparaiso, winning those three games is the three toughest days of your life -- to have to win the league.’’

Baylor doesn’t have to sweat Selection Sunday for the first time under Drew and that alone shows how far this program has come.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A quick rundown from the end of the night here:

1. Baylor can win multiple games in the NCAA tournament. Heck, the Bears are talented enough to win this tournament. The Bears played with more passion and had an edge to them against Texas that I hadn’t seen much of this season. The Bears were quick to emphatically rub it against the Longhorns, which certainly raised the Horns' anger level. Damion James got a frustration technical, demonstrating how hard it was for him to control his emotions.

2. Ekpe Udoh has had a solid year for the Bears. Can you imagine had he stayed at Michigan? If he had, the Wolverines wouldn’t be looking for scraps at this juncture. Udoh is a live wire who can play around the basket. Texas couldn’t touch him as he scored 25 points, making 7 of 8 free throws.

3. Baylor’s guards are talented enough to keep the Bears in contention for a few weeks. LaceDarius Dunn had three fouls and was a non-factor in the first half, yet finished with 19 points and nine boards. Meanwhile, Tweety Carter scored 20 points to compliment Dunn in the backcourt. The Bears didn’t get much off the bench but didn’t need to as they continued to be efficient.

4. Is there another team in the country that is heading into the NCAA tournament on more of a slide than Texas? The Longhorns will get in and could be a double-digit seed at this rate. Texas has lost three of its past five games, two of which were to Baylor. The Longhorns look like a team that is filled with mismatched parts, has lost its confidence and is incredibly frustrated. I’m not sure I’ve seen a team collapse like this down the stretch.

5. The Big 12 dream scenario is a Kansas State-Kansas title game Saturday night. You won’t be able to get a ticket here at the Sprint Center if that occurs. But to sleep on the gritty Aggies of Texas A&M or to dismiss this athletic Baylor crew would be a major mistake. Sure an A&M-Baylor matchup won’t do much for attendance but it would pit two teams that could make the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.

6. Clearly, the Big 12 got its four best teams in the semifinals. Ultimately, that’s what you want. You want your best on display and playing well going into the NCAAs with the best chance to advance. KU, K-State, Baylor and Texas A&M all have the look of Sweet 16 teams. Of course, KU is the favorite for the national title and K-State could be a real threat to land in Indy as well.

7. While the Big 12 has seven likely locks for the Dance, how about the way Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma State leave Kansas City? None of them can feel too great about their mojo going into the Dance. If they win their first-round game it could be a surprise.

8. Kansas State got its edge back by crushing Oklahoma State. The Wildcats will be a tough out if they run, defend, board and continue to share the ball.

9. Kansas is Kansas. The Jayhawks were pushed in the first half by Texas Tech. But the Jayhawks are tough enough to be refocused and shut down a team they should beat.

10. One thing is certain at the end of the night: Baylor and Texas don’t like each other. And this rivalry will only get more intense.