WVU preview: Baylor back in the Big 12 hunt despite multiple injuries

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Coming off a 73-69 victory at Iowa State on Tuesday, Baylor finds itself back in the hunt for one of the top four seeds in next month’s Big 12 tournament.

What the Bears (17-9, 8-5 Big 12) won’t find any time soon is a healthy roster.

Top forward Tristan Clark (14.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg) has been out since January and will miss the rest of the season after surgery on his knee.

Senior guard King McClure (9.9 ppg), who is third on the team with 40 3-pointers, has missed the last four games with his own knee injury.

Throw in the fact that West Virginia (10-16, 2-11) will also be without starters Beetle Bolden and Sagaba Konate — injuries — and Esa Ahmad and Wes Harris — dismissed from the team — and you could make a solid Big 12 team with those not playing in this game.

Baylor hosts the Mountaineers at 2 p.m. Saturday, at the Ferrell Center.

Bears coach Scott Drew’s played eight players against the Cyclones with six seeing more than nine minutes of action.

“I think Scott has done a terrific job,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “He’s put guys into positions that they can excel in. They’ve done a terrific job defensively and, offensively, he’s put guys in where they can score.”

Senior guard Makai Mason, who scored 29 points in the Bears’ 85-73 win against West Virginia on Jan. 21, has also been dealing with a toe injury. After missing two games, he returned against Iowa State. He played 35 minutes and scored 14 points, but was just 4-of-18 shooting.

“He brings a great calmness and poise about him,” Drew said. “He doesn’t get sped up and the moment doesn’t seem to get too big for him. The other thing is he’s been in that situation numerous times before and you can’t replace experience.”

The Mountaineers could certainly use some. They are down nine scholarship players and no seniors on the roster.

“The mindset is we need to win some games,” Huggins said. “We’re down four starters. We’ve got to have some guys step up. I think our guys are learning. I thought they played well until the 14-0 run that Kansas State put on us [on Monday], but we played well up to that point.”

At the midway point of the Big 12 season, Baylor was tied for first place with a 7-2 record, but has since lost three of its last five.

Thought to have been on its way down the standings, Baylor then hit 10 3-pointers in its upset against the No. 19 Cyclones. Freshman guard Jared Butler, who has scored in double figures in the Bears’ last five games, led the way with 17 points and junior forward Freddie Gillespie — now the Bears’ top big man at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds — added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“Once it looks like you have someone who has a clear-cut path to win a championship, then there’s a big upset,” Drew said. “I think a lot of that goes to the parity of the league. That’s why the league is the top league in the RPI. It’s tough from top to bottom.”

Drew said the Bears are expecting a tough game from WVU, because the Mountaineers’ younger players are getting more comfortable with playing against Big 12 competition.

“Whenever you play a coach Huggins’ team, you play a team with a lot of toughness,” Drew said. “They’re going to compete on the glass and defend hard. At the end of the day, coaches can’t control if those shots go in our not. They’ve just missed some shots. They’ve been on the short end of the stick, but a lot of that is because of guys with little game experience. They’re getting better each and every game.”





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