Bears playing the role of Goliath in Sweet 16
The Baylor Bears don’t have much experience playing the role of favorite. But that’s the role they’ll take on tonight when they square off against the darlings of this year’s NCAA Tournament, the Saint Mary’s Gaels.
The Bears are South Region’s No. 3 seed and were expected to advance to the Sweet 16, but the Gaels are arguably the biggest surprise of the postseason. The No. 10 seed dominated 7th-seeded Richmond and then edged No. 2 Villanova to set up the showdown, capturing the attention and affection of fans across the nation along the way.
Baylor is poised to put an end to this feel-good story, though. It has the size and talent to give Saint Mary’s fits. With Ekpe Udoh down low, the going will be much tougher for Gaels’ big man Omar Samhan, the most dominant player in the tournament to date. And the explosive backcourt of LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter could very well prove to be too much for the WCC tournament champs.
Make no mistake: The Bears are favored for a reason. And with the game in nearby Houston giving them a likely home-court advantage, even though they might not be used to that role, it might not matter.
