NEW YORK – The NIT final gave us two teams with offenses capable of lighting up the scoreboard. In the final analysis, Baylor’s 74-54victory over Iowa at Madison Square Garden was predicated on defense.
The main points of emphasis:
1.Tempo free breakdown:
| Iowa | Baylor | |
| Possesions | 69 | 65 |
| Off. Efficiency | 78 | 114 |
| eFG Pct | 30 | 58 |
| FT Rate | 26 | 48 |
| OREB PCT | 38 | 21 |
| TO Rate | 16 | 17 |
2. It started on the perimeter. While Pierre Jackson gave Baylor a Most Outstanding Player performance, the tone was set by another backcourt standout guard, A.J. Walton. The Baylor senior pressured the Iowa guards and never allowed them comfort in running the offense. Iowa, a transition team, was denied fast break opportunities. In the half court sets there were few, if any, easy baskets for the Hawkeyes. “We like to get to the rim and the free throw line,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey said. “They (Baylor) forced us to take too many three point shots.”
The turnovers show both teams cared for the ball. Baylor did not force many turnovers but applied that ball pressure that affected the Iowa offense.
3. Offensive rebounding. An interesting situation. Baylor gave up 20 offensive rebounds and was significantly beaten in the offensive rebounding percentage. “During time outs, I kept telling my guys we have to rebound,” said Drew with a touch of humor. Drew could live with the 20 offensive boards due to the fact his defense forced Iowa into a very poor shooting percentage. McCaffrey admitted the Baylor interior defense negated those added offensive opportunities. “We got looks especially on second chances,” the Iowa coach said, “but could not convert. Their length was a factor.”
4. After a slow start the Baylor offense got on track. At the half Baylor led 27-22 as neither offense had a great showing the first twenty minutes. Early in the second half, Baylor held a narrow 28-27 lead. The Bears went on an 8-0 run and never looked back. They finished with an outstanding offensive efficiency.
Jackson led the way with 17 points and 10 assists. Cory Jefferson paced the scoring effort with a game-high 23 points for Baylor and freshman Isaiah Austin added 15 points and nine boards.
5. The NIT title was the pinnacle of Drew’s rebuilding. When he came to Waco the program was worse than down. Decimated and on life support was more appropriate. Gradually Drew rebuilt. There were notable moments in the 2009 NIT second place and two Elite Eight NCAA appearances in the following three years. The NIT title gave, “our kids a chance to celebrate, not watch a celebration,” per Drew.
The Baylor coach naturally credited Baylor’s administration for the commitment to turn things around. He also credited the good fortune of having talented players who bought into a team concept first and foremost, such as Walton who will leave as the winningest player in Baylor history. And Jackson, who came from a National Junior College Championship team, yet embraced the team concept from the time he stepped on campus.
Drew was also gracious enough to recognize the outstanding Baylor women’s program when he called the NIT title, “the first men’s basketball championship in Baylor history.”
The Honors
MOP- Pierre Jackson, Baylor- averaged 20.5 points, 10 assists and 3.5 turnovers in 38 minutes per contest in New York.
All-Tournament:
- Alex Len, Maryland – paced Maryland with 16 points against Iowa.
- Roy Devyn Marble, Iowa- led all scorers with 21 points against Maryland in the semis.
- Cory Jefferson, Baylor – a consistent 21 points against BYU and 23 versus Iowa in the final.
- Isaiah Austin, Baylor- freshman center impressed with a combined 29 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks for the two contests.
