Elite 8 preview Kentucky vs. Baylor

Kentucky/ Baylor

Kentucky just put on an offensive clinic in their dominating win over Indiana. I don’t know if some of the bad NBA teams could have beaten them on that night. Guards Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb are playing their best basketball of the season right now. Teague finished last game with 14 points and 7 assists. While Lamb had 21 points and was 8 for 8 from the foul line. For the tournament Teague is averaging 16.6 points and Lamb is averaging 17.6 points. If Kentucky guards are playing like this the Wildcats are unbeatable. Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was just unstoppable against the Hoosiers. He finished the game with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Six of those rebounds were offensive. He was also 10 for 10 from the line. He was a man, and Indiana had no one who could stop him. This was a huge game for Gilchrist because in the first two tournament games he was struggling. Anthony Davis got in foul trouble early and sat most of the 1st half. He only took 4 shots in the game and finished with 9 points. He also finished with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Davis can play a lot better and that is scary for future opponents of Kentucky. Darius Miller had a huge game off the bench against Indiana. He finished with 19 points and including two three’s. Kentucky needs production off their bench. Against Indiana Kentucky was money from the free throw line. They shot 35 out of 37 that is 95 %.

Baylor has as much talent as any team out there, but they don’t always bring it. So far though, in the tournament they have brought their A-game for the most part. Baylor Forward Quincy Acy had the best game of his Baylor career last time out. He finished the game with 20 points and 15 rebounds. He shot 8 of 11 from the field including a monster highlight real dunk. Point guard Pierre Jackson also continued his hot play. For the game he had 16 points and 10 assists. Jackson also made three three’s. His quickness is tough to handle. This guy is one of the best point guards in the nation, and he needs more publicity. Brady Heslip did not make 9 three’s in the last game, but be he had a pretty solid game. He finished with 11 points. Teams still need to worry about Heslip going off at any point. Future NBA lottery pick Perry Jones III really had a disappointing first two games averaging only 4.5 points per game. Against Xavier Jones brought his A-game. He finished with 14 points on 7 of 8 shooting and he added 5 rebounds. He should dominate every game. The Bears are dominating the glass in all three of their NCAA tournament games. They are now a plus 28 on the glass. If they have any chance to beat Kentucky they need to keep this up. Baylor shot over 50 % from the field and 86 % from the free throw line.

Kentucky offense usually gets all the attention but the Wildcats are one of the best defensive teams in the country. They will shut down Brady Heslip and his three point shooting. Also Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones will give the Baylor big men fits inside. Baylor defense is inconsistent they even play some 2-3 zone. I think Kentucky will rip apart this Baylor defense. Kentucky-78 Baylor-67

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Tags: Baylor, Kentucky