Baylor-Texas College Basketball Preview: Bears Face Tough Task in Trip to Austin

Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears have had an extremely trying time opening their conference slate and the road ahead doesn’t appear to be getting any easier.

The Bears will be making their annual short trek to Austin this weekend to face the highly touted Texas Longhorns at Erwin Center on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. CST.

Baylor enters Saturday’s contest at Texas with high hopes as the Bears always seem to play very close games against the Horns. And the Bears are due a big win during the regular season over their rivals down I-35, whether that be at home or on the road.

Keep in mind that a similar group of scrappy Bears beat the Horns in last year’s Big 12 Tournament, but I digress.

Although Baylor is just 2-3 in conference play, two of their three losses were against ranked opponents (at then No. 3 Kansas and hosting No. 11 Kansas State) and both came down to the wire (with Kansas winning 81-75 and K-State winning 76-74).

It’s time to repaint the town of Austin green and gold and there’s no better time for that to happen then tomorrow afternoon when Drew’s underdog Bears (No. 24 AP) face-off with the No. 6 Texas Longhorns.

Every single player on the Baylor basketball team can and has stepped up at different times to carry the team this season. From Quincy Acy to A.J. Walton (just to name two of many), these Bears have proven they can hang close.

But it’s time to quit bricking those free throws or blowing those layups. It’s time to quit breaking down in the waning moments of the game just to walk away with another “close” loss. It’s time, Green and Gold nation, for the Baylor Bears to pick up that much-needed win over a ranked opponent.

The 2010 Bears are absolutely tourney-bound come March Madness, but a win in Austin tomorrow would sweeten both their NCAA Tournament position as well as a season that has endured way too many close games.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]