Did you happen to see what Baylor's Brady Heslip did against Colorado on Saturday night? He torched the Buffaloes for nine three-pointers and a career-high 27 points in a 80-63 victory.
Heslip can carry the Bears to the Final Four with his outstanding three-point ability.
This wasn't some garbage defensive team Heslip went off on. He hit nine three-pointers against one of the hottest defenses in the country. Colorado only allowed 64, 51, 59, 62 and 41, respectively, in their five previous games.
Heslip is playing some of the best basketball of his career. He has averaged 17 points per game in the past five contests after averaging 9.6 points on the season.
There is no questioning that Baylor has the talent to make a Final Four. Perry Jones, Quincy Acy, Quincy Miller and Pierre Jackson are all extremely talented athletes. The problem, and it's a big problem, is when those talented players don't show up to play.
With all their talent, you would think that they could have been a No. 1 seed this season.
It didn't work out that way.
That's where Heslip can come in to play. He can help take that pressure off of Jones and company.
He's going to be an important contributor in the rest of the tournament. Defenders are going to be keying on him, forcing the drive as much as possible. This will force other Bears players to step up their offensive game against defenses.
Not only does Heslip's shot-making ability give Baylor the edge by just by pouring in 27 points, coaches are going to need to focus on taking him out of the game. That should open doors for others to take over.
Lastly, Baylor has a great opportunity to make the Final Four because they have a great chance of making the Elite Eight. With Lehigh or Xavier in the Sweet 16, Baylor will have the edge in athleticism against either. They have NBA size, length and skill. Most teams in the field can't even say that.
Then, in the Elite Eight, anything can happen.
Given what lies ahead for Baylor and the athletes they have, the Bears can really make a charge for the Final Four if Heslip continues to be a factor in games.
Mariano Rivera Kerry Wood Francisco Cervelli Chad Moeller Jorge Posada Lance Berkman
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