Baylor’s defense, adaptability propelled Bears past Villanova to Elite 8 - The Dallas Morning News

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INDIANAPOLIS — Villanova slowed the pace and bulled its way to the basket.

For the first half, the Wildcats did everything it had to do to compete Saturday.

Top-seeded Baylor still found a way to rally past Villanova, 62-51, in the NCAA South Region semifinals. The Bears returned to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2012, seeking its first Final Four appearance in the modern era. Baylor (25-2) will face the winner of Arkansas and Oral Roberts on Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“We put in a lot of work, a lot of time,” junior guard Davion Mitchell said. “Our whole life we’ve been working for this moment.”

Afterwards, Villanova coach Jay Wright went beyond the standard congratulations.

“They’re just a really good team, definitely a team capable of winning a national championship,” said Wright, who coached Villanova to NCAA titles in 2016 and ’18.

“They have a lot of great teams to play, but they’re definitely capable of winning it.”

Baylor adapted on the fly to rally from a seven-point halftime deficit, its largest of the season. With its outside shooting on hiatus, the Bears went from launching 3s to finishing from 3 feet away.

The top 3-point shooting team in the country, Baylor was 3-of-19 from behind the arc. So they moved closer. The Bears finished with 40 points in the paint, 12 more than Villanova.

“Going into halftime, coach [Scott Drew] told us we could get to the paint anytime we want,” Mitchell said.

“All our missed 3s off the dribble. We were basically bailing them out. We weren’t making them guard. “I think we did a great job the second half getting to the paint. … We knew we were going to keep putting pressure on their defense and they were going to collapse eventually.

”The Bears attacked the basket repeatedly in the second half, led by Mitchell. He scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and added two steals.

Drew just need a quick glance at the halftime stat sheet to realize his team needed a change. “When we were 2-for-12 at the half, we knew we had to get inside,” Drew said. “Credit Villanova for doing a great job contesting shots. I thought our guards did a great job not settling and probing more.” Baylor finished 40 points in the paint, eight more than Villanova.

And the Bears matched Villanova with gritty second half defense, holding the Wildcats to 37.5% shooting and forcing nine turnovers in the final 20 minutes. “Their defense went to another level,” Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels said.

While Samuels (16 points) was a tough matchup all game, Baylor held Villanova leading scorer Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to eight points on just seven shots.

During a decisive 14-2 run that gave Baylor a 47-41 lead, the Bears forced turnovers on five consecutive Villanova possessions. The Wildcats had just 10 points in the final 11 minutes and finished with its lowest point total since early in the 2018-19 season.

”They’re a really fundamental team,” Mitchell said. “They don’t turn the ball over. For us to win, we had to get them out of their comfort zone, and I think we did a really good job of that.”

Now the Elite Eight awaits. Drew has been here before, losing to two eventual national champions, Duke in 2010 and Kentucky in 2012.

“Every team in the country wants to go to a Final Four. We’re on the verge of that,” Drew said. “I think in life, experiences always teach you lessons and different things.

“Hopefully our staff will be able to prepare our guys and put them in a good position through the two experiences in the Elite Eights before.”

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