Best-case/worst-case scenarios for Baylor basketball

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Despite going on a run to the Sweet Sixteen last season, Baylor basketball was shut out of the preseason rankings after losing Cory Jefferson, Isaiah Austin and Brady Heslip.



Here is a look at the best and worst-case scenarios for Baylor basketball this season.

Best-case: Johnathan Motley and the new guys live up to the hype, and Baylor emerges as one of the deepest teams in the conference. Kenny Chery steps into the leadership role, both on and off the court, that many fans expect from him this upcoming year. Rico Gathers realizes the potential that his physical skills suggest he has, and becomes a double-double machine and physical leader on the court. The Bears use their newfound chemistry to finish fourth in the Big 12 and easily qualify for a second-straight NCAA Tournament. The Bears once again make their way to the Sweet Sixteen, before eventually getting beaten by yet another team that eventually makes the Final Four.

Worst-case: Baylor?s lack of vocal senior leadership dooms them, and the Bears once again struggle out of the gates. Baylor loses eight straight games to start conference play, including embarrassing losses on the road to a revamped TCU team and on the road against Oklahoma State. Scott Drew loses faith in his newcomers, and asks Kenny Chery to do too much while on the floor, which causes his field goal percentage to plummet. The dysfunctional Bears finish eighth in the Big 12, and barely make the National Invitational Tournament. The Bears face off at home against TCU in the second round of the NIT, and lose 61-58.

 

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New faces expected to make an early impact


Here?s a look at the projected starting lineup for the 2014-15 Baylor basketball team:

PG Kenny Chery

Class: Senior, second season

Ht/Wt: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds

2013-14 stats: 11.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, 42.3 FG percentage

Notable: The quiet Chery is expected to be one of the leaders of this Baylor ball club right out of the gates. During his first season in Waco, Chery was instrumental in Baylor?s surge to the Sweet Sixteen following a dismal 2-8 start in conference. Chery is the engine that makes this Baylor team go, and will be relied on even more this season after the loss of three of the Bears? top scorers.

SG Royce O?Neale

Class: Senior, second season

Ht/Wt: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds

2013-14 stats: 7.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 52.0 FG percentage, 46.8 3P percentage

Notable: As the stats show, O?Neale does a little bit of everything. The former Denver transfer played his role about as well as anyone last season, but will be relied on more as a senior leader. With the loss of sharpshooter Brady Heslip, O?Neale?s long ball will become an x-factor. In the first 10 games of Big 12 play, O?Neale shot only 3-of-13 from the three-point line as Baylor limped out to a 2-8 record. Over the last 12 games of conference play and the Big 12 Tournament, O?Neale shot 16-for-32 from long range; Baylor went 10-2 over that stretch.

SF Taurean Prince

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-foot-7, 215 pounds

2013-14 stats: 6.2 ppg, 46.5 FG percentage

Notable: At times, Taurean Prince has looked like one of the purest scorers on Baylor?s roster; at other times, he looks like he does not belong on the court. After losing so many scorers, Baylor will turn to Prince as one of its primary options at times. He proved at times last season he was up to the challenge (23 points on 10 shots against TCU on Jan. 11; eight points in the second OT over Kansas State on Feb. 15), but having more consistent offensive performances will dictate Prince?s effect on the Bears this season.

PF Rico Gathers

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-foot-8, 275 pounds

2013-14 stats: 6.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 47.3 FG percentage

Notable: Rico Gathers gets compared to a football player by almost every announcing crew, and for good reason; the junior is a physical beast. Gathers established himself as one of the best per-minute rebounders in the nation last season, and is expected to be the vocal leader of the frontcourt after Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin left for the NBA. Gathers was rated one of the best prospects in the country out of high school, and will have an opportunity to show off the talent and physical gifts that made scouts salivate during the upcoming season.

C Johnathan Motley

Class: Redshirt freshman

Ht/Wt: 6-foot-9, 230 pounds

2013-14 stats: N/A

Notable: After gaining over 20 pounds since arriving on campus, Motley is considered to be one of the young stars poised to break out heading into the upcoming season. The redshirt freshman will have plenty of opportunity to contribute after Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin both left school. With such an undersized frontcourt, Motley will be expected to give Baylor major minutes in his first season on the court.

6th Man Deng Deng

Class: Junior, first season

Ht/Wt: 6-foot-8, 205 pounds

2013-14 stats (Lee JC): 19.8 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.5 apg

Notable: Deng was a big time player for his junior college team, helping to lead them to postseason play both of his seasons at Lee. The athletic big will be relied on for major minutes right away with Baylor?s shallow frontcourt.

 

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Beginning today, the South Carolina men's basketball team will open up a series of four games in just six days.

This week is far and away the most condensed stretch of the schedule for head coach Frank Martin's team, and the Gamecocks will dive into it with just one game under their belts so far.

Tuesday's noon contest will see South Carolina take on Baylor, a team that narrowly missed out on the top-25 in both AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. The game is part of ESPN's College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, a programming block that features 24-consecutive hours of basketball.

The Gamecocks were featured in the marathon last year as well ? a 66-64 loss to the same Baylor team they'll face today. And according to Martin, it's all about exposure.

"I don't remember South Carolina being talked about in college basketball, in November, in my 15 years in college basketball," he said. "That's why you do this. You have to get your fans excited."

The Gamecocks' near-upset of the Bears in last year's game perhaps gave South Carolina more early-season publicity than ever. With a more experienced team this season, the Gamecocks will have the unique opportunity of a second chance at a signature nonconference win.

"We realize that they've lost a couple key, good players, but at the same time they've gained a couple good players," sophomore guard Duane Notice said. "So we have to come in with the same mindset, a better mentality this year. And we're very anxious to play them because we feel like we owe them one."

Following today's contest, South Carolina will immediately head south for the Charleston Classic.

The team will have one day of rest before opening up the tournament against Cornell on Thursday. The very next day, depending on the results from the day before, the Gamecocks will face either Penn State or Charlotte.

The tournament will culminate in either a championship appearance or a consolation game for South Carolina Sunday.

The Charleston Classic is another ESPN-sponsored event, and all games can be seen live on WatchESPN. It's another opportunity for the Gamecocks to gain national exposure ? evidenced by the dramatic monochromatic shot of Martin that's plastered across the event's website along with the other head coaches.

It's easy to see how four games in six days can be exhausting for a player, but the preparation leaves the coaches burnt out as well. Tournament's like the Classic aren't Martin's favorite thing in the world, but he knows it all comes with the territory.

"Everyone that's a part of it has a great time except the coaches," he said. "The coaches are miserable because we're kind of locked up in hotel rooms watching film if we're not on the court practicing or playing. But it's okay, we signed up for our jobs. We know what we've got to do, and we're lucky."