Round of 32 NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 7 Michigan
By Ben Dull
Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox have been a dominant duo inside all season long for No. 2 seed Baylor. Nothing changed in their NCAA Tournament opener against Grambling. The Lady Bears had six offensive rebounds in the first 3:06 and led 27-6 at the end of the first quarter. Baylor will take on No. 7 Michigan, who took a 17 point lead into halftime against Northern Colorado in their opener.
Cox finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds (11 offensive) and five assists. Brown went for 22 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.
Michigan was led by Hallie Thome (24 points, six rebounds) and Katelynn Flaherty, who finished with 20 points and four assists.
Brown has been one of the most dominant forces in college basketball, averaging 20.2 points per game and shooting 66.2% from the field. Cox, Brown’s multi-talented high-low partner, can deliver the ball to Brown through traffic and even knock down jump shots when left open. Kristy Wallace (38.4%), Juicy Landrum (41%) and Natalie Chou (34.4%) open up the floor for the two bigs as legitimate threats from deep.
Flaherty and Thome form the two-headed scoring attack that makes the Wolverines tick. Flaherty has been lights out from deep this season (42.3% on 8+ attempts per game). Here’s a look at some of her highlights from Friday:
Thome is shooting 61.6% from the field this season for Michigan. Nicole Munger (40.7% on 145 3PTA) will likely be another focal point of Baylor’s defensive game plan.
With the help of HerHoopStats, here’s a look at the Four Factors (defined in their glossary) for each team:
Baylor’s rebound rates really pop off the screen. They boast the best offensive rebounding rate in the country (for the second year in a row) and are third in the country on the other end. The Lady Bears do play at a faster pace than you might think (73.3 possessions per 40 minutes, ranking in the 83rd percentile). They are top four in the country in both points scored and points allowed per 100 possessions.
Michigan’s 40.2% clip on threes is third best in the country, though that relies almost entirely on Flaherty and Munger. Michigan’s defense hasn’t generated very many steals this season, though keeping Brown and Cox of the offensive glass could almost accomplish the same thing — Flaherty has a mean hesitation dribble, and could create a lot of problems for Baylor if she gets downhill before Baylor’s bigs get all the way back.
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Could Flaherty deliver the kind of performance necessary to knock off the 32-1 Bears? This is the senior’s first trip to the dance, and the first for the program since 2013. Considering all the March magic we’ve seen thus far, it’d be crazy to rule her and the Wolverines out just yet.
Stats obtained via HerHoopStats.