West Virginia Loses Overtime Heartbreaker to Baylor
Sherman scores career-high 26 points in setback
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The No. 6 West Virginia men's basketball team saw firsthand Tuesday why No. 3 Baylor is among the best teams in the nation.
It took five extra minutes to declare a winner, but after converting a handful of late free throws, it was Baylor who emerged with the 94-89 overtime victory --putting a cap on a high-intensity affair between two of the Big 12's best.
West Virginia (17-7), who came out sluggish to open the game, appeared strong at points. However, once overtime hit, the Mountaineers began to show weakness.
"We made enough plays, but we didn't do the little stuff that mattered," sophomore guard Miles McBride said. "Not talking on certain things and just not executing on offense great at the end. At the end of the day, they just did more of the little stuff to win this game."
It's easy to see why West Virginia struggled to keep up with Baylor (19-1), who entered Tuesday with one of the most prolific, fast-paced offenses in the country. It was that style of play that pushed the Bears to an early lead, forcing the Mountaineers to dig themselves out of an early hole.
Senior guard Taz Sherman propelled the early run to keep West Virginia alive, scoring eight straight points for the Mountaineers midway through the first half and trimming Baylor's lead from 11 down to single digits. Sherman ended the afternoon with a team-leading 26 points, which is a career high.
The quick procession of baskets allowed West Virginia to turn momentum in front of the home crowd, resulting in a back-and-forth battle between the two teams as the half neared its closure.
Baylor's Jared Butler -- who led the team with 25 points -- sank a 3-point shot at the halftime buzzer, giving the Bears a mere 35-31 lead heading into the break.
Opening up for the second half, it didn't take long for West Virginia to command the lead. A 3-point shot from Sean McNeil, who finished with 18 points, took hold of it, and the junior guard's success allowed WVU's lead to blossom.
Yet, a lead can only blossom so much against the nation's No. 3 team, and Baylor kept the score close. The Bears shot 56% from the field in the second half, allowing them to stay alive.
"They're extremely talented," McNeil said of Baylor. "They shoot so unexpectedly and so quick that it's tough to contest as you could see tonight. They're just a good all-around team.
"They know how to score the ball, they move the ball. They've got unselfish guys that make the right play."
Butler sank a layup moments before the final buzzer, sending the two teams to overtime. The Mountaineers, who had shot 49% from the field, shot an abysmal 20% during the extra period -- a key factor in the team's demise.
Baylor took quick advantage, making two-thirds of their shots en route to the win.
"Going into overtime, we kind of lost that fire -- that energy -- and let it slip away," McNeil said.
West Virginia will look to right the ship on Thursday, a quick turnaround as the regular season nears its ending. The Mountaineers will host TCU, with the game's 7 p.m. tipoff being broadcast on ESPN+.
NO. 4 ILLINOIS 76, NO. 2 MICHIGAN 53
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Andre Curbelo scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, and No. 4 Illinois dismantled No. 2 Michigan with a smothering defensive performance, routing the Wolverines.
Playing again without injured star Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini (19-6, 15-4 Big Ten) kept Michigan from clinching the conference title and boosted their own chances at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Trent Frazier led Illinois with 22 points, and Kofi Cockburn added 12.
Eli Brooks scored 11 points and was the only player in double figures for Michigan. The Wolverines (18-2, 13-2) looked physically overwhelmed for much of the night, unable to create good shots against the Illinois defense and unable to keep the Illini off the boards. It was an eye-opening blowout -- especially since Michigan has rolled to similar margins of victory against other good teams this season.
NO. 8 ALABAMA 70, AUBURN 58
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Jaden Shackelford scored 23 points, made five 3-pointers and helped Alabama quash a second-half threat and beat Auburn.
Shackelford helped the Crimson Tide (20-6, 15-2 Southeastern Conference) score 10 straight points after the Tigers (12-14, 6-11) pulled to within five late.
Herbert Jones had 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Tide. John Petty and Jahvon Quinerly each scored 11 points.
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 13 points.
NO. 12 ARKANSAS 101, SOUTH CAROLINA 73
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Moses Moody tied his career high with 28 points and Arkansas beat South Carolina for its 10th straight win in the Southeastern Conference.
The Razorbacks (20-5, 12-4 SEC) did it with the long ball, hitting 15 3-pointers.
Justin Smith had had 22 points, JD Notae 21 and Desi Sills 15, tying his career high with five 3-pointers.
AJ Lawson led the Gamecocks (6-13, 4-11) with 18 points.
NO. 15 TEXAS 81, IOWA STATE 67
AMES, Iowa (AP) -- Kai Jones came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points and lead four Texas players in double figures, and the Longhorns beat Iowa State.
Texas (15-7, 9-6 Big 12) led for all but 22 seconds, beating the Cyclones for the eighth time in 10 meetings. Iowa State (2-19, 0-16) was led by Jalen Coleman-Lands, who scored 22 points.
Courtney Ramey added 14 points for the Longhorns.
NO. 18 TEXAS TECH 69, TCU 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Kyler Edwards scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half to help Texas Tech take control, and the Red Raiders rolled past TCU.
The Red Raiders (16-8, 8-7 Big 12) followed a nine-point home victory over No. 15 Texas with another strong effort.
R.J. Nembhard scored 10 points on a rough shooting night (4 of 12) for the leading scorer for the Horned Frogs (12-11, 5-9).