Can the Baylor Bears Overcome Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum?

As the Baylor Bears prepare to face off against the Iowa State Cyclones at James H. Hilton Coliseum, fans are eager to see if their team can bounce back from a recent defeat. The upcoming game, scheduled for January 13 at noon, will be a test of resilience and strategy for the Bears.

In their last outing on January 11 against the Kansas Jayhawks, BAY faced a tough loss with a final score of 66-87. Despite starting strong with 21 points in the first quarter, they couldn't maintain momentum, ultimately falling short in shooting accuracy with an overall field goal percentage of just 36 percent compared to KU's impressive 52 percent. The three-point attempts were particularly concerning; BAY only made five out of twenty-five attempts resulting in a lowly 20 percent success rate.

However, there's reason for optimism as we look closer at BAY's performance before their stumble in Lawrence. On January 6 against Houston Cougars, BAY dominated with an authoritative win scoring 87 points and showcasing exceptional field goal efficiency at 57 percent and free throw precision at an impressive rate of 83 percent. Their playmaking was also on point with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.5.

Even more encouraging was their game on January 4 versus TCU Horned Frogs where they secured another victory (71-50), demonstrating defensive prowess by limiting TCU to just fifty points and maintaining control throughout the game as evidenced by seven lead changes favoring BAY.

The key takeaway from these games is that when BAY plays to its strengths—efficient shooting inside the paint and disciplined defense—they're nearly unstoppable. They'll need to replicate this formula against ISU while also improving perimeter defense and three-point shooting consistency.

ISU will not make it easy; playing as guests in Ames is always challenging due to both environment and competition level. However, if BAY can leverage their high-scoring offense that has shown up more often than not this season—like when they scored over half their points in paint against HOU—and tighten up defensively beyond the arc, they have every chance to come out victorious.

Fans should mark their calendars for what promises to be an exciting matchup between these two teams on Saturday afternoon. The action will unfold live from James H. Hilton Coliseum on ESPN+, where supporters can tune in online for what could be one of this season's most telling games for Baylor Bears' prospects moving forward.