3 Things Baylor Fans Should Know About Minnesota Ahead of Crown Tournament

The Bears have to be at their best.

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The Baylor Bears might have missed out on the NCAA Tournament this season, but the Bears' season isn't over. Instead of playing in the NIT, Baylor opted to accept an invitation to play in the College Basketball Crown Tournament, which tips off on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Baylor drew a No. 4 seed and will take on No. 5 Minnesota for a late-night tip. Ahead of the game, here are a few things you should know about the Golden Gophers.

Six man rotation

Minnesota lost its top rebounder, who is likely not playing against Baylor. Forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson hasn't played since Feb. 2 against Maryland. Not only was he the Gophers' top rebounder, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game, but he was also their second-leading scorer, putting up 13.4 points.

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With Minnesota not having Crocker-Johnson, the Gophers have been playing with a six-man rotation. Kai Shinholster is their sixth man, but he usually sees around 12 minutes of game time. So Minnesota relies heavily on its starting five to get it through games — sound familiar, Baylor fans?

Cade Tyson can score

After spending two seasons with Belmont and one with North Carolina, Tyson is on his third school. Averaging 19.6 points, Tyson was one of the best scorers in the Big Ten. He was No. 6 in the conference, behind Iowa's Bennett Stirtz.

Not only can he score the ball, but he's efficient. Tyson averages 50% from the field, which was No. 7 in the Big Ten. He also averages over 42% from three. So Baylor will have to be on the lookout for Tyson, regardless of where he is on the court.

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Behind Tyson, guard Langston Reynolds averages 11.5 points, guard Isaac Asuma puts up 11.1 points, and forward Bobby Durkin averages 10.3 points. Four of Minnesota's five starters average over double figures, but it's important to remember that the Gophers only play six players.

The key will be slowing down Tyson, which is Minnesota's main offense.

Jekyll and Hyde on opposite ends of the court

The Golden Gophers were second to last in the Big Ten this season, averaging just 70 points per game on offense. However, Minnesota's defensive game was legit. The Gophers allowed 68.5 points per game, which was the fourth best in the Big Ten.

The one area that Minnesota struggled with on defense was allowing three pointers. The Gophers ranked 15 out of 18 in the Big Ten, allowing opponents to make 34.7% of their threes, which bodes well for Baylor.

Cameron Carr and Obi Agbim have a chance to make some plays and drill some threes against Minnesota.