Alarming Stat Could Lead to a Lineup Change for Baylor Basketball
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Baylor basketball is in a really tough spot. It looked like they were going to get their season back on track with a big win over Oklahoma State on the road, where they had an offensive explosion.
They had a chance to build some momentum with another road win against the Kansas Jayhawks just two days later.
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Instead, they were blown out by Kansas and have yet to win a game since.
There are a multitude of issues surrounding Baylor’s basketball team. When they score, they don’t get stops. If they get stops, they’ve struggled to score.
Consistency has been an issue, as has giving up easy baskets as they did against Texas Tech in another blowout loss, this time at home.
They’ve also struggled mightily to play their best against other great teams. In the Big 12, there are not many off nights that a team is able to relax.
Furthermore, Baylor is expected to compete at the highest level. Winning during the season and positioning yourself for a deep run in the tournament is a demand, not just an expectation.
One of the reasons they’ve struggled as much as they have, or at least an interesting connection as to why, is the play of Michael Rataj.
Baylor Needs More
As noted, when he scores in double figures, Baylor is 7-1.
He totaled 10 points in Baylor’s losses to Memphis and both TCU losses and turned the ball over seven times.
Of course, Rataj is not the only person to blame, but Baylor needs all the help it can get. They have a dynamic scoring duo in freshman Tounde Yessoufou and transfer Cameron Carr.
The Bears’ offense has run into issues if either player struggles to score, and that lack of a third true scorer has doomed them in some of their biggest games.
Lineup Change Coming?
In fact, one of the takeaways from Baylor’s most recent loss to TCU was to see if Rataj could benefit from a move to the bench.
That would be disappointing for a variety of reasons, but notably because there were high hopes for Rataj when he transferred to Waco from Oregon State. He averaged just a shade under 17 points-per-game, and was supposed to give Baylor’s frontcourt a boost.
Entering Baylor’s last game against TCU, he was shooting career-low percentages from the field and beyond the arc.
Dan Skillings Jr. started in his place in the second half of Baylor’s loss to TCU on Saturday, and that could be something that Baylor looks to do more of moving forward. Rataj still needs to be a big part of this team if they’re going to turn their season around.
For now, however, they should be grasping at anything they can find before their season more violently circles the drain.
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Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.