It’s been quite a stretch for Greenfield native Makai Mason and his Baylor men’s basketball team.
After defeating Oklahoma 77-47 late Monday night on the road, Mason and the Bears have now won five straight games and catapulted all the way up to the top of the Big 12 standings, where they are tied at 5-2 with Kansas State.
The Bears improved to 14-6 overall as they look to make a run at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The recent success, which includes three road wins, has also moved the team up to No. 30 in KenPom, which is one measurement used to determine the 68-team tournament field.
Mason, the starting point guard, scored 12 points to lead a balanced offensive effort on Monday night and was interviewed by NCAA.com correspondent Andy Katz after the win. The winning streak comes despite the loss of forward Tristan Clark, who was injured earlier this month. Baylor had been picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll in the 10-team Big 12, and Mason told Katz that getting the chance to quiet the doubters has been special.
“I think we kind of relish the underdog mentality,” Mason told Katz. “Me personally, I felt like I’ve always kind of been doubted, and a lot of the guys in the locker room as well. It feels good to be proving some people wrong.”
Mason has now scored in double digits in 12 straight games, and is averging a team-high 15.3 points per game on the season. During the recent winning streak, Mason is averaging 16.6 points per game, including a season-high 29-point effort against West Virginia on Jan. 21.
This year is Mason’s first with Baylor after playing four years at Yale, which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 when his Bulldogs defeated Baylor in the first round before bowing out to Duke. The last two years have been nothing short of disastrous, as Mason missed all but one game between two full seasons. After graduating from Yale, Mason transferred to Baylor and is making his final collegiate year one to remember.
“It’s been a special year for me, just to be able to compete again,” Mason told Katz. “Honestly, I really don’t take any moment for granted. That’s why we play the game and if we keep rolling, it could be a really special year.”
Baylor’s next game is home Saturday against Texas Christian University (TCU) at 8 p.m., which will be televised on ESPNU. Three of Baylor’s next four games are at home as the Bears make a push for no worse than an at-large bid. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi put out his most recent bracket prediction on Tuesday and Baylor was a “newly-included” team, earning a 10-seed.