Thamba Gets Back 'in the Flo' in Great Two-Way Performance vs. Oklahoma State
After a one-point loss to the TCU Horned Frogs last week to drop the Baylor Bears' Big 12 record to 0-2, coach Scott Drew said his team doesn't play at the rim like they used to. He certainly wasn't echoing that sentiment after Flo Thamba's performance Saturday.
Thamba has struggled defensively this year, and it has led to some games where the Bears have been bullied down low, including being outscored 52-24 in the paint in the aforementioned TCU loss. Thamba, though, turned it around on both ends of the court in Saturday's 74-58 romping of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, a final score that actually flattered the visitors from Stillwater.
Thamba poured in 12 points (two shy of his career high) and was a plus-25 in the victory. Some of the center's best moments, however, did not show up in the box score, at least under his name.
The Bears switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone about midway through the first half. In the first 10 minutes, Thamba was matched up against Kalib Boone and some Tyreek Smith and played perfect ball denial defense, barely letting those guys get a sniff in the paint.
In the zone, he kept the Cowboys out of the paint entirely, forcing the second-worst three-point shooting team in the conference to take 33 shots from beyond the arc. The Pokes shot just 7-33 from three-point land, with Thamba's interior defense playing right into Drew's defensive gameplan.
Baylor's interior defensive performance is all the more impressive considering the Cowboys were the Big 12's leader in rebounds and blocks going into the game.
Through the efforts of Thamba, Jalen Bridges, Josh Ojianwuna, and Caleb Lohner, the Bears out-rebounded the Cowboys 41-30 on the afternoon, with Bridges and Lohner providing 14 by themselves.
Thamba's mere three rounds actually further prove how effective he was, as he was not only forcing long rebounds from three-point attempts but was also getting great body position to move centers away from the boards.
The biggest sign of growth for Thamba might have come from the free-throw line. Going into Saturday's game, he was shooting just 56 percent from the line on the season, about on par for his career average.
He nailed all six of his shots from the charity stripe against the Cowboys, setting a new career high, raising his season average by three points, and telling defenses it's not always a good move to foul him inside to prevent the two points.
Staying for a fifth year of eligibility made Thamba a key player for the Bears this season. Now that he might be hitting his stride, the Bears might just become a dangerous team again.
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Covering Baylor for Inside The Bears and the Locked on Baylor podcast. You can follow me for more Baylor content at @realcamstuart on Twitter. Originally from Rockland, Massachusetts and a Baylor alum, so I might mix the occasional bias and/or Boston sports tweet in there every once in a while.