The reigning national champions will be forced to play the opening weekend of March Madness without its leading scorer. Baylor head coach Scott Drew announced on Wednesday that sophomore guard LJ Cryer isn't available for the first and second rounds, due to a foot injury that's kept him from taking the court since mid-February.
Although the top-seeded Bears shouldn't feel Cryer's absence on Thursday afternoon, in an East Region matchup against Norfolk State, it's still unclear whether Cryer -- who averaged 13.5 points across 19 games -- will return at any point during the tournament. So, are Baylor's hopes of making another Final Four now in doubt? Stadium hoops analyst Jeff Goodman believes so.
"I have a different respect for Scott Drew -- based on what he's done, on and off the court. But I'm not a believer in this Baylor team going deep," Goodman told the Reiter Than You show on Thursday. "Cryer's out this week, he may not play at all in the tournament. They lost Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua for the year, their best frontline guy, best defensive guy. So I think they're vulnerable. I'm no longer nearly as high on the Big 12 [in the tournament] as I once was."
Baylor can still be a dangerous team without Cryer and Tchamwa Tchatchoua. They finished the regular season ranked fourth in the AP's top-25 poll with a 26-6 record, and earned the top seed in the Big 12 tournament. They weren't able to claim the title, however, as they were upset by unranked Oklahoma in the quarterfinal round. Still, they received a top March Madness seed for the second consecutive year.
The Bears and Spartans are scheduled to tip off at 2:00 p.m. ET in Texas, and according to FiveThirtyEight's projections, Baylor has a 13-percent chance to reach the Final Four in New Orleans. In 32 games, the Bears ranked second in the Big 12 in average points scored, and fourth in both field-goal percentage and average points allowed. With a victory on Thursday, Baylor will face either North Carolina or Marquette in the Round of 32.
The entire March Madness conversation between Goodman and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.