Baylor's Odyssey Sims gives Aggies trouble
WACO -- Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair said the key to beating No. 1 Baylor is, literally, the key.
"Lock [Britney] Griner in the bathroom."
He may want to stow away point guard Odyssey Sims as well. Because when it comes to A&M-Baylor of late, the Bears go as their sophomore point guard goes.
Saturday, in a 71-48 Baylor beatdown, Sims was fast, furious and fantastic for 38 minutes, finishing with 19 points, three assists and two steals.
"That's what it takes [to win championships]," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey. "Make sure you have a point guard that makes everyone better. And Odyssey Sims gets better every day."
When you play Baylor, you have to understand that Griner is going to get hers. But if you let the supremely talented Sims go off offensively and pester on defense, you're going to have a near-impossible task at hand.
The inexperienced Aggie point guards couldn't stop Sims from getting into the lane. They also struggled at getting the Aggies, who shot 28 percent on the night, into their offense because of her pressure defense.
"She does a good job of penetrating," Blair said. "She strips the ball from young point guards. She has that winner's mentality."
A&M totaled only four assists on the night and turned the ball over 14 times -- in part because of Griner's presence on the inside, but also because of Sims' relentlessness from the moment the Aggies inbounded the basketball.
"I thought our perimeter defense was outstanding," Mulkey said. "I want Odyssey on the ball, I don't care who brings it up."
Baylor is so tough to defend because they can go inside and out. They have a monster in the middle who is unselfish enough to make the extra pass when teams double down. She did that multiple times Saturday, and found Sims in the corner three times for open 3-pointers. Sims, with her smooth lefty stroke, did the rest from there.
"When she gets over in that left corner, don't play a game of horse with her," Blair said. "Don't leave Odyssey in that left corner over there."
Since Sims stepped on campus, Baylor has gone 4-1 against A&M. In those four wins, she has averaged 18 points. In the Lady Bears' Elite Eight loss last year, the Aggies shut her down to the tune of two points on 0-for-6 shooting.
When the two teams meet down the line -- on Feb. 27 and potentially in the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Tournament -- the Aggies have to understand the recipe to pull off another upset: contain Sims.
"We've got to attack aggression with aggression," A&M guard Sydney Carter said.