What does Baylor shoot from 3? That's what Mississippi State fans want to know

Mississippi State basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. The 8-seed Bulldogs will take on the 9-seed Baylor Bears in the first round on Friday in Raleigh. And there's one thing State fans definitely want to know about the Bears before seeing them in action later this week.

All Mississippi State basketball fans want to know about Baylor is how well they shoot the 3-ball

The story of Mississippi State basketball this season has been their three-point defense, or lack thereof. During Chris Jans' first two seasons in Starkville, the Bulldogs were among the best at defending the three, ranking 36th nationally his first year and 8th his second. That's not at all the case this year.

Mississippi State ranks 321st nationally in opponent 3-point percentage, allowing opposing teams to shoot 36.1% from distance. That's the second-worst of any team in the NCAA Tournament (Vanderbilt is the worst at 36.9%). State lost their best perimeter defenders from last year and, clearly, didn't adequately replace them.

Nearly any team that's at least competent at shooting the three has had a big day beyond the arc against the Bulldogs, and that stat has been the leading cause of many of their losses. So naturally, the biggest thing State fans want to know about their first round opponent, Baylor, is how they shoot from three.

What does Baylor basketball shoot from 3?

So since fans want to know, what do the Bears shoot from 3? Bad news, State fans, Baylor is a good three-point shooting team.

As a team, Baylor shoots 35.1% from three. That's right in the middle of the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament, but it's still a good percentage to have as a team from distance. The Bears also attempt a decent number of threes at over 24 per game, so while it's not something they're totally reliant on, they're more than comfortable taking advantage beyond the arc.

Baylor has five players who have attempted at least 80 three-pointers this season. All five are shooting at least 34% from three. The best shooter of the bunch is guard Jayden Nunn. He's taken the most threes of anyone on the Baylor roster and leads them with a 41.1% three-point percentage.

So while Baylor may not be an Alabama or Kentucky, they definitely have the pieces to take advantage of State's defense. The Bulldogs will need to do everything they can to defend the three better if they want to advance past the first round.