Texas Tech's Bailey Maupin looks to again thrive in 'do or die' postseason

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A little more than 365 days ago, Bailey Maupin led the Gruver Lady Hounds to the Class 2A state championship, capping a 33-0 campaign.

The MVP of the title game, Maupin finished her high-school career on top of the mountain. It came as no surprise the 5-foot-10 guard elevated her play in the biggest moments.

There's a different feeling once the postseason begins — one players like Maupin thrive on.

The sensation began to hit the Texas Tech freshman Wednesday ahead of the team's first practice at the Big 12 Tournament.

"Right now it's excitement," Maupin said. "We've got a lot of games ahead of us hopefully. You win, you keep playing; you lose, you go home. So right now we're not ready to go home. We're ready to keep playing. … In high school we played in the postseason every year. We went to the state tournament twice, and I feel like that's a pretty big stage for 16- to 18-year-old kids. I feel like that's helped me be as calm and composed as I can be for my teammates."

Lady Raiders coach Krista Gerlich was well aware of Maupin's success. It's part of what intrigued the coach, who shares a background in Texas Panhandle high school hoops.

Gerlich, too, expects that confidence and postseason familiarity to pay off when Tech opens the tournament against Kansas State at 5 p.m. Thursday at Municipal Auditorium.

"I think she knows better than a lot of kids on our team just about what postseason is like," Gerlich said. "It's do or die. You've got to be playing your best basketball and you've got to leave it all out on the court. She's such a competitor and such a winner that I know that she'll be prepared for this. I mean, most competitors do. They live for these moments."

Maupin, who made the Big 12 all-freshman team announced Monday, enters the conference tournament with added appreciation as well.

Maupin missed two games after injuring herself Jan. 14 at Kansas State — a contest in which she played six minutes. Her second game back started a string of five consecutive double-digit scoring outings, which included 16 points against the Wildcats. That was Maupin's high mark during Big 12 play.

The guard, who is second on the Lady Raiders at 9.7 points per game, was able to take some positive from the time off the court.

"It was definitely hard, but I think I learned a lot being able to watch the game and grow from the sideline," Maupin said. "When you're in the middle of the game, you don't always see the things that you see when you're watching it. It was disappointing to have to sit out, but at the same time I'm really proud of my teammates and the way they stepped up."

Even with the perfect season, what Maupin remembers the most about her final year at Gruver is experiencing it with her "best friends."

"It was a lot of fun," Maupin said, "and it's a lot of fun winning."

Maupin hopes this week includes much of the same. She said the team is playing for the five seniors, looking to extend their careers as long as possible. A string of wins could even push Tech's season into another tournament.

"Anybody that keeps up with basketball … knows that March Madness is a great thing to be a part of," Gerlich said. "And we want to be right in the thick of things. So I think just their mentality of understanding that their season can end at any moment now, that urgency kind of locks in a little bit."

Texas Tech vs. Kansas State

When: 5 p.m. Thursday

Where: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.

Records: Texas Tech 18-13, 6-12; Kansas State 16-15, 5-13

Radio: FM 107.7

Online stream: ESPN+

Coverage: Follow @byStephenGarcia, @cmsilvajr and @annierice_photo on Twitter for live coverage, with postgame analysis and images at lubbockonline.com.

Big 12 women's basketball tournament

Thursday — First round

Game 1: No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Kansas State, 5 p.m.

Game 2: No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 TCU, 7:30 p.m.

Friday — Quarterfinals

Game 3: No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 West Virginia, 11 a.m.

Game 4: No. 1 Texas vs. Game 1 winner, 1:30 p.m.

Game 5: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.

Game 6: No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Baylor, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday — Semifinals

Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, noon

Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 2:30 p.m.

Sunday — Championship

Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech's Bailey Maupin looks to again thrive in 'do or die' postseason