Close Menu
The Baylor Lariat
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Trending
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects
    • Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines
    • Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18
    • Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting
    • How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings
    • Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers
    • 5 Baylor sports storylines to look forward to in 2025-26
    • About us
      • Spring 2025 Staff Page
      • Copyright Information
    • Contact
      • Contact Information
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Subscribe to The Morning Buzz
      • Department of Student Media
    • Employment
    • PDF Archives
    • RSS Feeds
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    The Baylor LariatThe Baylor Lariat
    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz
    Sunday, July 6
    • News
      • State and National News
        • State
        • National
      • Politics
        • 2025 Inauguration Page
        • Election Page
      • Homecoming Page
      • Baylor News
      • Waco Updates
      • Campus and Waco Crime
    • Arts & Life
      • Wedding Edition 2025
      • What to Do in Waco
      • Campus Culture
      • Indy and Belle
      • Sing 2025
      • Leisure and Travel
        • Leisure
        • Travel
          • Baylor in Ireland
      • Student Spotlight
      • Local Scene
        • Small Businesses
        • Social Media
      • Arts and Entertainment
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Food
        • Literature
        • Music
        • Film and Television
    • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Points of View
      • Lariat Letters
    • Sports
      • March Madness 2025
      • Football
      • Basketball
        • Men’s Basketball
        • Women’s Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Equestrian
      • Cross Country and Track & Field
      • Acrobatics & Tumbling
      • Tennis
      • Golf
      • Pro Sports
      • Sports Takes
      • Club Sports
    • Lariat TV News
    • Multimedia
      • Video Features
      • Podcasts
        • Don’t Feed the Bears
      • Slideshows
    • Advertising
    The Baylor Lariat
    Home»Sports»Sports Takes

    Sports take: GameDay huge for BU, but berth in tourney still focus

    By March 4, 2011 Sports Takes No Comments3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Chris Derrett
    Sports Editor

    It’s been a while since the Lariat has seen so many letters to the editor on a single topic. Current students, alumni and faculty all want us to spread the word about ESPN’s College GameDay coming to Waco.

    But for the Baylor players suiting up and the coaches joining them to face Texas on Saturday, the fact that GameDay is in town could actually be the least relevant fact about their weekend.

    It’s not that the ESPN crew doesn’t provide Baylor with a great opportunity in exposure and recruiting.

    But at 7-8 in the Big 12, there’s no time for the Bears to worry about the bells and whistles surrounding their last regular season contest.

    At the beginning of the season, hopes were high among Baylor fans that a win on March 5 would be icing on the cake, nothing more than a momentum boost for a top 25 Bears squad primed for a NCAA postseason run. Now Scott Drew’s team faces the reality that the Big 12 has never sent a 7-9 team to the Big Dance.

    Desperation is the closest the English dictionary can get to describing Baylor’s plight.

    Even as early as mid-February, the Bears thought they had it all sewn up.

    They win three of the last five, and they probably clinch consecutive NCAA appearances for the first time in school history. No problem.

    Then a lackadaisical effort caused an embarrassing home loss to Texas Tech. Missouri proved too much at Mizzou Arena.

    A home win over Texas A&M kept the hope alive, but it came crashing down in Stillwater as LaceDarius Dunn shot a career low 2 of 16 from the field in another loss.

    If Baylor doesn’t win Saturday and loses in the Big 12 tournament, becoming the Big 12’s all-time leading scorer could be the last accomplishment Dunn adds before hanging up his Baylor jersey. As it stands, anything short of a Saturday victory and Big 12 finals or semifinals appearance will absolutely deny the Bears of the NCAA tournament.

    I don’t know what makes for better television, bubble vs. top 10 or ranked vs. ranked, but viewers should see a Bears team scratching and clawing for its life Saturday.

    The key word, however, is should. Fans should have seen a fiery, motivated team in Waco against Texas Tech. They should have seen a collective team effort Tuesday night.

    What they’ll actually see Saturday is just as unpredictable as it’s been the entire season.

    At the point guard position, sophomore A.J. Walton could have five assists and one turnover, or it could be the other way around. Dunn at the 2-guard could shoot the lights out, or he could force more of the bad shots that have Baylor supporters running for anti-depressants.

    The zone defense could be just as porous as ever, forcing Drew to switch to man-to-man, or the front line could produce another six blocks.

    Finally, there’s always the chance that Baylor could finish with more assists than turnovers, but that hasn’t happened in 23 games. And Texas is no Bethune-Cookman.

    Even with spring break under way, the Baylor family and the Waco community will hopefully give the GameDay crew the environment it has come to expect.

    We want noise, rowdiness and energy spewing from the Ferrell Center before, during and after the game.

    The team, though, should consider blinders until it takes the court.

    We’ll be there behind them, waiting for their best showing of the year.

    Chris Derrett is a junior journalism major from Katy and the sports editor of the Lariat.

    A.J. Walton ESPN ESPN College GameDay LaceDarius Dunn Perry Jones III Quincy Acy Scott Drew Texas Longhorns

    Keep Reading

    Sports take: Trump administration threatens future of funding for brain injury patients, research

    Film breakdown: Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr. offers defense, AAU-style athleticism

    Film breakdown: Waco native Caden Powell transfers to Baylor after stops at Wyoming, Rice

    Sports take: Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best in professional sports

    Film breakdown: High Point transfer Juslin Bodo Bodo’s elite wingspan, rebounding provide strong defensive foundation

    Scott Drew, Baylor land commitment from Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr.

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Recent Posts
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown June 27, 2025
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects June 26, 2025
    About

    The award-winning student newspaper of Baylor University since 1900.

    Articles, photos, and other works by staff of The Baylor Lariat are Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.

    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz

    Get the latest Lariat News by just Clicking Subscribe!

    Follow the Live Coverage
    Tweets by @bulariat

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    • Featured
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Arts and Life
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.