By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
No. 21 Baylor women’s basketball is dancing once again, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the 24th time. The Bears will open first-round play as the No. 6 seed Friday at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., against the winner of Nebraska and Richmond.
Baylor heads into March Madness with a 24-8 overall record after placing third in the Big 12 at 13-5 in league play. The Bears have not played since a nine-point loss to Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, with the Buffaloes later landing a No. 10 seed in the Fort Worth regional.
The Bears will play in Region 2, hosted in Sacramento, Calif. Their half of the Region 2 bracket includes No. 3 seed (and projected second-round opponent) Duke and No. 2 seed LSU, captained by former Baylor coach Kim Mulkey.
“There’s no tomorrow if you fear it,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “So for us, we should be excited about the opportunity and not take it for granted because not everybody is playing this time of year. We’ve got to give it our all because if you don’t give it your all, you’re going home.”
For the second time in three years, Baylor will enter the NCAA Tournament awaiting an unknown first-round opponent, forcing the Bears to prepare for two very different challenges at once.
“It’s a challenge,” Collen said. “Anytime you can’t immediately start preparing for your opponent, it’s tough. Richmond is very hard to scout because they’re motion-based and they can shoot it. Nebraska plays with great pace, they’re aggressive defensively and they play through the paint. They’re more set-driven. What I know is they’re both good programs, so we’re going to lean into what we can focus on.”
Should Baylor advance past Nebraska or Richmond, the Bears would enter a Round of 32 matchup against (most likely) No. 8 Duke on the Blue Devils’ home floor, marking a second meeting between the teams after Baylor won the team’s season-opening bout in Paris.
After closing the regular season with back-to-back losses for the first time this year — both losses marked by off shooting nights from leading scorer Taliah Scott — the Bears will look to bounce back after a week spent regrouping.
“This week off has been phenomenal for her,” Collen said. “I’m seeing a burst in her that I feel like I haven’t seen in maybe six weeks. I think the season was wearing on her, but I think she’s going to be fearless. She’s motivated to have another opportunity on a big stage.”
Collen sees the tournament as a good opportunity for a reset.
“There comes a certain point where it does get stale, and it was really good for their recovery, both mentally and physically,” Collen said. “It’s allowed us to lean in and spend time together, so I think it was important for our bodies and, hopefully, for getting our minds right for what’s ahead.”
With fresh legs and a reset mindset, Baylor heads into its final postseason stretch with a chance to turn that renewed focus into a title run.
“This region might be the chip-on-your-shoulder region,” ESPN women’s college basketball analyst Andraya Carter said. “Taliah Scott told us she doesn’t feel like they’re getting enough respect. They now have an opportunity to prove it here in the tournament.”
The Bears (24-8, 13-5 Big 12) await the winner of Wednesday’s First Four matchup between Richmond (26-7, 15-3 Atlantic 10) and Nebraska (18-12, 7-11 Big Ten), whom they will face in the Round of 64 on Friday in Durham. Game time has yet to be determined.
