The No. 1 Lady Bears put on a show on March 9-11, at the Big 12 Tournament as they became the only team in the Big 12 to win the championship for three consecutive years.
The Lady Bears displayed why they are the No. 1 team in the nation, whether it was by blowing a team out, making shots in the clutch or responding every time an opponent tried to come back into the game.
While the rest of the country stresses its NCAA tournament plans on Selection Monday, the Lady Bears plan to sit back and enjoy themselves.
Sure, there are a few teams in the field that have a good idea where they’ll go. Notre Dame, UConn and Stanford can reasonably expect No. 1 seeds and subregional tournaments closer to home. Dozens more teams know they’ll be in the field, awaiting seeds and confirmation they beat the bubble.
Texas has no teams in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1977.
When the 68-team field was announced Sunday, the Lone Star State was completely shut out. There were no Longhorns, Baylor Bears, Texas A&M Aggies, Red Raiders or Owls.
Kansas State and Kansas tied for the regular-season Big 12 title.
That doesn’t mean they feel very good about themselves entering the league tournament.
Cinderella is glossing up her glass slipper. The Big 12 women’s tournament is here.
The conference’s annual postseason tournament kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday and dead ends into the conference championship game at 7 p.m. Monday. All nine tourney games over three days take place in the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Baylor track and field is sending 10 athletes and one relay alternate to the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend.
Altogether, the team is scheduled for six events, including three individual women’s events, two individual men’s events and one men’s relay.
Monday was an emotional night for the No. 1 Lady Bears as the seniors were honored at the end of their last regular season game with a tribute video on senior night. Many fans wore yellow shirts in support of the winningest seniors in school history.
It was a bittersweet moment for Baylor fans as they watched the winningest senior class defeat Kansas State 90-68 in its last regular season game in front of a crowd of 10,600 Monday at the Ferrell Center.
It was only fitting that senior center Brittney Griner scored a career-high 50 points, which also happened to be a new Big 12 record for the most points scored in a game as the crowd cheered her name.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Griner said. “I’m glad I got to do it right here in front of our fans.”
The No. 1 Lady Bears will make their first trip to Morgantown to square off against West Virginia at 6 p.m. Saturday. This will be the second meeting between these teams since West Virginia joined the Big 12. Last time the two teams met on Jan. 19, Baylor’s defense did its job holding West Virginia to 32.8 percent shooting.
West Virginia struggled offensively from the three-point line as well and only made four of its 14 attempts. Free throws were also a problem and ended up making a difference in the game. Baylor won the last meeting by 18 points; West Virginia missed 17 free throws.
The Baylor Bears men’s basketball team makes its first conference road trip to Morgantown, W. Va., to take on the Mountaineers tonight. This 7 p.m. showdown will most likely help determine seeding for the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.
The Bears (16-9, 7-7) lead West Virginia by only one game in the Big 12 standings. The Mountaineers are 13-14 overall and 6-8 in the conference. The Bears have lost six of their last eight games and are 3-6 on the road in conference games.
In Baylor’s last contest, Oklahoma defeated the Bears 90-76. With just four games remaining in the Big 12 schedule, the Bears must salvage the season and gain some momentum heading into the postseason.
The No. 1 Baylor Lady Bears’ uniforms shined gold, as did Baylor as they routing Texas 67-47. Among the crowd were full of former Lady Bears back for alumni weekend. Baylor also celebrated its third consecutive Big 12 Regular Season Championship, becoming the first team in Big 12 history to do so.
“It’s enjoyable, it’s for me again,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “I enjoy people who experience this for the first time, and there were many fans out there today that were here for the first time. They came and said this is my first to be here and watch a game. I enjoy it for all the players, but I especially enjoy it for the freshman when it’s their first time to be in that environment.”
With only three home games remaining in the schedule, Baylor basketball had a golden opportunity to get a resumé — boosting win against Iowa State on Wednesday night.
The opportunity slipped through the Bears’ fingers as Iowa State defeated Baylor 87-82.
The Bears are now 7-6 in the Big 12 Conference and are on the verge of missing the NCAA tournament entirely and going straight to the NIT.
The Baylor Bears will host the Iowa State Cyclones at 8 p.m. today in the Ferrell Center in a crucial Big 12 Conference match up. With both teams knotted at 7-5 in conference, this single game could determine seeding in the Big 12 tournament and eventually in the NCAA tournament.
“Every home game is so critical, especially at this time of the year in the Big 12,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “We’ve won two out of our last three and we need to keep that momentum going.”
The Baylor Bears lost Saturday 81-61 to the No. 10 team in the nation, the Kansas State Wildcats. The Wildcats forced the Bears into 19 turnovers and dominated the second half of play.
Baylor played competitive basketball with Kansas State in the first half, but too many turnovers and mistakes led to the loss.
The No. 1 Baylor Lady Bears will face off against TCU for the second time this season in the “Sic’em for the Cure” game at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awaremess.
Big 12 athletic directors worked Tuesday to determine the league’s preferred bowl lineup with the anticipation that the Cotton Bowl will become part of college football’s new playoff system.
The No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners (5-2, 3-1) are looking to bounce back after their home loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Iowa State Cyclones (5-3, 2-3) are hoping to sustain momentum after defeating Baylor 35-21. Cyclones senior quarterback Steele Jantz threw for five touchdowns last week against Baylor, but the Oklahoma defense will present more of a challenge for Iowa State. Oklahoma played Notre Dame tough last week before Notre Dame broke the game open in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma is clearly the second- best team in the Big 12 after Kansas State and they’ll be ready to play a complete game in Ames. Iowa State is dealing with a tough injury blow as the pillar of their defense, senior linebacker Jake Knott, is lost for the season after shoulder surgery. Iowa State has proven to be a resilient and competitive program under Paul Rhoads. The Sooners’ stingy defense and spread-attack offense should take care of business against Iowa State. Prediction: Oklahoma 35, Iowa State 24
Iowa State at Oklahoma State
This matchup comes down to offense versus defense. Iowa State’s defense has been spectacular so far this season, and Oklahoma State’s spread offense always seems to put up points. OSU quarterback J.W. Walsh is questionable for the game, and head coach Mike Gundy has been keeping Walsh’s health under wraps. The Cowboys should be fine whether Walsh or Wes Lunt are handling the quarterback duties. For the Cyclones, Jared Barnett has proven to be a winner. This should be a tightly contested game with an interesting contrast of styles between the two teams. Iowa State defense should top Oklahoma State’s offense.
Kansas State at Iowa State: The undefeated No. 6 Wildcats travel to Ames to take on a 4-1 Cyclones team. Kansas State’s offense is nothing flashy, but the ground game of quarterback Collin Klein and running back John Hubert has become a dominant force. Iowa State may be the surprise team of the Big 12. This should be a defensive struggle in a hostile environment, but ultimately Kansas State should prove to be too much for Iowa State. Prediction: Kansas State 27, Iowa State 20
Kansas at Kansas State: This is a highly uneven Sunflower Showdown as No. 7 Wildcats host the Jayhawks in Manhattan. The Wildcats are coming off a monumental road win over Oklahoma and have won 12 straight home games. Conversely, the Jayhawks have lost an astounding 14 consecutive road contests. Kansas has had problems defending the rush, and the Wildcats will be too much for them with Collin Klein, and John Hubert will power the rushing attack to a Wildcats victory. Prediction: Kansas State 42, Kansas 10
Baylor @ West Virginia: This is by far the most difficult test the Bears will have faced this season. No. 9 West Virginia has a wildly raucous crowd in Morgantown, and the Bears will be forced to play an early game at 11 a.m. which will be a different experience for them this year. WVU quarterback Geno Smith has already thrown for 1,072 yards this season, and he has accounted for 13 touchdowns. The Mountaineers top offensive playmakers are Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, who have 10 total touchdowns and more than 600 yards receiving. Baylor counters with a high-octane offense of its own with Nick Florence spreading the ball to Tevin Reese and Terrance Williams. Ultimately, WVU will be an extreme test for the Bears. Prediction: West Virginia 55, Baylor 38
Baylor hits the road for a Friday night nationally televised game versus ULM on ESPN. Baylor is 2-0 after coming off an ugly win against Sam Houston State. This looks to be a tough game, and Baylor fans ought to be slightly nervous since this is the Bears ‘first road game of the season.
Baylor had last week off and will host Sam Houston State University at 6 p.m. Saturday. The question for the Bears is whether or not the 3-2-6 defense will continue.
Iowa State beat Iowa last weekend 9-6. Senior wide receiver Aaron Horne scored the only touchdown for the Cyclones off a five-yard reception. ISU plays Western Illinois at 7 p.m. Saturday in Ames, Iowa.
A teary-eyed Bob Bowlsby walked out of a Stanford auditorium to a roaring ovation from coaches and staff members Thursday, leaving behind one of the nation’s top athletics program for a conference in desperate need of a strong leader.
West Virginia University announced Tuesday it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the conference power Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July in time for the fall football season.
West Virginia University announced Tuesday it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the conference power Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July in time for the fall football season.
In what could be the Jayhawks’ final game at Missouri, the No. 4 Tigers scored the final 11 points in the last 2:05 to come from behind and beat their archrivals 74-71 on Saturday night for only the second time in the last 12 meetings.
Mike Sherman was fired as Texas A&M’s coach Thursday after the Aggies finished the regular season a disappointing 6-6.
With the removal of the Big 12 championship game after the exit of Colorado and Nebraska, this final week of games will decide which team earns the automatic BCS bid. Although only six teams are playing this week, all of them have earned bowl bids, making each matchup important for the Big 12 standings and potential bowl positions.
The way Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops sees it, there will be only one Big 12 champion no matter how many teams might end up with same record.
