The Bears’ rise to No. 20 in the nation starts at the back. With poise, leadership and depth, Baylor’s defense has become the backbone of its breakout season.

Anchored by a disciplined defense that turned stops into attack, Baylor closed its Kansas road swing with a 3-0 victory over Kansas State. With consecutive shutouts, the Bears continue Big 12 play riding a wave of momentum.

Ten sports editors and editors-in-chief from across the Big 12 teamed up to predict the nation’s least-predictable conference.

Nicki Collen picked up her 100th win as the head coach of the second-seeded Bears as her team led for 38 1/2 minutes. The green and gold turned the seventh-seeded Cyclones over 22 times which led to 20 points off turnovers and countered sophomore center Audi Crooks’ 32-point outburst.

Behind eight more made 3-pointers than Iowa State and 21 forced turnovers, Baylor women’s basketball extended its winning streak to eight, downing the Cyclones 67-52 Saturday afternoon at the Foster Pavilion.

Our love for athletics was never just about the game – it was about the people, places and moments that ground us into a greater story.

The Bears’ hopes of a Big 12 Tournament title were crushed by the Cyclones, who outshot them 50% to 21% from beyond the arc.

In a hard-fought contest, the Bears came up just short against the Cyclones in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

The Bears outscored the Lady Raiders 19-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the 11-point victory in the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

As we’ve seen, the Big 12 may very well be the best conference in the country — but who will take the crown?

The fine comes three days after Rhoades called Saturday’s officiating job an “embarrassment” to the league.

Turning the page on another one-possession win, head coach Scott Drew and No. 13 Baylor men’s basketball will continue their stretch against AP Top-25 teams as they take on No. 23 Texas Tech at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Foster Pavilion.

In 704 career games at the helm, No. 18 Baylor men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew had never been ejected. That changed in game No. 705 as Drew was awarded his second technical foul for stepping out of the coach’s box and asking for clarification on a previous call. Clarification he never received.

Mack Rhoades, Baylor Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, said “tonight was an embarrassment for this league,” regarding the Big 12 officiating.

No. 18 Baylor men’s basketball battled UCF for the first time ever, and behind redshirt sophomore guard Langston Love’s career-high 24 points, the Bears snapped their three-game skid with a 77-69 win on Wednesday in the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Fla.

Looking at the games played so far this year, head coach Nicki Collen and the No. 12-ranked Bears have been a dominant force. On both sides of the ball, the Bears have been able to outperform their competition in nearly all statistical categories.

Here’s a quick rundown to get you caught up from the holiday break.

The Bears, who earned an at-large bid on Sunday, will play No. 7 seed James Madison on Thursday.

With a disappointing 2023 Baylor football season in the rearview mirror, the offseason has officially begun. However, the Bears’ campaign — which saw them go 1-7 at home — combined with the early portion of the offseason has left a sour taste in the mouths of some of the Baylor faithful.

The Horned Frogs beat the Bears for the eighth time in nine seasons.

The Bears have now won 14-straight home openers.

The Bears have lost seven-straight home games to FBS opponents, dating back to a 31-3 loss to Kansas State on Nov. 12, 2022.

With all that was going on over the busy homecoming weekend, here’s everything you may have missed with Baylor Athletics.

Head coach Dave Aranda said the effort was there, but that the execution was lacking in Baylor’s 30-18 loss to Iowa State on Saturday at McLane Stadium.

Baylor football is still seeking a home win over an FBS opponent, as the last one came during the 2022 season.

Seventeen Baylor runners will compete on Saturday in Ames, Iowa.

The Bears are 2-0 on the road in a year in which they host a nation-leading eight home games.

The Bears are coming off their first series sweep of the season.

Freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter, five-star guard from McKinney, leads a loaded class of newcomers.

The Bears ran for just 17 yards against the 83rd-ranked rushing defense in the country.