• Baylor basketball on the rise

    Baylor basketballIt’s a sign of just how good the Baylor women’s basketball program has become that having the Lady Bears make the preseason top 25 is now the norm; this year, the Lady Bears are ranked 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th, depending on which poll you look at. Baylor has been among the preseason top 25 in five of head coach Kim Mulkey’s eight seasons here, including each of the last four seasons.

    Men’s coach Scott Drew’s Bears are also receiving recognition in the preseason rankings. Specifically, the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, released today, showed the Baylor men receiving three points; that means either one coach ranked the Bears 23rd, two coaches ranked Baylor 24th and 25th, or three coaches put BU at #25 on their ballot.

    The last time the Bears received votes in either the coaches’ or AP polls was January 2001, when Baylor started off 12-0; a month later, the Bears would upset #6 Kansas on national TV en route to an NIT appearance.

    Hopefully this season will be as successful or more so for both the Baylor men and women. Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!