Baylor basketball drawing attention in preseason polls

Baylor’s women’s basketball program fully arrived on the national scene when it won the NCAA championship in 2005. Three years later, evidence is mounting that the Baylor men are approaching a similar level of recognition for their achievements on the court.

The Lady Bears are ranked 19th in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, the fifth straight year that the Baylor women have appeared in the preseason top 25. The men’s team is not far behind, receiving votes in both major preseason polls for the first time in program history; the Bears are the third team receiving votes in the AP poll (equivalent to being ranked 28th) and the fourth team with votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (basically ranked 29th).

Coach Kim Mulkey’s Lady Bears kick things off with an exhibition game tonight in the Ferrell Center, while coach Scott Drew’s Bears host their first exhibition Saturday.

Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!