Lady Bears earn No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament for the first time

For all the success Kim Mulkey has had as head coach of the Baylor women’s basketball program — 10 NCAA tournament appearances in 11 years, four Big 12 titles (including both the regular season and conference tournament this year), two Final Fours and that 2005 national championship — the Lady Bears had never entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. Until now.

When ESPN personality (and Baylor alum) Trey Wingo, BA ’85, announced the bracket yesterday evening, Baylor was one of four No. 1 seeds, joining UConn, Tennessee and Stanford. The Lady Bears will host first- and second-round action in the Ferrell Center March 20 and 22; two wins there would advance Baylor on to the Sweet 16 in Dallas, where a potential match-up with Texas A&M could await for the right to go to the Final Four in Indianapolis. (The Lady Bears and Aggies have already met three times this season, with Baylor winning all three games.)

As a No. 1 seed, Baylor was heavily featured in the hour-long NCAA selection show on ESPN; BaylorBears.com does a good job incorporating some of that footage with reactions from the team watching it live in this video.

Get your tickets now for the first and second round games in the Ferrell Center, as well as your Baylor 2011 Big 12 champs t-shirts and hats from the Baylor Bookstore so you’ll be ready for the big games.

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!