Lady Bears claim 5th straight Big 12 title
With their 91-75 win over TCU Saturday night, the No. 3-ranked Baylor Lady Bears clinched outright their fifth straight Big 12 regular season title — with three games yet to go. [See photos from the celebration.]
In what was supposed to be a retooling year following the back-to-back losses of perhaps the two best players in program history (Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims), head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad hasn’t missed a beat. The Lady Bears are 26-1 (15-0 in conference) and riding the nation’s longest active winning streak (25 straight games). Their only loss came back in November — a 74-64 defeat on the road at Kentucky (now No. 10 in the nation).
The Baylor lineup includes the Big 12’s leading scorer and No. 2 rebounder, sophomore Nina Davis, and the nation’s leader in assists per game (and runner-up in assist/turnover ratio), junior Niya Johnson. They’re joined as starters by two sophomores and a Baylor law student, but five other players are averaging 10+ minutes a game — two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior.
So, leaving aside how young this team is, just how impressive is the Lady Bears’ title streak? Consider this: only three Big 12 teams in any sport have ever won more consecutive regular season championships. (And two of those three are from Baylor: Kansas men’s basketball [10 straight]; Baylor men’s tennis [8]; Baylor women’s tennis [7]).
When you add in the Lady Bears’ four-year streak of Big 12 tournament titles, Mulkey’s team has won nine conference trophies in the last five years — three more than the next closest team in the league.
One last note: Nine Big 12 teams have an active streak of two or more consecutive Big 12 regular season titles in their sport. Four of those nine are from Baylor (women’s basketball, football, and both tennis teams).
The Lady Bears have two more road games before they close the regular season in Waco vs. Texas Tech on March 2. After that? The Big 12 Championships in Dallas, March 6-9, and then back home to hopefully host NCAA tournament first- and second-round games at the Ferrell Center.
Sic ’em, Lady Bears!