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  • Men’s basketball headed to NCAA tourney for 5th time in 8 years

    // Posted In Athletics, Honors

    Baylor's Selection Sunday

    Scott Drew has clearly established himself as the most accomplished head coach in Baylor men’s basketball history. In addition to setting program records for wins and winning percentage, Drew broke the Bears’ 20-year postseason drought and has led Baylor to the program’s first Sweet 16s (2010, 2012, 2014) and the first Elite Eights in modern history (2010, 2012).

    Now, he can add another first to his bio: the first back-to-back NCAA tournament selections in program history. The Bears are headed to Jacksonville as a No. 3 seed in this year’s NCAA championship; they will Georgia State in the first round on Thursday (12:40 p.m. CT on TBS). The winner of that game will face either Xavier, BYU or Ole Miss in the next round on Saturday.

    [KEY LINKS: BaylorBears.com Tournament Central || Ticket info for season ticket holders & Bear Foundation members || Tickets via NCAA.com || Complete bracket]

    Georgia State, the Sun Belt regular season and tournament champs, finished 24-9 but lost in November to Iowa State in their only game against a ranked opponent this season. The Panthers are led by back-to-back Sun Belt Player of the Year R.J. Hunter (19.8 ppg) and a pair of transfers from Kentucky (Ryan Harrow, 18.7 ppg) and Louisville (Kevin Ware, who scored 18 points in the tournament final).

    In what was expected to be a rebuilding year following the loss of Cory Jefferson to the NBA and Isaiah Austin to Marfan syndrome, Baylor instead enters the tournament with a 24-9 record and ranked 16th nationally after finishing fourth in the Big 12 — statistically, the nation’s toughest conference this year.

    [MORE: Reaction video from BaylorBears.com || Selection committee ranks Baylor 10th nationally || “Baylor is a major sleeper in the West Region” — CBS Sports || CBSSports.com West Region preview || Drew talks to ESPN Radio || Bleacher Report previews BU-GSU || Selection Sunday quotes and photos] 

    A true ensemble team, the Bears are led by junior Rico Gathers (who has already broken the Baylor record for rebounds in a season), junior Taurean Prince (the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year whose 13.8 points per game leads the team) and senior Kenny Chery (a second-team All-Big 12 selection and 1 of 3 Bears to top 100 assists this year).

    Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!