Men’s basketball on to Sweet 16 for first time in program history

After reaching the Final Four in 1950, it took the Baylor men’s basketball program 60 years to record another NCAA tournament win. But after tasting victory in the first round Thursday, the Bears didn’t want to wait that long for more. The taste of victory was sweet — and it gets even better as head coach Scott Drew’s squad is headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history* after defeating Old Dominion on Saturday, 76-68.

It was indeed a, well, sweet return for senior Tweety Carter and junior LaceDarius Dunn to their home state of Louisiana, as the Bears won twice in New Orleans. As you can see in this round-up of photos from Baylor’s stay in The Big Easy, Bear fans turned out in good numbers for games played nine hours from Waco. An extra sic ’em goes out to the students who made the round trip in 24 hours for Saturday’s game; here’s a short video of what that experience was like.

No. 3-seeded Baylor’s two wins this weekend set the Bears up for a Sweet 16 match-up with West Coast Conference Tournament champion St. Mary’s College, a No. 10 seed that has already upset No. 7 seed Richmond and No. 2 seed Villanova. The Bears and Gaels will tip off Friday at 6:27 p.m. CT on CBS; click here for information on tickets for the Houston regional (note: link corrected), to be played at Reliant Stadium. Oh, and before you go, order your Baylor Bears Sweet 16 t-shirt!

Head coach Kim Mulkey’s Lady Bears are also still rolling in the NCAA tournament. After knocking off Fresno State in the first round late Saturday, Baylor faces Georgetown tonight at 9:05 p.m. on ESPNU for the right to move on to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in seven years.

Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!

(* Yes, you read that right. Baylor finished as national runners-up in 1948 and advanced to the Final Four in 1950, but has never played in a Sweet 16 match-up, because back in the 1940s and 1950s the NCAA tournament only included eight teams.)