Lady Bears on to Sweet 16 for 8th straight year

The Lady Bears made this one look easy.

After winning their first two NCAA tournament games by a combined 62 points, head coach Kim Mulkey’s Baylor squad is headed to the Sweet 16 for the 8th straight season. There are 349 schools that play Division I women’s basketball; of those, only UConn and Stanford have active Sweet 16 streaks as long as Baylor (and both still need a win Monday to keep their streaks alive).

[LINKS: Photos and highlights from BU’s opening-round win || Second-round photos, highlights and postgame interview with Coach Mulkey & Niya Johnson || Get your Lady Bears gear]

Under the leadership of head coach Kim Mulkey, the Lady Bears will soon appear in their 11th Sweet 16 in the last 13 years. Of course, it helps when you can host opening weekend games, as Baylor has done five of the last six years. Friday at the Ferrell Center, the Lady Bears beat Big Sky Tournament champion Idaho, 89-59 — Baylor’s 21st straight win since their only loss of the season. Sunday pushed that streak to 22, as the Lady Bears blew out Auburn, 84-52.

No. 4-ranked Baylor’s opponent in the Sweet 16 will be the winner of Monday night’s game between No. 17 Florida State and No. 18 Texas A&M. Baylor and either the Seminoles or Aggies will square off on Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas (game time TBA); get your tickets now!

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!