Lady Bears on to Sweet 16 for 9th straight year

For the 9th straight season (and the 12th time in 14 years), the Baylor Lady Bears are headed to the Sweet 16!

Playing their final games in the Ferrell Center, seniors Nina Davis, Alexis Prince, Alexis Jones and Khadijah Cave pitched in 28 points and 16 rebounds Saturday night as the No. 1-seeded Lady Bears blew past Texas Southern, 119-30, then combined for another 44 points and 21 rebounds Monday in an 86-46 win over Cal.

[LINKS: TSU highlights and postgame interviews || Cal highlights and postgame interviews || ESPN’s Sweet 16 preview]

A quick look back at the amazing postseason run head coach Kim Mulkey has compiled since coming to Baylor… Inheriting a team that had gone 7-20 the year before, the Lady Bears made the NCAA tournament (but lost in the first weekend) each of Mulkey’s first two seasons. Season three brought a WNIT runner-up finish; since then, the Lady Bears have made 14 straight NCAA tournaments, including 12 Sweet 16s, three Final Fours and two national titles (not to mention eight Big 12 regular season championships and eight conference tournament titles).

[GET YOUR: Sweet 16 tickets || Lady Bears gear]

The seniors listed above have played key roles in continuing that run, and it’s hard to imagine a Lady Bears game without them. Thankfully, we’re not there yet; Baylor will now face Louisville — a No. 4 seed, ranked 12th nationally — in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2). Baylor fans probably remember the last meeting with Louisville — an 82-81 UL win in the 2013 Sweet 16 (in OKC, no less) that short-circuited Baylor’s attempt at back-to-back national titles. Here’s to a better result this year!

Sic ’em, Baylor women’s basketball!