• Men’s hoops heads to Sweet 16 for 4th time in last 8 years

    Men's basketball celebrates

    For the fourth time since 2010, the Baylor men’s basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16!

    After beating New Mexico State on Friday and Southern Cal on Sunday, the Bears are the last team from Texas still standing in the tournament. No. 3 seed Baylor is also the highest remaining seed in the East Region, after No. 1 overall seed Villanova and No. 2 seed Duke each lost in the second round.

    [LINKS: NSMU highlights and postgame interviews || USC highlights and postgame interviews || Postgame celebration video || CBS Sports: “Baylor into Sweet 16, and they deserve this shining moment“]

    As has been the case all season, it was Baylor’s depth that carried them through the first two rounds. All-American Johnathan Motley was his usual consistent self, scoring 15+ points and pulling down 10 rebounds in each game. But after him? On Friday, when guards Manu Lecomte, King McClure and Jake Lindsey combined for just 10 points, Al Freeman and Terry Maston came off the bench to score 40 for the Bears. Then on Sunday, when Freeman was held scoreless, McClure stepped up to score 17, and Lecomte added 12 big points, all in the last five minutes of the game.

    [GET YOUR: Sweet 16 tickets || Baylor basketball gear]

    Next up for the Bears: a Sweet 16 match-up with No. 7 seed South Carolina on Friday (6:29 p.m. CT, TBS) in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The Gamecocks, coached by former Kansas State coach Frank Martin, beat Marquette in the first round, then upset Duke on Sunday night, 88-81, to advance to NYC. (You might remember the last time Baylor played at MSG; the Bears ended their stay by cutting down the nets.)

    Sic ’em, Baylor men’s basketball!