UPDATE: In case you missed the news, Baylor won against Texas A&M in FIVE OVERTIMES. I've never even heard of a game going into five OTs!?Those of you that know me know that I'm from a Baylor family. My parents, brother, sister, wife, aunt, and uncle all went to Baylor (weird I know). As such, I've grown up following Baylor athletics - albeit from a far distance and with pretty casual interest. What is happening this season with Baylor's basketball program is nothing short of remarkable, however, and more people should pay attention to what's going on.
Five years ago, Baylor endured one of the biggest scandals in NCAA history. A player on the team was murdered by a teammate. The coach at the time, in an attempt to cover improper tuition payments made for two players, asked assistant coaches and players to portray the dead student as a drug dealer. The NCAA, after reviewing the evidence, nearly imposed the death penalty on the program and Baylor was very nearly removed from the Big 12. It really doesn't get any more messed up than this.
Jump ahead five years and you'll find the Baylor men's basketball team ranked in the top 25 for the first time in 39 years (and ranked in both the men's and women's polls at the same time for the first time in history)! At 15-2, the team is also off to its best start in 63 years and is sitting atop the standings in the Big 12 - a conference that features traditional powers like Kansas and Texas. Tonight they play one of the biggest games in school history - on the road at #18 Texas A&M.
Blair Kerkhoff has an interesting story on the program's resurgence in today's Kansas City Star. If you like college basketball, are interested in Baylor, or want to know how a team has literally returned from the edge of extinction, check it out!
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