The Baylor Bears, who carved up a good Kansas State team and a very good team in top-seeded Kansas on their way to the Big 12 Basketball Tournament championship game, are a consensus lock for the NCAA Tournament beginning next week, but there is less certainty concerning the status of rival Lone Star State school Texas.
Most college basketball analysts have Texas (20-13, 9-9 in Big 12 play) in the Big Dance, but after losing to Big 12 Tournament champion Missouri in the semifinal round of the conference tournament on Friday, the Longhorns are hoping that their quarterfinal win over third-seeded Iowa State was enough to secure their NCAA Tournament ticket. Chances are the Longhorns will be packing for their 14th consecutive NCAA appearance, but they will have to wait for the tournament and regional assignments to be announced on Sunday to be sure.
After slipping slightly late in the season, with twin losses to both Kansas and Missouri, the league's top two teams, the Bears (27-6, 12-6) stepped up their game at the right time, winning three of their last four games heading into the Big 12 Tournament and knocking off Kansas State and Kansas in the tournament to advance to the championship final with Missouri. The Bears 90-75 loss in the championship game to Missouri, which is certain to be in the top five in the national polls after conference-championship weekend, should do nothing to hurt 11th-ranked Baylor's NCAA seeding.
The full NCAA Tournament bracket will be unveiled beginning at 6 p.m. ET Sunday on the NCAA Tournament "Selection Show" on CBS.
Date/Time: Sunday, March 11, 6:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
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