Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big 12 Basketball: Ranking all 16 programs after adding Arizona, ASU, Colorado and Utah

By Joey Loose

Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (0) shoots the ball against Baylor Bears guard Matthew Mayer (24) and guard Jared Butler (12) during the second half in the national semifinals of the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (0) shoots the ball against Baylor Bears guard Matthew Mayer (24) and guard Jared Butler (12) during the second half in the national semifinals of the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
16 of 17
Next
NCAA Basketball
Big 12 Basketball Baylor Bears guard LJ Cryer (4) and guard Adam Flagler Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Baylor

Twenty years ago, there was no life in the Baylor basketball program, with their massive scandal nearly ending the program altogether. Before that time, the Bears had mad just four trips to the NCAA Tournament and weren’t exactly having any success in the Big 12. Then, the program turned towards Scott Drew and things slowly began to turn around.

Baylor basketball didn’t heal overnight, but Drew led this program to Elite Eights in 2010 and 2012 and already had people believing. Clearly, Baylor’s national championship in 2021 was the ultimate breakthrough. Nowadays for the Bears, it’s not just about being a winning program; they’re establishing themselves as one of the nation’s best.

Drew has led Baylor on 11 trips to the Big Dance, nearly quadrupling the program’s total, including five trips to the second weekend. The Bears have finished Top 3 in the Big 12 in each of the last four seasons and have regularly contended both in the league and against the other teams in the nation. Not every year has been fantastic, but Baylor has been ranked for much of the last four seasons and show no signs of stopping under Drew’s leadership.

Could the program take a step back if Drew takes a different job? He certainly seems happy in Waco and continues to recruit and land transfers at a high level. This conference has come down to Baylor and Kansas in recent years, but does this success continue with so much transition in the league? Honestly, it would probably be more relevant to find a reason against Baylor’s continued success, because they’ve certainly proven they’re a program that’s here to stay in the long-term.

Home/Big 12