Oh yes, Bears remember coaches' pick
Oops, after tying for second place in the Big 12, the Bears are now one of 16 teams in the NCAA tournament still standing. Third-seed Baylor faces No. 10 Saint Mary's in Houston on Friday for the right to advance to the Elite Eight against either No. 1 Duke or No. 4 Purdue.
"I think everything happens for a reason, but at the same time when you see that and you know what type of team you have, especially as a leader of this team, I took it as disrespect," Bears senior point guard Tweety Carter said. "They just didn't give us any respect coming into this season. It's something that you've got to take."
Drew is quick to note that surely the Big 12 coaches took into consideration Baylor's loss of three starters in Curtis Jerrels, Henry Dugat and Kevin Rogers from a team that went 5-11 in conference last season -- although it rebounded to make the Big 12 tournament title game and the NIT title game. Baylor went 11-5 this season in conference play and has won a school-record 27 games. It has not lost a game this season by more than seven points.
Baylor advanced to its first Sweet 16 in modern history and pundits are giving the team a fighter's chance to get to the Final Four.
"I don't play this game to worry about what anybody else thinks," Carter said. "As long as this family here is tight, I'm all right. But, at the same time it comes up in the back of your mind that we've got to come out here and show them we're better than 10th."
TEAM RESOURCES
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast Kirk Herbstreit joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Bob Stoops' recent comments about the SEC and the pending college football playoff, what appears to be an unpredictable Big 12 in 2013, how the Aggies will handle expectations and more.
Play Podcast Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin talks about the improvements being made to Kyle Field, what those improvements will to for the program, the success of last year, Johnny Manziel's offseason and the expectations for the Aggies in 2013.
Play Podcast Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo talk about Texas A&M's decision to expand its stadium and say although the Aggies had a fantastic year, the school must also be careful not to overextend its resources based on a single hot stretch.
Play Podcast Baylor head coach Art Briles joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss what kind of player the Cowboys are getting in Terrance Williams.
Play Podcast Arlington and Texas A&M product Luke Joeckel, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, joins Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett to discuss the draft, coaches and advice from his dad.
Play Podcast Florida Gulf Coast athletic director Ken Kavanagh joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his school's Cinderella story and playing in the Sweet 16 at Cowboys Stadium.
Play Podcast Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby joins Fizsimmons & Durrett to discuss Cowboys Stadium as a venue, the state of Big 12 basketball, the new 2014 college football format, why there's no hurry to have a Big 12 football championship and much more.
Play Podcast Jay Bilas joins Fitzsimmons and Durrett to discuss the remaining 16 teams in the NCAA tournament, the intrigue surrounding the Northwest Region and the excitement over FGCU, even though a similar story happens every year.
You must be signed in to post a comment