Baylor Bears in the NCAA Tournament: A History of Upsets and Triumphs

The NCAA Tournament, which began in 1939, has been the stage for many thrilling moments and unforgettable stories. The Baylor Bears men's basketball team, representing Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has had its share of experiences in this prestigious tournament. As a member of the Big 12 Conference, the Bears have a rich basketball history, marked by both periods of struggle and moments of great success. This article explores Baylor's journey through the NCAA Tournament, highlighting key moments, memorable runs, and the program's evolution over the years.

Early Years and Southwest Conference Dominance

Baylor's basketball program began in 1907, with Luther Burleson serving as the first coach. The team experienced early success, including five conference championships in the Southwest Conference (1932, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950; * denotes shared title). These early years set the stage for Baylor's first appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

First NCAA Tournament Appearance and Final Four Runs

The Bears made their NCAA Tournament debut in 1946, marking a significant milestone for the program. Under the guidance of coach Bill Henderson, Baylor reached the Final Four in both 1948 and 1950. In 1948, the team advanced to the championship game against the Kentucky Wildcats, but ultimately fell short, losing 58-42. In 1950, Henderson led the team again to the NCAA Final Four, where they lost to the Bradley Braves 68-66. Despite these successes, the latter part of Henderson's tenure saw a decline in the team's performance, a trend that would continue for much of the 20th century.

The "Immortal Ten" Tragedy

A dark chapter in Baylor's history occurred on January 22, 1927, when the team bus was struck by a train in Round Rock, Texas. Ten Baylor students and basketball players were killed in the accident. The deceased were Jack Castellaw, Sam Dillow, Merle Dudley, L. R. The tragedy, known as the "Immortal Ten," deeply affected the university and led to significant safety improvements at railroad crossings. The remainder of the 1927 season was canceled. Buses were later required to come to a full stop and open the door at all rail crossings to listen for trains. The "Immortal Ten" story has been commemorated each year since 1927 at first in Chapel services then later at the Freshman Mass meeting during Homecoming Week. On the 90th anniversary of the tragedy, January 22, 2017, the City of Round Rock held a memorial event to remember those who were killed in the train-bus collision.

Struggles and Scandal

For the next 50 years, Baylor struggled to replicate the success of its early years. Bill Menefee (1961-1973) was the only coach during this period to achieve a career record above .500. Although he led the Bears to a national ranking in 1969, they did not make the postseason.

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The 2003 Scandal

In 2003, the men's basketball program was shaken by scandal. Player Patrick Dennehy was murdered by former teammate Carlton Dotson. Coach Dave Bliss was forced to resign amidst allegations of NCAA violations, including financial payments to players and mischaracterizing Dennehy as a drug dealer. The school imposed sanctions on itself, including scholarship limitations and a postseason ban. The 2005 Bears, with only seven scholarship players, struggled and recorded only one conference win.

The Scott Drew Era: A Resurgence

Despite the challenges, head coach Scott Drew began to rebuild the program. Drew engineered a very quick return to respectability. In 2008, the Bears reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years with a 9-7 conference record and the team's first national ranking in 39 years. The January 23, 2008 116-110 5OT win over Texas A&M at College Station officially became the longest game in Big 12 history. The 2008-09 team again was ranked early in the season but stumbled to a 5-11 conference finish before heating up in the Big 12 Tournament defeating both Kansas and Texas en route to the championship game versus Missouri, and lost by a score of 73-60. The 2008-09 team went on to advance to the NIT Final where they fell to Penn State.

2009-2010 Season and Elite Eight Run

The 2009-10 squad was again ranked in both polls and pulled off the biggest road win in school history over the then #6 Texas Longhorns in Austin 80-77 on Jan. 30th. The 2009-10 team was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 in the Big 12 Coaches poll due to the graduation of several key players from the previous year. However, the team finished the regular season 23-6 and tied for 2nd in the Big 12 standings. Following a 2-1 record at the Big 12 tournament, the Bears were rewarded with a #3 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Bears defeated #14 seed Sam Houston State 68-59 in First round action and then defeated #11 seed Old Dominion 76-68 in Second round play to advance to the Sweet 16 hosted at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Bears' Sweet 16 match-up was #10 seed Saint Mary's, which had defeated #2 seed Villanova the previous week to advance to the Sweet 16. The Bears won handily over the Gaels, 72-49, after leading 47-19 at the half. The Elite Eight was also held at Reliant Stadium and the Bears' opponent was the #1 seed Duke Blue Devils, the last #1 seed standing in the NCAA Tournament after the other three #1 seeds (Kansas, Syracuse, and Kentucky) were all defeated by lower seeded teams. In front of a very pro-Baylor crowd of over 47,000, the Bears were defeated by the Duke Blue Devils, 78-71, to end the magical run to the Elite Eight. It was the best season in the Scott Drew era as defined by conference standing, overall ranking, wins, and NCAA Tournament wins.

Continued Success and the 2021 National Championship

The 2010-11 team started the season ranked 14th (according to the AP Preseason poll). The Bears began 7-0, and rose to 9th in the polls before falling to Gonzaga at a neutral court in Dallas. The team finished 18-13 overall and 7-9 in league play. The highlight of the season was LaceDarius Dunn becoming the Big 12's all-time leading scorer, and a sweep of the series versus ranked Texas A&M. The 2012 season saw another historic campaign for the Bears as they followed up the 2011 season with another successful conference run which saw the Bears win 30 games and make it to the Big 12 tournament title game, but eventually losing to the Missouri Tigers. The 2013 season witnesses another winning campaign for the Bears as they followed up the 2012 Elite Eight season with another successful conference run which saw the Bears sweep both TCU and Texas Tech while only dropping one game to UT. The Bears started out with a pre-season ranking of #19 in the country. The Bears finish conference play at .500 and were selected for the NIT tournament. The 2016-17 season saw one of the best starts in Baylor history, going 15-0 with wins over #4 Oregon, #24 Michigan State, #10 Louisville, and #7 Xavier. On January 9, Baylor would reach AP #1 for the first time in program history, although they would fall to #10 West Virginia that same day. Baylor remained within the top 12 for the remainder of the season and would finish 25-6, 12-6 in conference. They would fall to Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament and receive a #3 seed in the 2017 NCAA tournament. The 2019-20 season is considered one of the greatest in program history. They came into the season ranked #16 in the nation, but would fall to #24 after losing to Washington in the Armed Forces Classic. The Bears followed this loss with a 23-game win streak, including 6 ranked victories and a rise to #1 in the country. On January 11, Baylor defeated #3 Kansas on the road, winning in Lawrence for the first time in school history. Baylor's impressive start to the season ended on a sour note, losing 3 of their last 5 games before the Big 12 tournament. Baylor would finish the regular season 26-4 with a 15-3 conference mark, the most wins they had recorded in conference play, and remained ranked within the top 5 for the back half of the season. The NCAA Tournament would be canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, however numerous bracketologist considered the Bears as a 1-seed and had the potential to reach the Final Four.

The pinnacle of the Drew era came in 2021 when Baylor won its first national title in program history. The Bears, earning a No. 1 seed, dominated the tournament, making the Final Four for the first time since 1950. They defeated Houston in the Final Four and then Gonzaga to clinch the championship. The Bears earned a No.

Recent NCAA Tournament Performances (2014-2025)

Here’s a look at Baylor’s NCAA Tournament record since 2014:

2025: Seed: 9, Record: 1-1, Second Round (Lost to No. 1 Duke, 89-66, Beat No. 8 Mississippi State)
2024: Seed: 3, Record: 1-1, Second Round (Lost to No. 6 Clemson, 72-64, Beat No. 14 Colgate)
2023: Seed: 3, Record: 1-1, Second Round (Lost to No. 6 Creighton, 85-76, Beat No. 14 UCSB)
2022: Seed: 1, Record: 1-1, Second Round (Lost to No. 8 North Carolina, 93-86, Beat No. 16 Norfolk State)
2021: Seed: 1, Record: 6-0, Won Championship (Beat No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 5 Villanova, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 16 Hartford)
2019: Seed: 9, Record: 1-1, Second Round (Lost to No. 1 Gonzaga, 83-71, Beat No. 8 Syracuse)
2017: Seed: 3, Record: 2-1, Sweet 16 (Lost to No. 7 South Carolina, 70-50, Beat No. 11 USC, No. 14 New Mexico State)
2016: Seed: 5, Record: 0-1, First Round (Lost to No. 12 Yale, 79-75)
2015: Seed: 3, Record: 0-1, First Round (Lost to No. 14 Georgia State, 57-56)
2014: Seed: 6, Record: 2-1, Sweet 16 (Lost to No. 2 Wisconsin, Beat No. 3 Creighton, No. 11 Nebraska)

Key Games from the Championship Season (2020-2021)

Nov. 25, 2020 - Baylor 82, No. 5 Illinois 69: Baylor shot roughly identical percentages to Illinois but still won by 13 points thanks to five more offensive rebounds and five fewer turnovers.
Dec. 9, 2020 - Baylor 83, Stephen F. Austin 52: Baylor forced 17 turnovers in the first half and 18 more in the second half, as each of Stephen F. Austin's starters had multiple turnovers.
Dec. 19, 2020 - Baylor 107, Kansas State 59: In its Big 12 opener, Baylor reached the century mark as Jared Butler had the first double-double of his career with 14 points and 13 assists.
Jan. 27, 2021 - Baylor 105, Kansas State 73: After beating Kansas State 100-69 in their first meeting, Baylor broke the 100-point yet again to win by 48 points.
April 5, 2021 - No. 1 seed Baylor 86, No. 1 seed Gonzaga 70: Baylor won its first-ever national championship as it jumped out to an 11-1 start, took a 10-point lead into halftime and maintained the pressure in the second half, as the Bears shot 43.5 percent from deep, forced 14 Gonzaga turnovers and posted a plus-16 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards.

Facilities and Traditions

In its early days, Marrs McLean Gym was Baylor’s basketball home, and doubled as the site of many physical education classes. The Heart O' Texas Fair Complex, now known as the Extraco Events Center, is located in Waco, Texas. It was once the prime basketball facility for Baylor University and was used from 1953 to 1988. Starting in 1988, the Bears played their home games at the Ferrell Center, adjacent to the Brazos River. It is named for Charles R. Ferrell, a Baylor student and legacy who died in 1967, and whose family's estate was a major benefactor of the arena. The main arena, Paul J. In June 2022, Baylor began construction on the Foster Pavilion to replace the Ferrell Center as the new permanent home for both the men's and women's basketball teams.

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