[dropcap]L[/dropcap]et’s begin with the notion that we’re a Baylor loss away from celebrating 51 years since a men’s basketball team in Texas last won an NCAA tournament title.
It’s surprising to realize the 1966 Texas Western College men’s basketball team still holds the lone men’s hoops title in the Lone Star State. That fact is a little more eye-popping when you account for the plethora of talented Texan hoopsters that have played at Texas universities over the years.
Adding to all of the irony is only three of the 1966 Miners hailed from Texas.
Baylor’s squad, helmed by Scott Drew, isn’t exactly laden with Texas talent either. Roughly half of its roster comes from within the state.
Does that give them some sort of parallel to the last NCAA championship winning team from the state? Not really.
The odds don’t exactly favor the Bears. According to an ESPN report, one Las Vegas scorebook gives Baylor 18 to 1 odds to win the whole shebang, which ranks 10th out of the final 16 teams in the tournament.
It’s gotta be those retina-burning, radioactive neon highlighter yellow jerseys Baylor wears.
Long story short, don’t go putting money on the Bears to end TWC’s reign.
In fact, while we’re talking about it, one shouldn’t put money on 18- to 22-year-olds to begin with. But don’t be surprised if the Bears pull off a few big upsets along the way.
While the Baylor men’s basketball team’s season could very well end this weekend, Baylor’s women’s team continues its march to another potential title.
Texas, led by head coach Karen Aston, is also in the running after escaping a thriller with NC State at home Sunday.
Whichever team makes it the furthest may have to find a way to finally put the Connecticut Huskies in the loss column.
UConn hasn’t lost a game since the year before the dinosaurs roamed the earth. To be exact – and eliminate hyperbole – UConn has won its last 109 games.
While it’d be nice to see Texas team put that historic streak to rest, chances are UConn will easily float to another national title.
Speaking of floating, Texas State’s basketball team’s run in the Collegeinsider.com Tournament (CIT) is about as exciting as a summertime tube excursion on the San Marcos river.
While the CIT doesn’t have the notoriety and flair of the NCAA’s or the National Invitational Tournament, it does give plenty of exposure for up-and-coming squads such as Texas State.
The work Danny Kaspar has put in during his fourth season in San Marcos has Texas State primed for big things down the road.
With only three seniors on the roster, the Bobcats could use 2017 as a launch pad for years to come.
