Thanks to Matt for taking the DBR yesterday. I was otherwise occupied during the time that the report is regularly written last night, and while I'll be extraordinarily busy over the next few weeks, none of my responsibilities should interrupt my work here. It's Super Bowl Sunday, the most significant day in American sports. The matchup between the Seahawks and Broncos features such names as now-five time MVP Peyton Manning, Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch, and Richard Sherman, the best corner in tha game! It's hyped to be one of the best games in years. We'll see how that pans out, but the Mothership will have pretty much everything you could possibly read on the subject. For right now, we'll focus on Baylor-related news.
In-Season News: Men's and Women's Basketball
Both the Bears and the Lady Bears were in action on Saturday, and both came away with wins. The Bears' upset of Oklahoma State in Stillwater came as a huge surprise to us all. Gary Franklin was clutch as we've ever seen him, and Rico... Oh, Rico, you magnificent man. There are no words.
Baylor F Rico Gathers' MONSTER Slam #SCtop10 - YouTube
Baylor Bears F Rico Gathers comes up with the steal and stuff against Oklahoma State. He even takes the opportunity to flex for the crowd in Stillwater.
College basketball scores: Oklahoma State's skid continues with home loss to Baylor - SBNation.com
The Bears handed the Cowboys their third loss in four tries in a game that could be a turning point for Scott Drew's group.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>RICOO! Come be my TE dude! You're an animal!!!</p>— Bryce Petty (@b_petty14) <a href="https://twitter.com/b_petty14/statuses/429702624506417152">February 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I felt the force of this dunk from Waco. I felt the force of this dunk when I watched it over and over again online. Rico Gathers is the soul of this team, and despite fantastic performances from Brady Heslip and Gary Franklin, Gathers is my player of the game. Today's events coupled with Kansas's loss to Texas and Oklahoma's loss to Iowa State turn the Big 12 into a complete mess once again. The Bears are back in action Tuesday night at home against Kansas. I'll probably be otherwise occupied with things I can't talk about, but here's to hoping this team has finally turned a corner.
BONUS: A nice feature on Pierre Jackson popped up on Bleacher Report last night. It's worth a read.
The Lady Bears were at home versus Texas yesterday afternoon. Odyssey Sims was the architect of Baylor's 87-73 victory over the Lady Longhorns, leading the way with a @pedestrian@ 44 points, and freshman Nina Davis put up a double-double.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The best player in the country with another big-time performance. Fourth game of 40+ points this season. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NationalPOY&src=hash">#NationalPOY</a> <a href="http://t.co/vGR80XVR0u">pic.twitter.com/vGR80XVR0u</a></p>— Baylor Lady Bears (@BaylorWBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorWBB/statuses/429808620977795072">February 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The Lady Bears face the Oklahoma Sooners at 6:00 P.M. in Norman, Oklahoma. Tune in to ESPN 2 and enjoy the show!
Off-Season News: Football and Baseball
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Baylor is where its at,Look up the facts.Coach Briles is putting together a powerhouse.Numbers don't lie!</p>— OG Blake (@BlakeLynch7) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeLynch7/statuses/429688022045429760">February 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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All is quiet on the football front as the coaches work their angles on the 2015 class, signing day looms, and Kaz commits war crimes in the weight room. I'll see you guys at the spring game. Supposedly John Bonney was on campus at UT today, but I can personally neither confirm nor deny that claim. Signing Bonney is unlikely, but his switch would be an extremely pleasant surprise.
Baseball? Soon. So soon.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Park is looking good RT <a href="https://twitter.com/BUBaseballEquip">@BUBaseballEquip</a>: New banners at the ballpark! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%2313days&src=hash">#13days</a> til <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorBaseball">@BaylorBaseball</a> season is here! <a href="http://t.co/gB9lAZFIvb">pic.twitter.com/gB9lAZFIvb</a></p>— Baylor Baseball (@BaylorBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorBaseball/statuses/429718238612582400">February 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%2313Days&src=hash">#13Days</a> RT <a href="https://twitter.com/Tiff_Witt">@Tiff_Witt</a>: It's about that time <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorBaseball">@BaylorBaseball</a> <a href="http://t.co/pUAs22iZww">pic.twitter.com/pUAs22iZww</a></p>— Baylor Baseball (@BaylorBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorBaseball/statuses/429819262119976960">February 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>VIDEO -- Nate Goodwin getting some batting reps in today at practice: <a href="https://t.co/G3pglYJXia">https://t.co/G3pglYJXia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%2313Days&src=hash">#13Days</a></p>— Baylor Baseball (@BaylorBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorBaseball/statuses/429718682936176640">February 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The Best of the Rest
The No. 19 Lady Bears took on No. 2 Florida today in tennis and were swept, 7-0. It's their first loss of the season, and it comes at the hands of a quality opponent. The match was moved indoors due to spotty inclement weather.
Women's Tennis Falls To No. 2 Florida, 7-0 - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
The Baylor Equestrian team has their first competition of the semester a week from yesterday. I know absolutely nothing about the sport other than the fact that horses are beautiful creatures. I have a class with a member of the team though, so I'll try to get more information soon.
Goodbye to Football
Alas, it's true. Watch the Super Bowl tonight, friends. It's the last football game until fall, and it's supposed to be a good one. Eat Crazy Wings, guzzle a beverage of your choice, and iron waffles by the dozen. At Our Daily Bears, we have certain standards when it comes to getting pumped up for major football games. The Mothership put up a post containing a hype video for each Super Bowl team. Compare these to my personal favorite of in-house Hypemaster Ted Harrison's football videos and you'll gain a new appreciation for the special thing we have going here.
P.S. You'll be bored stiff by both of the Super Bowl videos, and you just got excited for football again. Go run through a wall and have a fantastic day.