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Baylor experienced polar opposites yesterday in terms of athletic success; our men's basketball team lost its fourth game of the season to a legitimate top-5 opponent in Missouri while our women's team, a juggernaut if there ever was one at this point, demolished its primary in-conference rival in Texas A&M. One of those teams is getting better as the season progresses and answering every question asked of it. Its best player is showing unequivocally that she is the best player in the country, possibly the world, at her given sport. The other team seems to be getting worse, buffeting in a maelstrom of uncertainty about where it goes from here. Its best player is better-suited for a milk carton most of the time than a podium.
Anyway, let's get to the links. We've got a lot of basketball, a little RG3 draft stuff, and a little conference news about scheduling and West Virginia's buyout agreement with the Big East. We should get a good look at next year's Big XII schedule tomorrow and we will cover it as best we can here at OurDailyBears.
First we have the #1-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (highlights from their game will be below the jump):
Top-Ranked WBB Blows By A&M, 71-48 - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Brittney Griner scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds as top-ranked Baylor got off to a quick start and avenged its last loss, beating No. 15 Texas A&M 71-48 Saturday night in their first meeting since last year's NCAA tournament.No. 1 Baylor women avenge last loss, 71-48 vs A&M - Boston.com
Brittney Griner scored right away and top-ranked Baylor was quickly on the way to avenging its last loss, beating No. 15 Texas A&M 71-48 Saturday night in their first meeting since last year's NCAA tournament. Griner, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, put the Lady Bears (25-0, 12-0 Big 12) ahead to stay with her inside basket and free throw only a half-minute into the game.Top-ranked Baylor routs No. 14 Texas A&M – USATODAY.com
Top-ranked Baylor turned what was likely to be Texas A&M's last visit to the Ferrell Center into a trip to forget by dismantling the No. 14 Aggies 71-48 in front of a raucous sell-out crowd of 10,627.
Now for the men. The second link is from our Mizzou sister-site on SBNation. They did a fantastic statistical recap that I'm going to try to emulate going forward. It's a lot of the same stuff that Bill Connelly posts, which I really like. I'll try to put something up like it later this evening before the next installment of the Recruit Impact Rankings goes up.
Men's Hoops Falls To No. 4 Missouri, 72-57 - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Phil Pressey scored 19 points and four of No. 4 Missouri's season-best 14 3-pointers, helping the Tigers pull away in the second half of a 72-57 victory over No. 6 Baylor on Saturday.Study Hall: Mizzou 72, Baylor 57 - Rock M Nation
Statistics and analysis from Missouri's 72-57 win over Baylor yesterday in Columbia. Baylor had no answer for Mizzou's hot-shooting guards.Missouri's Manhandling Of Baylor Is Telling For Both Big 12 Basketball Teams - SB Nation Kansas City
Yesterday's trouncing by the Missouri Tigers over the Baylor Bears didn't just provide Frank Haith's team with an impact win (and Baylor with a frustrating loss). Instead, it accentuated the directions of both teams, and might play a bit of a fortunetelling role for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.Mizzou's 3-point shooting sinks Baylor
On the surface, fourth-ranked Mizzou's prospects looked dim early against No. 6 Baylor on Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. The Bears were going berserk on the boards, nabbing 13 of the game's first 14 rebounds, and the Tigers seemed content to shoot from outside.#6 Baylor vs. #4 Missouri - Recap from ESPN:
Phil Pressey's first 3-point attempt went in off the glass. The sophomore guard, known more for flashy, no-look passes than his outside touch, took that sketchy success and ran with it. Pressey scored 19 points, making four of No. 4 Missouri's season-best 14 3-pointers, and the Tigers beat No. 6 Baylor 72-57 on Saturday. He had no 3-pointers the previous five games, but stepped up against the slumping Bears.
A little RG3 news for a change of pace:
Around the NFL: Analyst feels Browns must look at RG-III - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com
2012 NFL Draft: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III Highlights Deep Quarterback Class - SB Nation Kansas City- The 2012 Draft will likely be known for two top quarterbacks at the very top in Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. The first will be selected by the Indianapolis Colts, and the second will go to whichever team likely trades up to get him. But even after that, Wes Bunting says this quarterback class is among the deepest positions and it’s rich enough that a starter can be found in later rounds as well.
A former NFL player who has been assigned to more Browns TV games than anyone explains the wisdom in drafting Robert Griffin III, even if the price to get him gets steep.NFL mock draft: First-round board fluctuates as Combine approaches - NFL - Sporting News
2012 NFL Draft: Two Baylor Players Considered Top-100 Picks In Deepest Positions - SB Nation Dallas
Under head coach Art Briles, Baylor had one of the finest seasons in program history in 2011, finishing with a Heisman Trophy winner as well as a 10-3 record with a win over the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl, and the NFL has noticed.
Conference news for the forward-looking among us:
West Virginia And The Big East Reach A Settlement, Officially Able To Join The Big 12 - SB Nation Kansas City
The Big 12 can officially look forward to the West Virginia Mountaineers take their talents from the Big East as the Big East and West Virginia were able to reach a settlement Thursday night. With the departure of Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC, the additions of TCU and West Virginia will bring the Big "12" back to 10 teams for 2012.Big 12 schedule still under wraps - Sports - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -
The verbal agreement between West Virginia and the Big East Conference that will allow the school to join the Big 12 on July 1 still has some details to be ironed out and has removed one of the major hurdles in announcing the 2012 Big 12 football schedule.Big 12 basketball realignment: West Virginia, TCU not an even trade for Missouri, Texas A&M
The Big 12's lineup is set for 2012-13. A reported $20 million buyout with the Big East will bring West Virginia into the fold, where the Mountaineers will join TCU and continue the Big 12's existence as a 10-team league.
Highlight videos from yesterday's major athletic contests:
Baylor Basketball (M): Highlights vs. Missouri (via BaylorAthletics)
Baylor Basketball (W): Highlights vs. Texas A&M (via BaylorAthletics)
Baylor Softball: Opening Day Highlights (via BaylorAthletics)
What's that you say? Yes, I posted highlights from a Baylor softball game.
