First off, Happy Valentine's Day to all. If we're going to celebrate made-up holidays, we might as well do it the right way. I think BaylorNation got its VDay present a day early with the victory last night, and I don't think there will be any returns. As Tim said in the postgame, that was probably MBB's best performance since the OSU blowout a few weeks ago. Something our team desperately needed to help them exorcize the demons of Mizzou and Kansas. I know it was cathartic for me to see things suddenly and beautifully go right for this team, especially on offense, against a quality opponent in Iowa State.
If you didn't see the big news of the day, the Big XII finally released its football schedules for 2012. Our schedule is listed here, or the front page post directly beneath this one.
Let's get right to the links. As always, if you find something worthy of note, fanshot it and I'll make sure it gets promoted for all to see.
The #1-Ranked Lady Bears:
Baylor Unanimously Voted The Top Team Again " CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
Baylor is again a unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press women's college basketball poll.Baylor’s Griner gets Olympic tryout - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com
Baylor junior Brittney Griner is on her way to joining a select group. The 6-foot-8 phenom was among 21 finalists announced Monday for the U.S. women’s basketball team that will compete at the London Olympics.Griner and Young Finalists for Olympic Team Roster - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Brittney Griner and former Lady Bear and current WNBA standout Sophia Young are two of 21 players named as finalists for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team, USA Basketball announced today.WBB to Host 2013 NCAA First- and Second-Round Games - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
For the third time in program history, the Baylor has been selected to host NCAA Championship games. Waco is one of 16 sites selected to host 2013 NCAADivision I Championship first- and second-round games.
We've got more below the jump!
MBB news fresh off a big victory over Iowa State last night:
No. 9 MBB Bounces Back With 79-64 Win Over Iowa State - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Perry Jones III rediscovered his shooting touch with 18 points and No. 9 Baylor rebounded from consecutive losses with a 79-64 victory over Iowa State on Monday night.Big 12 three-pointers | Time to respond, and Baylor did - KansasCity.com
Scott Drew implores the jury to consider Baylor’s entire season before passing judgment on the Bears.Baylor rebounds in convincing fashion - BostonHerald.com
WACO, Texas — Forget about the possibility of a February freefall toward the middle of the pack by Baylor in the Big 12 men’s basketball standings. Scratch any ideas about a continued shooting slump for the ninth-ranked Bears as well. Baylor rebounded with a vengeance Monday from two...
Now a little miscellaneous Baylor-related news:
Big Board: Top prospects centered around passing game - NFL, NFLDRAFT - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
Passing the ball and stopping the pass pave the road to victory in the 21st century NFL. That places great value on QB prospects and those who can break down the pocket, Rob Rang says.Getterman Classic: Canion Throws No-Hitter - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Whitney Canion recorded her third career no hitter, striking out 15 in five innings of play en route to an 11-0 win for the No. 7 Lady Bears (4-1) over UT Arlington (3-2) on day three of the Getterman/QTI Classic, Sunday afternoon.Baseball Picked Fourth in Big 12 Preseason Poll - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Baylor baseball was picked fourth in the Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released Tuesday by the league office. It's the second straight season the Bears have been picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 and the 13th time in the last 14 seasons they've been picked to finish in the league's top half.
Like I said at the beginning of the post, the Big XII released its schedules for 2012 today, and to mark the occasion I decided to seek out our new brethren formerly of the Big East. Here is a link to the WVU blog: The Smoking Musket. I already knew about Frogs O' War, the TCU blog, but I had never been to WV's for obvious reasons.
I also looked around a bit to find reactions to the schedules so far from our sister sites on SBNation:
2012 football schedule: love & hate in the Big 12 - Frogs O' War
2012 West Virginia Football Schedule - The Smoking Musket
OU Football - Sooners 2012 Conference Schedule Finally Released - Crimson And Cream Machine
Big XII Releases 2012 Football Schedule - Burnt Orange Nation
And a few news links on the subject, I'm sure there will be more tomorrow:
Big 12 finally releases football schedule for 2012 season
With West Virginia's departure from the Big East a done deal, schools and fans can now prepare for the upcoming season.TCU’s inaugural Big 12 schedule starts soft, finishes hard | Texas Christian University ...
The Horned Frogs' first Big 12 date is against Kansas, but TCU finishes the season with dates at Texas Thanksgiving weekend and against Oklahoma.Baylor will open 2012 football season on the road at West Virginia | Wacotrib.com
"It's been a long process and I'm glad the football schedule is out, and now people can make their plans," Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said. "We're glad that West Virginia and the Big East was able to resolve their lawsuit, and we're looking forward to them being a full member of the conference beginning July 1."Breaking down the 2012 Big 12 schedule - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN
Sept. 29: Baylor at West Virginia: The Mountaineers play their first Big 12 game at home a week later. It'll be pretty crazy to see a packed Milan Puskar Stadium full of yellow with a Big 12 logo on the turf and a new-look Baylor team look for its own brand of validation without RG3.
One last thing I wanted to mention: I'm still looking for contributors who are passionate about Baylor athletics to help grow the blog. At this point, I think the areas where I personally need the most help are in covering Baylor baseball and recruiting for all sports. Baseball, while being the sport I played more than any save football in my life, was never really something I got into while I was at Baylor, and I would love to bring someone aboard who can help make up that gap. Email me if you are interested at OurDailyBears@gmail.com. Thanks!