Daily Bears Report—12/13/2021—Unanimous Number One in the Land

One of the things we’ve been batting around bringing back in this new era of OurDailyBears.com is what I named the Daily Bears Report a decade ago but has been anything but daily since ... a long time ago. Generally, these threads are intended to provide a one-stop shop for daily news about Baylor and its various athletic programs, recent events, etc. while also serving as a discussion/gathering place for the community. They have been very well received in the past, so I completely support the effort to start them back up again. On that front, if you see this as somewhere you think you can contribute, it’s a great way to get ingratiated to the community and get experience writing, so please reach out to Matt or throw something in the comments, and we can go from there.

---

The reason today seemed like a great time to kick this back off again is that there is so much Baylor content out there right now after yesterday’s huge win over top-10 Villanova. There are podcasts, articles, spicy hot takes, etc. all over. Before we get to the highlights from the game, Baylor produced and played a video for Dickie V that got a lot of attention. Here it is.

Here’s the highlights:

---

Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Some reactions to the game, including today’s AP Poll, which had Baylor back in the #1 spot unanimously:

• No. 2 MBB Suffocates No. 6 Villanova 57-36 - Baylor University Athletics
  By Jerry Hill
• Baylor Bears become fourth No. 1 in last four weeks in AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll
  Baylor won the national championship last season without ever reaching No. 1 in the AP Top 25.
• Men’s college basketball rankings: It’s Baylor’s turn at the top – The Athletic
  The Bears advance to No. 1 in Seth Davis' weekly ranking of the top 25 teams in men's college basketball.
• College basketball rankings: Why Baylor deserves to be No. 1 and could be staying at the top for a while - CBSSports.com
  The Bears remain No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 and likely will be in the same position in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll
• Baylor lands No. 1 Spot, Leads 5 Big 12 teams in AP Top 25
  The Baylor Bears, who beat Villanova on Sunday, are the nation’s No. 1 team in the latest Associated Press Men’s Basketball Top 25, released on Monday.
• AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll
• College Basketball Power Rankings: Baylor proves itself, Arizona + Bama make their case for No. 1
  Here are the latest college basketball power rankings, as Arizona and Alabama make their case for No. 1

---

There are also several big-time podcasts worthy of note here:

• Eye on College Basketball—Listen to the first 16 minutes or so. Link is to the Apple podcast service.
• Midcourt Madness—This one is on Spotify, but I’m pretty sure it’s free.
• Making the Madness—Another on Apple.

---

Baylor is getting a ton of positive attention on Twitter, as well as in print. Jeff Goodman has been particularly effusive in his praise:

This hit home with me yesterday:

Basically a juggernaut in every college sport that matters ... I like the sound of that.

Stats/notes from the game courtesy of the one and only David Kaye:

---

Also, I would be remiss if I did not note that we hired a new soccer coach in Michelle Lenard, who is coming to Baylor from Dallas Baptist. We introduced her a few minutes ago. I know almost nothing about this person but wish her incredible success.

Baylor hires longtime Dallas Baptist head coach Michelle Lenard to lead program - SoccerWire
Michelle Lenard has been officially introduced as the sixth head coach in the hihstory of the Baylor soccer program.

---

That’s all I’ve got for now. If there’s anything I missed, please throw it into the comments (or, if you have the ability, feel free to update the post itself)!