Gameday Thread: #2 Baylor (27-6) faces #15 Hawaii (20-9)

BAYLOR (27-6 vs. HAWAII (20-9)
March 18, 2022 • 3 p.m. CT
Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center

WATCH: ESPN2
Talent: Elise Woodward (pxp) and Andrea Lloyd (analyst)
LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas, BaylorBears.com 
Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Sophia Young-Malcolm (Analyst)

NCAA FIRST ROUND NOTABLES
• Baylor is 18-1 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Since dropping its first first-round contest in 2001, the Bears have strung together 18-straight dubs in the opening round of NCAA play.
• BU is hosting the first and second rounds for the 10th time in program history. Baylor hosted from 2013-19 with the streak ending a season ago due to the entire tournament being held in San Antonio because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• While Baylor is 2-1 all-time against Hawaii, the two teams have never faced off in the NCAA Tournament.
• Hawaii, led by Big West Player of the Year Amy Atwell, is playing in its first NCAA Tournament since 2016.
• Of note, the Ferrell Center and Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center are as close to being twins as basketball arenas can be. The same company built Hawaii's arena six years after the completion of the Ferrell Center. 

NCAA NOTABLES
• Baylor was named a No. 2 seed, marking the 11th-straight year that BU is at least a two seed or higher.
• The Bears are making their 18th-straight NCAA appearance, a streak that ranks 13th all-time and is the fifth-longest active streak.
• Baylor has advanced to 20 NCAA Tournaments all-time.
• Baylor is 53-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Baylor earned trips to the Final Four in 2005, 2010, 2012 and 2019. BU won the NCAA titles in 2005, 2012 and 2019.
• Baylor's win percentage in the NCAA Tournament at 76.8 (53-16) is third-best all-time next to UConn (85.5, 124-21) and Tennessee (80.3, 126-31).
• Baylor is 10-5 all-time in Sweet 16 contests.
• Baylor is 4-6 all-time in Elite Eight contests.
• Baylor's 53 wins in the NCAA Tournament is eighth-most all-time.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP NOTABLES
• Baylor advanced to its 11th-straight Big 12 Championship title game. Nicki Collen became the first first-year head coach to advance to the title game since 1997.
• NaLyssa Smith, named to the all-tournament team, went off for a career-best 37 points in the semifinal win over Oklahoma. That mark is good for second in Big 12 championship semifinal history.
• Caitlin Bickle also had a career day against Oklahoma with 21 points.
• Baylor's 91 points against the Sooners tied for fourth-most all-time in a Big 12 semifinal contest.
• Baylor set a Big 12 Championship record with two turnovers. That mark also tied a program record that was set on Feb. 1, 2014, against Texas.
• Baylor set a program record, a Big 12 Championship record and tied an NCAA record when it held Oklahoma State scoreless in the first quarter of the Big 12 quarterfinal vs. Oklahoma State.
• Overall, BU held Oklahoma State to 36 points, a Big 12 Championship record and won by 40 points, which stands for second in league tournament win margin.

QUICK HITS
• Baylor clinched a share of the regular-season Big 12 title with a 25-point win at then-No. 8 Iowa State in front of a record crowd at Hilton Coliseum.
• BU's streak of 12 regular-season titles is the longest active streak in the country in men's AND women's hoops.
• The streak ties for fourth all-time in WBB history behind Green Bay (20, 1999-18); Louisiana Tech (15, 2003-17); Stanford (14, 2001-14) and Old Dominion (12, 1993-04).
• Baylor became the first school since Texas Tech in 2000 to start league play 0-2 and end up winning the conference title.
• Baylor racked up conference honors as every member of the starting five received recognition. Smith was the unanimous pick for Player of the Year, receiving the honor in back-to-back seasons. Jordan Lewis became the fourth-straight Bear to pick up Newcomer of the Year. Smith and Lewis were each named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Sarah Andrews received Second Team honors, while Asberry and Queen Egbo were named Honorable Mention.
• Smith has already been named a first-team All-American by three different entities this season - Sports Illustrated, The Athletic and the Associated Press.
• Smith is third in the country with 24 double-doubles. That mark sets a program record for double-doubles in a single season. She's third in BU history with 52 career double-doubles.
• The senior is top-10 nationally with 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
• Smith reached the 2,000 career point / 1,000 career rebound mark this season.
• Baylor has now set a program record for 3s made (221) and 3s attempted (631) in a single season.
• From 2013-14 to 2020-21, Baylor made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game only five times across a total of 281 games (1.78 percent). BU has done so five times this season. 
• At Kansas, Baylor nearly set a record with a 14-for-29 display from the perimeter. BU's 14 treys marked the second most in
• Ja'Mee Asberry is second in program history with 77 3s made this season.