The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Baylor's Week of Sports
It was a massive week for hoops from all angles. Elsewhere, men’s tennis earned a routine but essential indoor invite and NFL Draft prep continued on the all-star game circuit.
Here’s a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from the past week in Baylor Athletics.
The Good
Men’s Basketball — A colossal 2-0 week at home for MBB, knocking off No. 9 Kansas on Big Monday before outlasting a pesky athletic Arkansas squad in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. Make it six wins in a row and a short turnaround into another Big Monday, this time against Texas in Austin. It should be a real treat and provides another incredible opportunity and showcase with the Bears just one game back of the Longhorns and Kansas State in the conference standings.
Women’s Basketball — The Bears let out some recent frustrations in Lubbock, roaring past the Red Raiders 79-59. It was an important win after a 1-3 stretch in their previous four games and kept the Bears one game back in the Big 12 standings. The Bears had a balanced attack with five players in double figures, including Caitlin Bickle and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs earning double-doubles. Now 5-3 in Big 12 play, they’ll host Kansas on Wednesday before heading to Ames for a battle with the first-place Cyclones. Looking at the standings, beating the Jayhawks at home is imperative.
HS All-American — MBB commit JaKobe Walter was named a McDonald’s All-American, a prestigious and always notable distinction. From NBA impact to blue-chip recruiting, this program is amid an incredible run of opportunity and exposure and still scratching the surface.
Jeremy Sochan — Speaking of which, the 19-year-old Spurs rookie dropped a career-high 30 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists, in 40 minutes of action on Saturday. Unfortunately, the result was an overtime loss to the also Baylor-friendly Suns. Still, Sochan has been on a roll the past two weeks and garnered some added buzz around the league.
Big 12/SEC Challenge — The SEC has football bragging rights, but the Big 12 dominated the final hoops challenge between these two conferences, earning a 7-3 decision. The Bears held up their end with the win over Arkansas. Meanwhile, Texas, TCU, and Iowa State suffered losses. So yeah, a perfect weekend from my vantage point.
Path to the NFL Draft — CFB all-star season continued with the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl out in Pasadena, California, on Saturday. Ben Sims had a 32-yard score and another 3-yard reception for the National team, while Miller saw time at RG, LG, and LT for the winning American side.
Men’s Tennis — One of fifteen ITA Kick-off Weekend hosts, the No. 12 Bears earned a pair of 4-2 wins over Arizona State and No. 9 Florida State to book a 12th straight ticket to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, taking place next month in Chicago. But until then, more work will be done, starting with Michigan this Friday at Hawkins Indoor.
Women’s Track and Field — Senior Koi Johnson brought home the Bears’ lone gold at the Razorback Invitational on Sunday in Fayetteville with a 42-8 triple jump mark.
Equestrian — No. 8 EQ opened their spring slate with home victories, defeating No. 9 UT-Martin 15-2 and South Dakota State 17-3.
Women’s Tennis — The Bears started the week with back-to-back 4-3 wins over Rice and DePaul. Then at the ITA Kick-off Weekend site in Austin, they earned a 4-1 over Loyola Marymount before falling 4-0 to host and No. 1-ranked Texas. The team will welcome Ole Miss and Florida to Waco for Friday and Sunday matches, respectively.
Women’s Golf — The Bears haven’t competed since a third-place finish at the Match in the Desert last Monday. Up next, a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, for the Collegiate Invitational starting on Sunday.
The “Bad”
Bear-less Super Bowl — With Clay Johnston and the Bengals falling to Kansas City, zero Bears will be playing for this year’s Lombardi Trophy in Glendale. The Big 12, however, will be well-represented thanks to the quarterbacks involved.
Jeremy Sochan (Continued) — Despite the growing highlights for Sochan, the Spurs are experiencing the growing pains of a rebuild, having lost five straight after the Phoenix defeat and now sitting at 14-36 on the year. Only the Rockets fare worse in the West — and Pistons in the East. But, on the bright side, that should lead to another premier young talent helping Sochan build in San Antonio next year.
Arkansas Attendance — There’s a lengthy thread discussing the Razorbacks’ prominent presence at the Ferrell Center on Saturday. Associate AD David Kaye kindly provided an informative post addressing the issues at play. Best believe Mack Rhoades will be asked about the topic as well. But hopefully, the air is cleared, and the open communication benefits all involved moving forward.
The Ugly
I don’t think anything ultimately fits the bill this week, and that’s always a good thing. But if something fell through the cracks, please let me know below. Thanks for reading.
