Baylor Hosts Kansas State in Final Regular Season Contest... The defending national champion, 2013 Big 12 champions and top-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (28-1), seek to extend their record-setting 39-game Big 12 regular season win streak when they host Kansas State in the final regular season game of the season on Monday, March 4, in a nationally televised game on FSN. In addition, BU currently enjoys the nation's best active win streak at 26 games, which ranks as the third-longest in school history behind strings of 42-straight (40-0 in `11-'12, 2-0 in `12-'13) and 33-straight (last 20 in `04-'05, first 13 in `05-'06), respectively.
Baylor is one of three teams to post a perfect Big 12 league record, Baylor - 18-0 (2012); Nebraska - 16-0 (2010); Oklahoma - 16-0 (2006) and hopes to become the first team to post two undefeated league records.
The contest will be televised live by the following Fox Sports channels; Arizona (Plus), Detroit, Florida (non Magic) Midwest, North, Ohio (non Cavaliers), Oklahoma, South (non Hornets), Southwest (Texas & Arkansas), West, Wisconsin (Plus) as well as Sun Sports (non Heat), Root Sports (Rocky Mountain Region) and Fox College Sports Atlantic. Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (analyst) will call the action.
Baylor, led by 2012 National Coach of the Year Kim Mulkey, is 28-1 on the season after Saturday's 80-49 road win over West Virginia, and has won 102 of its last 106 games since the start of the 2010-11 season. With one game to play and a six-game lead in the Big 12 standings, Baylor has already clinched its third straight regular-season Big 12 title and fourth all-time.
Kansas State, under the direction of 17th-year head coach Deb Patterson, is 14-15 on the season and 5-12 in league play after breaking a four-game losing streak in Saturday's 68-62 homecourt win over Texas Tech. The Wildcats are led by senior Brittany Chambers, a 5-8 guard, in both scoring and rebounding at 20.2 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Haley Texada (Frisco, Texas/Wakeland HS) averages 11.3 points a contest.
Baylor Leaders...
Preseason National Player of the Year Brittney Griner, a 6-8 senior post, leads BU in scoring and rebounding with a league-leading 22.3 points and 9.0 boards per game. Griner currently has 3,073 career points, 1,226 career rebounds, and NCAA records of 719 blocks and 13 dunks to her credit. Griner recently became the Big 12's all-time scoring leader and the NCAA career block record holder (719), men or women. She already owns the NCAA record for career dunks (13), and ranks No. 4 on the NCAA's career scoring list.
Junior point guard and All-American candidate Odyssey Sims, who averages 12.3 points an outing, also dishes out 5.7 assists per game. Sims shoots .450 from the field, including .308 from 3-point range.
The trio is 69-2 (.972) in games played in the Ferrell Center, their only two losses came in their rookie year (2009-10), losing to Big 12 foes Nebraska (1/17/10) and Texas (3/7/10) , they have since won 54 straight Ferrell Center games.
This group has five Big 12 titles, three NCAA Tournament trips, an NCAA Championship and two Final Four appearances to their credit.
Quick Hits...
When Baylor is in the house, 2012-13 opponents average an increase of 3,642 fans per game, all-told 103,447 fans have flocked to see the nation's top-ranked team in action on the road (see chart on page 6).
Brittney Griner recorded a Big 12 record-tying fifth career triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots at West Virginia on Saturday.
Baylor's six-game league lead is second only to its seven-game league winning margin in 2011-12.
A victory on Monday would give the Lady Bears their second straight perfect league record, becoming the first Big 12 team to achieve two undefeated league campaigns (18-0 last year).
In her 13 seasons at the program's helm, Kim Mulkey has posted an impressive 366-81 (.821) record which ranks her No. 2 nationally in winning percentage among active coaches (behind UConn's Geno Auriemma).
Baylor's speed is apparent on offense as it has outscored its opponent 200-62 in fast break points, 132-55 in Big 12 play.
Points in the paint - Baylor 1,403 (48.4 ppg)/Opponent 530 (18.3 ppg); Big 12 play - BU 813 (47.8 ppg)/Opponent 290 (17.1 ppg).
Series Record...
Baylor leads the series 18-8, including 14 straight victories.
Kansas State's last series win was on Jan. 27, 2004, in Manhattan, Kan., 85-65.
The Lady Bears are 8-1 vs. Kansas State in games played in the Ferrell Center including five straight wins. The Wildcats' lone victory in the Ferrell Center was on Feb. 8, 2003, 65-53.
