Baylor breaks into the Top 25

With all this talk about BCS standings and tri-Big 12 South football champions, somebody better start paying close attention to the Baylor men's basketball team.

On the strength of a 3-1 record last week and a second-place finish in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., Baylor broke into the Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday at No. 24. After being ranked 25th last Jan. 28, this is the first time the Bears (6-1) have ever been ranked in back-to-back seasons.

The latest ranking came after Baylor defeated Providence (72-56) and 14th-ranked Arizona State (87-78) in the first two rounds of the 76 Classic before losing to 19th-ranked Wake Forest (87-74) in Sunday's championship game.

"It's an amazing compliment to our team, our fans and Baylor University," Bears coach Scott Drew said. "We've worked very hard to get to this point.

"To be ranked in the top 25 out of 344 Division I programs is a testament to how
far we've come as a program."

This is the highest ranking for the Bears since they were ranked 19th on Feb. 11, 1969.

_ Dwain Price