One of the more consistent yet underrated men’s college basketball programs throughout the past decade has been the Baylor Bears’ program. Head coach Scott Drew has led Baylor University to a ton of success. He has also made the Bears one of the toughest teams to beat in all of college basketball. However, while many colleges have their city or state’s name within their universty’s name, Baylor does not. So, where is Baylor University located?
Where is Baylor University located?
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You can clearly tell that Ohio State University is located in Ohio, the University of Kentucky is located in Kentucky, and that the University of Houston is in Houston, Texas. Baylor, though, does not have its city or state’s name within its school’s name, so where is Baylor University located?
Baylor, a private Christian school, is located in Waco, Texas, right along the Brazos River. You may have heard of the city before, especially if you have seen any of the documentaries about the infamous standoff between the Branch Davidians and federal agents that took place near Waco in the 1990s. You may not know where exactly in Texas the city of Waco is located, though.
According to Google Maps, Baylor is about 93 miles from Dallas, Texas. It is also 102 miles from Austin, and 180 miles from San Antonio.
Waco’s population as of July 2019 was estimated to be a little over 139,000, according to the U.S. Census. Baylor’s enrollment in the fall of 2020 was also a little over 19,000 students, per the school’s site.
The Baylor Bears have an excellent college basketball team
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The Baylor Bears basketball team has been one of the top squads in college basketball throughout the entire 2020-21 season. The Bears ranked second in the AP poll for the majority of the year and never ranked lower than No. 3. Baylor has also only lost two games throughout the entire year heading into the national championship game, which helped the Bears get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Baylor’s team is really stacked with talent, too. Jared Butler is one of the country’s best players. He has averaged 16.6 points per game on 41.5% shooting from 3-point range this season. The Bears also have MaCio Teague, who has averaged 15.8 points per game and four rebounds. Davion Mitchell has added 14 points per game as well to go with 5.5 assists, while Matthew Mayer and Adam Flagler have both averaged over eight points per game.
All of that talent ultimately helped the Baylor Bears coast through the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Hartford in the first round, Wisconsin in the round of 32, and Villanova in the Sweet 16. This was all before beating Arkansas in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four. Baylor then dominated Houston in the Final Four, winning 78-59, to clinch a spot in the national championship game against Gonzaga.
The team’s tourney success has since given Baylor a chance to win its first-ever national championship.
Baylor University has never won a national championship
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Baylor University has had a decent amount of college basketball success, especially over the past decade, but the program has never won a national title. After not making the NCAA Tournament until 1945-46, the Bears actually made it to the national championship game in 1947-48. They, however, lost to Kentucky, 58-42.
Baylor then reached the Final Four in 1949-50 but didn’t make the NCAA Tournament again for nearly 40 years. The Bears failed to reach the big dance after that until 1987-88, and then didn’t make the tournament again until 2007-08. Overall, Baylor only made it to March Madness twice from 1950-51 through 2008-09.
However, ever since Scott Drew took over in 2003-04, the program has been one of the best in the country. The Bears have only missed the NCAA Tournament four times since 2007-08 and had one of college basketball’s best teams in 2019-20 before the season ended early due to COVID-19. Baylor has also made three Elite Eight trips with Drew and has been to the Sweet 16 five times. Their trip to the Final Four in 2020-21 was also the third time the program ever made it to that round.
Despite not having a ton of success before Scott Drew, Baylor University has since become one of the most feared programs in college basketball. The Bears seem to be making all of Waco proud.
Stats courtesy of ESPN and Sports Reference
