Baylor Bears women's basketball


The Baylor Bears women's basketball team represents Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. They currently compete in the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games in the Foster Pavilion. Before the 2021–22 season, the team had been known as the "Lady Bears", but on September 3, 2021, the school officially announced that women's basketball had dropped "Lady" from its nickname. At the same time, soccer and volleyball, the other two Baylor women's teams that were still using "Lady" in their nicknames, also abandoned that usage.
The then-Lady Bears went undefeated at 40–0 to become the 2012 NCAA Division I National Champions in Women's College Basketball.
WWW baylorbears.com/sports/w-...𝕏 BaylorWBB

History

Olga Fallen years (1974–1979)

Olga joined the faculty of Baylor University in 1956 and served as an assistant professor of physical education through 1997. She developed Baylor's women's athletic program from its beginning within the physical education department in 1959 and from 1972 to 1979, served as the coordinator of women's athletics. She was inducted into the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. Under her coaching the softball team, advanced to the AIAW regional tournament in 1978 and 1979. The Bearette basketball team posted a five-year record of 143–50 and earned two consecutive bids to the national AIAW tournament in 1976 and 1977, rated fifth and seventh in the nation those years.

Sonja Hogg years (1994–2000)

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Kim Mulkey years (2000–2021)

In 2000, Kim Mulkey took over a Baylor program that had made the WNIT Finals in 1998 and made a return trip to the WNIT in 1999. In her first season at Baylor she led the Lady Bears program to its first NCAA tournament bid. The Lady Bears have now put together 19 consecutive 20-win seasons and only once has the team lost more than 10 games in a season. The rise of the Baylor program under Mulkey was capped off in 2005 with a national title. This made her the fourth person to have won NCAA Division I basketball titles as a player and a head coach and the first woman to do so. The Lady Bears also captured the 2012 title with an undefeated season and the 2019 title. Mulkey departed the program for LSU in 2021.
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Nicki Collen era (2021–present)

Nicki Collen, previously 2018 WNBA Coach of the Year WNBA's Atlanta Dream, replaced Mulkey as head coach after the latter's departure for LSU.

Conference honors and awards

Southwest Conference Player of the Year
  • Mary Lowry
Big 12 Coach of the Year
Big 12 Player of the Year
Big 12 Freshman of the Year
Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
Big 12 Sixth Woman Award
Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player

National honors and awards

USBWA National Freshman of the Year
  • Brittney Griner – 2009–10
  • Odyssey Sims – 2010–11
Elite 90 Award
  • Lindsay Palmer – 2010, 2012
Wade Trophy
  • Brittney Griner – 2011–12, 2012–13
  • Odyssey Sims – 2013–14
  • NaLyssa Smith – 2020–21
Naismith College Player of the Year
  • Brittney Griner – 2011–12, 2012–13
Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
  • Sheila Lambert – 2001–02
  • Odyssey Sims – 2013–14
WBCA Defensive Player of the Year
  • Brittney Griner – 2010–11, 2011–12
  • DiDi Richards – 2019–20
NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player
Nancy Lieberman Award – Nation's top collegiate point guard
  • Odyssey Sims – 2013–14
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award

All-time series records against current & former Big 12 members

  • As of Fall 2021
ALL-TIME BIG 12 WINS AS OF 2018–2019
289 – Baylor,
240 – Oklahoma,
232 – Texas,
221 – Iowa State,
192 – Kansas State,
182 – Texas Tech,
152 – Oklahoma State,
126 – Kansas,
71 – West Virginia,
50 – TCU

Year by year results

Conference tournament winners noted with # Source

Postseason results

NCAA Division I

The Bears have appeared in 23 tournaments, with a record of 53–17.
2001#8First Round#9 ArkansasL 59–68
2002#2First Round
Second Round		#15 Bucknell
  1. 7 Drake
W 80–56L 72–76
2004#4First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#13 Loyola Marymount
  1. 5 Florida
  2. 1 Tennessee
W 71–60W 91–76
L 69–71
2005#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		#15 Illinois State
  1. 10 Oregon
  2. 3 Minnesota
  3. 1 North Carolina
  4. 1 LSU
  5. 1 Michigan State
W 91–70W 69–46
W 64–57
W 72–63
W 68–57
W 84–62
2006#3First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#14 Northern Arizona
  1. 11 New Mexico
  2. 2 Maryland
W 74–56W 87–67
L 63–82
2007#5First Round
Second Round		#12 Chattanooga
  1. 4 NC State
W 68–55L 72–78
2008#3First Round
Second Round		#14 Fresno State
  1. 6 Pittsburgh
W 68–55L 72–78
2009#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#15 UTSA
  1. 7 South Dakota State
  2. 3 Louisville
W 87–82 W 60–58
L 39–56
2010#4First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four		#13 Fresno State
  1. 5 Georgetown
  2. 1 Tennessee
  3. 2 Duke
  4. 1 Connecticut
W 69–55W 49–33
W 77–62
W 51–48
L 50–70
2011#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#16 Prairie View A&M
  1. 9 West Virginia
  2. 5 Green Bay
  3. 2 Texas A&M
W 66–30W 82–68
W 86–76
L 46–58
2012#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		#16 UC Santa Barbara
  1. 9 Florida
  2. 4 Georgia Tech
  3. 2 Tennessee
  4. 1 Stanford
  5. 1 Notre Dame
W 81–40W 76–57
W 83–68
W 77–58
W 59–47
W 80–61
2013#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#16 Prairie View A&M
  1. 8 Florida State
  2. 5 Louisville
W 82–40W 85–47
L 81–82
2014#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#15 Western Kentucky
  1. 7 California
  2. 3 Kentucky
  3. 1 Notre Dame
W 87–74W 75–56
W 90–72
L 69–88
2015#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#15 Northwestern State
  1. 10 Arkansas
  2. 3 Iowa
  3. 1 Notre Dame
W 77–36W 73–44
W 81–66
L 68–77
2016#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#16 Idaho
  1. 9 Auburn
  2. 5 Florida State
  3. 2 Oregon State
W 89–59W 84–52
W 78–58
L 57–60
2017#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#16 Texas Southern
  1. 9 California
  2. 4 Louisville
  3. 2 Mississippi State
W 119–30W 86–46
W 97–63
L 85–94
2018#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#15 Grambling State
  1. 7 Michigan
  2. 3 Oregon State
W 96–46W 80–58
L 67–72
2019#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		#16 Abilene Christian
  1. 8 California
  2. 4 South Carolina
  3. 2 Iowa
  4. 2 Oregon
  5. 1 Notre Dame
W 95–38W 102–63
W 93–68
W 85–53
W 72–67
W 82–81
2021#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#15 Jackson State
  1. 7 Virginia Tech
  2. 6 Michigan
  3. 1 UConn
W 101–52W 90–48
W 78–75
L 67–69
2022#2First Round
Second Round		#15 Hawaii
  1. 10 South Dakota
W 89–49L 47–67
2023#7First Round
Second Round		#10 Alabama
  1. 2 UConn
W 78–74L 58–77
2024#5First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#12 Vanderbilt
  1. 4 Virginia Tech
  2. 1 USC
W 80–63W 75–72
L 70–74
2025#4First Round
Second Round		#13 Grand Canyon
  1. 5 Ole Miss
W 73–60L 63–69

NCAA Tournament Seeding History

The following lists where the Bears have been seeded in the NCAA tournament.
Years →'01'02'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'21'22'23'24'25
Seeds →82423532411122112122754

AIAW Division I

The Lady Bears made two appearances in the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 5–3.
1976First Round
Quarterfinals
Consolation Second Round		Southern Connecticut
Delta State
Tennessee Tech		W, 76–72
L, 57–97
L, 78–89
1977First Round
Quarterfinals
Consolation Second Round
Consolation Third Round
Fifth Place Game		Saint Joseph's
LSU
Missouri
Utah
Southern Connecticut		W, 85–75
L, 64–71
W, 85–75
W, 77–52
W, 71–69