Baylor's brilliance built on sacrifice, selflessness

Star guards' decision to put NBA journey on hold key to title triumph

Becoming national champion was a far-fetched dream when Scott Drew first uttered that possibility during his introduction as Baylor's coach after taking over a decimated and scandal-plagued program nearly 18 years ago.

Yet a title felt oh-so-reachable for All-American guard Jared Butler and his backcourt mates MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell last season, after the Bears set a Big 12 record with 23 consecutive wins while spending five weeks as the nation's No 1 team. Their championship opportunity, however, got instantaneously wiped out by the pandemic and the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.

So they all came back for another season together－and will leave Baylor as national champs.