Amanda Knapp
The Baylor Bears are part of the Big 12 Conference, which was founded in February 1994. Baylor has a historic rivalry with TCU, known as the Revivalry, which is one of the longest-running in college football, with the two universities having played each other 120 times since 1899. The Baylor Bears men's basketball program has had its fair share of successes and scandals. They won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2013 and claimed their first NCAA championship title in 2021.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| Year of Formation | February 1994 |
| Number of Initial Members | 12 |
| Members | Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU, West Virginia, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah |
| Number of Members in 2023 | 13 |
| Number of Members in 2024 | 14 |
| Sports with Full Participation by the Entire Conference | Basketball, Football, and Golf |
| Number of Rivalries Protected After 2024 Expansion | 4 |
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What You'll Learn
Baylor Bears' conference history
The Baylor Bears are currently part of the Big 12 Conference, which was founded in February 1994. The conference was formed when all eight members of the former Big Eight Conference joined with half of the members of the former Southwest Conference (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech). Athletic play in the conference began in the fall of 1996, with the Texas Tech vs. Kansas State football game being the first-ever sports event staged by the conference.
The Baylor Bears men's basketball program has had a rich history, dating back to the mid-1950s when the "Old Fight" fight song was enacted. The team has appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times and won the championship in 2013. Their combined NIT record is 10-5.
The Bears made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 38 years in 1988 under coach Gene Iba. However, the program was plagued by a scandal in 2003 when player Patrick Dennehy was murdered by his former teammate Carlton Dotson. Then-coach Dave Bliss resigned amid allegations of NCAA rules violations and improper media statements. As a result, the school imposed a one-year postseason ban and limited scholarships for two years, while the NCAA initiated a non-conference ban for the 2005-06 season.
In recent years, the Baylor Bears men's basketball team has seen great success. In 2021, they defeated Gonzaga to win their first NCAA championship in school history. The 2019-20 season is also considered one of the greatest in program history, with the team going on a 23-game win streak and rising to #1 in the country. The Bears have consistently been ranked within the top 12 and have had notable wins against teams like Kansas and Washington.
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Baylor's rivalry with TCU
Baylor University's basketball team, the Baylor Bears, compete in the Big 12 Conference. Baylor's rivalry with TCU is known as the Bluebonnet Battle or informally as The Revivalry. The rivalry is one of the longest-running in college football, with the two universities having played each other 120 times since 1899, making it the most-played college rivalry in the State of Texas.
Between 1899 and 1910, when both Baylor and TCU were located in Waco, the Bears and Horned Frogs frequently faced off multiple times per season. Baylor was independent until it became a founding member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) in 1915. TCU joined the SWC in 1923, and after that, Baylor and TCU played each other 69 times as SWC foes until the SWC disbanded in 1995. After a 10-year hiatus, the rivalry was renewed for a few seasons from 2006 onwards, and TCU joined Baylor in the Big 12 Conference in 2012, where they continue to play each other annually as part of their regular-season conference schedules.
The rivalry has produced several memorable, close contests. For example, in 2011, Baylor won 50–48 with a fourth-quarter drive led by Robert Griffin III, setting up Aaron Jones' game-winning field goal. In 2014, Baylor came back from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 61–58 with a last-second field goal by Chris Callahan. This outcome was critical in knocking TCU out of the inaugural College Football Playoff. In 2015, the game was played on Thanksgiving Friday in Fort Worth amid pouring rain and ended with a TCU victory in the second overtime. In 2019, Baylor outlasted TCU in triple overtime, and in 2022, TCU won a close game 29–28 with a walk-off field goal. Baylor won in 2024 by a score of 37–34 with a walk-off field goal of their own.
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The Big 12 Conference
The Baylor Bears men's basketball team competes in the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 Conference was founded in February 1994 when all eight members of the former Big Eight Conference joined forces with half of the members of the former Southwest Conference. These four Texas universities were Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.
The Baylor Bears have enjoyed success in the Big 12 Conference, finishing the regular season with a record of 26-4 and a 15-3 conference mark, the most wins they had recorded in conference play. They remained ranked within the top 5 for the second half of the season and were considered by many to be a potential 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Baylor-TCU rivalry, also known as the Revivalry, is one of the longest-running in college football, with the two universities having played each other 120 times since 1899. In addition to TCU, Baylor also leads Texas Tech and West Virginia in their all-time series against Big 12 Conference opponents as of the beginning of the 2019-2020 season.
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Baylor's 2021 NCAA championship win
Baylor University's men's basketball team competes in the Big 12 Conference, which was founded in February 1994. The conference initially comprised all eight members of the former Big Eight Conference, along with four members of the former Southwest Conference: Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.
In 2021, Baylor won its first-ever NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament championship, defeating the previously undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs 86-70 in the final. This victory also marked the end of Gonzaga's perfect season. Baylor's win was the culmination of a highly successful season, which began with an 18-game winning streak and included the Big 12 regular-season title.
The 2020-21 Baylor Bears roster featured several key players, including Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, and Davion Mitchell, who all returned from the previous season. The team also added significant transfers, such as Adam Flagler and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua. Baylor's offense was the second-most efficient in the country that season, showcasing their talent, athleticism, and shooting ability.
The championship game against Gonzaga saw Baylor jump out to an 11-1 start and maintain a 10-point lead at halftime. The Bears shot 43.5% from beyond the three-point line, forced 14 Gonzaga turnovers, and dominated the rebounds, grabbing 16 offensive boards. This impressive performance secured Baylor's first national championship title, fulfilling coach Scott Drew's vision when he joined the university in 2003.
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The Big 12's athletic events
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It was founded in February 1994 when all eight members of the former Big Eight Conference joined forces with half of the members of the former Southwest Conference (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech) to form a new conference, with athletic play beginning in 1996. The first-ever sports event staged by the conference was a Texas Tech vs. Kansas State football game.
The Big 12 Conference is one of the nation's premier athletic conferences and currently consists of 16 full-member universities, including 3 private universities and 13 public universities. These universities are spread across the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
The conference sponsors 23 sports, with the only men's sports featuring full participation by the entire conference being basketball, football, and golf. Other men's sports include baseball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, swimming and diving, tennis, and wrestling. The Big 12 fields 14 teams for wrestling.
For women, the only sports with full participation by the entire conference are basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, indoor track, and outdoor track. Other women's sports include equestrian, golf, gymnastics, rowing, softball, swimming and diving, and volleyball.
The Big 12 Conference is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition. The conference is also one of the Power Four conferences, the four highest-earning and most historically successful FBS football conferences.
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Frequently asked questions
Baylor University's basketball team, the Baylor Bears, plays in the Big 12 Conference.
The Big 12 Conference was founded in February 1994.
Other universities that are part of the Big 12 Conference include Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas, and West Virginia.
