Baylor Beats Arkansas 81-72 for First Final Four in 71 Years
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Baylor reached the Final Four for the first time in 71 years, getting 22 points from MaCio Teague and a dominating defensive performance from Davion Mitchell to beat Arkansas 81-72.
The South Region final was a reunion of former Southwest Conference programs aiming to join another (Houston) in the Final Four.
The top-seeded Bears had not been able to get over the Elite Eight hump in two previous tries under Scott Drew and appeared to be barreling toward a blowout. The Razorbacks trimmed an 18-point lead down to four.
The Bears ran away from there, right into next weekend’s Final Four against the Cougars.
Baylor faces No. 2 Houston, which nearly blew a 17-point lead before shaking off 11th-seeded Oregon State 67-61, come Saturday for a spot in the national championship game.