Men’s Basketball
The men’s team bolsters a winning record at the midpoint of the season. Most recently, it beat Utah for the second time time this season last Saturday, 71-61, but was defeated by BYU 89-93 in overtime this week. Superstar freshman VJ Edgecombe has proven his place among the greats this season, leading with 28 points against BYU, followed by freshman point guard Robert O. Wright III with 22 points. The Bears move into their matchup with Kansas on Saturday at home with a 13-7 record overall, 5-4 in Big 12 Conference play.
The team was also chosen to represent the United States at the 2025 FISU World University Summer Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, in July.
Women’s Basketball
The No. 25 women’s team currently holds a 17-5 record overall, 7-2 in Big 12 Conference play. Last Sunday the team was defeated by No. 9 TCU 75-80, the Horned Frogs’ first victory over Baylor in their last 37 contests since 1990. The Bears redeemed themselves Wednesday with a 75-64 win over UCF. Coach Nicki Collen admitted after the game the team didn’t play “the prettiest basketball, but glad to get back on the winning side,” according to Baylor’s post-game recap. The ladies will host their next matchup against Cincinnati on Sunday at home.
Baylor boosts Foster Pavilion Entertainment beyond basketball
Foster Pavilion, home to both basketball teams, celebrated one year of being open with more exciting news beyond basketball – Nashville-based entertainment and digital marketing company Noise New Media will head strategic event booking for the venue via a three-year contract. Under an agreement with the City of Waco, which contributed some $18.7 million to the facility’s $212.6 million construction, the venue will host at least 10 university events annually, including fine arts shows, performances, or other events. It will also host at least 10 ticketed entertainment events open to the publicover the next two years, including music, theater, comedy, or non-Baylor sports competitions.
Bears take the Bowl
2017 Baylor grad Porter Ellett is headed to his third straight Super Bowl on staff with the Kansas City Chiefs. Ellett, known as Coach Andy Reid’s “left-hand man,” has been on staff for the Chief’s last three Super Bowl victories, joining the team as Reid’s personal assistant while he was a master’s student in 2017 and progressing to now an assistant running backs coach.
And alum Mark Blitch was selected as a top-three finalist for his 30-second commercial entry in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. Blitch’s comical commercial, “Charades,” has the chance to win $1 million and is based off his own experience playing Pictionary with his family.
Baylor University Awarded $2.48 Million Grant for Black Gospel Archive
Baylor’s Black Gospel Archive got a $2.48 million boost from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support:
- A major expansion of the Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center, including $200,000 in state-of-the-art exhibits and new instructional space
- A four-year concert series to be held in Waco, Detroit, and Chicago
- The launch of a fully searchable online version of the discography
- And the creation of a traveling Black Gospel music exhibit
- create a four-year concert series, and hire staff starting this year, on top of other projects. The expanded listening center will include another $200,000 in state-of-the-art exhibits and instructional space.
Baylor Expert: Top 3 Challenges of Return to Office Mandates for Employers and Employees
Anybody else having a hard time returning to the office full time? Management expert Dr. Sara Jansen says working from home is likely to continue existing in some form for many workers and organizations, and offers tips for those returning to office this year. Emotional resistance to the change, risks of turnover, and finding a new collective in-office rhythm were cited as employers’ greatest challenges to Return to Office mandates. Employees’ greatest challenges included emotional resistance and effects on personal morale, viewing the required practical changes as opportunities, and setting boundaries and expectations around the new in-office rhythm.
Study Unlocks Parental Identity with New Lens on Education Spending
A new study led by Dr. Lingjiang Lora Tu of the Hankamer School of Business and published in the Journal of Business Research shows that psychological factors – including a parent’s self views of connectedness to others – are drivers of parental education spending, not ethnicity as previously suggested. “The study shows that parents’ self-view – whether as independent or as part of a collective – plays a more crucial role than ethnicity or race in how they prioritize their children’s education,” Tu said in Baylor Media and Public Relations’ article. “These findings have important implications for understanding parental education spending and designing effective interventions.”
The Days Blur Together: Study Shows How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Perceptions of Time… and Our Mental Well-being
Sociologists Drs. Matthew Andersson and Paul Froese found Americans during the pandemic perceived time distortion – slowness, quickness, and the blending of days and weeks – and generally felt rushed. Altered time perception was connected to a decline in individuals’ mental well-being and was frequently reported alongside economic strain, working from home, homeschooling, and household conflict, among other pandemic-related stressors.
LSU defeats Baylor 44-31 in Texas Bowl; Bears dismiss defensive coaching staff members
The bears suffered a tough loss to the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl on New Year’s Eve, putting an end to an 8-4 season. Following the game, the team announced it would be releasing outside linebackers coach Caleb Collins and cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis, who have been with the Bears since 2020 and 2021, respectively. Joining the coaching staff will be outside linebackers coach Carson Hall, most recently the defensive line coach at Western Kentucky, and cornerbacks coach Paul Gonzales, a 13-year veteran of TCU’s staff.
