MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The last time Baylor won a conference championship in men's basketball, Bill Henderson was the coach. The year was 1950 and the Bears played in the Final Four that season.
Tuesday, No. 3 Baylor beat No. 6 West Virginia, 94-89 in overtime inside WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
The game started with a quick 8-0 Baylor run forcing WVU in to a timeout.
After struggling at Kansas, BU star Jared Butler hit multiple big shots including a long 2 at the buzzer in the first half to give the Bear a three-point halftime lead.
In the early minutes of the second half, West Virginia tied the game at 40 before Butler hit a 3 to give Baylor the lead, again. After that shot, the Mountaineers went on a 10-0 run to take a 50-43 lead and force Scott Drew to call a timeout.
The final two minutes were back-and-forth, with Matthew Mayer and Jared Butler helping the Bears trade haymakers with West Virginia. Butler eventually hit a lay-up with :02.1 left in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Baylor next hosts No. 17 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. Thursday in Waco. A win would clinch the Big 12 title for the Bears, the first conference championship for the men's program since 1950.