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A historic year for Central Texas hoops

Seven of the eight college basketball teams in Central Texas qualified for the postseason, but five of them won their regular season conference championships.

WACO, Texas — It's been a historic basketball season in Central Texas.

Headlined by Baylor winning the Big 12 in both men's and women's hoops. But that success has spanned across the area with seven college teams in Central Texas qualifying for the postseason.

Seven of the eight college basketball teams in Central Texas qualified for the postseason, but five of them won their regular season conference championships.

So the question must be asked, Is Central Texas the hottest area in the country in college hoops?

"A lot of great players that really put the school first and have been able to achieve a lot because of that, so, a lot of exciting time," said Baylor men's basketball head coach Scott drew. "There's a lot of success all the way up and down I-35 here"

Central Texas has taken the college basketball world by storm.

Across the men's and women's game, seven of the eight teams in the area made either the NCAA or junior college regional tournament.

Five of those seven, won their regular-season conference championships.

So, we asked UMBH men's coach Clif Carrol the question:

"Is this one of the hottest areas in the country in college basketball? I don't think there's any doubt about it," said Carrol. "A lot of great coaches. There's not a better coach in the world than Mark Morefield. There's a lot of great coaches, I'm definitely at the bottom of that, I'm trying to get on their level."

Carrol guided his crusaders to their first elite eight in nine years in just his second year in Belton.

In the same gym, Mark Morefield has now guided UMHB's women's team to three-straight sweet 16's in the program's first three NCAA tournaments.

"You look at the Houston area, the Dallas area, which obviously has more of an influx of colleges and universities that have that, but yet, here we are in Central Texas between Waco and Belton and yet, I feel by the numbers, the most success is happening right here in Central Texas," Mark Morefield, 

As the final leg of the postseason begins Friday, when Baylor's proud women's team opens its NCAA tournament, it does so with a platform for an area with no really major cities. 

"It's very close to a lot of places to get to, whether it's Dallas, whether it's San Antonio, Austin, you can get to Houston," said Morefield. 

An area still running the state in college basketball, as its flagship programs look to cut down another net to bring home.

Focusing solely on UMHB and Baylor, the UMHB men hosted the NCAA tournament first and second rounds late last month and were just three points in overtime shy of a trip to their own final four and the women were the two-seed in their first weekend pod in Memphis.

Read more: kcentv.com

    

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