By Ben Everett | Sports Editor
As Baylor men’s basketball prepares to face Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, they do so having defied expectations.
Baylor missed out on the NCAA Tournament last season and graduated four key players. The Bears were picked ninth in the preseason Big 12 poll prior to this year. Four of five starters put on a Baylor uniform for the first time this season. The Bears lost to Texas Southern and Stephen F. Austin during the non-conference and opened conference play with sophomore forward Tristan Clark going down with a knee injury.