MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kim Mulkey, coach of top-ranked Baylor, said the Bears are gearing up for a large crowd and a spirited rematch against West Virginia on Saturday night at the Coliseum.
“Sometimes you’d like to have a night off, but when you wear that target, with it comes a lot of responsibility,” Mulkey said. “You certainly would like to be a program that is recognized and not a program that nobody cares about.”
Baylor (27-1, 16-0 Big 12) won the first meeting 76-58 in Waco, Texas, on Jan. 19, but West Virginia (17-10, 9-7) enters on a three-game winning streak that has bolstered its NCAA at-large hopes. Of course, stopping Baylor’s 25-game win streak and beating the defending national champions would be a huge feather.
“The kids understand what it means to be No. 1, and they understand they’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Mulkey said. “How we’ve responded to that has been pretty remarkable, to have only lost one basketball game in two years.”
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