The Green Dream has died.
Baylor's bid for the NCAA Tournament ended with a 73-60 loss to Missouri in the Big 12 men's tournament championship game. Baylor, the ninth seed, had won three straight games, including an upset win over top seed Kansas, to reach the tournament final and a shot at the NCAA automatic bid.
The Bears reverted to their form for most of a disappointing regular season. Baylor closed Missouri's margin to 51-46 on Kevin Rogers' bucket with 11 1/2 minutes to go. But Missouri, the No. 3 seed, went on a 12-2 run to build a 63-48 lead and Baylor never mounted a serious charge.
Baylor started taking too many bad shots. LaceDarius Dunn, coming off a clutch performance in the win over Texas on Friday, was 3-of-17 shooting. Baylor had only eight assists, an indication of a lack of ball movement.
The tournament run salvaged a lot of pride for the Bears, who seemed weighed down by expectations this season after reaching the NCAA Tournament last year.
-- Vince Langford
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