Elite Eight, Final Four - A Bevy of Riches

Ok, y'all, if you've been reading this blog for more than half a minute you know about my unbridled enthusiasm for all things Baylor-related. I'm a HUGE football fan(atic), love the Lady Bears (my fam watched Kim Mulkey play her way through La Tech after all), and I've recently become VERY fond of our men's basketball team as well.

Why?

Well, because I've sort of become Twitter friends with a few of them. And also because it's the senior year for both Tweety Carter and Josh Lomers. These are two absolutely amazing young men (one of whom happens to be from Louisiana) who made the commitment to play basketball here when there was not really a program (at least a good/successful one) to speak of.

They came when we were under extreme sanctions by the NCAA after the horrid summer of '03 and the resulting scandal. They came because they wanted to be a part of something special.

And they were.

And will forever be Baylor heroes.

I must admit to my anger that Sunday's game truly seemed to be decided by officiating. It wasn't fair, in my opinion, for these guys to go out this way. For, you see, the team is FULL of awesome young men who have a passion for basketball and Jesus.

Ekpe Udoh, Fred Ellis, Quincy Acy, AJ Walton, Lacedarius Dunn (also a Louisiana boy - are you sensing a pattern? :-), Anthony Jones...the list goes on, y'all.

BUT they are still rock stars. They are an Elite Eight team. And no one can ever take that away from them. Even the Big 12 coaches who picked them to finish 10th in the conference in the pre-season poll.

Love, love, love them all!!

I also have a particular affinity for the Lady Bears. Brittney Griner is an amazing player (who should not be defined by one moment in time) and Melissa Jones is truly the heartbeat of this young team. Morghan Medlock is another one with a heart of a champion (did you know her mother was murdered last season and she had to grow up WAY too fast?) and I could not be happier that they - with ice water in their veins - found a way to beat Duke last night.

We are Final Four bound, my friends!

And you know what? The Final Four is in San Antonio.

And we're going!!!!!

Well, not Dave, but Tay and I are going with my parents and good family friend Aunt Anna. We could not be more excited (unless Davey was with us) about this outing. Besides, how can the Christian school lose on Easter Sunday, right? Even if we will probably play UConn...

Anyway, Dave isn't going because he just can't sit very long these days due to his knee. The trip there alone would rock his rehabbing little world so he's decided to rest up for next year because...

...the men's Final Four is in Houston in 2011!!!

It's a veritable bevy of riches. And the Bowers family could not be more proud to be Baylor Bears. :-)

Sic 'em, y'all!!!