Baylor tops rankings for 1st time

A decades-long Baylor fan got emotional with coach Scott Drew after the Bears won their last game to remain one of two undefeated teams in the country.

The fan told Drew, “I thought we could go to a Final Four, but I never thought I’d see the day when Baylor was ranked No. 1.”

That day came Monday, when the Bears (15-0) moved up a spot to the top of The Associated Press poll for the first time.

Baylor wasn’t even getting votes in the Top 25 poll at the start of the season, when its football team was in the midst of a 7-6 season overshadowed by scandal.

Now Baylor is the 59th school to be ranked No. 1 since the AP men’s basketball poll started in the 194849 season.

When Drew got to Baylor in 2003, the program was ravaged by the murder of a player by a teammate and scandalized by the former coach who had tried to cover up NCAA violations in the aftermath. There were significant scholarship and recruiting restrictions, and even a season when the Bears were allowed to play only their Big 12 Conference games.

They overcame all that, going to six NCAA tournaments in the last nine seasons and twice getting to regional finals before losing to the eventual national champion.

“Everyone has goals and dreams, but few have the reality to see them achieved,” Drew said. “When we were scouring the campus to fill out half the team with walk-ons, we dreamed of one day having a chance to be ranked No. 1, to win a national championship, go to a Final Four. Every step that we’ve achieved has laid the foundation for the next step.”

Also: Duke announced Amile Jefferson will not play Tuesday against Florida State because he bruised a bone in his right foot during Saturday’s win against Boston College. … Georgetown transfer Isaac Copeland told ESPN he will continue his career at Nebraska. … St. John’s recruit Zach Brown was charged with a first-degree petty theft misdemeanor and driving with a suspended license and an expired tag, the Miami Herald reported.