Baylor: 2022 Sugar Bowl Champions

NEW ORLEANS -- — A Sugar Bowl showdown against Mississippi and coach Lane Kiffin's explosive, Southeastern Conference-leading offense provided a high-profile platform for Baylor to validate its old-school formula of ball control and aggressive defense.

Al Walcott set a Sugar Bowl record with a 96-yard interception return, Monaray Baldwin raced 48 yards for the go-ahead score on an end around, and sixth-ranked Baylor beat No. 8 Mississippi 21-7 Saturday night as injured Rebels quarterback Matt Corral watched from the sideline on crutches.

Abram Smith rushed for 172 yards to finish with a single-season record 1,601 for Big 12 champion Baylor (12-2), which won 12 games in a season for the first time. The defense did the rest, finishing with 10 sacks — two by game MVP Terrel Bernard — and three interceptions.

"I would not put it as necessarily as a point to prove," Baylor coach Dave Aranda said when summing up the significance of the victory. "I would say it as more of an identity to show. ... Just to take the stage and to take the lights and the crowd and all of that and to, like, be us — all the way, man.

"You want other people to see it," Aranda continued. "I'm appreciative that we had the opportunity, and we took advantage of it."

Corral, a dual-threat star QB and projected high-round NFL draft choice, became one of the big stories of the Sugar Bowl because of his decision to play, rather than opt out and minimize injury risks in advance of turning pro.

Corral had accounted for 3,936 total yards and 31 touchdowns during the regular season. But his hopes of going out with a flourish in a New Year's Day bowl faded on Ole Miss' third series, when he was sacked from behind by Cole Maxwell amid a cluster of players. When he was helped up and off the field, Corral didn't put weight on his right foot.

"We were devastated," running back Jerrion Ealy said. "But we still had a game to play."

Corral was carted to the locker room for X-rays, which Kiffin said were negative, before returning to the sideline wearing his red undershirt and using two black crutches.

Kiffin said his focus on the game plan suffered when Corral went down.

"Maybe I didn't do a great enough job with the team because I was really hurting for (Corral) in that situation, because I know how much he's put into it, how much it means to him," Kiffin said. "For that to be taken away like that really sucks."

Freshman quarterback Luke Altmyer took over for Ole Miss (10-3) and led the Rebels to the Baylor 12-yard line on his first series, only to have his pass to the left flat tipped and then intercepted by Walcott, who raced down the right sideline for the only points of the first half. The interception return was the longest in the Sugar Bowl's 88-game history.

The Rebels' defense managed to hold Baylor's offense scoreless through three quarters, allowing Ole Miss to tie it on Altmyer's 37-yard timing pass down the right sideline to Braylon Sanders.

Ole Miss was poised to take the lead when Cole Nation lined up for a 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but his kick sailed just wide right.

Baylor responded with Baldwin's first collegiate touchdown on a season-long run for the seldom-used freshman, who entered the game with five rushes and one catch.

"The key was getting a quick handoff," Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon said. "We had numbers and leverage and took advantage of that, and that guy, when he gets rolling, he's rolling."

Baylor finished with 279 yards on the ground

"In our running back room, one thing that we establish is bully ball," Smith said. "So we kind of just live by that. It will be a grind, but those 4 yards, 6 yards, they will eventually pop for 20, maybe 40."

Altmyer's second interception, picked off by safety J.T. Woods on a pass over the middle, set up Bohanon's 2-yard scoring pass to Tyquan Thornton for the game's final score.

"Magnificent defensive performance by them," Kiffin said. "They outcoached us today. ... Dave has done that to a lot of people, including myself at times."

THE TAKEAWAY

After Corral's injury and a pick-6 on Altmyer's first series, the Bears' odds of imposing their style of play on the game only improved. Woods had two interceptions and Baylor held Ole Miss to 322 yards, well below its average of 506.7 coming in.

Ole Miss' defense kept the Rebels close after Corral's injury, shutting out the Baylor offense until less than 12 minutes remained. But with Corral out, Kiffin's offense wasn't the same despite flashes of playmaking by Altmyer, who was 15 of 29 for 174 yards.

"You could definitely see a little bit of a change" in Mississippi's offense, Woods said about when Corral left the game. "He's their heart and soul."

It didn't help that first-string place kicker Caden Costa was suspended for a banned substance. Nation missed two field goal attempts, the first from 49 yards in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Opens the 2022 season at home against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 3. The Bears have 14 senior starters to replace, including Smith as well as their top two receivers, Thompson and R.J. Sneed. They're also losing Big 12 defensive player of the year Jalen Pitre.

Mississippi: The Rebels open their 2022 season at home against Troy on Sept. 3. Altmyer will be a frontrunner to replace Corral. Ole Miss also will be looking to fill voids at receiver with Dontario Drummond, Jahcour Pearson and Sanders all finishing their careers. Ealy said he's turning pro. On defense, the Rebels will be looking for an edge rusher to replace sack leader Sam Williams, who is moving on to the NFL.

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Baylor: 2021 NCAA Division I Men's National Basketball Champions

  

INDIANAPOLIS – Eighteen years ago, Scott Drew said he came to Baylor "for a chance to win a national championship."

            Monday night, he did.

            Led by 69 points from the backcourt quartet of Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell and Adam Flagler, the Baylor Bears put an end to top-ranked Gonzaga's undefeated season with a resounding 86-70 victory in the national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium.

            Baylor (28-2), putting a bow around the best season in program history, jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes and never trailed in handing the Bulldogs (31-1) their first loss in an otherwise perfect season.

            Gonzaga, trying to become just the eighth undefeated national champion and first since Indiana went 32-0 in 1976, whittled a 19-point lead down to 10 by halftime, 47-37, and even got back within single digits in the first six minutes of the second half.

            But, the Bears responded with a 9-2 run capped by a Flagler 3-pointer that pushed the lead back to 16.

            Butler scored 12 of his 22 points in the second half and matched Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs for game-high scoring honors to earn Most Outstanding Player honors on a Final Four all-tournament team that included Mitchell, Suggs, the Bulldogs' Drew Timme and UCLA's Johnny Juzang.

            Teague (19), Mitchell (15) and Flagler (13) also scored in double figures and Mark Vital chipped in with six points and 11 boards, helping the Bears dominate the rebounding battle, 38-22, and outscore Gonzaga, 16-5, in second-chance points.

            Timme and first-team All-American Corey Kispert added 12 points apiece for the Bulldogs, who lost in the final for the second time in the last four tournaments.

            Baylor is just the second men's basketball team from Texas to win a national championship, matching Texas Western's 1966 national title. This is also Baylor's fifth NCAA national championship across all sports and the first in a men's sport since tennis won the school's first in 2004.

Baylor: 2018 Texas Bowl Champions

HOUSTON -- Charlie Brewer threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns, the second a tiebreaking 52-yarder in the fourth quarter, and ran for 109 yards and another score to help Baylor beat Vanderbilt 45-38 in the Texas Bowl on Thursday night.

Brewer connected with Marques Jones for the 52-yard stroke that that made it 45-38 with less than two minutes left. The Bears then stopped Vanderbilt on fourth-and-5 to secure the victory.

Brewer's other touchdown pass was a 75-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter and he scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.

The Bears finished 7-6 a year after they managed just one in coach Matt Rhule's first season.

Vanderbilt (6-7) was led by Kyle Shurmur, who threw for 286 yards and a touchdown, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who ran for two touchdowns and set a Texas Bowl record with 243 yards rushing -- which ranks second in school history. Shurmur moved past Jay Cutler (8,697) for most career yards passing in school history with 8,865.

Baylor led by 3 with about 10 1/2 minutes left when a pass intended for Denzel Mims bounced off of him as he fell in the end zone and was intercepted by Randall Haynie. Haynie grabbed the ball and stood on tiptoes before falling backward out of the end zone.

Two plays later, Vaughn ran 66 yards to get Vanderbilt to the 1, and Khari Blasingame ran it in on the next play to put Vanderbilt up 35-31. The Bears regained the lead when Trestan Ebner scored on the 75-yard catch and run on the first play of the next drive.

Vanderbilt tied it on a 33-yard field goal with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

Ebner's 34-yard touchdown run gave Baylor a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter. The Bears padded the lead when Brewer scrambled for a 1-yard score with about five minutes left in the third.

Vanderbilt had a chance to cut the lead to 3 after that, but Jared Pinkney fumbled after a 32-yard reception and the Bears recovered it at their own 2. But Baylor couldn't move the ball and had to punt.

Shurmur threw a 52-yard pass to Amir Abdur-Rahman to get the Commodores to the 2-yard line and Blasingame scored on the next play to get to 31-28 near the end of the third quarter.

The Commodores took a 7-0 lead when Shurmur connected with Blasingame on a short pass and dashed down the field for a career-long 65-yard touchdown reception on the third play of the game.

The Bears settled for a 23-yard field goal on their first drive before taking a 10-7 lead when John Lovett ran 12 yards for a touchdown with about two minutes left in the first quarter.

Vanderbilt went back on top 14-10 when Vaughn ran 68 yards for a touchdown late in the first.

JaMycal Hasty gave Baylor a 17-14 lead when he scored on an 18-yard run early in the second quarter.

But Vaughn's second long run came not long after that to make it 21-17. Vaughn broke a couple of tackles and then outran the rest of the defense on the 69-yard score. Jameson Houston dove at his feet near the 20-yard line, but barely clipped one of his legs and Vaughn didn't break his stride on the way to the end zone.

THE TAKEAWAY

Both teams showed power on offense but will need to improve on defense, especially in giving up big plays, if they hope to take another step next season.

UP NEXT

Baylor: After the turnaround this season, the Bears should be improved next year with Brewer returning.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores will have to find a replacement for Shurmur, their starter for the last three years, with his record-setting career ending Thursday night.

Baylor: 2016 Cactus Bowl Champions

PHOENIX -- KD Cannon had 14 catches for a Cactus Bowl-record 226 yards and two touchdowns, helping Baylor end a difficult season with a 31-12 victory over Boise State on Tuesday night.

Baylor (7-6) went into a downward spiral the last half of the season after opening with six straight wins. Quarterback Seth Russell suffered a season-ending ankle injury, the sexual assault scandal that cost coach Art Briles his job continued to linger and the losses piled up, six straight to end the regular season.

The Bears ended on a positive note by revving up their quick-hitting offense again behind freshman quarterback Zach Smith, who threw for 375 yards and three scores.

"I couldn't be more proud of these guys," Baylor interim coach Jim Grobe said. "We've been through a lot of adversity together. I love every one of these guys and they know that. This is a family win."

Boise State (10-3) tried to keep up with the Bears, but struggled in the red zone: two field goals, an interception in the end zone and a failed fourth down try.

Boise State started with single coverage on Cannon and the Bears exploited it throughout the first half.

The Baylor junior scored on a 30-yard pass from Smith in the first quarter, out-leaping Boise State's Jonathan Moxey in the end zone, then beat him on a 68-yard score in the second to put Baylor up 14-3. Cannon had eight catches for 182 yards and two TDs by halftime.

"We just had to prove a point," Cannon said. "Coming off a bad season, we had to finish strong for Baylor Nation and coach Briles."

Smith had some ups and downs in three games after Russell broke his ankle, but had a month to prepare for the Cactus Bowl. The freshman from Texas was sharp with the extra work, completing 28 of 39 passes. He also threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ishmael Zamora in the fourth quarter to put Baylor up 31-6.

Boise State's Brett Rypien moved the Broncos up and down the field, but had his share of mistakes.

He threw an interception at the Baylor 5-yard line on Boise State's second drive and had an overthrow on what would likely have been a touchdown later in the first quarter, forcing the Broncos to settle for a field goal.


Rypien also threw an interception in the end zone in the second quarter. He finished with 305 yards and a touchdown on 32-of-51 passing with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

UP NEXT

Baylor will be looking to get back to its winning ways under new coach Matt Rhule. The former Temple coach has already started recruiting, but Grobe coached in the bowl game. Grobe hopes to continue coaching.

Boise State has to replace running back Jeremy McNichols and senior receiver Thomas Sperbeck next season, but Rypien is a sophomore and should only get better.

Baylor Bears: 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl Champions

Baylor-North Carolina was exactly what anyone who tuned into ESPN at 5:30 ET on Monday night expected to see: Two high-powered offenses racing up and down the field with little resistance and rattling the scoreboard. The Bears and Tar Heels combined for 12 touchdowns, 1,243 yards of total offense and 87 points. In the end, Baylor pulled out a 49-38 win in one of the most entertaining bowls of this postseason.

But if this game lived up to its billing as a high-scoring, defense-optional thrill ride, it also added another data point to Art Briles’ sterling coaching résumé. The Bears repeatedly gashed North Carolina’s defense even though they were missing their leading rusher (Shock Linwood), top two quarterbacks (Seth Russell and Jarret Stidham) and Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver (Corey Coleman). Without those dangerous playmakers at his disposal, Briles effectively used the Russell Athletic Bowl as a testing lab. The Tar Heels had no answers for Baylor’s direct snaps. Four Bears completed passes, and five combined for 645 rushing yards—including 333 in the first half, the fourth most by a Football Bowl Subdivision team in 2015, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The total (645) broke the bowl record, previously set by Nebraska (524) in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.

So dominant was Baylor’s running game that the RAB saw fit to razz the Philadelphia Eagles over social media shortly after the team fired head coach Chip Kelly. Here’s Bears running back Johnny Jefferson dashing up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The sophomore finished with 299 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries (13.0 YPC).

There’s a perception that Baylor’s offense is a plug-and-play system that can rotate players in and out without missing a step. Tuesday’s win will reinforce that perception, but for Briles, this was less a preservation of the status quo with different personnel than a tactical adaptation to accommodate a thinned group of playmakers. Baylor ran the ball 84 times, 31.5 more than its season average (52.50), and threw it 18 times, 12.9 fewer than its season average (30.9). The process changed, but the ultimate result did not: The Bears eclipsed their season scoring average by one point. In essence, Briles orchestrated another pyrotechnics show with a less-than-ideal set of materials. That said, don’t expect to see this gameplan when Baylor is fully healthy next season.

Granted, North Carolina’s defense isn’t great, but under first year coordinator Gene Chizik it improved from 99th in Football Outsiders defensive S&P + last season to 65th this season, and from 119th to 33rd in points allowed per game.

A win in a third-tier bowl game probably isn’t what Baylor had in mind when it opened 2015 ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll and ripped off eight consecutive wins. Had the Bears not lost Russell and Stidham to injury, perhaps they’d be in Miami Gardens playing for the national title instead of Big 12 counterpart Oklahoma. But the Bears’ strong showing against a North Carolina team that would have had a case for a College Football Playoff berth had it knocked off Clemson in the ACC championship game can help allay the disappointment. Baylor outgunned one of the nation’s top squads using reserves in key spots and will enter the off-season on a positive note, with renewed confidence that Briles’ system can succeed without its best players.

Baylor: 2013 NIT Champions

NEW YORK — The bright lights of Broadway eat up the meek and timid, so Baylor charged out for the NIT championship game with a mean, aggressive defensive mindset.

For the next 40 minutes, the Bears never let that intensity waver, and now they’re bringing home a title.

Smothering Iowa with unyielding man-to-man defense, the Bears pulled away for a 74-54 win Thursday night at Madison Square Garden to capture the NIT crown in emphatic fashion.

After losing a 69-63 decision to Penn State in the 2009 NIT title game, the championship was sweet for the Bears (23-14). It was Baylor’s first national tournament title of any kind and marked the first time a Big 12 team has won the NIT.

“We’ve seen enough teams celebrate before, so it’s great to win a championship,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “It’s good for us and it’s good to be the first Big 12 team to win the NIT. Any team that makes the postseason has great chemistry, and we have that.”

With freshman center Isaiah Austin collecting five blocks and nine rebounds and senior guard A.J. Walton amassing six steals, the Bears’ defense was fierce in the paint and on the perimeter. The Hawkeyes shot just 26.1 percent and hit five of 24 from 3-point range.

“Iowa does a great job pushing the ball and executing their offense well,” Drew said. “But A.J. took them out of it with his pressure on the point guard and that set the tone. He had great steals. When you’re so active that you’re cramping up, it shows you’re putting it out there with the effort.”

When Baylor’s offense began playing with the same efficiency as its defense in the second half, it was all over for the Hawkeyes (25-13).

Pierre Jackson, the final four’s most outstanding player, was Baylor’s motor once again as he finished his career with 17 points and 10 assists to bring his five-game NIT total to 98 points and 55 assists.

Cory Jefferson piled up 23 points on eight of 11 field goals and threw down some impressive slams to finish the tournament with 106 points. Austin chipped in 15 points to complement his defensive exploits.

“I’m just extremely proud of the way we played,” Jackson said. “It was domination. Isaiah had a great game and A.J. fired us up from the jump. I just tried to get my teammates involved and get to the paint and knock down shots.”

After holding Iowa to 25 percent shooting, the Bears went into halftime with a 27-22 lead. The Hawkeyes quickly cut the lead to 28-27 when Eric May drained a trey and then weaved inside for a basket.

Then the Bears kicked their offense into high gear and the Hawkeyes never caught them.

Jefferson got the attack rolling with an outside shot and Jackson drilled a trey. After Austin blocked Roy Devyn Marble’s drive, the streaking Jackson drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws. With a pair of slams by Jefferson, the Bears stretched their lead to 39-29 with 14:43 remaining.

The Hawkeyes tried to gain ground but it was futile as Jackson buried a trey from the top of the arc and Rico Gathers hit a rare outside shot. Austin raised the roof when he threw down a one-handed slam on an inbounds pass.

When Jackson nailed his third trey of the half, the Bears extended their lead to 49-34 with 10:40 remaining.

Austin kept busy defensively as he blocked two more shots. Following two more Jefferson slams, the Bears stretched their lead to 60-39 with 6:12 remaining.

“I thought Baylor’s defense was good in two areas – they got up into us on the perimeter with their quickness and their length bothered us around the rim,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “We settled for too many jump shots. We’re usually more of driving team and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Baylor’s intense defense was there from the opening tipoff as Iowa hit just three of its first 13 shots. The Hawkeyes hit seven of 28 first-half shots including two of 11 from 3-point range as the Bears opened up a 27-22 halftime lead.

With Austin leading the way, the Bears jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead in the first four minutes. Austin hit Baylor’s first two field goals before Brady Heslip buried a trey and Jefferson wedged inside for a basket.

Iowa got on a mini-roll to cut Baylor’s lead to 11-9 as Anthony Clemmons buried a trey and Aaron White hit a short jumper. But Austin came up big again as he drove inside for a basket, drew a foul and hit the free throw.

Then Walton began to assert himself defensively as he stole the ball and broke loose for a slam. Gathers followed with a slam and another inside basket to stretch Baylor’s lead to 20-14 with 6:58 remaining in the first half.

Iowa State’s last five points of the first half came on free throws but Walton continued to get into the passing lanes as the Hawkeyes could never got a consistent offensive attack flowing.

BEAR FACTS: While Pierre Jackson was named most outstanding player, he was joined on the all-NIT final four team by teammates Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson, Iowa’s Roy Devyn Marble and Maryland’s Alex Len.

Baylor: 2012 Holiday Bowl Champions

Baylor starts fast, finishes UCLA Bruins quickly in Holiday Bowl, 49-26

ART STRICKLIN

Special Contributor

Published: 27 December 2012 09:05 PM

SAN DIEGO —  Before Thursday’s Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl matchup with Baylor, UCLA players said they had seen plenty of spread offenses in the Pac-12 and weren’t concerned with the Bears’ version.

But after a 49-26 beatdown, UCLA (9-5) surely realized that Baylor’s spread offense is something else altogether.

Baylor (8-5) scored 35 points in the first half. The booming halftime fireworks probably reminded the UCLA players and their fans of the offense they had just witnessed from the Big 12 bullies.

The impressive win before 55,507 chilled fans at Qualcomm Stadium lifted the Bears’ all-time bowl record to 10-9. It was by far their largest margin of victory in a bowl, breaking the previous mark of 13 points set in the 1948 Dixie Bowl and tied in the 1961 Gotham Bowl.

The Bears recorded their first back-to-back bowl victories since the 1985-86 Liberty and Bluebonnet bowls, coming on the heels of Baylor’s first-ever run of three straight bowl appearances.

After an exchange of punts to start the game, it didn’t take Baylor’s nationally top-ranked offense long to get on track. Starting at their own 47 after a 17-yard Brian Norwood kickoff return, the Bears covered the remaining 53 yards in just six plays and 1:43, with junior Glasco Martin scoring on a 4-yard run.

UCLA, still without first down, was forced to punt again, and Baylor came right back with a seven-play, 84-yard scoring drive, with a senior quarterback Nick Florence finding sophomore wide receiver Antwan Goodley in the back of the end zone for a another quick score and 14-0 lead late in the first quarter

The Bruins finally got its initial first down, but after being stopped on fourth-and-18, Baylor got the ball back and went right to work. The scoring drive only took 1:36, covering 76 yards in five plays, with Florence finding junior wide receiver Tevin Reese wide open for a 55-yard scoring strike and a 21-0 lead.

From there, the rout was really on. Martin got loose down the right side for a 26-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter and a 28-7 lead.

Stellar sophomore running back Lache Seastrunk, who made pregame comments about his goal of winning the 2013 Heisman Trophy, capped the Bears’ brilliant first half with a 43 scoring run up a huge hole in the middle of the field. He appeared to be trapped around the 20-yard line but made a quick move to the left and had a UCLA defender grasping at air.

Late in the third quarter, Seastrunk went over 1,000 yards for the season, remarkable for a back who played sparingly in the first seven games of the year but had more than 800 yards in the last six games.

The Bruins’ only first-half points came on a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Hundley to Joseph Fauria two plays after a Baylor fumble, plus a lastsecond 30-yard field goal which drew boos from the large UCLA crowd. That made it 35-10 at the half.

McCaw on parade duty: Athletic director Ian McCaw has had to fill a lot of roles in helping resurrect the once dismal Baylor athletic program. But he managed to find a new one Thursday.

McCaw was pressed into duty during the Holiday Day Parade to help guide the school’s 55-foot inflatable bear. Dressed in a dark green jumpsuit, McCaw and other Baylor employees took over for BU students who were supposed to have handled the chore. The students were delayed on their 21-hour bus trip from Waco.

Delivering sacks: Baylor entered Thursday’s game with 13 sacks for the entire season. The Bears padded their total by four in just over a quarter against UCLA, which entered the game with 46 sacks allowed, third most in the nation.

Duke 78, Baylor 71

Duke punches another Final Four ticket

By Ken Tysiac
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Mar. 28, 2010

HOUSTON -- Duke senior guard Jon Scheyer fiddled absently Sunday evening with the loop he'd cut from the net at Reliant Stadium that represented a lifetime goal fulfilled.

A baseball cap that proclaimed Duke regional champions sat on Scheyer's left knee as the last few reporters hung around the locker room. Scheyer and junior backcourt partner Nolan Smith had just shredded Baylor's zone defense, combining for 49 points to lift Duke to a 78-71 win in the NCAA tournament's South Regional final.

The win propelled top-seeded Duke (33-5) into its first Final Four in six years. The Blue Devils will meet West Virginia, the No. 2 seed out of the East Regional, at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the NCAA semifinals in Indianapolis.

"It's a dream come true," Scheyer said. "It just is. To get that win, we had to work our butts off for it, and it felt great."

Smith and Scheyer carried the Blue Devils, combining for nine of Duke's 11 3-pointers against a Baylor zone defense that held Duke to 11-for-38 shooting from two-point range.

With a career-high 29 points, Smith kept talented, No. 3 seed Baylor (28-8) from running away with the win early. He also put Duke ahead to stay after going to the free throw line with the Bears leading by a point with 3 minutes, 36 seconds remaining.

Smith made the first free throw to tie the game, but missed the second. Teammate Lance Thomas tipped the rebound free and dug the ball off the floor. He passed quickly to Kyle Singler, who found Smith open in front of the Duke bench.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski immediately yelled for Smith to shoot it. He did, sinking a 3-pointer that gave Duke the lead, and then shot Krzyzewski a smile.

On Duke's next possession, Brian Zoubek passed out to Scheyer in the short corner opposite the Blue Devils' bench. Scheyer, who's struggled with his shooting for most of the postseason, drilled a 3-pointer and ran back down the court pumping his fist.

Duke led 67-61 with 2:38 remaining, and Indianapolis was coming into focus.

"That kind of took the wind out of them a little bit," Zoubek said. ". . .I think it was a little bit of a dagger."

For much of the game it appeared that Baylor might put the dagger into Duke because of Blue Devil forward Singler's struggles. Singler was held to five points – all on free throws – as he missed all 10 of his field goal attempts.

He spent much of the game chasing around shooting guard LaceDarius Dunn, who led Baylor with 22 points but missed six of his eight 3-point attempts against Singler, who's 6-foot-8.

But Singler, who usually scores easily inside against smaller defenders, couldn't get a shot to fall against a defense that started players measuring 7-foot, 6-10 and 6-10.

"It was frustrating," Singler said. "But the good sign for our team was we played through it. . . .It didn't bother us at all. We were able to keep playing, and it shows the closeness of our group."

Krzyzewski, too, mentioned the closeness and character of Duke's players as a factor that helped a good team that's not a great team get to the Final Four.

This will be Krzyzewski's 11th Final Four trip in 30 seasons at Duke. It comes after four years of steady improvement in Duke's won-loss record and NCAA tournament results over the careers of seniors Scheyer, Zoubek and Thomas.

"It's as close a team as I've had," Krzyzewski said. "You want great things to happen for people who are great with us. I mean, they've been spectacular to coach. . . .I'm ecstatic about it."

As the buzzer sounded, Krzyzewski walked immediately over to Baylor coach Scott Drew to shake his hand. Duke's players jumped in the air, bumped chests and met at halfcourt, their shouting piercing the quiet of the mostly pro-Baylor crowd of 47,492 exiting into the Texas evening.

For Scheyer it was the culmination of a steady climb over four years. For Smith, it's a chance to return to the site of the 1980 Final Four, where his father, the late Derek Smith, won the NCAA title with Louisville.

Now it's Nolan's turn, and he can't wait.

"This team from the beginning of this tournament has been living in the moment, really enjoying every single game, and you know, just playing hard," Smith said. "And it just feels great right now."

ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com or 919-829-8942