Big 12 Tournament 2012: Baylor Ready to Win Conference Title After Win vs Kansas

Baylor finally got the win they needed to prove they can hang with elite teams on Friday as they defeated No. 3 Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

During a statement game in which Baylor might have folded during the regular season, the Bears showed a lot of character against the Jayhawks in a hard-fought victory.

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"This was a night we grew up," Baylor coach Scott Drew said via ESPN.

"Very pleased with our guys from the standpoint we've been successful against Kansas before in spurts, and then they'd have a spurt and we couldn't answer the run," Drew said. "When they made a run tonight, I was really pleased with the character of our guys."

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Now No. 11 Baylor will take on No. 5 Missouri as they look to win the school's first ever Big 12 conference tournament.

After going 0-4 during the regular season against Kansas and Missouri, Baylor has an opportunity to beat both teams for the first time in consecutive games while giving themselves a ton of confidence heading into the NCAA Tournament.

The Bears are playing some of their best basketball of the season at both ends of the floor right now, and star forward Perry Jones has risen his game another level.

After a career-high 31 points in a quarterfinal win against Kansas State, Jones scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win over the Jayhawks.

However, the most impressive part of Baylor's win over Kansas was the solid contributions they received from their best players and leaders.

Six Bears players scored 10-plus points, including all five starters. It was a complete effort and you can expect more of the same against the Tigers with the conference title on the line.

The Bears will continue their remarkable run in the Big 12 Tournament by defeating the Tigers in the final and making their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor has as much talent as most teams in college basketball, and now that they have the confidence needed to defeat elite teams in pressure situations, they will be one of the more dangerous schools in March Madness.

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