Becoming national champion was a far-fetched dream when Scott Drew first uttered that possibility during his introduction as Baylor's coach after taking over a decimated and scandal-plagued program nearly 18 years ago.

Yet a title felt oh-so-reachable for All-American guard Jared Butler and his backcourt mates MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell last season, after the Bears set a Big 12 record with 23 consecutive wins while spending five weeks as the nation's No. 1 team. Their championship opportunity, however, got instantaneously wiped out by the pandemic and the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.

So they all came back for another season together - and will leave Baylor as national champs.