The Baylor University Lady Bears and the Kentucky Wildcats claimed the 2012 NCAA men’s and women’s 2012 Division 1 championships.
For Baylor, coached by Kim Mulkey, the win was much more significant; the raspy-voice coach guided her charges to a historic first 40-0 season, a feat no coach in NCAA history has achieved. It was Baylor’s second national title.
For Kentucky, the title finally came for John Calipari, who has been knocking on the door for many years.
Both teams had one dominating player: Kentucky had Anthony Davis, the freshman who has won every major top player in the country award; just as sensational all season long was Brittany Griner, the women’s player of the year from all precincts across the country. Both were named the outstanding players in the tournament.
In the championship game, Griner dropped 26 points on Notre Dame along with five blocks and 13 rebounds, as they for the second time this season blew out Notre Dame, 80-61.