Before the 2012 NCAA Women's Tournament got underway, the only question being asked was, "Can any team stop Baylor?"
After four rounds of tournament action, the answer remains a decided "not really."
Of course, that doesn't mean that the Lady Bears haven't come perilously close to having their dreams of capping a historic 40-0 campaign with national championship derailed.
Led by 6'8" phenom Brittney Griner, the Baylor Bears had steamrolled to a 34-0 record ahead of Selection Monday. Entering the Final Four of the women's tourney, no one wearing another uniform has given Baylor much trouble, as they've outscored opponents by a combined 94 points entering the Final Four, with no individual foe staying closer than 15 points at the final buzzer.
During the final minute of a comfortable win over Pat Summitt's Tennessee Volunteers in the Elite Eight on Monday night, Griner and two teammates -- Jordan Madden and Terran Condrey -- were ejected for leaving the bench during a brief scuffle on the court. While standout shooting performances by Odyssey Sims and Kimetria Hayden showed the all-around talents of the Baylor squad, there is little doubt that a suspension levied against Griner for leaving the bench could drastically alter the outcome of a game against Stanford in the Final Four.
With Baylor in full control of the game in the waning minutes, Sims was drawn into a shouting and shoving match with Lady Vols forward Shekinna Stricklen.
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