Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison

Football has long been the essential sport for Texans.  It has even been said that there are only two sports in Texas – football and spring football.  Though football remains as popular today as ever, our state has also developed into a basketball hotbed.  Some of the best basketball in America is played in the Lone Star State, and this month Texans will experience March Madness.

Each March, 65 men’s and 64 women’s college basketball teams from across the nation compete in three-week tournaments to crown national champions.  This year’s tournaments are sure to have a distinct Texas flavor.

One of the biggest stories of this season has been Texas Tech coach Bob Knight’s ascension to the all-time winningest men’s coach.  Coach Knight surpassed former North Carolina coach Dean Smith with his 880th career victory Jan. 1, and since then has added to his record victory total.

University of Texas women’s coach Jody Conradt, who ranks No. 2 all-time among women’s coaches in victories, is closing in on her 900th career win.  She ended the regular season with 899 career victories, and with one more win she will become just the second collegiate coach to ever reach the 900-win plateau.

Texas A&M has also achieved an unprecedented level of success this season.  For the first time, both the University of Texas and Texas A&M are vying for the Big 12 championship.

Under the leadership of coaches Billy Gillispie and Gary Blair, the A&M men’s and women’s basketball teams have each earned their highest rankings in school history.  Coach Gillespie and the men’s team earned a ranking as high as No. 6 in the nation this season, while Coach Blair and the Lady Aggies have climbed as high as No. 10.  Texas A&M has a long and proud football tradition, and the Aggies are now making a mark in Big 12 basketball.

Meanwhile, the Baylor women’s basketball team is nationally ranked and in pursuit of its second national championship in three years.  In 2005, Coach Kim Mulkey led the Lady Bears all the way to the national title, a victory that remains the only national basketball championship – men’s or women’s – in the history of the Big 12 conference.  And she made history as the first woman to win a national championship as both a player and as a coach.

In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are three of the top teams this season.  After reaching their first NBA finals last season, the Mavericks are pursuing their first-ever championship behind Dirk Nowitski, who is a leading candidate for NBA Most Valuable Player.  They are sure to face tough competition from the Spurs, who have won three NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005), and the Rockets, who have won two (1994 and 1995).

As our state’s basketball teams continue to excel at all levels, Texans will look forward to the bloom of spring not only for warm weather but also for the annual arrival of March Madness.