Flashback to 2001, when after a close loss to Iowa State, former Kansas guard Kenny Gregory said, “It’s not like we lost to Baylor.”

Two games later, that’s exactly what took place.

That’s the kind of thing that happens when you don’t take Baylor seriously. But can you blame Gregory for sticking his foot in his mouth? The Bears have been the laughingstock of the Big 12.

“Let’s just kick Baylor out of the Big 12. They are worthless! They suck in football and basketball.”

I’ve heard it a thousand times all over Big 12 country, even though the Bears are solid in just about every other sport. They even won a women’s basketball national championship in 2005. But now, they’ve earned the respect of their Big 12 comrades with success in a revenue sport — men’s basketball.

“People here were dying to have a winner in a major sport,” said Robert Shiekh, senior producer for Inside Baylor Sports, a weekly highlight show of Baylor athletics. “The town’s in a frenzy.”

Baylor may have lost to Oklahoma on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd — the third largest crowd in school history — but that still leaves the Bears in third place in the Big 12 with a 4-1 record and a 16-3 record overall. Their turnaround has been remarkable.

“It’s one of those things where experience is so key,” Shiekh said. “This team for so long was a freshman and sophomore bunch. The last two years they were trying to win close games.”

Sound similar to a certain Kansas sport that just recently turned the corner?

Baylor’s 2006-2007 season did indeed show promise, enough that the college hoops world shouldn’t be shocked at the Bears’ success. Nine of Baylor’s Big 12 losses were by 10 points or less. The difference this season?

“They know they can win against anyone in the nation,” Shiekh said. “Off the court, on the court, you can see it. There’s a different stigma to this team that’s carrying over, and that’s why you’re seeing them pulling out those wins.”

Despite the fact that Baylor was 12-2 in non-conference play, and only lost to top-10 team Washington State by three points, it took until late January for the pollsters to notice. Baylor squeaked into the top 25 just last week. Kansas fans should be able to empathize with Baylor’s lack of respect. Kansas’ football team experienced the same strife. No tradition means no respect; at least until it’s earned. Kansas had to earn it in football by beating a ranked Kansas State on the road. Baylor had to earn it through a grueling five-overtime thriller against a ranked Texas A&M on the road.

And consider this: Baylor basketball hit rock-bottom after an awful scandal involving murder and an attempted cover up by then coach Dave Bliss. It didn’t even play a non-conference schedule two seasons ago because of NCAA sanctions. Kansas football hit rock-bottom, but not as hard as Baylor, as Terry Allen flushed the program down the toilet and the Mark Mangino era began with a 2-10 record.

But now, the nation has taken notice of Baylor. Check ESPN.com, and you’ll see stories. Even talk to the Kansan basketball team, and they recognize their success.

“I knew they’d be a good team,” sophomore forward Darrell Arthur said after Saturday’s shellacking of Nebraska. “I didn’t know they’d be so good so fast.”

If you followed Arthur’s recruitment, Baylor was one of his top choices. If the Bears had Arthur, they’d have Final Four potential.

But most were caught off-guard when I asked about Baylor in the Kansas postgame press conference.

“I don’t know anything about that,” senior forward Darnell Jackson said. “Baylor’s down the road, and when they come we’ll think about that.”

Then I asked coach Bill Self his opinion of the Bears’ turnaround.

“What are you, from Waco?” Self sarcastically asked.

“No, Austin,” I said.

“But this is Big 12 North country, what are you doing here? No, I’m kidding. I haven’t watched them, but you look at their team and they have a lot of guards. It was a matter of time before they started winning.”

But it’s still early, and Baylor could fall apart. But I sincerely hope not, just because I see so much Kansas football in Baylor basketball.

“Obviously, yesterday (a home loss to Oklahoma) was a bit of a set back,” Shiekh said. “You never know, but I definitely see them being one of the top four teams in the Big 12.”

I agree. Sic ‘em, Bears!