2025–26 Baylor Bears men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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The 2025–26 Baylor Bears men's basketball team represented Baylor University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Bears' 120th season. The Bears, members of the Big 12 Conference, played their home games at Foster Pavilion. They were led by 23rd-year head coach Scott Drew.
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record17–17 (6–12 Big 12)
Headcoach
- Scott Drew (23rd season)
Associate headcoachRon Sanchez (1st season)
| 2025–26 Baylor Bears men's basketball | |
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College Basketball Crown, Semifinal | |
| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| Record | 17–17 (6–12 Big 12) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Ron Sanchez (1st season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Offensive scheme | Motion |
| Base defense | No-Middle |
| Home arena | Foster Pavilion |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Arizona † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 36 | – | 3 | .923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Houston | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 30 | – | 7 | .811 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Kansas | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 Texas Tech | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Iowa State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 29 | – | 8 | .784 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCU | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baylor | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 17 | – | 17 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 20 | – | 15 | .571 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Big 12 tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
The Bears finished the 2024–25 season 20–15, 10–10 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Texas Tech. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the number nine seed in the East Region,[1] where they defeated Mississippi State in the first round before losing in the second round to Duke.[2][3]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V. J. Edgecombe | 7 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Fr. | Bimini, Bahamas | Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers |
| Yanis Ndjonga | 41 | F | 6'8" | 210 | RS-So. | Yaounde, Cameroon | Transferred to McNeese |
| Jason Asemota | 5 | F | 6'8" | 190 | Fr. | Lynn, MA | Transferred to Boston College |
| Langston Love | 13 | G | 6'4" | 190 | RS-Jr. | Universal City, TX | Transferred to Georgetown |
| Jalen Celestine | 32 | G | 6'6" | 185 | Sr. | Ajax, Ontario | Transferred to Cincinnati |
| Rob Wright III | 1 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Fr. | Wilmington, DE | Transferred to BYU |
| Josh Ojianwuna | 17 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Jr. | Asaba, Nigeria | Transferred to Ohio State |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caden Powell | 44 | C | 6'2" | 180 | Sr. | Waco, TX | Transferred from Rice |
| Juslin Bodo Bodo | 21 | C | 6'11" | 225 | Jr. | Castaic, CA | Transferred from High Point |
| Michael Rataj | 12 | G | 6'9" | 220 | Sr. | Augsburg, Germany | Transferred from Oregon State |
| Isaac Williams | 10 | G | 6'1" | 165 | So. | Dallas, TX | Transferred from Texas A&M–Corpus Christi |
| Obi Agbim | 5 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Gr. | Aurora, CO | Transferred from Wyoming |
| JJ White | 1 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Gr. | Norman, OK | Transferred from Omaha |
| Dan Skillings Jr. | 0 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Sr. | Philadelphia, PA | Transferred from Cincinnati |
| Will Kuykendall | 2 | G | 6'2" | 175 | RS-So. | Santa Maria, CA | Transferred from Arizona |
Recruiting classes
2024 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tounde Yessoufou SF |
Santa Maria, CA | Saint Joseph High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Oct 2, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings: Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (94) | ||||||
| Andre Iguodala Jr. PF |
Branson, MO | Link Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 18, 2025 | |
Recruit ratings: Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (80) | ||||||
| Drew Perry G |
Dallas, TX | Lakehill Prep | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | ||
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Mayo Soyoye C |
Atlanta, GA | Blair Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Maikcol Perez F |
Bassano del Grappa, Italy | Orange1 Bassano | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 21 247Sports: 21 ESPN: NA | ||||||
Sources:
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Preseason
The Big 12 preseason coaches poll was released on October 16, 2025. All awards were voted on by the league's 16 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players. The Big 12 preseason media poll was released on October 30, 2025.
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Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll
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Big 12 Preseason Media Poll
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Roster
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 10, 2025* 4:00 p.m. |
Grand Canyon | W 79–74 | 21 – Yessoufou | 11 – Skillings Jr. | 6 – Agbim | Foster Pavilion Waco, TX | |||||
| October 26. 2025* 12:00 p.m., B1G+ |
vs. Indiana | L 74–76 | 18 – Carr | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (4,507) Indianapolis, IN | |||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
UT Rio Grande Valley | W 96–81 | 1–0 |
28 – Carr | 7 – Tied | 5 – Agbim | Foster Pavilion (6,422) Waco, TX | ||||
| November 9, 2025* 7:30 p.m., ESPN |
Washington | W 78–69 | 2–0 |
16 – Carr | 10 – Powell | 7 – Agbim | Foster Pavilion (6,542) Waco, TX | ||||
| November 14, 2025* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Tarleton State | W 94–81 | 3–0 |
24 – Carr | 7 – Skillings Jr. | 5 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,119) Waco, TX | ||||
| November 24, 2025* 1:00 p.m., truTV |
vs. Creighton Players Era Festival Game 1 |
W 81–74 | 4–0 |
21 – Carr | 9 – Carr | 5 – Rataj | Michelob Ultra Arena Las Vegas, NV | ||||
| November 25, 2025* 4:00 p.m., truTV |
vs. No. 14 St. John's Players Era Festival Game 2 |
L 81–96 | 4−1 |
27 – Carr | 12 – Rataj | 4 – Rataj | Michelob Ultra Arena Las Vegas, NV | ||||
| November 26, 2025* 9:30 p.m., TruTV |
vs. San Diego State Players Era Festival Consolation Game |
W 91–81 | 5–1 |
18 – Yessoufou | 8 – Skillings Jr. | 5 – Skillings Jr. | Michelob Ultra Arena Las Vegas, NV | ||||
| December 2, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Sacramento State | W 110–88 | 6–1 |
27 – Yessoufou | 14 – Skillings Jr. | 4 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,082) Waco, TX | ||||
| December 6, 2025* 3:30 p.m., CBS |
at Memphis | L 71–78 | 6–2 |
22 – Yessoufou | 10 – Carr | 4 – Williams | FedEx Forum (11,392) Memphis, TN | ||||
| December 10, 2025* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ |
Norfolk State | W 97–67 | 7–2 |
19 – Carr | 8 – Skillings | 7 – Williams | Foster Pavilion (4,584) Waco, TX | ||||
| December 19, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Alcorn State | W 113–56 | 8–2 |
24 – Carr | 10 – Rataj | 5 – Rataj | Foster Pavilion (7,019) Waco, TX | ||||
| December 21, 2025* 12:00 p.m., TNT & truTV |
Southern | W 111–67 | 9–2 |
28 – Yessoufou | 15 – Powell | 6 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,065) Waco, TX | ||||
| December 29, 2025* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Arlington Baptist | W 124–61 | 10–2 |
28 – Yessoufou | 12 – Rataj | 10 – Carr | Foster Pavilion (7,018) Waco, TX | ||||
| January 3, 2026 1:00 p.m., TNT |
at TCU | L 63–69 | 10–3 (0–1) |
17 – Carr | 5 – Yessoufou | 5 – Agbim | Schollmaier Arena (6,892) Fort Worth, TX | ||||
| January 7, 2026 7:00 p.m., Peacock |
No. 3 Iowa State | L 60–70 | 10–4 (0–2) |
17 – Carr | 11 – Powell | 2 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,287) Waco, TX | ||||
| January 10, 2026 12:00 p.m., Peacock |
No. 7 Houston | L 55–77 | 10–5 (0–3) |
18 – Carr | 7 – Nnaji | 5 – Williams | Foster Pavilion (7,335) Waco, TX | ||||
| January 13, 2026 8:00 p.m., CBSSN |
at Oklahoma State | W 94–79 | 11–5 (1–3) |
23 – Yessoufou | 8 – Rataj | 6 – Carr | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,514) Stillwater, OK | ||||
| January 16, 2026 7:00 p.m., FOX |
at Kansas | L 62–80 | 11–6 (1–4) |
24 – Carr | 7 – Yessoufou | 2 – Tied | Allen Fieldhouse (15,300) Lawrence, KS | ||||
| January 20, 2026 8:00 p.m., Peacock |
No. 12 Texas Tech | L 73–92 | 11–7 (1–5) |
12 – Skillings | 9 – Carr | 5 – Carr | Foster Pavilion (7,349) Waco, TX | ||||
| January 24, 2026 5:00 p.m., ESPN |
TCU | L 90–97 | 11–8 (1–6) |
21 – Tied | 6 – Carr | 6 – Carr | Foster Pavilion (7,124) Waco, TX | ||||
| January 28, 2026 5:30 p.m., FS1 |
at Cincinnati | L 57–67 | 11–9 (1–7) |
16 – Yessoufou | 7 – Tied | 4 – Carr | Fifth Third Arena (9,982) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| January 31, 2026 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at West Virginia | W 63–53 | 12–9 (2–7) |
16 – Tied | 12 – Carr | 4 – Agbim | Hope Coliseum (13,251) Morgantown, WV | ||||
| February 4, 2026 5:00 p.m., Peacock |
Colorado | W 86–67 | 13–9 (3–7) |
27 – Yessoufou | 8 – Carr | 6 – Carr | Foster Pavilion (7,012) Waco, TX | ||||
| February 7, 2026 1:00 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 7 Iowa State | L 69–72 | 13–10 (3–8) |
24 – Carr | 8 – Rataj | 3 – Carr | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA | ||||
| February 10, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 22 BYU | L 94–99 | 13–11 (3–9) |
37 – Yessoufou | 8 – Carr | 7 – Williams | Foster Pavilion (7,371) Waco, TX | ||||
| February 14, 2026* 3:00 p.m., ESPN |
vs. No. 24 Louisville | L 71–82 | 13–12 |
20 – Williams IV | 5 – Agbim | 3 – Tied | Dickies Arena (3,314) Fort Worth, TX | ||||
| February 17, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at Kansas State | L 74–90 | 13–13 (3–10) |
16 – Williams | 8 – Skillings | 6 – Williams | Bramlage Coliseum (6,789) Manhattan, KS | ||||
| February 21, 2026 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Arizona State | W 73–68 | 14–13 (4–10) |
16 – Agbim | 7 – Powell | 5 – Williams | Foster Pavilion (7,044) Waco, TX | ||||
| February 24, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 2 Arizona | L 80–87 | 14–14 (4–11) |
26 – Carr | 6 – Rataj | 5 – Williams | Foster Pavilion (7,126) Waco, TX | ||||
| February 28, 2026 7:00 p.m., FS1 |
at UCF | W 87–86 | 15–14 (5–11) |
26 – Carr | 8 – Yessoufou | 7 – Agbim | Addition Financial Arena (8,735) Orlando, FL | ||||
| March 4, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at No. 7 Houston | L 64–77 | 15–15 (5–12) |
20 – Yessoufou | 12 – Yessoufou | 6 – Williams | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX | ||||
| March 7, 2026 4:00 p.m., Peacock |
Utah | W 101–75 | 16–15 (6–12) |
26 – Yessoufou | 5 – Yessoufou | 5 – Powell | Foster Pavilion (7,011) Waco, TX | ||||
| Big 12 tournament | |||||||||||
| March 10, 2026 11:30 a.m., ESPN+ |
(13) | vs. (12) Arizona State First round |
L 79−83 | 16−16 |
25 – Carr | 7 – Carr | 4 – Williams | T-Mobile Center (7,238) Kansas City, MO | |||
| College Basketball Crown | |||||||||||
| April 1, 2026* 9:30 p.m., FS1 |
vs. Minnesota Quarterfinal |
W 67–48 | 17–16 |
19 – Yessoufou | 9 – Carr | 4 – Williams IV | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV | ||||
| April 4, 2026* 12:30 p.m., FOX |
vs. Oklahoma Semifinal |
L 69–82 | 17–17 |
15 – Tied | 12 – Carr | 4 – Carr | T-Mobile Arena Paradise, NV | ||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Source:[6]