Baylor Bears NCAA Basketball Betting
The challenges are far from over for Baylor, as they’ll have another immense challenge on December 4th, heading to Storrs to play at Connecticut as part of the Big 12-Big East Battle. Fortunately for the Bears, their other nonconference games are all very winnable mid-majors at home, including most of the rest of the month of December.
Their Big 12 schedule begins December 31st at home against Utah, welcoming one of the four new teams into the conference. Early January provides a trip to both Arizona and Arizona State, giving a close look at two other new faces in the Big 12. A few weeks later provides the Bears’ lone look at Kansas, which comes in Waco on February 1st.
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What Scott Drew has done for Baylor over the last two decades cannot be overstated: inheriting a broken and scandal-ridden program and turning it into a national contender. The Bears cut down the nets as winners of the 2021 NCAA Tournament and have finished Top 4 in the Big 12 in each of the last six seasons, showing no signs of slowing down.
What’s unfortunate for Baylor is that this team has not gotten out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament since that title run. Three straight losses in the Round of 32 is somewhat disappointing, especially with the talent assembled in Waco in recent years. Drew has regularly brought talent to town both through recruiting and the Transfer Portal, bolstering and sometimes completely remaking rotations for winning teams.
Their significance in recent years looks to continue even in the new-look Big 12, a league that has swelled from 10 to 16 schools over the last two offseasons. A team that has missed just one of the last ten NCAA Tournaments is now focused on continuing that streak of good fortune, and Drew certainly has the team to make noise yet again. Many of the names are different, and nobody remains from that national title run, but there’s a chance for this Baylor squad to be special; it’s all about how they handle the games that matter. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we’ll be previewing what’s to come for Baylor, diving into the roster, the schedule, and what we can reasonably expect this season. Is this the year for another deep Tournament run for the Bears?
Among other things of note during conference play, the Bears will see Arizona and Houston twice but only have road dates against strong Iowa State and BYU squads. There’s something of a softer stretch near the end of the regular season for the Bears, though Senior Night on March 8th sees their rematch with Houston.
You’ll see Baylor in preseason Top 10 lists, and we’ll see early this season if they’re up to defending that expectation with that intense first month of basketball. That starting five has a little bit of everything, and those young pieces could each develop into weapons of their own off the bench. Barring injury or something unforeseen, we can expect another trip to the Big Dance for the Bears and a high finish in the Big 12; it just all depends on what happens in March after a few disappointing trips.
This year’s team could do more of the same and even more, even after the offseason changes. First and foremost, Edgecombe has a chance to do something really special this season, especially if he can follow in the footsteps of Ja’Kobe Walter and other recent freshman stars. He’ll be given every opportunity to shine and certainly isn’t the only freshman recruit who could make an impact this season.
What’s also set this season up for success is how Baylor utilized the Transfer Portal. Drew remains a premier coach who will have Baylor in the mix.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2024 |
Lost Second Round vs. (6) Clemson 64–72 |
| 2023 |
Lost Second Round vs. (6) Creighton, 76–85 |
| 2022 |
Lost Second Round vs. (8) North Carolina, 86–93 (OT) |
| 2021 |
Won National Championship vs. (1) Gonzaga, 86–70 |
| 2019 |
Lost Second Round vs. (1) Gonzaga, 83–71 |
| 2017 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (7) South Carolina, 50–70 |
| 2016 |
Lost First Round vs. (12) Yale, 75–79 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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