Baylor Basketball Reaches a New Low in Disaster against Kansas State
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The Baylor Bears were having a season to forget going into Tuesday night’s game against Kansas State.
There was, however, a chance for a light at the end of the tunnel and a late season run.
Yes, games against Houston and Arizona were on the schedule, but there was a chance to build some confidence before either of those games took place. That started in Manhattan against a Kansas State team who was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Rock Bottom
The Wildcats entered play on Tuesday tied for the worst record in the Big 12 and were publicly arguing whether their head coach deserved to be fired for cause. Essentially, they’re trying not to pay him on his way out the door.
Former coach Jerome Tang was not going without a fight. He’s retained hot shot lawyers like Tom Mars, who specialize in situations like these, and may pursue litigation against the university.
Ultimately, the chance of things turning ugly has a very high probability. On top of it all, the team on the court for Kansas State has arguably been the only thing worse than the headlines they’ve been creating.
Baylor should have felt good about their chances going into Manhattan on Tuesday to get a win, and start a potential run with another game Saturday against Arizona State before their showdown against Arizona.
Instead, Baylor stunk up the place against an inferior opponent. They fell behind at halftime with another slow start, which has been the norm in games they’ve lost this season.
They were unable to overcome any of that in the second half, being outscored 49-40. Giving up 49 points in a half against a team like Kansas State is troubling, but that’s been Baylor’s defense for most of the season.
Their top scorers, Tounde Yessoufou and Cameron Carr combined for just 26 points and only made one of their nine combined three point shots. They shot 11-26 from the field.
They actually got contributions from Isaac Williams and Dan Skillings, both of whom scored in double figures.
That didn’t matter, because Baylor was giving up too many points on the other end.
What Changes?
Scott Drew has tried a multitude of things, both ranging from obvious to in a gray area.
He’s changed lineups. He’s moved guys from the bench into more prominent roles. He even went to the pro ranks to add someone to his frontcourt.
One of the most controversial players in college basketball this season is James Nnaji.
Drew helped pull the former 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft back to college, using some of his remaining eligibility to return to campus.
Technically, yes, Drew and Baylor did nothing wrong by bringing Nnaji back. Personally, I’m not interested in looking at technicalities. Once a player turns pro, their college eligibility should end effective immediately.
If you’re going to make a move like that, however, that player better make an impact and quickly.
Nnaji has been a non-factor throughout the season, and Baylor’s frontcourt has not been very good on top of Nnaji not being good enough.
Not everything is Drew’s fault. He thought that Baylor had secured a commitment from Robert Wright III before he transferred from the program to BYU.
That being said, it’s the nature of college athletics these days, and Drew is no stranger to landing transfer athletes.
Maybe in a perfect world, those contracts will mean something one day, but they don’t for now. It’s up to Drew and his program to adapt.
If they don’t there will be a lot more seasons like this one in the near future, and that’s concerning for a multitude of reasons.
Baylor basketball is not just some cute story. They’re expected to win and compete for national championships. They have not escaped the first weekend of the tournament since winning the national championship in 2021.
Now, forget the tournament. That’s not happening. Sure, Baylor could win their remaining five games and cruise through the conference tournament to earn an automatic bid.
I could also win the lottery and buy the Dallas Cowboys from Jerry Jones tomorrow.
Safe to say, neither of those things are likely to happen.
If anything, Tuesday night’s game against Kansas State was a fitting end to this basketball season for the Bears.
It dropped the Bears to a different rung below they currently are.
Baylor has dropped below disappointing. Now, they’re embarrassing.
Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.