Baylor Basketball Roundtable: Three Big Questions Surrounding the Bears

Baylor basketball is facing an uphill climb to make the NCAA Tournament this year, but has a chance to build some momentum, starting with tonight’s game against the Colorado Buffaloes.

Baylor was able to score just their second win in Saturday’s triumph over West Virginia, but there is more work to be done.

With the state of the program as it is, three of us took three questions to answer as to what is going on inside of Baylor basketball.

Here are some of our thoughts.

What has been the biggest issue this season?

Bennett Parker

The Bears’ biggest and most consistent problem that I have noticed this season is the inability to go on runs. When they get down, they can’t battle back. When they get up, they can’t pull away. I’m not saying they should win every game by twenty, but the Bears have only gone on two 10-0 (or better) runs in nine games of conference play. (Excluding the garbage time run against the TCU benchwarmers).

I think a lot of this is due to poor transition offense; although the team doesn’t seem to lack in athleticism, they do not get up and down the court for easy buckets. Even when they have 3 on 2’s or 4 on 3’s, they almost never convert. I would love to see more runs from this team fueled by fast transition offense.

Jacob Haddadin

Everyone in the Baylor fandom points to Michael Rataj as the main issue for Baylor basketball's struggles of late, and while he has not played to the level that the Baylor staff and fans hoped earlier this season, he is not the only issue.

A main issue for Baylor is the clear lack of point guard play. Obi Agbim was brought in from Wyoming this offseason to play that position, but he seems far more comfortable in the shooting guard spot, not conducting the offense.

JJ White was supposed to come in and lighten the load for the Bears at this position, but an early-season injury has sidelined him for what seems to be the whole season. This has been an issue at Baylor since RayJ Dennis graduated in 2024.

Last year’s staff missed on the Jeremy Roach evaluation, as he was expected to come in and play point guard for the Bears last season. If Baylor wants to return to the level it has been at over the past couple of years, it must start with an elite primary ball-handler who can conduct the offense and release the talented wings that Scott Drew has recruited over the years.

Jacob Westendorf

They start slow. I don’t think it’s a coincidence in the last two games that Baylor has won, at Oklahoma State, and at West Virginia, they got out to an early lead.

In the losses to Kansas, Texas Tech, and TCU that followed, they fell behind early and had to play against loud crowds, lack of confidence, or both.

Getting off to a fast start is essential for any team that had as much turnover as Baylor has had over the last season coming into this year.

Scott Drew has recently made some tweaks to his starting lineup to try and cure what has been ailing him.

Who is the most important player to make a run?

Bennett Parker

If this team is going to make a run, keep an eye on the performance of Cameron Carr. This might seem obvious—of course, one of the best players needs to play well—but I need to see him absolutely take over a game.

He makes electric plays and can fill up the stat sheet. But he often turns the ball over in big moments and misses important shots. I believe that Cam can rise in the clutch and create shots for his teammates.

Jacob Haddadin

If Baylor wants to make a late-season push to salvage its chances at an NCAA tournament bid, the tandem of Obi Agbim and Tounde Yessoufou has to continue to step up.

It is expected that Cameron Carr will get his twenty points and seven rebounds a game, and with Michael Rataj falling out of the starting lineup and losing minutes, it is unfair to expect him to produce at a very high level anymore.

When Agbim scores in the mid-teens and gets four to five assists, Baylor wins. Baylor isn't asking Agbim to go for twenty points and 10 assists every night; they are just asking him to lighten the scoring load on Carr. The same goes for Yessoufou; this is the stretch of the season where we see true freshmen really take a step up and excel.

We are seeing it across the country with projected first-round picks, excelling for their teams. It is now Yessoufou's turn to step up, have a special performance, and win Baylor a couple of games.

Jacob Westendorf

I guess I’ll break the tie here and go with Tounde Yessoufou. Cameron Carr’s brilliance is expected, and ultimately, if your best player plays well, the basketball team as a whole is likely to play well also. That’s just the way the sport works.

That being said, I’ve never seen a man win a basketball game by himself. Yessofou is highly touted, and has been able to string together good performances this season.

He has, however, been quiet of late, and really struggled against West Virginia. If he can be a quality second scoring option to the brilliance of Carr, this team could find a way to beat some of the top teams in the Big 12.

Is there any worry about Scott Drew’s job security?

Bennett Parker

No, Scott Drew is not the reason this team is lagging behind in the Big 12. I have had questions about some of the defensive schemes, but keep in mind that he was given an entirely fresh roster, and it is unfair to expect him to magically coach up a tournament-caliber team. Coach Drew is excellent at building up team culture; this becomes more impressive when you consider he had zero returning players.

Jacob Haddadin

Absolutely not. Never ever. I find it comedic that this question even comes up when talking about Baylor men’s basketball. In the seasons following the National Championship,

Baylor was a 1 seed, a 3 seed, a 3 seed, and a 9 seed. Any calls for Scott Drew to be fired are purely reactionary. Baylor basketball will be competitive in the years to come, and Scott Drew will have a statue outside Foster Pavilion when he decides to step away from basketball.

Jacob Westendorf

I’ll keep it short and sweet. No. The lack of patience from the modern sports fan is always something that makes me chuckle. If Baylor continues to have seasons like this where they struggle to make the tournament, then it’s a conversation. Until then? This is a non-starter.