Baylor Hoops Poised to Be One of College Basketball’s Most Improved Teams in 2026

Scott Drew is used to competing for Big 12 championships and making the NCAA Tournament. But the 2025-26 season was a far cry from what Drew is used to seeing in Waco. The Bears went just 17-17 and struggled to remain competitive.

But Drew is on a mission to prevent that from happening again. Baylor added to its coaching staff, bringing back Jerome Tang to help coach the Bears, and Baylor has had four transfer portal additions — all expected to play a big role this season. To top it off, Baylor has signed two top-40 players in the 2026 class, including five-star Dylan Mingo.

You could argue Baylor is still missing a star player, since we don't know how Mingo will translate to the collegiate game. Getting back either Cameron Carr or Tounde Yessoufou would've been big for Baylor, but it doesn't seem likely either will return to Waco — or the college game for that matter.

Baylor is set to be one of the most improved teams in college basketball

Regardless of star power, Baylor has rounded out its roster with talent. Even if there isn't a true No. 1 player on their roster — hopes of Dylan Mingo living up to his five-star billing — the Bears certainly have plenty of '2' options on their team.

Kayden Mingo was one of Penn State's top players last year as a true freshman. Isaac Williams returns to Waco as the most improved player from Baylor's roster this past season. Adding Isaac Celiscar from Yale and Brett Decker Jr. from Liberty will give Baylor instant minutes and true shooting.

According to analytics guru Evan Miyakawa, Baylor is already listed as the No. 9 most-improved team from the offseason. Oklahoma State is the only other team in the Big 12 listed and the Cowboys are listed behind Baylor.

Here are the teams who have improved the most through the transfer portal this offseason at https://t.co/cegyfz8ykZ, according to Overall Transfer Activity Rank:

1. Louisville
2. Texas
3. Miami
4. Marquette
5. Indiana
6. Xavier
7. USC
8. UCLA
9. Baylor
10. Oklahoma State pic.twitter.com/oEMxLjWn0x
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) April 28, 2026

A top-15 roster in 2026-27?

Baylor still has roster spots open and the Bears will likely add talent to their roster — as will other teams.

But with the additions Baylor has made, Evan Miyakawa's analytics show the Bears could be on the cusp of having a top-15 roster next season. Right now, the Bears have anywhere from the No. 8 - No. 19 roster in the country, with a potentially high ceiling on the defensive end of the court.

Baylor Roster Outlook

Dylan Mingo's commitment has pushed Baylor towards having around a top-15-level roster this season, according to https://t.co/cegyfz96ax. Kayden Mingo and Isaac Celiscar are also big portal adds.

The Bears should be much improved from last year. pic.twitter.com/iu9y1jEw6l
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) April 28, 2026

Adding big man Evan Chatman from UAB helps with defense. Pairing him up with center Juslin Bodo Bodo, who will be like gaining a new player after not seeing any minutes this past season, should make Baylor one of the top defensive teams in the paint.

Time will tell how it all shapes up, but if you're a Baylor fan — you have to like the direction things are going.

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