Did Baylor Basketball Make Enough Moves to be Named a Dark Horse Final 4 Team?

Scott Drew is looking to make major improvements from last season.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was one of the worst seasons Baylor basketball has had under Scott Drew. The Bears went 16-16 in the regular season, and made the College Basketball Crown Tournament, where Baylor would win its first game before falling to Oklahoma.

Cameron Carr left for the NBA, and five-star freshman Tounde Yessoufou hit the road after one season in Waco. He would enter his name into the NBA Draft, before returning to college basketball and landing at St. John's for this season.

But the 2026-27 season is expected to be much better for Drew's program. College basketball analyst Andy Katz agrees, and he listed Baylor as one of the 10 potential dark horse Final 4 teams heading into the season.

Baylor joined fellow Big 12 teams: TCU and West Virginia on the list.

Don't sleep on these teams 👀@TheAndyKatz lists 🔟 potential dark horses to make a Final Four run 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vEkdNQfxbA

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 5, 2026

Lost two stars but gained a lot of good

Baylor had four players average in double figures last season. Cameron Carr led the team with 18.9 points. But three of those four players are gone. Yessoufou transferred away and Obi Agbim graduated. The Bears did retain Isaac Williams, who was easily the most improved player on the Bears' team a season ago.

Landing Williams was the start, but Drew did a lot of other nice things to put Baylor in a place to succeed this season. It started by keeping the core together. After losing his entire roster ahead of the 2025-26 season, Drew announced the return of seven players from this past season's team.

On top of that, he went out and landed key contributors from the transfer portal. Penn State's Kayden Mingo, Liberty's Brett Decker Jr., Yale's Isaac Celiscar, and UAB's Evan Chatman, who will all play key roles this season. And Baylor's incoming freshman class isn't half bad either.

After committing to North Carolina, five-star Dylan Mingo opted to come to Baylor and play for Drew, along with his brother Kayden. Baylor also landed the son of Monty Williams, Elijah, who was a top-40 prospect.

3-point shooting improved and Baylor should stuff the glass

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, Baylor went through too many slumps from long range, and teams would wear the Bears down on the glass as the second half went on.

But 3-point shooting shouldn't be an issue this season. Decker Jr. shot 47% from long range and is an instant marksman for the Bears. Both Isaac Williams and Isaac Celiscar can knock down the triple, too.

On the glass, Baylor gets Juslin Bodo Bodo back, who was supposed to start last season, but an early season-ending injury sidelined him for the season. He is a shot blocker and teams will struggle scoring in the paint. Thanks to the new five-for-five, Caden Powell is back, too. He will back up Bodo Bodo and provide a spark off the bench.

It's all about gelling together, but the pieces are there for Baylor to succeed this season.

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