Robert Wright Leaves Baylor Wondering What Could Have Been
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Robert Wright III walked onto the court about 30 minutes before tip off on Tuesday night just to take in the scene.
Wright, of course, is an impact player at point guard for his team, and holds freshman records for assists for Baylor both for a season and in a single game.
It was not supposed to be like this.
He was supposed to be the next big star to don the green and gold.
Instead, he was wearing blue and white.
Revenge Game
Tuesday night’s game was built up as an opportunity for revenge. Before the game started, Scott Drew implored his home crowd to make their former point guard uncomfortable.
"Rob's a great young man. We like cheering for him a lot more than playing against him but it is what it is as college athletics.” Drew said.
“So anybody that comes in here shouldn't feel comfortable and the louder we are the more intimidating we are the better. It helps our team. I mean we expect our crowd to be intimidating and as long as we don't cross the line that's part of the home court advantage and at the end of the day, I know when we go on the road you face hostile crowds and that's why it's partly hard to win on the road. And again, Rob when he played here, a lot of good memories. Obviously, It's hard anytime people leave your program, but that happens more and more you prefer to be not after they sign a contract with you. But it is what it is."
To the credit of the home crowd, they tried.
Wright would smile as he was booed. Fans would yell at him as he was shooting free throws.
“Traitor,” they chanted.
It didn’t matter. Wright was on the money for the duration on the night. On a court that included future first round picks in AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Carr, and Tounde Yessoufou, there was an argument to be made that the most impactful player on the floor, was Wright.
Baylor basketball has played well below their standard this season.
They have two consistent scorers in Carr and Yessoufou. Yessoufou rose to the occasion Tuesday night with 37 points, and helped keep his team in the game, even having the Bears tied at halftime with the Cougars.
Second Half Struggles
In the second half, however, Baylor’s lack of a stabilizing presence and extra firepower on offense showed up.
While Yessoufou was brilliant, BYU’s defense locked up the rest of Baylor’s scoring threats. Carr only scored nine points in the second half, with most of them coming in desperation as Baylor tried to mount a comeback after falling behind by 17 points.
Yessoufou and Carr combined for 61 points. The rest of the team combined for 33, as Baylor’s comeback fell short.
They were victims of their own mistakes, turning the ball over, and giving up 24 points off of those turnovers. They could not take the ball away, and if Yessoufou was not making shots, they struggled to create offense.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Baylor got a good look at what they used to have. Scott Drew spoke about the controversy surrounding Wright’s exit from the program. Baylor believed it had Wright signed to a contract for the 2026 season, only to see him depart for BYU mere days after entering the transfer portal.
Like it or not, that’s the modern age of college basketball, and until things are able to change, it’s the game that everyone is forced to play.
The game, can also be cruel. Wright was brilliant last night. While watching his former team struggle in the second half, Wright poured in 30 points, smiling as the crowd mocked him at the free throw line.
Whenever Baylor attempted to make a run, either Wright or Dybantsa had an answer for them.
As the game unfolded, and another loss put Baylor’s NCAA Tournament hopes in a crippling position, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been if Wright had stuck around for another season in Waco.
A trio of Wright, Carr, and Yessoufou certainly would have been a force to be reckoned with. That also would have allowed players like Obi Agbim to slide into roles more conducive for them, and deepened Scott Drew’s rotation, which has been notoriously short all season long.
Unfortunately, that’s not the game Baylor is playing. They’re playing a different one, and it’s one without their star point guard.
#Baylor loses another heartbreaker. This time to BYU and former Baylor PG Robert Wright. Here are our takeawayshttps://t.co/DztIcAYUiK
— Baylor Bears On SI (@BaylorBearsOnSI) February 11, 2026
More from Baylor on SI
- A Look Back at how Baylor's 2025 Defensive Recruits Fared
- Grading Each Baylor Bear's Performance in the Loss to BYU
- Key Takeaways from Robert Wright Getting the Last Laugh Over Baylor
- Five Key Games For The Remainder of Baylor Women's Basketball Season
- A New Era at Wide Receiver: Baylor Reloads Through the Portal
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.