Takeaways from Baylor basketball's loss against Memphis
Baylor basketball took its three-game winning streak into Tennessee, as the Bears started the first of their four-game, four-year series against the Memphis Tigers of the American Conference. However, they left with their second loss on the season, falling to the Tigers 78-71. The Bears and the Tigers had faced off just once during Scott Drew's tenure, with the last matchup being a Bears win.
This matchup was a back-and-forth affair most of the way, as the Tigers got a breakout performance from former Kentucky and Ohio State big man Aaron Bradshaw with 15 points and 7 rebounds, while South Carolina transfer Zach Davis led the Tigers with 23 points and 13 rebounds. However, the Bears got arguably their best outing from Tounde Yessoufou, who knocked down four three-pointers and carried the Bears 22 points, with Cameron Carr having a down night.
The Bears threw out some zone defense early in the game, which was effective after the dribble penetration allowed Sacramento State to get to the rim repeatedly. However, did this cause a dip in rebounds, with Memphis capitalizing to the tune of 21 second-chance points and 18 offensive rebounds. With a somewhat surprising non-conference loss, let's see what we learned about the Bears.
Ball pressure bothers Baylor
Another game, another slow start for the Bears. While much has been made of Baylor's lack of big men, the bigger issue for the Bears, at least to start the game, was the lack of point guard play and ball handlers who have occasionally come up this season. The Tigers, who have consistently been one of the nation's best in forcing turnovers since Penny Hardaway took over, picked up Baylor's guards full court, and that pressure led to eight first-half turnovers and a clunky offensive start that saw them hit just two of their first 12 shots. However, the Bears offset the slow start with their three-point shooting,
Battle on the boards
With it not being a particularly clean offensive game for either team (both squads were below 38 percent from the field in the first half), there were a ton of boards available. While Baylor has been able to control the glass despite their lack of bigs to start the year, that wasn't the case against the Tigers. The Tigers took a 25-24 rebound advantage into halftime, but the Tigers' rotation of big men featuring Bradshaw, Simon Majok, and Tariq Ingraham were able to generate consistent paint points early.
Cold game for Carr
As we mentioned before, the defensive intensity for Memphis was there from the jump, and it seemed to affect Carr the most. The Tennessee transfer struggled to convert in the paint and had his lowest scoring output of the season with 13 points. The Minnesota native went 3-of-15 from the field and just 2-of-9 from three, and was taken out by Scott Drew for a stretch in the second half as the Bears looked to climb back in the game. While it was an encouraging sign to see Yessoufou get on track, this team will need both on their standout wings performing at a high level to avoid losses like this.
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Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.