What Went Wrong in Baylor's Disaster of a Season?

Baylor's season ended on Tuesday afternoon with a loss to Arizona State. Now, it's time to give the autopsy as to how they got themselves in the situation they are in.

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Baylor basketball’s season ended in earnest on Tuesday afternoon with a loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Baylor’s season is one of the more disappointing in Scott Drew’s tenure. They finished tied for third from the bottom in the conference. The two teams they finished ahead of were a Utah team that was lifeless for most of the year, and a Kansas State team that was in turmoil and fired its coach midway through the season.

They had their moments throughout the year where it looked like they were starting to gain some momentum but that was usually met with one big thud against the proverbial wall.

If anything, Tuesday’s loss to Arizona State was a fitting end for this Baylor team.

They typically started slow, cut into the lead to give some hope to their fanbase before collapsing at the end.

Their stars only occasionally played like stars, and other times could have been found on the back of a milk carton.

Their point guard play was atrocious for most of the season, as they never truly recovered from the offseason loss of Robert Wright III.

That was probably where this season began to work toward being doomed. Drew made it clear during the season that he thought they had a deal with Wright to return to Baylor for a second season, but he still found his way out of Waco.

They had to essentially replace their entire roster from last year into this year. They were successful in some spots with Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou growing into key contributors during their first season in Waco.

Those two, however, were supposed to be the big money players who stepped up in key moments.

If there were a criticism for either to be had, its that they were both inconsistent scorers throughout the year.

As the year went on, neither player seemed to take charge of wanting the ball late in the game.

Fictional coach Jimmy McGinty of The Replacements once told his quarterback Shane Falco that winners always want the ball when the game is on the line.

Star Power

Late in the game, Carr and Yessoufou were often too passive, giving way to Obi Agbim.

Agbim is a nice player to his credit, but should not be the guy the team is running a clear out for late in the game. Instead, Agbim often took charge when their stars would not do so.

There were some high moments, including Agbim’s big shots in the regular season against Arizona State and UCF, but often more low moments throughout the year.

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As a result, Baylor is going to miss the tournament. A place that is often expected to compete at the highest level, could not find a way to string together enough wins to work its way into the bracket.

That sounds jarring to think about, considering the success Baylor has had under Drew, but it’s the reality they now face.

The first key for Drew going into 2026 needs to be player retention. Yes, his top two players are overwhelmingly likely to head to the NBA after this year, but he should be trying anything he can to convince one or both of them to return to campus for another year.

Now What?

Recruiting both out of high school and the transfer portal can come secondary to that, but that’s the biggest recruiting class at this point for Drew. He needs to keep the guys he already has so he’s not starting completely from scratch.

If he can’t do that, it could be another long year in Waco, when the team reconvenes in the fall.

#Baylor's disappointing season comes to a close after bouncing out of the first round in the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday.

Now we wait to see if the Bears accept an NIT bid. https://t.co/G8p4yqmUkC

— Baylor Bears On SI (@BaylorBearsOnSI) March 10, 2026