Baylor Basketball Plummets in Andy Katz's rankings

Coming off a down season, the Bears have found themselves fending off doubt and skepticism surrounding the program. Andy Katz's recent power rankings are just another example.

Mar 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew coaches against the Houston Cougars in the first half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Baylor basketball is in the doldrums of the offseason and should be doing some soul searching after a dismal 2025 campaign saw them on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament.

That’s a large fall from grace for a program that is used to competing at the highest level, including a national championship run during the 2020 season.

Scott Drew has gone to work on fixing his roster from a season ago, which was both flawed and unable to find chemistry as the team never fully gelled.

War of Attrition

That has come with some attrition as Tounde Yessoufou transferred to St. John’s after being one of Baylor’s best player for his freshman season.

Still, the Bears were able to bring back some of their contributors from a season ago, including Isaac Williams, along with center Juslin Bodo Bodo who returns from injury; the former of which finished the 2025 season strong and could develop into a leadership role in 2026.

As a result, Baylor is on the periphery of teams that are considered to be toward the top of college basketball in 2026.

William Purnell-Imagn Images

Andy Katz recently released some power rankings that had some of the usual suspects at top. Florida and Duke topped the list followed closely by the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines and Illinois.

Baylor, noticeably, was not in the top-10.

They were not in the top-20.

In fact, they did not make the top-40.

Katz ranked the top-44 teams coming into the offseason. Baylor clung to the very bottom of the list ranked 44th overall.

In the grand scheme of things, these rankings are not a death sentence to what Baylor is hoping will be a bounce back season in 2026, but it is a sign of where the program is in its current state.

Baylor has typically been revered as a top program in college basketball since the turn of the decade. While that has not included tournament success, Baylor still was typically seen as a top-20 program.

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Now, they have some work to dig their way back into the top of the NCAA.

That’s becoming more difficult by the day. College sports are changing at a rapid pace that is hard to keep up with at times. Drew and the rest of the coaches around college sports have to adjust on the fly.

Drew tried a year ago by having a brand new roster, but that clearly did not work. Now, he’s trying to focus on roster retention and developing players within the program while adding some talent to try and compete for a spot atop the Big 12.

If he can do that, the Bears will be in a good position to get the last laugh, but for now, these rankings and doubt around the program are justified.