Baylor Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bears
Season Outlook
It is no secret that the job that Scott Drew has done at Baylor since being hired in 2003 may be the greatest redemption story ever in sports, considering the state the program was left in prior to his arrival – and his 14-year streak of winning at least 18 games per season should not be in jeopardy whatsoever.
This is decidedly not the same Baylor team as last year, considering Drew does not have the proven talent of Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, and Mark Vital amongst his ranks – but even with a few glaring holes in the starting lineup that will not be confidently filled until November 12th’s season opener against Incarnate Word, the returning core of Adam Flagler, Matthew Mayer, Flo Thamba, and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua will be enough to keep Baylor afloat in a deeply competitive conference.
Throwing James Akinjo and Kendall Brown into the mix – in addition to Langston Love, LJ Cryer, and Zach Loveday – will help the Bears navigate an exceptionally grueling Big 12 and national landscape, but whether Baylor is able to maintain an offense that ranks in the top five nationally in terms of efficiency – and a defense in the top 25 – like Drew’s team did last season has yet to be seen.
It is not out of line to expect Baylor to be even better than their projections, however. The 2019-20 season saw the Bears ranked 16th in the preseason poll, and, after an early-season loss to Washington and worrisome signs against Texas State and Coastal Carolina, a quick rush of wins over three nationally ranked teams catapulted Baylor into the top 10 – where they eventually peaked at first for a month.
The Battle 4 Atlantis and December’s clashes with Villanova and Oregon all loom heavily for a Baylor team that will desperately need to prove itself, especially when being compared to the more-so heavily touted Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns. Given Baylor’s history, it may take until the 2022 calendar year until – pending their successes – they crack through into the top five nationally.
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And, although the Bears may not be as heralded as either Kansas or Texas, their ceiling is just as high. With their first national championship finally under their belt, Baylor will undeniably be staunch in its title defense – and it is not unreasonable to believe that the Bears have the arsenal necessary to become just the eighth program in college basketball history to repeat as NCAA champions.