Big 12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

Scott Drew deserves a statue in Waco for building an annual powerhouse out of the Baylor Bears. The program should be a contender for a Big 12 title and more once again this season.

Coming off a title-winning season, 2021-22 was always going to be a step back for the Bears. But it wasn’t a particularly big one, as they lost only four games in conference play and were co-champions of the Big 12.

Unfortunately, the Bears went down in just the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. That loss looks better in retrospect following the run the UNC Tar Heels went on (and what they’re poised to do this year), but it was still an unexpectedly fast exit from the Big Dance.

A huge amount of talent left after the season, including star freshmen Jeremy Sochan and Kendall Brown, who both went to the NBA. Matthew Mayer transferred to Illinois, while James Akinjo finally exhausted his eligibility.

The sheer amount of talent returning, however, may be surprising to some. Flo Thamba, LJ Cryer, Adam Flagler, and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua are all back. With those players in the fold, Baylor should have one of the best defenses in the country and one of the most cohesive offenses.

Baylor also made some solid additions from the transfer portal. Former BUY forward Caleb Lohner is an underrated addition, but the real prize was former West Virginia forward Jalen Bridges, a former Big 12 All-Freshman Team player. Bridges clearly needed a change of scenery from Morgantown and should be ready for a top-five role in Waco.

Then, there’s Keyonte George. The dynamic shooting guard is one of the best recruits in the country and he chose Baylor over the likes of Texas, Kansas, and Kentucky. He should quickly assert himself as arguably the best freshman in the country.

No doubt, Baylor is still smarting from its NCAA Tournament loss. This team has all the motivation it needs to take the Big 12 in 2022-23.