Baylor Basketball: 2022-23 season preview and outlook for Bears
By Joey Loose
Schedule Outlook
Things start off rather simply for the Bears, with three games at home against mid-major foes, with Northern Colorado probably the best of those initial opponents. Things will then get interesting as the Bears head to Vegas for the Continental Tire Main Event. They’ll start off with a matchup against Virginia and then face either Illinois or UCLA in their second game. Former player Matthew Mayer suits up for Illinois and it could be quite the reunion if those teams face off.
After an easy home date with McNeese State, the Bears head to Milwaukee, facing off with Marquette as part of the Big 12/Big East Battle. Any road game is difficult, but it’s the game after this that everyone is circling on the calendar. Baylor will face a rematch of their national title victory as they travel to Sioux Falls to take on Gonzaga on December 2nd, a game that might feature two Top 5 teams.
Those are the most intriguing parts of the early schedule, as Baylor gets a few more very winnable home games during the rest of December. They’ll also head to Dallas to take on Washington State as part of the Pac 12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge, though that should be a very winnable game against the Cougars. The intrigue of Big 12 play then begins.
The Big 12 teams will all play each other twice, meaning there are some very hostile road trips in Baylor’s future, though of course, they make these every year. They’ll start conference play with a trip to Iowa State and host defending champion Kansas on January 23rd. A few days later, they’ll welcome a tough Arkansas team to town as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. After traveling to Kansas in late February, the last few games of the regular season aren’t too bad, concluding with senior night against Iowa State.