# 2023–24 Baylor Bears men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Baylor Bears men's basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Bears' 118th season. The Bears, members of the Big 12 Conference, played their first seven home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, before moving to their new arena at Foster Pavilion, which opened on January 2, 2024. They were led by 21st-year head coach Scott Drew.

## Previous season

The Bears finished the 2022–23 season 23–11, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the South Region, where they defeated UC Santa Barbara in the first round before losing in the second round to Creighton.

## Offseason
### Departures

Baylor Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Flo Thamba | 0 | F | 6'10" | 245 | Senior | Kinshasa, DR Congo | Graduated |
| Keyonte George | 1 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman | Lewisville, TX | Declare for 2023 NBA draft; selected 16th overall by Utah Jazz |
| Jake Younkin | 2 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Loveland, OH | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Dale Bonner | 3 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Senior | Shaker Hights, OH | Graduate transferred to Ohio State |
| LJ Cryer | 4 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Junior | Katy, TX | Transferred to Houston |
| Jordan Turner | 5 | G/F | 6'8" | 195 | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduate transferred to Louisiana Tech |
| Adam Flagler | 10 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Senior | Duluth, GA | Graduated/undrafted in 2023 NBA draft; signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Zach Loveday | 32 | F | 7'0" | 215 | Junior | Gallipois, OH | Transferred to Samford |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jayden Nunn | 2 | F | 6'4" | 190 | Junior | Flint, Michigan | VCU |
| RayJ Dennis | 10 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Senior | Plainfield, IL | Toledo |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ja'Kobe Walter #2 SG | McKinney, TX | Link Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 22, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 ||||||
| Miro Little #5 PG | Bel Aire, KS | Sunrise Christian Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 15, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Yves Missi #13 C | Colora, MD | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 15, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 14 247Sports: 10 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Baylor 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 3, 2023. "2023 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 3, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 3, 2023. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 20 | vs. Auburn | W 88–82 | 1–0 | 28 – Walter | 8 – Bridges | 3 – Nunn | Sanford Pentagon (3,028) Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 9, 2023* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | No. 20 | John Brown | W 96–70 | 2–0 | 20 – Love | 10 – Ojianwuna | 8 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (9,414) Waco, TX |
| November 12, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 20 | Gardner–Webb | W 77–62 | 3–0 | 14 – Walter | 8 – Tied | 4 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (8,037) Waco, TX |
| November 14, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | Kansas City | W 99–61 | 4–0 | 25 – Nunn | 6 – Lohner | 8 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (7,903) Waco, TX |
| November 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 13 | vs. Oregon State NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals | W 88–72 | 5–0 | 24 – Walter | 14 – Missi | 6 – Dennis | Barclays Center (–) Brooklyn, NY |
| November 24, 2023* 4:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 13 | vs. Florida NIT Season Tip-Off championship | W 95–91 | 6–0 | 24 – Dennis | 5 – Tied | 8 – Dennis | Barclays Center (1,620) Brooklyn, NY |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 9 | Nicholls | W 108–70 | 7–0 | 23 – Love | 7 – Tied | 10 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (7,166) Waco, TX |
| December 2, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 9 | Northwestern State | W 91–40 | 8–0 | 16 – Bridges | 10 – Missi | 6 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (8,432) Waco, TX |
| December 5, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | Seton Hall Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 78–60 | 9–0 | 17 – Dennis | 8 – Missi | 7 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (8,269) Waco, TX |
| December 16, 2023* 1:00 p.m., FOX | No. 6 | vs. Michigan State Motor City Invitational | L 64–88 | 9–1 | 11 – Tied | 3 – Tied | 7 – Dennis | Little Caesars Arena (13,277) Detroit, MI |
| December 20, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 10 | vs. No. 21 Duke SentinelOne Classic | L 70–78 | 9–2 | 17 – Dennis | 10 – Missi | 4 – Dennis | Madison Square Garden (18,512) New York, NY |
| December 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 10 | Mississippi Valley State Final Game at Ferrell Center | W 107–48 | 10–2 | 26 – Walter | 7 – Lohner | 7 – Dennis | Ferrell Center (8,794) Waco, TX |
| January 2, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 18 | Cornell First Game at Foster Pavilion | W 98–79 | 11–2 | 23 – Walter | 9 – Walter | 6 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| Big 12 Regular Season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 18 | at Oklahoma State | W 75–70 $^{OT}$ | 12–2 (1–0) | 18 – Dennis | 10 – Missi | 4 – Dennis | Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,513) Stillwater, OK |
| January 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 14 | No. 18 BYU | W 81–72 | 13–2 (2–0) | 25 – Bridges | 5 – Bridges | 4 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | Cincinnati | W 62–59 | 14–2 (3–0) | 14 – Tied | 8 – Bridges | 9 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 9 | at Kansas State | L 64–68 $^{OT}$ | 14–3 (3–1) | 15 – Love | 11 – Missi | 8 – Dennis | Bramlage Coliseum (10,055) Manhattan, KS |
| January 20, 2024 11:00 a.m., ESPN | No. 9 | at Texas | L 73–75 | 14–4 (3–2) | 22 – Walter | 7 – Walter | 8 – Dennis | Moody Center (11,163) Austin, TX |
| January 27, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 15 | TCU | L 102–105 $^{3OT}$ | 14–5 (3–3) | 25 – Missi | 10 – Love | 10 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 31, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 18 | at UCF | W 77–69 | 15–5 (4–3) | 24 – Love | 7 – Love | 8 – Dennis | Addition Financial Arena (8,683) Orlando, FL |
| February 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | No. 12 Iowa State | W 70–68 | 16–5 (5–3) | 18 – Dennis | 7 – Dennis | 4 – Love | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 13 | No. 23 Texas Tech | W 79–73 | 17–5 (6–3) | 21 – Dennis | 7 – Missi | 5 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 10, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 13 | at No. 4 Kansas | L 61–64 | 17–6 (6–4) | 21 – Missi | 8 – Tied | 8 – Dennis | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| February 13, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | No. 25 Oklahoma | W 79–62 | 18–6 (7–4) | 27 – Nunn | 6 – Walter | 8 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 17, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | at West Virginia | W 94–81 | 19–6 (8–4) | 23 – Walter | 7 – Tied | 8 – Dennis | WVU Coliseum (12,558) Morgantown, WV |
| February 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 11 | at No. 25 BYU | L 71–78 | 19–7 (8–5) | 15 – Bridges | 8 – Bridges | 8 – Dennis | Marriott Center (17,978) Provo, UT |
| February 24, 2024 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 11 | No. 2 Houston | L 76–82 $^{OT}$ | 19–8 (8–6) | 23 – Walter | 13 – Bridges | 5 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 26, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 15 | at TCU | W 62–54 | 20–8 (9–6) | 16 – Tied | 9 – Dennis | 9 – Dennis | Schollmaier Arena (6,810) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 2, 2024 12:00 p.m., ABC | No. 15 | No. 7 Kansas | W 82–74 | 21–8 (10–6) | 19 – Dennis | 8 – Walter | 10 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| March 4, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 11 | Texas | W 93–85 | 22–8 (11–6) | 32 – Bridges | 9 – Bridges | 8 – Dennis | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| March 9, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 11 | at Texas Tech | L 68–78 | 22–9 (11–7) | 15 – Walter | 6 – Bridges | 5 – Dennis | United Supermarkets Arena (14,432) Lubbock, TX |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (3) No. 14 | vs. (11) Cincinnati Quarterfinals | W 68–56 | 23–9 | 13 – Dennis | 9 – Bridges | 6 – Dennis | T-Mobile Center (19,135) Kansas City, MO |
| March 15, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN | (3) No. 14 | vs. (2) No. 7 Iowa State Semifinals | L 62–76 | 23–10 | 20 – Bridges | 12 – Bridges | 11 – Dennis | T-Mobile Center (19,135) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2024 11:40 a.m., TruTV | (3 W) No. 14 | vs. (14 W) Colgate First Round | W 92–67 | 24–10 | 23 – Bridges | 7 – Ojianwuna | 9 – Dennis | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| March 24, 2024 5:10 p.m., TNT | (3 W) No. 14 | vs. (6 W) Clemson Second Round | L 64–72 | 24–11 | 27 – Dennis | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 20 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 16 |
| Coaches | 17 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 |