# 2024–25 Baylor Bears men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Baylor Bears men's basketball team represents Baylor University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Bears' 119th season. The Bears, members of the Big 12 Conference, play their home games at Foster Pavilion. They are led by 22nd-year head coach Scott Drew.

## Previous season

The Bears finished the 2023–24 season 24–11, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament to Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the number three seed in the West Region, where they defeated Colgate in the first round before losing in the second round to Clemson.

## Offseason
### Departures

Baylor Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Miro Little | 1 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman | Tampere, Finland | Transferred to Utah |
| Ja'Kobe Walter | 4 | F | 6'5" | 180 | Freshman | McKinney, TX | Declare for 2024 NBA draft; selected 19th overall by Toronto Raptors |
| RayJ Dennis | 10 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Senior | Plainfield, IL | Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Los Angeles Clippers |
| Jalen Bridges | 11 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Senior | Fairmont, WV | Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Phoenix Suns |
| Dantwan Grimes | 12 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Junior | Ocala, FL | Transferred to Tarleton State |
| Austin Sacks | 20 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Senior | Encino, CA | Graduated |
| Yves Missi | 21 | F | 6'10" | 210 | Freshman | Yaoundé, Cameroon | Declare for 2024 NBA draft; selected 21st overall by New Orleans Pelicans |
| Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua | 23 | F | 6'8" | 250 | Graduate | Douala, Cameroon | Graduated |
| Caleb Lohner | 33 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Senior | Dallas, TX | Transferred to Utah |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jeremy Roach | 3 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Fifth Year | Leesburg, VA | Duke |
| Norchad Omier | 15 | F | 6'7" | 248 | Fifth Year | Bluefields, Nicaragua | Miami (FL) |
| Jalen Celestine | 32 | G | 6'7" | 215 | Graduate | Ajax, Ontario | California |
| Yanis Ndjonga | 41 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Senior | Yaoundé, Cameroon | New Mexico Military Institute |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| V. J. Edgecombe #1 SG | Glen Head, NY | Long Island Lutheran HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jan 14, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Robert Wright III #1 PG | Wilimgton, DE | Montverde Academy | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 9, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 ||||||
| Jason Asemota #16 SF | Phoenix, AZ | Hillcrest Prep | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 27, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 4 247Sports: 4 ||||||
| 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 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024. "2024 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024. ||||||

## Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll
| | Big 12 Coaches | Points |
| 1. | Kansas | 215 (9) |
| 2. | Houston | 211 (5) |
| 3. | Iowa State | 194 (1) |
| 4. | Baylor | 185 |
| 5. | Arizona | 179 (1) |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 140 |
| 7. | Texas Tech | 135 |
| 8. | Kansas State | 133 |
| 9. | BYU | 116 |
| 10. | TCU | 90 |
| 11. | UCF | 83 |
| 12. | Arizona State | 64 |
| 13. | West Virginia | 62 |
| 14. | Oklahoma State | 46 |
| 15. | Colorado | 37 |
| 16. | Utah | 30 |
| Reference: (#) first-place votes |||
Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

### First Team

| Player | School |
| Caleb Love | Arizona |
| LJ Cryer | Houston |
| J’Wan Roberts | Houston |
| Tamin Lipsey | Iowa State |
| Hunter Dickinson† | Kansas |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||

### Second Team

| Player | School |
| Norchad Omier | Baylor |
| Jeremy Roach | Baylor |
| Keshon Gilbert | Iowa State |
| Dajuan Harris Jr | Kansas |
| Coleman Hawkins | Kansas State |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||
* Player of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
* Co-Newcomer of the Year: Jeremy Roach, Baylor & Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
* Freshman of the Year: V. J. Edgecombe, Baylor

## 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 4, 2024* 10:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 8 | at No. 6 Gonzaga Findlay Auto Tip-Off | L 63–101 | 0–1 | 15 – Omier | 9 – Omier | 7 – Wright | Spokane Arena (12,000) Spokane, WA |
| November 9, 2024* 6:30 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | vs. No. 16 Arkansas | W 72–67 | 1–1 | 16 – Nunn | 12 – Omier | 5 – Edgecombe | American Airlines Center (10,207) Dallas, Texas |
| November 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | Sam Houston | W 104–67 | 2–1 | 19 – Nunn | 10 – Tied | 8 – Roach | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| November 17, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | Tarleton State | W 104–41 | 3–1 | 20 – Celestine | 9 – Omier | 9 – Wright III | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| November 21, 2024* 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 13 | vs. No. 22 St. John's Bahamas Championship semifinals | W 99–98 $^{2OT}$ | 4–1 | 24 – Omier | 10 – Omier | 4 – Tied | Baha Mar Convention Center (2,077) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 22, 2024* 9:30 p.m., CBSSN | No. 13 | vs. No. 11 Tennessee Bahamas Championship final | L 62–77 | 4–2 | 22 – Omier | 10 – Omier | 3 – Tied | Baha Mar Convention Center (2,119) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 27, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 17 | New Orleans | W 91–60 | 5–2 | 23 – Nunn | 13 – Omier | 8 – Roach | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| December 4, 2024* 5:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | at No. 25 UConn Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 72–76 | 5–3 | 22 – Wright | 14 – Ojianwuna | 4 – Wright III | Gampel Pavilion (10,299) Storrs, CT |
| December 9, 2024* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Abilene Christian | W 88–57 | 6–3 | 18 – Nunn | 8 – Ojianwuna | 4 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| December 11, 2024* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | | Norfolk State | W 94–69 | 7–3 | 19 – Omier | 9 – Edgecombe | 13 – Wright III | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| December 27, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 25 | Arlington Baptist | W 107–53 | 8–3 | 19 – Omier | 24 – Omier | Wright III – 9 | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| December 31, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 25 | Utah | W 81–56 | 9–3 (1–0) | 19 – Edgecombe | 14 – Omier | 5 – Nunn | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 25 | at No. 3 Iowa State | L 55–74 | 9–4 (1–1) | 16 – Roach | 10 – Tied | 4 – Edgecombe | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cincinnati | W 68–48 | 10–4 (2–1) | 18 – Tied | 9 – Omier | 4 – Roach | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 11, 2025 8:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Arizona State | W 72–66 $^{OT}$ | 11–4 (3–1) | 19 – Omier | 17 – Ojianwuna | 3 – Tied | Desert Financial Arena (9,449) Tempe, AZ |
| January 14, 2025 10:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 25 | at Arizona | L 70–81 | 11–5 (3–2) | 16 – Wright | 7 – Edgecombe | 4 – Wright | McKale Center (14,034) Tucson, AZ |
| January 19, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 25 | TCU | L 71–74 | 11–6 (3–3) | 20 – Omier | 5 – Omier | 8 – Wright | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 22, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Kansas State | W 70–62 | 12–6 (4–3) | 30 – Edgecombe | 13 – Omier | 5 – Wright | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 25, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Utah | W 76–61 | 13–6 (5–3) | 22 – Omier | 12 – Omier | 4 – Edgecombe | Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,311) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 28, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at BYU | L 89–93 $^{OT}$ | 13–7 (5–4) | 28 – Edgecombe | 8 – Oimer | 6 – Wright | Marriott Center (17,297) Provo, UT |
| February 1, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 11 Kansas | W 81–70 | 14–7 (6–4) | 24 – Wright | 16 – Omier | 6 – Wright | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 4, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 13 Texas Tech | L 59–73 | 14–8 (6–5) | 16 – Omier | 12 – Omier | 3 – Wright | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| February 8, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | W 91–76 | 15–8 (7–5) | 18 – Omier | 12 – Omier | 5 – Edgecombe | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 10, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 6 Houston | L 65–76 | 15–9 (7–6) | 19 – Omier | 6 – Edgecombe | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| February 15, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | West Virginia | W 74–71 $^{OT}$ | 16–9 (8–6) | 17 – Tied | 10 – Omier | 6 – Edgecombe | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 17, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 19 Arizona | L 67–74 | 16–10 (8–7) | 24 – Edgecombe | 13 – Omier | 4 – Wright | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 22, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Colorado | L 74–76 | 16–11 (8–8) | 18 – Omier | 13 – Omier | 7 – Edgecombe | CU Events Center (7,341) Boulder, CO |
| February 25, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | L 67–69 | 16–12 (8–9) | 18 – Edgecombe | 10 – Omier | 4 – Wright | Fifth Third Arena (10,598) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 1, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma State | W 71–61 | 17–12 (9–9) | 16 – Wright | 13 – Omier | 3 – Roach | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at TCU | W 61–58 | 18–12 (10–9) | 19 – Omier | 12 – Omier | 7 – Wright | Schollmaier Arena (6,621) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 8, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 3 Houston | L 61–65 | 18–13 (10–10) | 23 – Edgecombe | 16 – Omier | 5 – Nunn | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (10) Kansas State Second Round | W 70–56 | 19–13 | 19 – Edgecombe | 14 – Omier | 5 – Roach | T-Mobile Center (15,431) Kansas City, MO |
| March 13, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN | (7) | vs. (2) No. 9 Texas Tech Quarterfinals | L 74–76 | 19–14 | 29 – Omier | 15 – Omier | 5 – Edgecombe | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2025* 11:15 a.m., CBS | (9 E) | vs. (8 E) Mississippi State First Round | | | | | | Lenovo Center Raleigh, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 15 | RV | RV | 25 | 25 | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Coaches | 8 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 25 | RV | 23 | 21 | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | |