# 2022–23 Baylor Bears men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Baylor Bears men's basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Bears' 117th basketball season. The Bears, members of the Big 12 Conference, played their home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. They were led by 20th-year head coach Scott Drew. They finished the season 23-11, 11-7 in Big 12 Play to finish a tie for 3rd place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament to Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated UC Santa Barbara in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Creighton.

## Previous season

The Bears finished the 2021–22 season 27–7, 14–4 in Big 12 play to finish a tie for the regular season championship. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Oklahoma. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East Region, where they defeated Norfolk State in the first round before getting upset in the second round by North Carolina.

## Offseason
### Departures

Baylor Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Jeremy Sochan | 1 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Freshman | Milton Keynes, England | Declared for 2022 NBA draft |
| Kendall Brown | 2 | G/F | 6'8" | 205 | Freshman | Cottage Grove, MN | Declared for 2022 NBA draft |
| James Akinjo | 11 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Senior | Oakland, CA | Graduated/went undrafted in 2022 NBA draft |
| Mitchell Paul | 14 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Senior | Leawood, KS | Walk-on; graduated |
| Kijana Love | 21 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Senior | Universal City, TX | Walk-on; graduated |
| Matthew Mayer | 24 | G/F | 6'9" | 225 | Senior | Austin, TX | Graduated |
| Dain Dainja | 42 | F | 6'9" | 270 | RS Freshman | Brooklyn Park, MN | Mid-season transferred to Illinois |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jalen Bridges | 11 | F | 6'7" | 225 | RS Junior | Fairmont, WV | West Virginia |
| Dantwan Grimes | 12 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Sophomore | Ocala, FL | Kilgore College |
| Caleb Lohner | 33 | F | 6"8" | 235 | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | BYU |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Keyonte George #4 SG | Bradenton, FL | IMG Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Aug 8, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 ||||||
| Joshua Ojianwuna C | Canberra, AUS | NBA Global Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Sep 22, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| 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 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. "2022 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| 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: 91 |||||||
| Miro Little 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: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| 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 August 29, 2022. "2023 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. |||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jason Asemota #4 SF | Phoenix, AZ | Hillcrest Prep | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 27, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 |||||||
| 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 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. "2024 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | No. 5т | Mississippi Valley State | W 117–53 | 1–0 | 21 – Flagler | 10 – Thamba | 8 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (10,284) Waco, TX |
| November 11, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5т | Norfolk State Continental Tire Main Event campus site game | W 87–70 | 2–0 | 23 – George | 7 – Ojianwuna | 7 – George | Ferrell Center (9,728) Waco, TX |
| November 14, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5 | Northern Colorado | W 95–62 | 3–0 | 20 – Cryer | 10 – Lohner | 10 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (8,548) Waco, TX |
| November 18, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | vs. No. 16 Virginia Continental Tire Main Event semifinal | L 79–86 | 3–1 | 20 – George | 5 – Tied | 7 – Flagler | T-Mobile Arena (7,678) Paradise, NV |
| November 20, 2022* 4:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | vs. No. 8 UCLA Continental Tire Main Event 3rd place game | W 80–75 | 4–1 | 28 – Cryer | 6 – 2 tied | 4 – Flagler | T-Mobile Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 23, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 7 | McNeese State | W 89–60 | 5–1 | 17 – George | 7 – Bridges | 12 – Bonner | Ferrell Center (8,181) Waco, TX |
| November 29, 2022* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 6 | at Marquette Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 70–96 | 5–2 | 19 – Cryer | 6 – Flagler | 5 – Flagler | Fiserv Forum (14,022) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 2, 2022* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 6 | vs. No. 14 Gonzaga | W 64–63 | 6–2 | 18 – George | 8 – Thamba | 3 – Bonner | Sanford Pentagon (3,448) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 6, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | Tarleton State | W 80–57 | 7–2 | 22 – George | 8 – Bridges | 6 – George | Ferrell Center (8,527) Waco, TX |
| December 18, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 11 | vs. Washington State Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge | W 65–59 | 8–2 | 19 – George | 7 – Bridges | 4 – Bonner | American Airlines Center (4,200) Dallas, TX |
| December 20, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | Northwestern State | W 58–48 | 9–2 | 13 – Bridges | 8 – Ojianwuna | 7 – Bonner | Ferrell Center (8,200) Waco, TX |
| December 28, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | Nicholls | W 85–56 | 10–2 | 21 – George | 11 – Ojianwuna | 6 – Bonner | Ferrell Center (8,577) Waco, TX |
| December 31, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 12 | at Iowa State | L 62–77 | 10–3 (0–1) | 20 – Flagler | 5 – Thamba | 3 – Flagler | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| January 4, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 19 | No. 17 TCU | L 87–88 | 10–4 (0–2) | 27 – George | 7 – Tied | 6 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (8,710) Waco, TX |
| January 7, 2023 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 19 | Kansas State | L 95–97 $^{OT}$ | 10–5 (0–3) | 23 – Flagler | 7 – Tied | 7 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (9,211) Waco, TX |
| January 11, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Virginia | W 83–78 | 11–5 (1–3) | 32 – George | 11 – Bridges | 4 – Flagler | WVU Coliseum (11,815) Morgantown, WV |
| January 14, 2023 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Oklahoma State | W 74–58 | 12–5 (2–3) | 16 – Cryer | 8 – Tied | 8 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (9,616) Waco, TX |
| January 17, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 21 | at Texas Tech | W 81–74 | 13–5 (3–3) | 27 – George | 6 – Ojianwuna | 5 – Flagler | United Supermarkets Arena (14,152) Lubbock, TX |
| January 21, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 21 | at Oklahoma | W 62–60 | 14–5 (4–3) | 16 – Flagler | 10 – Thamba | 5 – Flagler | Lloyd Noble Center (8,808) Norman, OK |
| January 23, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | No. 9 Kansas | W 75–69 | 15–5 (5–3) | 22 – Cryer | 9 – Bridges | 3 – Tied | Ferrell Center (10,219) Waco, TX |
| January 28, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | Arkansas Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 67–64 | 16–5 | 24 – George | 7 – Bridges | 3 – George | Ferrell Center (10,627) Waco, TX |
| January 30, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 11 | at No. 10 Texas | L 71–76 | 16–6 (5–4) | 19 – Cryer | 7 – Bridges | 4 – Flagler | Moody Center (10,763) Austin, TX |
| February 4, 2023 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 11 | Texas Tech | W 89–62 | 17–6 (6–4) | 18 – Bridges | 8 – Bridges | 8 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (10,343) Waco, TX |
| February 8, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 14 | Oklahoma | W 82–72 | 18–6 (7–4) | 23 – George | 8 – Bridges | 4 – Flagler | Ferrell Center (9,861) Waco, TX |
| February 11, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | at No. 17 TCU | W 72–68 | 19–6 (8–4) | 28 – Flagler | 7 – Tchamwa Tchatchoua | 4 – Flagler | Schollmaier Arena (7,055) Fort Worth, TX |
| February 13, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 9 | West Virginia | W 79–67 | 20–6 (9–4) | 26 – Cryer | 9 – George | 7 – George | Ferrell Center (9,811) Waco, TX |
| February 18, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 9 | at No. 5 Kansas | L 71–87 | 20–7 (9–5) | 22 – Flagler | 6 – Tchamwa Tchatchoua | 7 – Flagler | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| February 21, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 9 | at No. 14 Kansas State | L 65–75 | 20–8 (9–6) | 23 – George | 12 – Tchamwa Tchatchoua | 6 – Cryer | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| February 25, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 9 | No. 8 Texas | W 81–72 | 21–8 (10–6) | 17 – Bridges | 12 – Thamba | 4 – Tied | Ferrell Center (10,499) Waco, TX |
| February 27, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | at Oklahoma State | W 74–68 | 22–8 (11–6) | 15 – Tied | 8 – Thamba | 6 – Flagler | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,965) Stillwater, OK |
| March 4, 2023 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 | No. 7 | Iowa State | L 58–73 | 22–9 (11–7) | 20 – Flagler | 7 – Tchamwa Tchatchoua | 2 – Tied | Ferrell Center (10,105) Waco, TX |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 11:30 a.m., ESPN | (4) No. 10 | vs. (5) Iowa State Quarterfinals | L 72–78 | 22–10 | 28 – Bridges | 5 – Bridges | 4 – Flagler | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2023* 12:30 pm, TNT | (3 S) No. 11 | vs. (14 S) UC Santa Barbara First Round | W 74–56 | 23–10 | 18 – Flagler | 9 – Tchamwa Tchatchoua | 5 – Flagler | Ball Arena Denver, CO |
| March 19, 2023* 6:10 p.m., TBS | (3 S) No. 11 | vs. (6 S) Creighton Second Round | L 76–85 | 23–11 | 30 – Cryer | 6 – Bridges | 3 – George | Ball Arena Denver, CO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | 5т | 5 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 19 | RV | 21 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 11 | Not released |
| Coaches | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 16 | RV | 22 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 19 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.