Baylor basketball brings in a completely new team, in hopes that they can get back to championship form.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Baylor basketball.
It’s very common in this day and age to see a team have a complete turnover from one season to another. Usually, that’s due to a coaching change or a subpar coach. This never happens to an established coach like Scott Drew, but alas, the NIL and transfer portal taketh and giveth.
Drew brings in loads of talent. In the backcourt, he adds two mid-major players who combined to average 30 PPG last season. They also add Michael Rataj from Oregon State, who averaged 17 and 7 last year.
The home run pickup, though, was Tounde Yessoufou, the top 15 recruit. We’ve seen year in and year out a 5-star recruit succeed at Baylor, most recently VJ Edgecombe, who was drafted 3rd overall last year.
Baylor fans have been yearning to recreate the 2019 and 2020 seasons. While they won’t see that this year, they can certainly see a second weekend appearance once again with this experienced roster.
Head coach: Scott Drew (23rd season at Baylor, 24th season overall)
2024-25 record: 20-15 (10-10)
2025 postseason finish: Lost to Duke (89-66) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Norchad Omier (15.7 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.5 APG)
- VJ Edgecombe (15.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.2 APG)
- Robert Wright III (11.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.1 RPG)
- Jeremy Roach (10.0 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.9 RPG)
- Everyone Else
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Washington (Nov. 9)
- vs. Creighton (Nov. 24) – Players Era Festival
- vs. St John’s (Nov. 25) – Players Era Festival
- Players Era Festival (Nov. 26-27)
- at Memphis (Dec. 6)
- vs. Louisville (Feb. 14) – Fort Worth, TX
Projected Rotation
PG: JJ White (6-1, 193, Gr.-Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 13.7 PPG, 4.0 APG, 2.6 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 49.2 FG%, 44.2 3P%, 79.5 FT% (Omaha)
SG: Obi Agbim (6-3, 183, Gr.-Sr)
2024-25 stats: 17.6 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 46.9 FG%, 43.7 3P%, 78.5 FT% (Wyoming)
SF: Tounde Yessoufou (6-5, 215, Fr.)
2025 247Sports Composite #14-ranked recruit
PF: Michael Rataj (6-8, 230, Gr.-Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 16.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 48.4 FG%, 35.1 3P%, 78.8 FT% (Oregon State)
C: Juslin Bodo Bodo (6-11, 231, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 5.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 0.2 APG, 1.4 BPG, 0.6 SPG, 64.3 FG%, 53.4 FT% (High Point)
6: Dan Skillings Jr. (6-6, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 9.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 44.0 FG%, 29.9 3P%, 61.2 FT% (Cincinnati)
7: Caden Powell (6-9, 224, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 10.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.0 BPG, 0.5 SPG, 56.5 FG%, 65.0 FT% (Rice)
8: Isaac Williams IV (6-1, 192, So.)
2024-25 stats: 10.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 44.1 FG%, 21.9 3P%, 44.6 FT% (Texas A&M CC)
9: Cameron Carr (6-5, 175, So.)
2024-25 stats: 4.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 62.5 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 4 GP
10: Mayo Soyoye (6-10, 234, Fr.)
2025 247Sports Composite #175-ranked recruit
Baylor Basketball team MVP: Tounde Yessoufou
Everything that’s coming out about Yessoufou’s game is sounding better and better. The potential top 10 draft pick is a scoring machine, averaging 32.3 PPG his junior season. He can shoot the ball, but really thrives at getting to the rim. He’s got good size, and defensively will be an asset for this team.
Baylor seems to have success every year with the one-and-done freshman. Edgecombe, Jakobe Walter, and Keyonte George were all great, and Yessoufou will join that list. If he can be great, and the rest of the team can be as good as they were at their former stops, this is a team that’ll finish in the top half of the Big 12 comfortably.
Baylor Basketball make-or-break player: Obi Agbim
After success at the JUCO level, Agbim came to Wyoming and continued his success, averaging 17.6 a game. He did it on pretty impressive splits as well, shooting 46.9% from the field and 43.7% from deep. Agbim played one game against a Big 12 team last year, scoring 21 points on 8-12 shooting.
Moving up from the JUCO level to the Mountain West was clearly not a problem. Now, he’ll have to step up to the Big 12, a tough ask. If he can seamlessly make that transition, then he’s a dangerous player and one who could be an All-Big 12 player.
Key analytic: Offensive vs Defensive rebounds per game
Baylor was a completely different team when it came to rebounding, depending on what side of the court they were on. Baylor averaged 10.8 offensive rebounds per game, 30th in the country. Baylor averaged 21 defensive rebounds per game, 305th in the country.
This was pretty surprising considering they had one of the best modern rebounders in Norchad Omier, but while it’s great to get those extra opportunities, you’re also giving them up. Bringing in Bodo Bodo will certainly help with that, as well as Powell.
Baylor Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 7th in the Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Exit