Baylor basketball missed the NCAA tournament for just the second time since 2014 last season. Can Scott Drew’s group get back on track after a down year?
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.
Baylor basketball enjoyed a consistent stream of success in the late 2010s and early 2020s, but last season saw the Bears stumble to a .500 record. That marks the first time since the 2006-07 season that Baylor basketball finished a season at or below .500, a time so long ago that Quincy Acy had not yet arrived on campus. The program extended a scholarship offer to Acy’s son, fittingly named Bear, on Thursday.
But history lessons aside, there is a chance for Baylor basketball to bounce back with a solid handful of transfers and a pair of siblings, not to mention that they went to the same high school as former Bears guard VJ Edgecombe.
Starting at point will be one of those siblings, Kayden Mingo, who transferred in from Penn State after a solid freshman season with the Nittany Lions. More on Mingo later, but behind him and likely in a sixth man role will be Isaac Williams IV, who averaged 10.4 points per game for Baylor last season, averaging 25.0 minutes per game and flashing an elite shooting ability with a 47.1% clip from deep.
Next to Mingo in the backcourt will be Mingo. Dylan, that is. The younger Mingo is ranked as a five-star recruit by 247Sports, and should immediately assume a starting role for Scott Drew’s squad. Liberty transfer Brett Decker Jr. will also see time at the shooting guard spot, boasting plenty of range (47.1 3P%) and scoring ability (16.9 PPG) last season with the Flames.
Moving to the wings, Yale transfer Isaac Celiscar will start at the 3-spot. Celiscar can do a little bit of everything, averaging in double figures last season for the Bulldogs while adding over six rebounds and three assists per game. He also made 40.7% of his attempts from deep on a sample of 1.9 threes taken per game.
Backing him up will be freshman four-star recruit Elijah Williams, who is already able to assume a decent amount of playing time at the Power Five level. He’s got the size on defense to make an impact as well, but needs to refine parts of his offensive game. Also seeing time at the three is a familiar name, Andre Iguodala II, who was a three-star recruit in the class of 2025 but redshirted last season.
The frontcourt has a little bit more questions when it comes to the rotation and time on the court. It is likely that UAB transfer Evan Chatman, a terrific rebounder, will begin the season in the starting power forward role. Chatman averaged 8.8 RPG last season, a mark that ranked third in the American Conference.
But behind him are two talented players that could both push for the starting role. One of them is Class of 2025 international recruit Maikcol Perez, who took a medical redshirt last season after an ACL injury. Perez is now seemingly healthy and can make a big impact for a Bears team that seems to thrive on physicality. The other forward in the mix is Caden Powell, who was granted another season of eligibility via an injunction by a court in Ohio. He averaged just under seven points per game last season for the Bears.
At center, High Point transfer Juslin Bodo Bodo will start. Bodo Bodo might not be the most exciting offensive prospect, but he sure can rebound, which is typically what Scott Drew asks of his centers. Bodo Bodo missed last season with an injury, but will be healthy entering this year. Backing him up will be sophomore Mayo Soyoye, who redshirted last season and did not see game action.
Baylor basketball is certainly capable of returning to the NCAA tournament, but that will depend on the best kind of ability: availability. After several season-ending injuries last season, the Bears simply have to hope their roster can stay intact. If Baylor basketball gets through the year in one piece, they should certainly find themselves dancing.
Head coach: Scott Drew (26th season overall, 25th at Baylor)
2025-26 record: 17-17 (6-12)
2026 postseason finish: Lost in semifinals of College Basketball Crown
Notable departures:
- Every active player from last season except for Isaac Williams IV and Caden Powell
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Texas (Nov. 15) – San Antonio
- vs. Alabama (Nov. 24) – Players Era
- vs. Kansas State OR Gonzaga (Nov. 26) – Players Era
- TBD (Nov. 27) – Players Era
- vs. Memphis (Dec. 5)
- at Washington (Dec. 19)
Projected Rotation
PG: Kayden Mingo (6-1, 195, So.)
2025-26 stats: 13.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.5 RPG, 2.1 SPG (Penn State)
SG: Dylan Mingo (6-4, 185, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 15 ranked recruit
SF: Isaac Celiscar (6-6, 227, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 40.7 3P%, 79.8 FT% (Yale)
PF: Evan Chatman (6-7, 221, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG (UAB)
C: Juslin Bodo Bodo (6-11, 250, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 5.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 64.3 FG% (High Point)*
*Did not play 2025-26 season due to injury
6: Isaac Williams IV (6-1, 192, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.4 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 47.1 3P%
7: Brett Decker Jr. (6-0, 202, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 16.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 49.9 FG%, 47.1 3P% (Liberty)
8: Elijah Williams (6-6, 212, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 38 ranked recruit
9: Caden Powell (6-9, 224, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 6.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.9 SPG
10: Mayo Soyoye (6-10, 260, So.)
247Sports Composite No. 192 ranked recruit in class of 2025*
*Redshirted 2025-26 season
11: Maikcol Perez (6-8, 230, So.)
247Sports Composite four-star recruit in class of 2025*
*Did not play 2025-26 season due to injury
12: Andre Iguodala II (6-7, 181, So.)
247Sports Composite three-star recruit in class of 2025*
*Redshirted 2025-26 season
Baylor basketball team MVP: Kayden Mingo
The elder Mingo had a solid freshman season at Penn State, starting all 28 games he appeared in and placing second on the team with an average of 13.7 PPG. Unusual for a freshman, Mingo was the best defender on the team in his first year at the collegiate level. Not only did he lead Penn State in steals with 2.1 per game, but that mark actually led the Big Ten. In a win over Sacred Heart, Mingo set a season-high with eight steals to go along with 13 points and five assists.
Mingo does have room to develop as a shooter on offense, however. While he led the team with a 27.2% assist percentage and was also adept at avoiding turnovers, Mingo struggled to find a shooting stroke. On a pretty decent sample size of 3.1 attempts per game, Mingo shot only 24.4% from deep, last amongst players with 30 or more attempts for the Nittany Lions. While there are plenty of elite shooters on Baylor’s roster to choose from, it would certainly be nice if Mingo was one of them. However, he does provide value in nearly every other aspect of the game, so we can forgive him if a few threes fall off the iron.
Baylor basketball make-or-break player: Isaac Williams IV
Mingo’s backup, Isaac Williams IV, doesn’t have the same defensive value, but man can he shoot. After a freshman season at Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in which Williams was a 21.9% shooter from deep, Baylor basketball might not have pegged him for a deadeye. But Williams actually improved his numbers despite making the jump from the Southland to the Big 12. He saw action in every game last season, starting 14, and scored 20+ points against two different Power Five opponents.
The hot shooting might be an effect of small sample size, as Williams did struggle from the line (68.4 FT%) and only attemped 1.5 threes per game. But it’s certainly worth assuming that he’s not a 21.9% perimeter shooter, either. His true clip likely lies between the two extremes. If you need a sixth man, which every team does, Williams is certainly a solid option. He led the Bears in assist percentage last year, too, the only Bear above 20.0% in that metric.
Key statistic: Two-point percentage
Baylor basketball ranked inside the top 50 of D-I teams in two-point attempts per game last season. They also had a decent conversion rate on those shots as well, connecting on 56.4% of their twos. Amongst players who attempted at least one two-point shot per game, returnee Caden Powell actually led the team with a 68.3 2P%. Another returnee, Isaac Williams, made 59.0% of his twos. That’s good news for a Baylor basketball squad that has a shot to match their solid rate from the previous season.
Juslin Bodo Bodo finished the 2024-25 season with a 64.3 2P% at High Point, and Isaac Celiscar was almost as efficient at Yale. The signs are there for another efficient season in Waco from inside the arc. Don’t blink when the Bears are around the perimeter, either, however. Baylor basketball will be making them from deep as well.
Baylor basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 8th in the Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance