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.

2022–23 Baylor Bears men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 11
Record	23–11 (11–7 Big 12)
Head coach	Scott Drew (20th season)
Associate head coach	Alvin Brooks III (7th season) John Jakus (6th season)
Assistant coach	Jared Nuness (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Motion
Base defense	No-Middle
Home arena	Ferrell Center
Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

2022–23 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 Kansas	13	–	5		.722			28	–	8		.778
No. 5 Texas †	12	–	6		.667			29	–	9		.763
No. 15 Kansas State	11	–	7		.611			26	–	10		.722
No. 11 Baylor	11	–	7		.611			23	–	11		.676
Iowa State	9	–	9		.500			19	–	14		.576
No. 22 TCU	9	–	9		.500			22	–	13		.629
Oklahoma State	8	–	10		.444			20	–	16		.556
West Virginia	7	–	11		.389			19	–	15		.559
Texas Tech	5	–	13		.278			16	–	16		.500
Oklahoma	5	–	13		.278			15	–	17		.469
† 2023 Big 12 tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

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.

Roster

2022–23 Baylor Bears men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Flo Thamba 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Mountain Mission (VA) Kinshasa, DR Congo G 1 Keyonte George 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr IMG Academy Lewisville, TX G 2 Jake Younkin (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Cincinnati Hills Loveland, OH G 3 Dale Bonner 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Shaker Heights Fairmont State Shaker Heights, OH G 4 LJ Cryer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Morton Ranch Katy, TX G/F 5 Jordan Turner 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) Houston, TX G 10 Adam Flagler 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr Presbyterian Duluth, GA F 11 Jalen Bridges 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr West Virginia Fairmont, WV G 13 Langston Love 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Fr Montverde Academy (FL) Universal City, TX F 15 Josh Ojianwuna 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr NBA Global Academy Asaba, Nigeria F 20 Austin Sacks (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Santa Clara Encino, CA F 23 Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr UNLV Douala, Cameroon F 32 Zach Loveday 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Huntington Prep (WV) Gallipolis, OH F 33 Caleb Lohner 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr BYU Dallas, TX	Head coach Scott Drew (Butler) Assistant coach(es) Alvin Brooks III (Idaho State) John Jakus (Trinity International) Jared Nuness (Valparaiso) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

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:^[1]

Rankings

See also: 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below

	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.

References

1. "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". baylorbears.com. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved August 29, 2022.