2021–22 Baylor Bears men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Baylor Bears men's basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Bears' 116th 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 19th-year head coach Scott Drew. They finished the 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.

2021–22 Baylor Bears men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 4
Record27–7 (14–4 Big 12)
Head coach
Associate head coachJerome Tang (19th season)
Assistant coaches
Offensive schemeMotion
Base defenseNo-Middle
Home arenaFerrell Center
2021–22 Big 12 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 3 Kansas144 .778346  .850
No. 4 Baylor144 .778277  .794
No. 12 Texas Tech126 .6672710  .730
No. 25 Texas108 .5562212  .647
TCU810 .4442113  .618
Oklahoma State*810 .4441515  .500
Iowa State711 .3892213  .629
Oklahoma711 .3891916  .543
Kansas State612 .3331417  .452
West Virginia414 .2221617  .485
*Oklahoma State was ineligible for both the 2022 Big 12 Tournament and the 2022 NCAA tournament due to postseason ban imposed by the NCAA.
2022 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

This was the first season in which the terms "men's" and "women's" are needed to distinguish Baylor's basketball teams. Before this season, Baylor women's basketball had used the nickname "Lady Bears", but on September 3, 2021, the school announced that basketball, soccer, and volleyball, the last three Baylor women's sports still using "Lady", would use only "Bears" from that point forward.[1][2]

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bears finished the 2020–21 season 28–2, 13–1 in Big 12 play to win the regular season championship. In the Big 12 tournament, they defeated Kansas State in the quarterfinals[3] before losing to Oklahoma State in the semifinals.[4] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the South region.[5] The Bears defeated Hartford[6] and Wisconsin to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[7] They defeated Villanova[8] and Arkansas to advance to the school's first Final Four since 1950.[9][10] In the Final Four, they defeated Houston to advance to the school's first national championship game.[11][12] In the championship, they defeated No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga to win the school's first national championship.[13][14]

Offseason

Departures

All players listed as "graduated" had the option to return in 2021–22. The NCAA ruled that the 2020–21 season, dramatically impacted by COVID-19, would not count against the eligibility of any basketball player. Also, declaration for the NBA draft does not necessarily lead to loss of college eligibility. Junior guard Mathew Mayer declared for the NBA draft,[15] but withdrew his name from consideration and returned to Baylor.[16]

Baylor Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Mark Vital11F/G6'5"250Redshirt SeniorLake Charles, LAGraduated, declared for NBA draft[17]
Jared Butler12G6'3"195JuniorReserve, LADeclared for NBA draft[18]
MaCio Teague31G6'4"195Redshirt SeniorCincinnati, OHGraduated, declared for NBA draft[19]
Mark Paterson35G6'1"180Graduate StudentDallas, TXGraduated
Davion Mitchell45G6'2"205Redshirt JuniorHinesville, GADeclared for NBA draft[20]

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Langston Love
SG
Universal City, TX Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Jul 15, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Jeremy Sochan
PF
Milton Keynes, EN OrangeAcademy (GE) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Jul 16, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 75
Kendall Brown
SF
Cottage Grove, MN Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 20, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 92
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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  • "2021 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.

Roster

2021–22 Baylor Bears men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 Flo Thamba 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrMountain Mission (VA) Kinshasa, DR Congo
F 1 Jeremy Sochan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) FrOrangeAcademy (GE) Milton Keynes, EN
G/F 2 Kendall Brown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrSunrise Christian Academy (KS) Cottage Grove, MN
G 3 Dale Bonner 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) JrShaker Heights
Fairmont State
Shaker Heights, OH
G 4 LJ Cryer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoMorton Ranch Katy, TX
G/F 5 Jordan Turner 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SoSunrise Christian Academy (KS) Houston, TX
G 10 Adam Flagler 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS JrPresbyterian Duluth, GA
G 11 James Akinjo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrArizona Oakland, CA
G 13 Langston Love Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrMontverde Academy (FL) Universal City, TX
G 14 Mitchell Paul (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) SrKansas City Christian Leawood, KS
F 20 Austin Sacks (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoOakwood
Santa Clara
Encino, CA
G 21 Kijana Love (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg) SrSt. Edward's Universal City, TX
F 23 Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua Injured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrUNLV Douala, Cameroon
G/F 24 Matthew Mayer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrWestlake Austin, TX
F 32 Zach Loveday 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoHuntington Prep (WV) Gallipolis, OH
F 42 Dain Dainja (T) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)270 lb (122 kg) RS FrPark Center Brooklyn Park, MN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 27, 2021

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
November 12, 2021*
7:30 p.m., ESPN+
No. 8 Incarnate Word W 87–60  1–0
 14  Mayer  10  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  6  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (8,895)
Waco, TX
November 15, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN+
No. 9 Nicholls W 89–60  2–0
 20  Cryer  9  Brown  10  Brown  Ferrell Center (9,307)
Waco, TX
November 17, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 9 Central Arkansas W 92–47  3–0
 20  Cryer  12  Sochan  10  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (6,667)
Waco, TX
November 20, 2021*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 9 Stanford W 86–48  4–0
 21  Cryer  7  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  11  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (7,048)
Waco, TX
November 24, 2021*
6:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 vs. Arizona State
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinal
W 75–63  5–0
 15  Cryer  9  Sochan  7  Akinjo  Imperial Arena (843)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 25, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 vs. VCU
Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal
W 69–61  6–0
 15  Mayer  8  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  2  Tied  Imperial Arena (929)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 26, 2021*
10:00 a.m., ESPN
No. 6 vs. Michigan State
Battle 4 Atlantis championship
W 75–58  7–0
 15  Akinjo  7  Mayer  5  Tied  Imperial Arena (1,305)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
December 4, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 4 Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 99–54  8–0
 20  Cryer  13  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  3  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (6,207)
Waco, TX
December 12, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ABC
No. 2 No. 6 Villanova
Big East–Big 12 Battle
W 57–36  9–0
 16  Akinjo  10  Sochan  5  Tied  Ferrell Center (10,264)
Waco, TX
December 18, 2021*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 at Oregon W 78–70  10–0
 17  Brown  7  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  6  Akinjo  Matthew Knight Arena (7,682)
Eugene, OR
December 20, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 1 Alcorn State W 94–57  11–0
 16  Tied  9  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  7  Tied  Ferrell Center (6,923)
Waco, TX
December 28, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 1 Northwestern State W 104–68  12–0
 27  Akinjo  11  Sochan  11  Flagler  Ferrell Center (6,516)
Waco, TX
January 1, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 1 at No. 8 Iowa State W 77–72  13–0
(1–0)
 16  Akinjo  7  Sochan  4  Flagler  Hilton Coliseum (14,267)
Ames, IA
January 4, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 Oklahoma W 84–74  14–0
(2–0)
 27  Akinjo  6  Tied  5  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (7,523)
Waco, TX
January 8, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 1 at TCU W 76–64  15–0
(3–0)
 22  Flagler  6  Mayer  8  Akinjo  Schollmaier Arena (5,562)
Fort Worth, TX
January 11, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 No. 19 Texas Tech L 62–65  15–1
(3–1)
 17  Tied  10  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  6  Brown  Ferrell Center (8,569)
Waco, TX
January 15, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 1 Oklahoma State L 54–61  15–2
(3–2)
 18  Cryer  8  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  3  Brown  Ferrell Center (8,861)
Waco, TX
January 18, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 at West Virginia W 77–68  16–2
(4–2)
 25  Cryer  8  Thamba  7  Flager  WVU Coliseum (12,692)
Morgantown, WV
January 22, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 5 at Oklahoma W 65–51  17–2
(5–2)
 16  Flagler  10  Thamba  4  Akinjo  Lloyd Noble Center (11,339)
Norman, OK
January 25, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 4 Kansas State W 74–49  18–2
(6–2)
 14  Cryer  12  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  5  Flager  Ferrell Center (8,062)
Waco, TX
January 29, 2022*
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 at Alabama
Big 12/SEC Challenge
L 78–87  18–3
 17  Sochan  8  Sochan  7  Akinjo  Coleman Coliseum (14,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 31, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 8 West Virginia W 81–77  19–3
(7–2)
 25  Akinjo  9  Sochan  4  Tied  Ferrell Center (8,226)
Waco, TX
February 5, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 8 at No. 10 Kansas L 59–83  19–4
(7–3)
 16  Flagler  8  Brown  3  Tied  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 10 at Kansas State W 75–60  20–4
(8–3)
 21  Tchamwa Tchatchoua  7  Sochan  8  Akinjo  Bramlage Coliseum (6,236)
Manhattan, KS
February 12, 2022
11:00 a.m., ESPN2
No. 10 No. 20 Texas W 80–63  21–4
(9–3)
 20  Flagler  11  Thamba  7  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (10,284)
Waco, TX
February 16, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 at No. 11 Texas Tech L 73–83  21–5
(9–4)
 18  Akinjo  10  Sochan  7  Akinjo  United Supermarkets Arena (14,923)
Lubbock, TX
February 19, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 TCU W 72–62  22–5
(10–4)
 17  Sochan  8  Thamba  8  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (10,072)
Waco, TX
February 21, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 at Oklahoma State W 66–64 OT 23–5
(11–4)
 29  Flagler  7  Tied  4  Akinjo  Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,701)
Stillwater, OK
February 26, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 No. 5 Kansas W 80–70  24–5
(12–4)
 18  Thamba  12  Mayer  6  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (10,628)
Waco, TX
February 28, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 at No. 21 Texas W 68–61  25–5
(13–4)
 19  2 tied  8  Akinjo  7  Akinjo  Frank Erwin Center (16,450)
Austin, TX
March 5, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 3 Iowa State W 75–68  26–5
(14–4)
 20  Akinjo  10  Brown  6  Akinjo  Ferrell Center (9,385)
Waco, TX
Big 12 Tournament
March 10, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
(2) No. 3 vs. (7) Oklahoma
Quarterfinals
L 67–72  26–6
 16  Akinjo  9  Sochan  4  Flagler  T-Mobile Center (15,805)
Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2022
1:00 p.m., TBS
(1 E) No. 4 vs. (16 E) Norfolk State
First Round
W 85–49  27–6
 22  Mayer  7  Sochan  9  Akinjo  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 19, 2022
11:10 a.m., CBS
(1 E) No. 4 vs. (8 E) North Carolina
Second Round
L 86–93 OT 27–7
 27  Flagler  11  Sochan  5  Akinjo  Dickies Arena (13,300)
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
( ) = First place votes.
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
AP896421 (61)1 (60)1 (61)1 (61)548107103 (4)3 (3)4Not released
Coaches88^54 (1)2 (3)1 (30)1 (32)1 (32)1 (32)648108114 (1)3 (2)49

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.
^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

References

  1. Quillen, Kurtis (September 3, 2021). "Baylor University to drop 'Lady Bears' nickname from women's teams". Temple, TX: KCEN-TV. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. Voepel, Mechelle (September 4, 2021). "Baylor women's hoops drops 'Lady' from team name, to be known as Bears". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  3. "Kansas State vs. Baylor - Game Recap - March 11, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  4. "Oklahoma State inches closer to Big 12 Tournament title, but Baylor may benefit from upset loss". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  5. Werner, John. "Baylor Bears No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  6. "Hartford vs. Baylor - Game Recap - March 19, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  7. Goldberg, Rob. "No. 1 Baylor Holds Off No. 9 Wisconsin to Advance in 2021 NCAA Tournament". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  8. "NCAA Tournament 2021: No. 1 seed Baylor rallies in second half vs. Villanova to move on to Elite Eight". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  9. "Arkansas vs. Baylor - Box Score - March 29, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  10. "Baylor vs. Arkansas score, takeaways: Bears in first Final Four since 1950 after holding off Razorbacks". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  11. AP (April 3, 2021). "University of Houston's men's basketball team ends great season". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  12. "Baylor vs. Houston score: Bears overwhelm Cougars to advance to national title game". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  13. "Baylor vs. Gonzaga - Game Recap - April 5, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  14. Treisman, Rachel; McCallister, Doreen (April 6, 2021). "Baylor Defeats Gonzaga To Win Its 1st Men's NCAA Basketball Championship". NPR. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  15. "Baylor guard Matthew Mayer declares for 2021 NBA draft, retains college eligibility". dallasnews.com. The Dallas Morning News. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  16. "Source: Matthew Mayer to withdraw from NBA draft, return to Baylor for senior season". espn.com. ESPN. June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  17. "Baylor senior Mark Vital declares for the NBA draft". kwtx.com. KWTX. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  18. "Baylor's Jared Butler declares for NBA draft".
  19. "MaCio Teague, Baylor Bears guard from Walnut Hills HS, declares for 2021 NBA draft".
  20. "2021 NBA Draft: Baylor star Davion Mitchell declares after helping lead Bears to first national championship". CBS Sports. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
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