Namely, what Scott Drew has done for Baylor over the last two decades cannot be overstated. At the onset, he inherited a broken and scandal-ridden program. Yet he turned it into a national contender. The Bears cut down the nets as winners of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Subsequently, Baylor finished Top 4 in the Big 12 in each of the last six College basketball betting seasons, showing no signs of slowing down. What’s unfortunate for Baylor is that this team has not gotten out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament since that title run.
2024-25 Baylor Bears Basketball Preview
| Baylor Bears | Odds |
|---|---|
| National Championship: | +4000 |
2024-25 Baylor Bears Basketball Outlook
Three straight losses in the Round of 32 is somewhat disappointing. Especially with the talent assembled in Waco in recent years. Drew has regularly brought talent to town both through recruiting and the Transfer Portal. In turn, he is bolstering and sometimes completely remaking rotations for winning teams.
The online betting challenges are far from over for Baylor. Consider that they’ll have another immense challenge on December 4th. Baylor is heading to Storrs to play at Connecticut as part of the Big 12-Big East Battle. Fortunately for the Bears, their other nonconference games are all very winnable mid-majors at home. Including most of the rest of December.
Their Big 12 NCAABB betting schedule begins December 31st at home against Utah. Hence the Bears are welcoming one of the four new teams into the conference. Early January provides a trip to both Arizona and Arizona State. Correlate that is giving a close look at two other new faces in the Big 12. A few weeks later provides the Bears’ lone look at Kansas, which comes in Waco on February 1st.
Their significance in recent years looks to continue even in the new-look Big 12. Accordingly, it is a league that has swelled from 10 to 16 schools over the last two offseasons. Baylor is a team that has missed just one of the last ten NCAA Tournaments. Now it is focused on continuing that streak of good fortune. And Drew certainly has the team to make noise yet again.
Many of the names are different, and nobody remains from that national title run. But there’s a chance for this Baylor squad to be special. Now, it’s all about how they handle the games that matter. Before we get ahead of ourselves, gamblers are previewing what’s to come for Baylor. They are diving into the roster, the schedule, and what we can reasonably expect this season. Is this the year for another deep Tournament run for the Bears?
Among other things of note, during conference play, the Bears will see Arizona and Houston twice. But they only have road dates against strong Iowa State and BYU squads. There’s something of a softer stretch near the end of the regular season for the Bears. However, Senior Night on March 8th sees their rematch with Houston.
You’ll see Baylor in preseason Top 10 lists. Now, we’ll see early this season if they’re up to defending that expectation with that intense first month of basketball. That starting five has a little bit of everything. And those young pieces could each develop into weapons of their own off the bench.
Barring injury or something unforeseen, we can expect another trip to the Big Dance for the Bears. Also, Baylor can earn a high finish in the Big 12.