Baylor MBB Ranked No. 8 in Preseason AP Top 25

[Kaye, David]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Oct. 18, 2021

Baylor MBB Ranked No. 8 in Preseason AP Top 25
Ninth time in last 12 years Bears have been ranked in AP preseason poll
For more information contact: David Kaye, 254-709-5147, David_Kaye at baylor.edu<mailto:David_Kaye at baylor.edu>

NEW YORK – Baylor men’s basketball is ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, the Associated Press announced Monday. This marks the second-highest preseason ranking in program history, trailing only the No. 2 ranking the Bears had entering their 2020-21 National Championship season.

Baylor garnered 992 points in the poll, trailing only Gonzaga (1,562), UCLA (1,459), Kansas (1,427), Villanova (1,332), Texas (1,315), Michigan (1,255) and Purdue (1,213). The Bears were immediately followed by Duke (963) and Kentucky (894) rounding out the top 10.

Illinois (861) is ranked No. 11, followed by Memphis (831), Oregon (775), Alabama (713), Houston (694), Arkansas (673), Ohio State (581), Tennessee (563), North Carolina (547), Florida State (381), Maryland (294), Auburn (267), St. Bonaventure (238), Connecticut (161) and Virginia (125).

The Bears will face three preseason top-15 ranked teams during non-conference play. Baylor hosts No. 4 Villanova on Dec. 12, travels to No. 13 Oregon on Dec. 18 and plays another road game at No. 14 Alabama on Jan. 29. Combined with the Big 12’s home-and-home games against No. 3 Kansas and No. 5 Texas, Baylor will play five games against preseason top-five teams.

BU also will play Stanford (Nov. 20) and Arizona State (Nov. 24) in non-conference play, with the latter game coming in the first round at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Baylor will face either VCU or Syracuse in the second game at Battle 4 Atlantis, followed by a matchup against No. 22 Auburn, No. 24 Connecticut, Michigan State or Loyola-Chicago. Michigan State received the most votes of any team not in the preseason AP Top 25.

The Bears have now been ranked in nine of 12 preseason AP Top 25 polls since 2010-11. Previous Baylor preseason AP Top 25 rankings were No. 16 in 2010-11, No. 12 in 2011-12, No. 19 in 2012-13, No. 25 in 2013-14, No. 22 in 2015-16, No. 24 in 2017-18, No. 16 in 2019-20 and No. 2 in 2020-21.

Baylor returns seven letterwinners from last year’s National Championship squad. BU welcomes back Flo Thamba, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Matthew Mayer, Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer, Zach Loveday and Jordan Turner.

The Bears welcome two transfer guards and a trio of highly-recruited freshmen. James Akinjo (Arizona) and Dale Bonner (Fairmont State) bring experience to the Baylor backcourt, while Kendall Brown, Langston Love and Jeremy Sochan form the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. Additionally, Dain Dainja is eligible after redshirting last season.

Mayer was named to the six-player Preseason All-Big 12 team, while Akinjo was an honorable mention and Brown was projected as Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Akinjo and Flagler earned honorable mention on The Athletic’s preseason All-America squad.

Head coach Scott Drew enters his 19th season at Baylor in 2021-22. He holds a 390-226 career record over 19 years as a Division I coach, including a 370-215 mark at BU. Drew’s teams have combined to post a 334-146 record over the last 14 seasons, recording a 27-10 record over 12 postseason appearances in that span.


Season tickets and mini plans are now available, and single-game tickets will go on sale to Bear Foundation members on Tuesday and to the general public on Thursday. Single-game tickets will be dynamically priced for the 2021-22 season, with prices adjusted for each game in real-time based on market demand or opponent. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets early to secure seating.

Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.

2021-22 PRESEASON AP TOP 25
1. Gonzaga
2. UCLA
3. Kansas
4. Villanova
5. Texas
6. Michigan
7. Purdue
8. BAYLOR
9. Duke
10. Kentucky
11. Illinois
12. Memphis
13. Oregon
14. Alabama
15. Houston
16. Arkansas
17. Ohio State
18. Tennessee
19. North Carolina
20. Florida State
21. Maryland
22. Auburn
23. St. Bonaventure
24. Connecticut
25. Virginia

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 87, Indiana 41, USC 30, Arizona 26, Virginia Tech 25, Oklahoma State 25, Xavier 22, Texas Tech 17, Richmond 13, Rutgers 11, Colorado State 11, LSU 7, Belmont 7, San Diego State 5, St. John's 5, Mississippi State 5, Syracuse 5, Drake 4, Colorado 4, BYU 3, Notre Dame 3, Louisville 3

* - Potential 2021-22 regular-season opponents in bold

BAYLOR ALL-TIME PRESEASON AP TOP 25 RANKINGS
2010-11 – 16th
2011-12 – 12th
2012-13 – 19th
2013-14 – 25th
2015-16 – 22nd
2016-17 – 24th
2019-20 – 16th

2020-21 – 2nd

2021-22 – 8th


2021-22 BAYLOR MBB PRESEASON HONORS

JAMES AKINJO

Preseason All-America Honorable Mention (The Athletic)

Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention



KENDALL BROWN

Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year



ADAM FLAGLER

Preseason All-America Honorable Mention (The Athletic)



MATTHEW MAYER

Preseason All-Big 12 Team



www.BaylorBears.com






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David Kaye | Assistant AD for Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-709-5147

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