2020–21 Baylor Bears basketball team

2020–21 Baylor Bears basketball
2020–21 Baylor Bears basketball
NCAA Tournament National Champions; Big 12 regular season champions
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 3
Record	28–2 (13–1 Big 12)
Head coach	Scott Drew (18th season);
Associate head coach	Jerome Tang (18th season)
Assistant coaches	Alvin Brooks III (5th season); John Jakus (4th season);
Home arena	Ferrell Center
	Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Big 12 men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 1 Baylor	13	–	1	.929	28	–	2	.933
No. 16 Kansas	12	–	6	.667	21	–	9	.700
No. 21 Texas †	11	–	6	.647	19	–	8	.704
No. 18 West Virginia	11	–	6	.647	19	–	10	.655
No. 19 Oklahoma State	11	–	7	.611	21	–	9	.700
No. 22 Texas Tech	9	–	8	.529	18	–	11	.621
Oklahoma	9	–	8	.529	16	–	11	.593
TCU	5	–	11	.313	12	–	14	.462
Kansas State	4	–	14	.222	9	–	20	.310
Iowa State	0	–	18	.000	2	–	22	.083

† 2021 Big 12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Baylor Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Bears' 115th 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 18th year head coach Scott Drew.

The 2020-21 defeated Bears won the program’s first national championship, defeating undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs 86-70 in the National Championship Game.

Previous season

The Bears finished the season 2019–20 season 26–4 and 15–3 in Big 12 play to finish in second place. The team was scheduled to play Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament before the tournament was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA Tournament was also cancelled due to the pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Devonte Bandoo	2	G	6'3"	185	Senior	Mississauga, ON	Graduated
Obim Okeke	15	G	6'0"	225	Senior	Las Vegas, NV	Graduated
Tristan Clark	25	F	6'10"	245	Junior	San Antonio, TX	Retired from basketball due to multiple injuries
Freddie Gillespie	33	F	6'9"	245	RS Senior	St. Paul, MN	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Mark Paterson	35	G	6'1"	180	Graduate Student	Dallas, TX	St. Edwards

Recruiting classes

2020 Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
LJ Cryer PG	Katy, TX	Morton Ranch (TX)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 11, 2019
LJ Cryer PG	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84
Dain Dainja C	Brooklyn Park, MN	Park Center (MN)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Jun 22, 2019
Dain Dainja C	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86
Zach Loveday C	Gallipolis, OH	Huntington Prep (WV)	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 25, 2019
Zach Loveday C	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 42 247Sports: 28 ESPN: 22
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 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020. "2020 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

2021 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2021)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Langston Love SG	San Antonio, TX	Montverde Academy (FL)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 15, 2020
Langston Love SG	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89
Jeremy Sochan PF	Southampton, UK	OrangeAcademy (GE)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jul 16, 2020
Jeremy Sochan PF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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
Kendall Brown SF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 8 247Sports: 5 ESPN: —
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 November 13, 2020. "2021 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

Preseason

Big 12 coaches' poll

The Big 12 preseason coaches' poll was released on October 29, 2020. Baylor was predicted to come in first place.

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Big 12 coaches' poll^[1]
1	Baylor	79 (7)
2	Kansas	73 (3)
3	West Virginia	61
4	Texas	58
5	Texas Tech	53
6	Oklahoma	39
7	Oklahoma State	35
8	Iowa State	19
9	TCU	18
10	Kansas State	15

Roster

2020–21 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)	Jr	Mountain Mission	Kinshasa, DR Congo
G	4	LJ Cryer	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Morton Ranch	Katy, TX
G/F	5	Jordan Turner	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Fr	Sunrise Christian Academy	Houston, TX
G	10	Adam Flagler	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	RS So	Presbyterian	Duluth, GA
G/F	11	Mark Vital	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	RS Sr	Advanced Prep International	Lake Charles, LA
G	12	Jared Butler	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Riverside Academy	Reserve, LA
G/F	13	Jackson Moffatt (W)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	RS So	Magnolia	Magnolia, TX
F	23	Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	RS So	UNLV	Douala, Cameroon
G/F	24	Matthew Mayer	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jr	Westlake	Austin, TX
G	31	MaCio Teague	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Sr	UNC Asheville	Cincinnati, OH
F	32	Zach Loveday	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Fr	Huntington Prep	Gallipolis, OH
G	35	Mark Paterson (W)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	GS	St. Edward's	Dallas, TX
F	42	Dain Dainja	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	270 lb (122 kg)	Fr	Park Center	Brooklyn Park, MN
G	45	Davion Mitchell	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Jr	Auburn	Hinesville, GA

Head coach

Scott Drew (Butler)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 10, 2020

Schedule and results

The Bears' initial schedule included participation in the Empire Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where they would have played Arizona State on November 25, followed by either Villanova or Boston College on November 26; however, the Bears were forced to withdraw after Scott Drew announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.^[2] The Bears were likewise forced to cancel their game scheduled for November 29 against Seton Hall.^[2]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular Season
November 28, 2020* 7:00 p.m., FloHoops	No. 2	vs. Louisiana	W 112–82	1–0	21 – Teague	7 – Teague	7 – Mitchell	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
November 29, 2020* 5:00 p.m., FloHoops	No. 2	vs. Washington	W 86–52	2–0	20 – Butler	15 – Vital	7 – Mitchell	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
December 2, 2020* 9:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	vs. No. 5 Illinois Jimmy V Classic	W 82–69	3–0	18 – Flagler	8 – Tchatchoua	7 – Mitchell	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (0) Indianapolis, Indiana
December 5, 2020* 12:00 p.m., CBS	No. 2	vs. No. 1 Gonzaga Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues						Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana
December 9, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Stephen F. Austin Replaced game against Nicholls scheduled for December 8	W 83–52	4–0	14 – Flagler	6 – Tie	7 – Tie	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
December 13, 2020 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	No. 13 Texas Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
December 15, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Tarleton State Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
December 19, 2020 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	at Kansas State	W 100–69	5–0 (1–0)	23 – Teague	10 – Teague	13 – Butler	Bramlage Coliseum (848) Manhattan, Kansas
December 21, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 99–42	6–0	15 – Cryer	8 – Tied	7 – Butler	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
December 29, 2020* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Central Arkansas	W 93–56	7–0	20 – Teague	11 – Tchatchoua	12 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (0) Waco, Texas
December 30, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	Alcorn State	W 105–76	8–0	18 – Teague	8 – Tchatchoua	10 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
January 2, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	at Iowa State	W 76–65	9–0 (2–0)	21 – Butler	10 – Tchatchoua	5 – Butler	Hilton Coliseum (1,318) Ames, Iowa
January 6, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	Oklahoma	W 76–61	10–0 (3–0)	17 – Teague	8 – Vital	4 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
January 9, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at TCU	W 67–49	11–0 (4–0)	28 – Butler	8 – Butler	6 – Mitchell	Schollmaier Arena (1,891) Fort Worth, Texas
January 16, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at No. 15 Texas Tech	W 68–60	12–0 (5–0)	19 – Mitchell	5 – Tie	3 – Butler	United Supermarkets Arena (4,250) Lubbock, Texas
January 18, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	No. 9 Kansas	W 77–69	13–0 (6–0)	30 – Butler	10 – Vital	8 – Butler	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
January 23, 2021 1:00 p.m., CBS	No. 2	at Oklahoma State	W 81–66	14–0 (7–0)	22 – Butler	7 – Mayer	9 – Mitchell	Gallagher-Iba Arena (3,350) Stillwater, Oklahoma
January 27, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	Kansas State	W 107–59	15–0 (8–0)	31 – Mitchell	7 – Butler	5 – Tied	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
January 30, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	Auburn Big 12/SEC Challenge	W 84–72	16–0	19 – Flagler	11 – Thamba	7 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
February 2, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at No. 6 Texas	W 83–69	17–0 (9–0)	27 – Mitchell	6 – Tied	4 – Mitchell	Frank Erwin Center (2,532) Austin, Texas
February 6, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	TCU Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
February 10, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	at No. 12 Oklahoma Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma
February 13, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	No. 7 Texas Tech Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
February 15, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at No. 13 West Virginia Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						WVU Coliseum Morgantown, West Virginia
February 18, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 2	No. 13 West Virginia Rescheduled from January 12; Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
February 20, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	Oklahoma State Postponed						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
February 23, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 2	at Iowa State	W 77–72	18–0 (10–0)	22 – Flagler	15 – Vital	4 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
February 25, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 2	No. 10 West Virginia Rescheduled from February 18, Canceled						Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
February 27, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at No. 17 Kansas	L 58–71	18–1 (10–1)	18 – Teague	8 – Teague	3 – Tied	Allen Fieldhouse (2,600) Lawrence, Kansas
March 2, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	at No. 6 West Virginia Rescheduled from February 15	W 94–89 ^OT	19–1 (11–1)	25 – Butler	8 – Vital	6 – Butler	WVU Coliseum (2,800) Morgantown, West Virginia
March 4, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 3	No. 17 Oklahoma State Rescheduled from February 20	W 81–70	20–1 (12–1)	22 – Butler	7 – Mayer	7 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
March 7, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	No. 18 Texas Tech Rescheduled from February 13	W 88–73	21–1 (13–1)	35 – Teague	15 – Vital	7 – Mitchell	Ferrell Center (2,350) Waco, Texas
Big 12 Tournament
March 11, 2021 1:30 pm, ESPN	(1) No. 2	vs. (9) Kansas State Quarterfinals	W 74–68	22–1	24 – Teague	10 – Vital	6 – Vital	T-Mobile Center (3,491) Kansas City, MO
March 12, 2021 5:30 pm, ESPN	(1) No. 2	vs. (5) No. 12 Oklahoma State Semifinals	L 74–83	22–2	17 – Teague	10 – Vital	3 – Mitchell	T-Mobile Center (3,298) Kansas City, MO
NCAA Tournament
March 19, 2021 2:30 pm, truTV	(1 S) No. 3	vs. (16 S) Hartford First Round	W 79–55	23–2	22 – Teague	9 – Mayer	9 – Butler	Lucas Oil Stadium (5,837) Indianapolis, IN
March 21, 2021 1:40 pm, CBS	(1 S) No. 3	vs. (9 S) Wisconsin Second Round	W 76–63	24–2	17 – Mayer	7 – Vital	8 – Mitchell	Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
March 27, 2021 4:15 pm, CBS	(1 S) No. 3	vs. (5 S) No. 18 Villanova Sweet Sixteen	W 62–51	25–2	16 – Flagler	9 – Vital	3 – Butler	Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
March 29, 2021 8:57 pm, CBS	(1 S) No. 3	vs. (3 S) No. 10 Arkansas Elite Eight	W 81–72	26–2	22 – Teague	6 – Tchatchoua	6 – Mitchell	Lucas Oil Stadium (7,519) Indianapolis, IN
April 3, 2021 4:14 pm, CBS	(1 S) No. 3	vs. (2 MW) No. 6 Houston Final Four	W 78–59	27–2	17 – Butler	6 – Tchatchoua	11 – Mitchell	Lucas Oil Stadium (8,131) Indianapolis, IN
April 5, 2021 8:20 pm, CBS	(1 S) No. 3	vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga National Championship	W 86–70	28–2	22 – Butler	11 – Vital	7 – Butler	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

source: ^[3]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	2 (24)	2 (6)	2 (7)	2 (7)	2 (3)	2 (2)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (2)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (8)	2 (5)	2 (4)	3	2 (2)	3	Not released
Coaches	1 (12)	1 (12)^	2 (8)	2 (6)	2 (5)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (4)	2 (4)	2 (4)	2 (4)	3	2	3

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

^ "Baylor Picked as Big 12 Preseason Favorite for First Time". big12sports.com.
^ ^a ^b Gardner, Michelle (23 November 2020). "College basketball COVID updates: No. 1 Baylor stays home; Wichita State must return home after positive tests". Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". Baylor University. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

[1] "Baylor Picked as Big 12 Preseason Favorite for First Time". big12sports.com.

[nov-cancel-2] Gardner, Michelle (23 November 2020). "College basketball COVID updates: No. 1 Baylor stays home; Wichita State must return home after positive tests". Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[3] "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". Baylor University. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Baylor Bears men's basketball
Venues	Marrs McLean Gymnasium (1938–1953) Heart O' Texas Fair Coliseum (1953–1988) Ferrell Center (1988–2024) Foster Pavilion (2024–present)
Culture & lore	"Old Fight" Baylor basketball scandal Murder of Patrick Dennehy
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Baylor Bears basketball 2020–21 NCAA champions
0 Flo Thamba 4 LJ Cryer 10 Adam Flagler 11 Mark Vital 12 Jared Butler (MOP) 23 Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua 24 Matthew Mayer 31 MaCio Teague 45 Davion Mitchell
Head coach Scott Drew
Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III John Jakus Jerome Tang