The 2017–18 Baylor Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Scott Drew's 15th season at Baylor. The Bears competed in the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, TX. They finished the season 19–15 overall and 8–10 in Big 12 play, finishing in a four-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they were defeated by West Virginia in the quarterfinals. They were one of the last four teams not selected for the NCAA tournament and as a result earned a no. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Wagner in the first round before losing to Mississippi State in the second round.
Previous season The Bears finished the 2016–17 season 27–8, 12–6 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for second place. They lost to Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. They defeated No. 14 seeded New Mexico State and No. 11 seeded USC in the first and second rounds before losing to No. 7 seeded South Carolina in the sweet sixteen.
Offseason
Departures Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure Wendell Mitchell 1 G 6'3" 180 Freshman (RS) Rockdale, TX Transferred to Trinity Valley CC Johnathan Motley 5 F 6'10" 230 Junior (RS) Houston, TX Entered 2017 NBA draft; Undrafted; Signed by the Dallas Mavericks Ish Wainright 24 F 6'5" 235 Senior Kansas City, MO Graduated; Joined football team with remaining year of eligibility Al Freeman 25 G 6'3" 200 Junior (RS) Charlotte, NC Graduated; Transferred to NC State
Incoming transfers Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Mario Kegler 4 F 6'7" 230 Sophomore Jackson, MS Transferred from Mississippi State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Kegler will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. Leonard Allen II 12 C 6'11" 200 Sophomore Round Rock, TX Junior college transferred from San Diego City College Freddie Gillespie 45 F 6'9" 230 Junior Saint Paul, MN Transferred from Carleton. Under NCAA transfer rules, Gillespie will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. Will join the team as a preferred walk-on.
2017 recruiting class
2018 recruiting class
Roster
Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style="background:#; color:#;"|Exhibition
!colspan=9 style="background:#; color:#;"|Regular season
! colspan=9 style="background:#;"| Big 12 tournament
! colspan=9 style="background:#;"| NIT
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
References