Memphis Upset Rocks Baylor Basketball: Bracketology Slide Puts Bears’ March Madness Bid in Jeopardy

WACO, Texas — After an up-and-down opening month, the No. 11 Baylor Bears men’s basketball team looks to steady the ship tonight when head coach Scott Drew welcomes Norfolk State to the Ferrell Center for the program’s annual “Future Bears Day” game. Baylor (6-2) is coming off a 78-71 road loss to Memphis that exposed ball-screen coverage issues and pushed the Bears down two seed lines in ESPN’s latest Bracketology update. Veteran guard Langston Love (17.8 ppg) and freshman phenom V.J. Edgecombe (12.9 ppg) will be tasked with jump-starting an offense that ranked top-10 nationally in efficiency through November but shot just 5-for-22 from three in Saturday’s setback. Norfolk State (4-6) presents a classic trap game: the Spartans force turnovers on 23 percent of possessions and feature preseason MEAC Player of the Year Jamarii Thomas at point guard. Drew emphasized rim protection and defensive rebounding in practice this week, noting that sophomore center Yves Missi “has to own the paint” against an undersized but relentless Norfolk front line. Key matchup to watch: Baylor’s guards versus the Spartans’ pressure. The Bears average just 11.4 turnovers, yet coughed up 16 against Memphis. If Jalen Bridges and RayJ Dennis handle traps cleanly, Baylor’s top-five tempo should generate easy transition looks that ignite the Ferrell Center crowd. On the women’s side, No. 13 Baylor improved to 10-1 after Jana Van Gytenbeek recorded the eighth triple-double in program history during a 90-62 rout of Alabama State on Tuesday, reinforcing Nicki Collen’s squad as a Big 12 title dark horse. Beyond campus, former Bears are thriving in the pros. Davion Mitchell’s perimeter defense helped Sacramento crack the top half of the Western Conference, while Jeremy Sochan continues to experiment as San Antonio’s point-forward, underscoring Baylor’s reputation as “Guard U.” What’s next: Baylor closes non-conference play with a neutral-site showdown against No. 7 Duke on Dec. 18 before opening its final Big 12 season at Kansas on Jan. 4. A decisive performance tonight would restore momentum—and protect a home winning streak that sits at 13 games dating back to last season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.