By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18, Baylor men’s basketball accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Crown on Monday. It will be the Bears’ first appearance in the postseason tournament, which began in 2025.
Baylor (16-16, 6-12 Big 12) will face Minnesota (15-17, 8-12 Big Ten) in the first round of the eight-team bracket, which includes automatic qualifiers for the top two non-NCAA Tournament teams from the Big 12, Big Ten and Big East. The tournament begins April 1 in Las Vegas.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to continue competing in the College Basketball Crown,” head coach Scott Drew said. “We’ve been blessed with a great group of guys, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to spend a few more weeks with them and hopefully finish this year with a win.”
Baylor struggled in Big 12 play this season, opening 3-10 against conference opponents before finishing the regular season 3-2. The Bears then lost their first-round Big 12 Tournament game to Arizona State, 83-79, officially ending one of the nation’s longest streaks of NCAA Tournament appearances.
Cincinnati, which finished one spot ahead of Baylor in the NET rankings, declined to play in the Crown after firing head coach Wes Miller. Baylor, West Virginia (18-14, 9-9 Big 12) and Colorado (17-15, 7-11 Big 12) will represent the conference in the Bearcats’ stead.
The Crown represents Baylor’s second trip to Las Vegas this season after the Bears beat Creighton in the Player’s Era opener in November. The Bluejays are across the bracket from Baylor.
The winner of Baylor’s first-round matchup with Minnesota will advance to face the winner of Oklahoma and Colorado in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Stanford faces West Virginia and Creighton faces Rutgers.
Baylor’s first-round game will tip off at 9:30 p.m. April 1 on FS1. Should they advance, the semifinal match would tip at 12:30 p.m. April 4 on FOX and the championship game would tip at 4:30 p.m. April 5 on FOX.
