Following a national championship in 2020-21, three straight Baylor men’s basketball seasons have concluded with an underwhelming second-round exit. Whether it be injury-riddled seasons or unthinkably slow starts, each season has found a different way to leave a lasting mark. However, the 2023-24 season will mostly be looked back on fondly due to those close bonds on the team.

There may not have been a team ranked in the preseason AP Top-25 that underwent more overhaul than 2023-24 Baylor men’s basketball. As the only Big 12 team with four brand new starters that also welcomed seven total newcomers, head coach Scott Drew found a way to bring his “Culture of Joy” to new levels.

After senior guard RayJ Dennis powered through contact and ended a scoring drought that lasted just over two minutes, No. 3 seed Baylor men’s basketball was down by 13 with just over six minutes to play.

Ja’Kobe Walter could’ve coasted through his one-and-done season. Baylor could’ve been a pitstop. He didn’t have to care. That’s never been Walter, though — that’s not his style.

In late February, Brownell said on the Tigers’ flagship radio station that Big 12 teams would adjust their nonconference schedules to play softer opponents with the idea that more routs would take place. Thus, those larger-margin victories would boost how Big 12 teams are reflected in metrics like the NET, which is the NCAA Evaluation Tool used by the selection committee.