Baylor Bears

The Baylor Bears are one of the newest heavyweights in college basketball, having transformed from Big 12 also-ran into a national champion under Scott Drew. Their new home, Foster Pavilion, gives Waco a modern arena befitting a program that now expects to compete for titles every year. Baylor's identity is built on physical, switch-everything defense and a deep, versatile roster that can grind out wins against anyone. The Bears' rise from scandal-scarred program to national champion is one of the more remarkable turnaround stories in the sport.

Baylor basketball spent decades as a Big 12 afterthought before Scott Drew rebuilt the program from the ground up starting in 2003. That rebuild culminated in the 2021 NCAA national championship, a dominant run capped by an 86-70 win over Gonzaga in the title game — the first men's basketball championship in school history. The 2021 title validated years of steady program-building and put Baylor squarely among the sport's modern elite. It remains the signature moment in Bears basketball history.