The college basketball season is upon us and the Baylor Bears will take the court on Monday night. The 2026-27 season will mark Scott Drew's 24th season as a head coach and the Bears have fared quite well under Drew in season openers. Baylor is 20-3 all-time in season openers under Drew.

After a very disappointing 17-17 season, Baylor looks to right the ship this season after it was able to keep a lot of core players together from last season's team, along with adding four valuable transfers.

If Baylor's three exhibition games meant anything, the Bears are going to be a tough out. Here's how you can see Baylor in action, along with three storylines, and a prediction.

How to watch

• When: Monday, Nov. 2
• Where: Foster Pavilion (Waco, TX)
• Time: 8:30 p.m. CT
• Streaming: ESPN+
• Broadcast: John Morris and Mark Vita

Storylines to watch

Dominate the paint

While we don't know Northwestern State's rotation or an official starting lineup, the Demons are projected to start a 6'6" and 6'7" player on Monday night against Baylor. While he isn't an offensive superstar, center Juslin Bodo Bodo needs to show his strength.

The Bears don't need Bodo Bodo to score double figures on Monday, but Baylor does want to see the former High Point center dominate the glass and showcase his ability to block shots. The Bears started freshman Elijah Williams at the '4' in both exhibition games and that just means Baylor can space the floor better with Bodo Bodo in the paint.

Kayden Mingo takeover season?

The biggest question surrounding this team was if the Bears lacked star talent. Fans were hopeful that five-star freshman Dylan Mingo could be that star, with both Kayden Mingo and Isaac Williams chipping in.

Turns out, Kayden Mingo was the star of the exhibition games — as well as Williams. Mingo scored 31 in the win over Florida and then had 24 points in the win over Illinois. He made 40% of his threes in the two games and Mingo was able to get to the glass against stiff competition.

Baylor is going to try and get everyone involved on Monday, but let's see if this season is going to belong to Mingo in Waco.

How do the freshmen fare?

The exhibitions saw both Dylan Mingo and Elijah Williams start, both highly-touted freshmen. Mingo flashed some scoring ability, and stuffed the stat sheet, being able to both rebound and dish assists. Williams was a little more quiet in both games.

Nothing against the Demons, but this should be an easier game for Baylor. This would be a good time to get both freshmen's feet under them and allow them the chance to make some plays. Mingo might be the five-star, but Williams was a high four-star prospect. These two are going to be important to Baylor's success this season.

Prediction

Baylor scored 82 points and 95 — in overtime — against both Florida and Illinois, respectively. The Bears appear to have a team that will be able to score the basketball this season, but that wasn't much of an issue last season. It was Cameron Carr getting gassed and the Bears' defense faltering late in games.

The Bears have some players who can nail the three and we could see both Brett Decker Jr. and Isaac Celiscar get going on Monday. Expect the Bears to win this game with ease and give fans some hope for a much better 2026-27 campaign.

Final score: Baylor 105, Northwestern State 61

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