By Matthew Soderberg | Sports Writer
No. 16 Baylor men’s basketball kicks off the season Tuesday morning against Central Arkansas. The Bears are looking to build off the success of their fourth-place finish in the Big 12 last year, as well as improve upon their Round of 32 exit in the NCAA tournament.
Baylor was picked by Big 12 coaches to finish second in the conference after Kansas prior to this season. The AP poll has the Bears ranked third in the conference behind both No. 3 Kansas and No. 13 Texas Tech.
The team returns major pieces from last year’s second-half 10-13 run, including sophomore guard Jared Butler and redshirt-junior wing Mark Vital.