Game Changers: Carr, Yessoufou Power Baylor’s Run at College Basketball Crown

LAS VEGAS — In a 35-second span midway through the first half Wednesday night, with Baylor trailing Minnesota in the opening round of the College Basketball Crown, freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou authored an exhilarating sequence that encapsulated why so many NBA scouts and executives are awaiting his decision to turn pro or remain with the Bears for another season. The flurry began with Yessoufou peeling off his man defensively to snag a rebound following a missed 3-point shot by the Gophers. He dribbled across midcourt and dished to a teammate before settling into position near the free-throw line against the Minnesota zone. After ensuring the rest of Baylor’s players were properly aligned, Yessoufou popped out beyond the 3-point line, caught a pass, pump faked and glided into the lane for an acrobatic layup through contact, tying the game before landing painfully on the hardwood. Undeterred, Yessoufou hopped back up, grimacing and grasping at his left hip all the while. He retreated into a defensive position and tracked his man across the baseline to make a leaping block on an attempted 3-pointer, swatting the ball into the stands directly in front of the Baylor bench. His teammates rose from their seats to bellow, flex and roar. From that point on, the Bears never trailed in an eventual 67-48 win that propelled them into a semifinal matchup with Oklahoma on Saturday (1:30 pm ET on FOX). "It’s a blessing to play in April," Baylor head coach Scott Drew told me after the game. "I know our guys are really excited. All of them took it real serious, obviously, and stayed in shape, worked out and wanted to come here and compete. I’m proud of how we fought the first game. And [I’m] also proud that everybody not only wanted to keep playing for Baylor University, but they wanted to split the [prize] money up and make it even and do it as a team. As a coach, you just love that." Having his entire team buy into the postseason tournament here in Las Vegas was particularly meaningful for Drew after what can only be described as a disappointing regular season. Despite fielding an extremely talented roster that includes two potential first-round picks in Yessoufou (17.9 points per game) and fellow wing Cameron Carr (19 points per game), the Bears could only muster a 16-16 overall record entering the College Basketball Crown, sinking into a tie for 13th in the Big 12 standings. It would have been easy — and perhaps even understandable — for Drew’s future pros to simply wash their hands of Baylor’s downtrodden campaign after bowing out in the conference tournament, focusing instead on the pre-draft process and their impending decisions. Instead, both players have chosen to remain fully committed for however long the Bears’ season lasts. Yessoufou, who was battling sickness on Wednesday night, scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Gophers. Carr, who turned an ankle early in the first half but still logged 37 minutes, added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. As a pair, Yessoufou and Carr form what is unquestionably the most talented duo remaining in this year’s field, and that alone gives Baylor an excellent chance to win it all. "I think it just speaks to their character," Drew told me after Baylor's win on Wednesday night. "Wanting to play for Baylor, wanting to have a chance to win a championship, that speaks volumes to them. I know everybody is entitled to their own decisions — and every situation is different — but I know we’re excited that they’re playing. "Tounde was under the weather. I mean, he could have said he wasn’t ready to play tonight. You saw that he loves to play, he loves to compete, loves to support his team and did a great job. Cam tweaked his ankle early and could have just sat it down. And he wanted to compete, wanted to play for his team. As a coach, you’re really proud of that." Yessoufou is a complicated evaluation for NBA scouts and executives. A former five-star recruit in the 2025 cycle, he has an NBA-ready physique, despite being one month shy of his 20th birthday. The broad and brawny shoulders on his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame give way to rippling biceps that are in keeping with Yessoufou’s bullying play style, muscling through defenders as an aggressive slasher. He ranks 13th among freshmen in the PRPG! metric on Torvik, which calculates how many points per game an individual contributes to his team beyond what a replacement-level player would provide. But Yessoufou doesn’t shoot the ball well enough from the perimeter (29.5% on 3s, 0-for-4 vs. Minnesota) to be viewed as a multidimensional scoring threat at this juncture in his career. And he’s not quite big enough to play either forward spot in the NBA. An argument can be made that Yessoufou could benefit significantly from another year in college dedicated to improving his 3-point shot. "Regardless of whatever the decision may be, whether it’s me going or not, I will always play," Yessoufou told me when asked about his decision to participate in the College Basketball Crown. "I’m a competitive guy. I always want to compete at a high level. And if I have the chance to wear this jersey one more time, who knows, I’m willing to do it any time of day." Carr, a redshirt sophomore, is viewed by most evaluators as having the higher NBA ceiling and a player likely to be selected in the low- to mid-20s should he choose to enter the draft. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, he possesses a massive wingspan that has been measured at greater than seven feet. When paired with his eye-catching, pogo-stick athleticism — evidenced by one high-flying alley-oop finish against the Gophers and an array of body-contorting finishes around the rim — it’s easy to appreciate his lofty potential. Originally a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle, Carr spent his first two collegiate years in a reserve role at Tennessee. He made just 14 appearances as a true freshman and only four as a sophomore before leaving the Volunteers near the midway point of last season, ultimately landing at Baylor in time for the 2025-26 campaign. Carr’s production skyrocketed once he assumed a more prominent role for the Bears: He scored at least 20 points in 15 games this season and shot 38.5% from beyond the arc — all while grading out as Baylor’s best defender, according to EvanMiya.com. The argument for Carr to turn pro is far clearer. But first, Carr and Yessoufou are aiming to rewrite the end to Baylor's season by hoisting the College Basketball Crown. Their decisions about whether to enter the NBA Draft can wait a while longer. "I really feel like the best impression is the last impression," Baylor guard Obi Agbim told me after the win over Minnesota. "So just us leaving a really good last impression, I feel like it would mean a lot to us to be able to cut down a net and leave as winners instead of losers. I really think that’s a big emphasis for us to finish our season." In Game Changers, we offer the playbook on the characters you need to know, on the court and off.