When the schedule for the 2025-26 college basketball season dropped, most fans were scanning for the blue bloods. They were looking for Duke, Kansas, or maybe the latest Big 12 slugfest. But if you weren't paying attention to the exhibition slate in mid-October, you missed one of the most intriguing storylines in the sport: Grand Canyon vs Baylor.
It isn't just about two programs that have become March Madness staples. Honestly, it's about the dinner table. You have Scott Drew at Baylor and Bryce Drew at Grand Canyon (GCU). Two brothers. One legendary father, Homer Drew, watching from the stands. When these two teams met at Foster Pavilion on October 10, 2025, it wasn't just a "tune-up" game. It was a high-level chess match between a Power 4 juggernaut and a mid-major powerhouse that is rapidly outgrowing that "mid" label.
Why the Drew vs. Drew Dynamic Actually Matters
You've probably heard the commentators mention it a thousand times during the tournament. "The Drew family is royalty!" Yeah, it sounds like a cliché, but when you see them on opposite sidelines, the intensity is real. Scott Drew has built a literal empire in Waco. He took a program that was essentially in the basement of the NCAA and turned it into a 2021 National Champion.
Bryce, the younger brother, is the guy who hit "The Shot" for Valparaiso back in ’98. Now, he’s turned GCU into the "it" school of the Southwest. People kept asking: can the little brother actually take down the big brother?
On that Friday in Waco, the answer was "almost." Baylor escaped with a 79-74 win, but the final score doesn't tell the whole story of how close GCU came to pulling off the upset in their own house.
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Breaking Down the Grand Canyon vs Baylor Stats
If you’re a box score junkie, the numbers from this matchup are pretty wild. GCU actually jumped out to a 13-6 lead early. They weren't intimidated. Jaden Henley, the 6-foot-7 transfer from UNLV, was basically unguardable for stretches of the game. He finished with a game-high 28 points, living at the free-throw line where he went 11-of-12.
Baylor’s depth eventually wore them down. It’s hard to beat a team that shoots 50% from three-point range. The Bears knocked down 12 triples, with freshman Tounde Yessoufou and Tennessee transfer Cameron Carr doing most of the damage.
Key Performance Markers
- Jaden Henley (GCU): 28 points, 4 rebounds. He’s the engine that makes the Lopes go this year.
- Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor): 21 points in his debut. The kid is a lottery pick in the making.
- Dan Skillings Jr. (Baylor): A quiet but lethal 17 points and 11 rebounds. A double-double machine.
- Dusty Stromer (GCU): 15 points and a couple of clutch late-game buckets that kept the pressure on.
The categorical difference was the arc. Baylor was 12-of-24 from deep, while GCU struggled, hitting only 4-of-18. In modern basketball, you just can't win a math game when the other team is making three times as many long-distance shots as you.
What Most People Get Wrong About GCU
There’s this misconception that Grand Canyon is just a "fun" school with a loud student section (the Havocs are legendary, though). But Bryce Drew has recruited high-major talent. This isn't a team of scrappy underdogs; it’s a team of athletes.
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In the Grand Canyon vs Baylor game, GCU’s size actually bothered Baylor. Scott Drew admitted after the game that the Lopes' length in the paint forced them to miss layups they usually make. GCU is now a Mountain West-caliber program—literally, since they are moving to that conference. They play a physical, defensive-minded style that mimics the Big 12.
Baylor, on the other hand, is leaning into a "positionless" look. They played a lot of four-guard lineups that were just too fast for GCU to rotate against in the second half. When Obi Agbim and JJ White are pushing the pace, Baylor looks like a track team.
The Women’s Side: A Different Story
It’s worth noting that the Grand Canyon vs Baylor rivalry isn't just for the men. In March 2025, the women’s teams faced off in the NCAA Tournament. Baylor took that one too, 73-60, but again, GCU proved they belonged. Aaronette Vonleh was the difference-maker in that game, putting up 25 points.
It seems like no matter the gender or the time of year, GCU is constantly knocking on the door of the elite. They just need to find a way to close the 5-point gap that seems to haunt them against the Bears.
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What Happens Next for Both Programs?
Baylor is clearly reloading for another deep run. With the way Yessoufou and Carr played, the Bears have arguably the most athletic wing rotation in the country. They’ll be a nightmare in the Big 12.
For the Lopes, this loss was actually a massive confidence booster. If you can stay within two possessions of a top-10 Baylor team on the road, you can beat anyone in the Mountain West. Bryce Drew has a team that looks like a lock for another NCAA tournament appearance.
How to track these teams moving forward:
- Watch Jaden Henley's Draft Stock: If he keeps scoring 20+ against elite competition, he won't be in Phoenix much longer.
- Monitor Baylor’s Perimeter Defense: They shot the lights out, but they gave up 74 points to a team that barely made any threes. That's a red flag for Scott Drew.
- Check the 2026 Non-Conference Schedule: Rumor is the brothers want to do this again, possibly on a neutral floor or in Phoenix.
The Grand Canyon vs Baylor matchup is more than a game; it's a barometer for where college basketball is heading. The gap between the "Power" schools and the top-tier mid-majors is shrinking every single day. If these two meet again in March 2026, don't be surprised if the little brother finally gets his revenge.
Next Steps: Check the latest Mountain West standings to see how GCU's strength of schedule is holding up after their Baylor test, or look into Baylor’s upcoming Big 12 slate to see if their three-point shooting percentages remain sustainable against elite defensive units.