By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
After a 15-point win against Utah on Saturday, the Bears find themselves clashing with a sharpshooting BYU offense in one of the most intimidating environments in the Big 12 at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
Baylor men’s basketball (13-6, 5-3 Big 12) is riding a two-game winning streak, led by freshman wing VJ Edgecombe’s recent scoring outburst of 51 points across the matchups. Fifth-year forward Norchad Omier rallied behind Edgecombe with his ninth double-double of the year against the Utes.
“I thought we got a lot more aggressive offensively and defensively,” head coach Scott Drew said about the Bears’ 22-3 first-half run against Utah. “The first four minutes they were the aggressor, and that changed.”
Baylor’s early-game run gave them a lead that they would not lose for the duration of the matchup. The run turned a tie game, nearly eight minutes in, into a 16-point lead with more than five minutes left in the first half. The Bears would take a 7-point lead into halftime which would shrink to six points early in the second half and would not get any closer for the rest of the game.
“I got to give credit to my teammates. They’re hitting shots. They open the court,” Omier said. “They double me, I’m going to find them. We always talk ‘share the sugar.’”
Edgecombe, Omier and freshman guard Robert O. Wright III led the team in scoring against Utah as the only three players to have over 10 points in the game for the visiting Bears. Behind those three, the green and gold connected for 44% from the field with 12 assists while implementing a “4-out 1-in” offense.
“Freshmen this time of the year aren’t freshmen anymore,” Drew said. “They’re used to the physicality, the speed, the toughness that it takes.”
The freshman duo of Edgecombe and Wright III has helped lead the way for the Bears this season, with Edgecombe leading the team in steals per game and ranking second in points. Edgecombe has scored in double figures in each of the last six games. Wright III is the leader in assists and sits third on the team in points. Along with the freshmen, Omier has been the rock of the Bears this season averaging a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, both of which lead the team.
The green and gold will be facing off against the Cougars (13-6, 4-4 Big 12) team that has found a rhythm on offense, winning their last two games by a combined 44 points while shooting 26-of-48 (54%) from beyond the arc. Baylor will need to defend against a sharpshooting offense after they held the Utes to just 5-for-23 from deep.
Along with competing against a team that’s finding their stride, the green and gold will also have to compete against the crowd at the Marriott Center. According to college basketball analyst Andy Katz, the home of BYU basketball is one of the top arenas in the country and the largest in the Big 12, holding almost 18,000 fans. Baylor has played in Provo twice, holding a 1-1 record with the last matchup being a 78-71 loss on Feb. 20, 2024.
The Bears sit one spot ahead of BYU in the Big 12 standings with a 5-3 conference record, compared to the Cougars’ 4-4. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
