By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
No one has climbed quite so high as VJ Edgecombe.
That’s true in a physical sense — the five-star freshman has soared for some monster finishes this season, including a contorting, up-and-under layup against BYU. It’s also true statistically: after averaging 11.0 points per game on 36.8/26.7/68.4 shooting splits in his first seven games, he’s up to 20.6 points on 48.5/51.2/86.2 shooting in his past seven.
“VJ’s a winner,” head coach Scott Drew said after Baylor’s 93-89 overtime loss to the Cougars. “So, he’s not gonna be happy with the loss, and he’s not gonna be happy with a couple plays. And that’s why I love him. At the same time, he did a lot of great things and he’s a great player, great teammate.”
It’s the ascension many Baylor fans had been hoping for all season — and yet the celebrations have felt muted, as injury woes continue to plague the Bears. Four of Baylor’s six perimeter players have missed at least one game due to injury, and point guards Jeremy Roach and Langston Love — out right now with head and ankle injuries, respectively — have missed a combined 17 games this season.
For a team that returned only one starter and spent most of the offseason shorthanded, the injuries have made it difficult to build chemistry. It’s also stacked up fatigue on the starters, all of whom played at least 35 minutes against BYU. Edgecombe played a career-high 43.
All that added workload makes end-of-game situations difficult to navigate. Once the legs start to go, so does the shooting. After missing two free throws in the first half, the Bears missed three apiece in the second half and overtime. In a four-point game, that stacks up fast.
Edgecombe will need to continue playing like a freshman All-American to keep the Bears in games. To win them, someone else will need to step up. Perhaps it’s Josh Ojianwuna, who had one of his best games of the season Tuesday night, or Norchad Omier, who already leads the Big 12 in rebounds and field goal percentage but could find another gear.
Many of the remaining rotation players, though, are playing their best individual basketball of the season. The problem is more matchup and depth-related issues that will be solved with time. Time the Bears don’t have.
Next up is a home tilt with Kansas on Saturday at Foster Pavilion, arguably the biggest home game of the season. With one arm tied behind their backs, the Bears nevertheless have an opportunity for a major statement win against a Jayhawks team that was sent reeling by an improbable comeback loss to Houston last week.
“We got really good guys that like one another, and they’re winners,” Drew said after the loss Tuesday night. “At the end of the day, winners, competitors are gonna fight to the end. Some of the shots are gonna go in, some of them aren’t, but we’re getting much better as a team and that’s great to see.”
