By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
When 6-foot-7 Norchad Omier walked to the center circle for the tip-off, no one expected him to out-jump Aziz Bandaogo, Cincinnati’s resident 7-foot center.
But while Omier’s quick-swatting victory raised eyebrows, it wasn’t enough to overcome a breathtaking cold snap: the Bears only scored four points in the final 10 minutes of the first half, paving the way for a back-breaking 69-67 loss Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.
Sharpshooting wing Jalen Celestine greased the wheels with a pair of early jumpers, forcing Cincinnati (17-11, 7-10 Big 12) and its 24th-ranked defense to edge further and further toward the 3-point line. That opened up driving opportunities for Baylor guards like Jeremy Roach, who scored six points in the first half and shot over 50% from the field for the first time since Jan. 14.
Baylor (16-12, 8-9 Big 12) led 22-17 at the 10-minute mark — then everything fell apart. The Bears only made one more shot the remainder of the half, as sloppy ball control (seven turnovers in 10 minutes) and poor shooting (eight consecutive misses) allowed the Bearcats to take a 39-26 lead going into the break.
Five points of that deficit came in the 72 seconds Baylor big man Norchad Omier spent on the bench. Cincinnati leaned on contributions from Bandaogo and sparkplug guard Jizzle James (18 points) to outscore the Bears 24-18 in the paint.
Freshman wing VJ Edgecombe kissed a fading midrange jumper off the glass to put the Bears on the board to start the second half. One possession later, fellow freshman Robert O. Wright III drained a top-of-the-key 3-pointer off motion.
But it was Omier who finally took the reins and ripped control of the game from Cincinnati. He scored or assisted on the Bears’ next 14 points, willing the green and gold back from the dead. A 13-point halftime deficit was suddenly cut to five; by the 10-minute mark, Baylor had wrested a 52-51 lead from the jaws of defeat.
But the Bears were far from safe. Omier had to be subbed out after picking up his fourth foul with 9:40 to play. In his absence, Cincinnati scored on its ensuing six possessions, prompting Baylor head coach Scott Drew to reinsert Omier into the game.
It was three minutes before a stoppage allowed Omier to sub back in. When he did, the scoreboard told a haunting tale: Baylor trailed 66-64 with 3:13 to play.
Day Day Thomas drained a 3-pointer, then contested a Roach layup attempt that glanced too high off the glass. Edgecombe got out in space, but his deceleration euro-step layup attempt was swatted out of bounds by Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell.
Omier secured an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer from Langston Love, then kicked out to Edgecombe, who drilled a bucket from downtown. James found a lane going downhill to extend the lead to four — until Omier, who switched a screen at the logo, caught up and blocked him from behind.
Eight seconds. Edgecombe skied in for a game-tying layup attempt, meeting Bandaogo in the air. Six seconds. The ball rimmed out and skittered just beyond Omier’s fingertips. Three seconds. With under two to play, the big man dove at the ball, clenched in a sitting Thomas’ arms, and was rewarded with a jump ball.
The possession arrow pointed toward Cincinnati.
Baylor had 1.8 seconds to avoid its third consecutive loss.
Mitchell, who helped Texas kick off Baylor’s most recent three-game losing streak in Jan. 2024, missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving the Bears a sliver of hope. But Bandaogo swatted the ball out of reach with his incredible wingspan, and it rolled to a stop with zeroes on the clock. A raucous home crowd erupted as the in-stadium DJ played a snippet of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” By the slimmest of margins, Cincinnati had pulled off the victory, 69-67.
Baylor will be back in action against Oklahoma State (14-14, 6-11) at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Foster Pavilion.
