Baylor is back in the Associated Press Top 25 after a two-week hiatus — checking in at No. 25 — and will return to action after more than two-week break when the Bears host Arlington Baptist on Friday night in Waco, Texas.
By all accounts, this should be a tuneup as Baylor prepares for Big 12 play. The Bears (7-3) will host Utah in the league opener on New Year’s Eve.
For Baylor coach Scott Drew, all he wants for the new calendar year is a healthy team, and the break should have provided plenty of rest.
The Bears have battled several injuries already as Langston Love, VJ Edgecombe and Jeremy Roach are among the notable players who have missed action.
“We’re praying for a healthy team so we can all get better during this time,” Drew said following Baylor’s 94-69 victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 11. “We’re just trying to get everybody healthy.”
Baylor has won three of its last four games, including the victory over Norfolk State in which it scored 55 points in the second half. Edgecombe delivered the play of the night with a thunderous two-handed dunk.
“I was on the bench, so I had a great view of it,” teammate Norchad Omier said. “His head was above the rim. He does stuff like that in practice, so I want to say I was not surprised, but I was surprised. That was crazy.”
All eyes will remain on Edgecombe going forward, as he’s arguably the most talented player on the Bears. The projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
“He’s good for a SportsCenter play,” Drew said, referring to the dunk. “But what’s more VJ is, you see he gets on the floor, you see he had nine rebounds, you see he had three steals.
“A lot of elite freshmen, it’s based just on scoring. When they get to the NBA, they’ve got max-deal guys that have been in the league for 10, 12 years. Now, what else can you do? That’s what VJ brings is somebody that doesn’t have to score to affect the game.”
Omier leads the Bears in scoring with an average of 15.9 points per game while Robert Wright III is at 12.9. Baylor is averaging a robust 96.2 points in five games at home this season.
Arlington Baptist (1-9), a Division II school in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), continues to grind through a difficult stretch. The Patriots have been outscored by more than 20 points a game and are averaging 17.8 turnovers per game.
The latest setback was 124-120 to Howard Payne on Dec. 14. There were some silver linings coming out of that game, though. Isaiah Melvo scored 30 points and J’son Murray added 23 to go with 18 rebounds — including 13 offensive rebounds — to earn NCCAA DII National Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
In talking about the Patriots’ desired style of play, coach Bubba Jennings told the team’s website: “We want to play a fast-paced game, pushing the ball on every possession. We will also play full-court defense, pressuring the ball and forcing an up-tempo game.”
