Baylor (11-4, 3-1) at Arizona (10-5, 4-0) | McKale Center | 9 p.m., Tuesday | ESPN | 1290-AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
ARIZONA
G Jaden Bradley (6-3 junior)
G Caleb Love (6-4 senior)
F Anthony Dell’Orso (6-6 junior)
F Trey Townsend (6-6 senior)
C Tobe Awaka (6-8 junior)
BAYLOR
G Jeremy Roach (6-2 senior)
G Jayden Nunn (6-4 senior)
F V.J. Edgecombe (6-5 freshman)
F Norchad Omier (6-7 senior)
C Josh Ojianwuna (6-10 junior)
How they match up
Series history: Baylor evened the all-time series at 5-5 after sweeping Arizona in a two-year series during the Sean Miller era, with the Bears beating the Wildcats 58-49 in 2018-19 at McKale and 63-58 in 2019-20 at Waco.
Baylor overview: One of the most consistent high-major teams in college basketball, the Bears had to replace four starters after last season and, despite adding Duke transfer Jeremy Roach and projected NBA lottery pick V.J. Edgecombe, they struggled during a difficult nonconference season, beating Arkansas and St. John’s but losing to Gonzaga, Tennessee and UConn. But despite playing a short rotation in part because of injuries, Baylor beat Utah and Cincinnati at home in Big 12 play while edging ASU in overtime on Saturday in Tempe.
Baylor runs the nation’s 15th most efficient offense, scoring an average of 120.4 points per 100 possessions, but does so in part because it collects 37.5% of its missed shots, the 21st best offensive rebounding percentage in Division I. The Bears are average in two-point shooting (53.7%) and slightly better than that from 3 (35.9%), and they don’t get to the line that often (ranking 320th in ratio of free throws to field goals attempted). When they do get to the line, they make only 70.8% of their free throws, though they have made 76.6% in conference games.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) drives to the bucket against UCF guard Dallan Coleman (6) in the second half of their Big 12 game, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 11 2025.
Baylor is ranked 40th in defensive efficiency, holding opponents to 48.1% shooting from two-point range and stealing the ball on 12.4% of opponent possessions (the No. 38 steal percentage in D-I). They have held Big 12 opponents to 37.5% overall shooting and 61.0 points in four league games.
The Bears run a lot of their offense through leading scorer Norchad Omier, a 240-pound transfer from Miami, while Edgecombe has become a box score filler in league play as his game quickly evolves. Edgecombe is Baylor's leading 3-point percentage (41.2%) shooter in league games, while Omier has shot 70.8% from two-point range in Big 12 games.
Roach, Edgecombe and Robert Wright – a Top 25 freshman guard – have been the Bears’ leading ballhandlers. Jayden Nunn, the Bears’ lone returning starter, has played more often off the ball after splitting last season at point and shooting guard.
The Bears have been without reserve wing Langston Love (ankle) and former Cal forward Jalen Celestine for the past three games because of ankle injuries to both players. Baylor coach Scott Drew said Saturday after Baylor’s win over ASU that both players would be “game-time” decisions against Arizona.
He said it: "Coach Drew is one of the best coaches in the country. He always figures out how to put his guys in as best position as possible, and how to play to their strengths. He's been so good, especially in this league, because he prioritizes rebounding, and he makes sure that his best players get the ball in the right situations. In offensive rebounding, they've been terrific, and they've really turned it up with their defense, playing the two big guys together (Omier and Ojianwuna) and just crushing people on the glass.
"They're actually a really good shooting team. They haven't shot it great the last few games or in conference, necessarily, but they they make shots. Jayden Nunn has made a lot of shots in his career and Jeremy Rhodes made a lot of shots in his career. So you always take that into account. But their offensive rebounding is by far the thing they hang their hat on.
"(Edgecombe) is improving game to game, and they're putting him in great positions to succeed. He's a terrific player. He's going to be a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft for a reason. He has elite athleticism so you can't let him get downhill and get a bunch of layups and dunks."
-- UA assistant coach Rem Bakamus, who scouted the Bears
TOP: Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) drives to the bucket against UCF guard Dallan Coleman (6) in the second half of their Big 12 game, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 11 2025. LEFT: Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso (3) runs into UCF guard Darius Johnson (3) defending his shot from the key in the second half of their Big 12 game, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 11 2025.
Key players
Baylor – Norchad Omier
A second-team all-ACC pick last season at Miami, the Nicaragua native ranks No. 9 on Kenpom’s analytically driven Player of the Year standings for his efforts on both ends of the court. He ranks in the top 40 in both offensive (15.3) and defensive (26.3) rebounding percentages, is nationally rated in both block (4.3) and steal (3.0) percentages and has averaged a double-double in Big 12 games
Arizona — Anthony Dell’Orso
The Wildcats’ Aussie wing hasn’t been a big factor early in games since he began starting at small forward on Dec. 18 against Samford. But he’s averaging 7.0 points while hitting 4 of 9 3-pointers in three Big 12 games so far – and went to the line for a season-high 9 of 9 free throw shooting on Saturday against UCF.
SIDELINES
Banged-up Bears
Known for going with a tight rotation, Baylor coach Scott Drew has been forced to take things to an extreme lately.
The loss of wing Langston Love and former Cal forward Jalen Celestine to ankle injuries prompted him to use just seven players in a 45-minute game at ASU on Saturday.
Drew said after that game that Love and Celestine were anxious to ease their teammates’ burden: V.J. Edgecombe played 41 minutes and Josh Ojianwuna played 38, with six players total at 31 minutes or more.
“I know injuries are as much mental, physical, everything combined,” Drew said.
“They're working really hard to get back, because they know what the guys are doing short handed, so they want to be there to help. So it's definitely sooner rather than later
“As a coach, I long for the day we have everybody together where we can practice and get some continuity just to see what we're capable of doing. We haven't had a chance to really. Before (a 81-56 win over) Utah was the most we were able to work together, and I thought we were pretty good that game. I kind of liked that.”
Pac-style trip
With the Big 12 now going almost coast-to-coast, the league has been offering teams some two-game trips to cut down on travel time and cost similar to what the Pac-12 routinely did for decades.
Arizona played at Cincinnati and West Virginia (a flight distance of 256 miles between them) on its first conference trip, and will travel to face Texas Tech and Oklahoma State (324 miles) on its second one starting this weekend.
This week, Baylor was invited to play ASU in Tempe on Saturday and then make the easy trip to Tucson for Tuesday’s game.
“I do think it's a great thing by the league, because travel is real and it is hard, and it is tough on everybody,” Drew said. “So if you can make it where you can play two games in one location, it's just wise. It saves schools money, it’s easier on student athletes. So it's a great thing. Still makes it really hard to win on the road, no matter where you’re going.”
Even better for Drew: He kept the Bears in the Phoenix area after Saturday’s game, and practiced at GCU, where his brother, Bryce, is the Lopes’ head coach.
Bahamian connection
Former UA forward Deandre Ayton became a mentor of sorts for Baylor freshman standout V.J. Edgecombe when both played in an Olympic qualifying event for their country last summer.
Though the Bahamian team did not qualify for the Paris Olympics, Edgecombe drew attention by averaging 16.5 points, 3.87 assists and 5.5 rebounds over four games while bonding with the former Wildcat big man, who became the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after spending a season at Arizona.
He told me "just be yourself and stay focused. To be honest, don't overthink anything. Just play basketball,'" Edgecombe said at the Big 12's preseason media day in October.
Numbers game
3: Or higher seed obtained by Baylor in the past four NCAA Tournaments.
19: Or higher position in the past four NBA Drafts by a Baylor player.
1,406: Division I wins for the Drew family: Homer (Valparaiso) and sons Scott (Valparaiso, Baylor) and Bryce (Valparaiso, Vanderbilt, GCU).
— Bruce Pascoe
