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Baylor Roasts Utah 81-56

At last, Baylor was the one with an early 11 point lead, and they could ride easy from there

Author

Michael Nichols
December 31, 2024

Impact Players

Norchad Omier is, quite simply, always himself. A 15/14 double-double on 7 shot attempts is something that only he can do on this Baylor team, and this is the seventh time he’s done it. He loves to play into the physicality of the game with his size and strength. His only misses today were from three, where he missed his first two attempts before hitting his third. That makes him 4-17 from three this season, a point of growth as he aspires to play at the next level.

VJ Edgecombe (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-10 FG) was everywhere on the floor. Even when he didn’t get the rebound, he was tipping out of Utah’s hands to keep the action live. He was reaching in and poking balls away and disrupting ball-handlers. He, once again, soared through the air for a massive slam (see below). While he hasn’t yet shown the ability to take the ball and takeover a game, Edgecombe is clearly someone who will impact any game he plays in any way he can.

Oh My Moments

What’s more impressive, Omier running the break or the Edgecombe flush?

When Was the Game Over?

With one minute left in the first half and Baylor up 14, Jeremy Roach (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) knocked down a pair of back-to-back threes: the first a gorgeous step-back, the other a nice pass back from Josh Ojianwuna (6 points, 6 rebounds) at the elbow. With a 20-point deficit and the vaunted, sharpshooting Madsen twins going a meager 3-12 from three on the day, Utah simply didn’t have the firepower to claw back into the game. From there, the second half was a cake walk.

The 11-0 start contributed a lot to the momentum of the game. And while Baylor sports a top 10 offense, it was the defense that really took the game over. Utah shot 31.8% from the floor and had an even assist-to-turnover ratio at 17 apiece, despite leading the country in assists (over 21 per game) and assist rate coming in. The Bears were aggressive jumping lanes and poking at the ball, never letting Utah’s scorers get comfortable.

Quote of the Night

Now you build this brand new, I mean, it's really a world-class arena. It is. It's a state-of the art. What a great vibe. We came in here last night and and and got shots up with our team and and then you come in today and I think they had a promotion of 5000 free tickets or whatever it was, and it felt like it. I mean, it was packed. It has a great vibe in here, a really unique setup.

Utah Head Coach Craig Smith

Notables

  • Rob Wright (15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) with another great game as the sixth man

  • Jalen Celestine (5 points, 5 rebounds) tweaked his ankle late. Hopefully his okay but had to go to the locker room before the game ended

  • Jayden Nunn was +23 despite going 2-10 for 6 points and not hitting a three till the 12-minute mark in the game

  • No Bear had to play more than 30 minutes, so hopefully some fresh legs for Ames on Saturday