Baylor vs. Sam Houston State Live Notes

Coming home from a road trip showcasing a “neutral” site game vs. No. 5 Gonzaga in Spokane and No. 16 Arkansas in Dallas, Baylor (1-1) will have an easier matchup vs. Sam Houston State (1-1). The Bearkats, 15.5 pt underdogs, are coming off a 16-point loss to unranked Nevada last Monday. Langston Love is not dressed, so we will have to wait at least one more week for his debut, but that does mean Baylor’s depth will have one more chance to get significant minutes and feel comfortable before the lineup becomes more clogged. Stay Tuned for updates every media timeout!

First Half

BOOM! That is one way to start a game. An ally-oop is given to Josh and the top blows off the student section. Norchad Omier is VERY good at basketball, and so is VJ Edgecombe. Omier already has 6 points; the man has the control of a guard but is ridiculously large. As I typed this he smothered an SHSU guard and got a block. VJ has had incredible awareness while knocking down a three-ball. Rob Wright attacked the lane before dishing the ball out to Roach, who knocked down a trio from the corner. SHSU Timeout, Bears lead 15-5 with 15:35 remaining in the first half. Jalen Celestine still looks very new and as if he’s not yet comfortable on the court. He hasn’t done anything wrong necessarily, but he has been unassertive on the boards and doesn’t have a feel for soft spots in the defense as I expected him to come into this year (he has now missed 2 open threes and allowed one by drifting off of his man). Rob Wright III is so so smooth. Pressured by an older and more athletic guard, Rob torched the defense by nailing a floater off of a jab step. Roach still has had a few boneheaded turnovers, but he has consistently facilitated beautiful offensive possessions. He continues to be the most composed offensive player. One concern so far, though Baylor leads by 17 as of now, is the Baylor Zone (mainly 1-3-1) is being picked apart at times. SHSU has rarely found themselves scrambling to find an open shot, but they also have not hit many of those good looks. Baylor is completely dominating the boards, as they should, but Josh Ojanwuna has not impressed. He has consistently failed to grab rebounds, and even when he does he can’t finish at the rim. Jayden Nunn is extremely good at this whole basketball thing, I’m not sure what more needs to be said about him. He is easily our best defender and might be the best shooter on the floor… he is breaking out. I’m still concerned with the defense: SHSU (aka Lamar Wilkerson) continues to find very open looks regardless if Baylor runs Box&1, 1-3-1, or man defense. They likely need some more chemistry and a feel for where their teammates will be on the floor. As the game progresses, it’s becoming more clear that Drew is experimenting tonight, he has run 5+ defenses without settling on one. I love our man defense tonight and I bet that Drew will use it when we are simply more athletic than whoever we play. END OF FIRST HALF, Bears lead 54-37.

2nd Half

It seems the beginning and end of each half is the Omier and Nunn show, and today’s program has not disappointed. Norchad has made a three, taken an and-one, and has controlled the paint even with Ojanwuna on the floor. I don’t know what Scott said at halftime, but it’s working. Hands are EVERYWHERE in the passing lanes and bodies are flying to the ball off of a miss (we ended up running box and 1, 2-2-1, 1-3-1, man, and a nice full-court press during the second half). I need Celestine and Ojanwuna to wake up… the duo has accounted for several turnovers and has no feel for the floor on O or D whatsoever, which is not ideal for your two tallest players. ROBERT WRIGHT, please don’t be a 1-and-done, he genuinely could go top 3 in the draft if he stayed here. He took a fastbreak down-court pass from VJ into a double team and drew an and-1 while fading away from the rim… truly insane. WHAT ON EARTH VJ EDGECOMBE YOU ARE NOT REAL!!! SPORTSCENTER TOP TEN PLAY FROM THE FRESHMAN. I fell out of my seat, just WOW.

Yet another ally-oop to VJ and this one is getting nasty, bears UP by 35. The Bears shifted into another gear this half, the ball movement on offense looks fantastic, and even after a miss, we continue to make 1 extra pass before finding a wide-open shooter. ASEMOTA sighting!!! The freshman finally got his opportunity and nailed a corner 3, assisted by VJ. Marino Dubravcic, Adegbola, and Hubbard have checked in, this one is over. Oh man this team is incredibly deep, Omar splashed a three from the corner and finished a NASTY and-1. Wouldn’t be surprised if that sequence earned him some more minutes. HUBBARD a bucket and the BEARS WIN, 104-67. Baylor moves to 2-1 after the thumping and will look to continue meshing against Tarleton State on Sunday night. The boys are so back. SIC’EM