The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (17-8, 11-3 in Big 12) hopes to dominate in its matchup against Baylor University (16-9, 8-6 in Big 12) on Monday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. in the Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas.
History vs. Baylor
The programs saw each other earlier this season in McKale Center on Jan. 14. With the home-court advantage, the Wildcats secured an 81-70 win over the Bears. This was Arizona’s first win against Baylor since 1997. Now in Baylor’s territory, giving the Bears their home-court advantage, the game could go either way.
Baylor players to watch
The Bears are led by 22-year head coach Scott Drew. Drew is tied as the Big 12’s longest-tenured head coach. Baylor has averaged 24 wins per season since Drew’s 2008 season with the Bears and are the only Big 12 team to have had 11 or more wins in the past five seasons.
Robert Wright III, a freshman guard, led the Bears in points in their last matchup against Arizona with 16 points. Notably, he had four assists, one rebound and one steal. Wright shot 50% from inside the paint but went 0-for-3 from the outside.
Wright averages 12.8 points per game this season, with an even more impressive record against Arizona. He leads the Bears with 115 assists, deeming himself as a valuable playmaker. On average, Wright shoots 45% from inside and 37.9% from the 3-point line.
VJ Edgecombe, 6-foot-5 freshman guard, is another Bear to be on the lookout for. Against Arizona, Edgecombe secured 14 points and brought down seven rebounds, tying with a game-high alongside Arizona’s Henri Veesaar. He shot 6-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-7 from beyond the arc. Notably, he had two steals for the game and two assists.
For the Bears, Edgecombe averages 14.6 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 50 steals and has recorded 17 blocks this season. Prior to joining Baylor for college basketball, Edgecombe spent the summer playing for the Bahamas’ men’s national basketball team in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament.
Norchad Omier, 6-foot-7 fifth year forward, leads the Bears in both points and rebounds for this year’s season. Omier puts up 15.7 points on average and collects 10.2 rebounds, making him one of the most valuable players for Baylor. He also leads the team with 24 blocks this season as his height serves as one of his assets for the Bears.
Against the Wildcats, Omier put up 9 points and brought down four rebounds, both significantly lower than his averages. However, in Baylor’s win over the University of Central Florida, he secured 12 rebounds, scored 18 points and notably shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to lead the team.
Wildcats to watch
Arizona is led by head coach Tommy Lloyd, now in his fourth season with the program. Lloyd has led the Wildcats to their impressive 11-3 standing record in Big 12. In his first season of head coach in 2021-2022, he achieved a 18-2 season record. Excluding this season, Arizona has won 37 games in conference play under Lloyd’s guidance.
Veesaar, 7-foot sophomore forward, emerged as a significant threat in Arizona’s last matchup against Baylor. Veesaar scored a game-high of 19 points, shooting 9-for-11 from the field and 1-for-1 from beyond the arc. In addition to his offensive efforts, he grabbed seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals, solidifying his role as a crucial player during the game.
Veesaar currently averages 8.5 points per game, shooting 59.6% from the field. He is currently tied as the Wildcats’ leading rebounder, averaging 4.9 per game. Underneath the hoop, Veesaar serves as a hard wall to break through. He leads Arizona with 28 blocks for the season.
Carter Bryant, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, has made his minutes grow with each performance. Despite Arizona’s 73-70 loss against Kansas State University on Feb. 11, Bryant put impressive numbers up on the board. He secured a game-high 11 rebounds and contributed 8 points offensively.
Bryant averages 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He ranks second for the Wildcats in blocks, having collected 24 this season. With his size, Arizona capitalizes both beneath the hoop, offensively and defensively.
Jaden Bradley, a junior guard, consistently leads the Wildcats to success. Against Baylor, Bradley led second, putting up 13 points along with five rebounds. He shot an impressive 5-for-9 from inside the arc and went 1-for-1 from the 3-point line.
For the season, Bradley ranks second for the Wildcats with an average of 11.6 points per game. Additionally, he averages 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, amassing a team-high 95 assists this season. Bradley’s consistency on the court has also resulted in 51 steals, another team high stat for the Wildcats this season.
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