WACO, Texas — V.J. Edgecombe led the Baylor Bears with 19 points in a decisive 81-56 victory against Utah during their Big 12 opener on Tuesday night. The Bears, currently ranked 25th, maintained their lead through the game.
Baylor (9-3) jumped out to an impressive start, scoring the first 11 points within the first five minutes of play, featuring two early layups from Jeremy Roach. Norchad Omier, who transferred from Miami, contributed significantly to the team’s performance, registering 15 points and securing 14 rebounds, marking his seventh double-double of the season and the 75th of his collegiate career. Omier is the NCAA’s active leader in both double-doubles and total rebounds with 1,446. Alongside him, Roach and freshman Robert Wright II each added 15 points to the scoreboard.
For Utah (8-4), making their Big 12 debut and facing Baylor for the first time since 1960, Hunter Erickson led the team with 13 points, while Mason Madsen followed with 10. Early on, the closest the Utes managed to get after Baylor’s strong opening run was 15-12, thanks to a 3-pointer from Madsen. However, they ended the first half with just seven assists on their made field goals, contrasting sharply with their seven turnovers, leading to a 37-17 score at halftime—their lowest-scoring half this season.
The Bears are currently on a four-game winning streak after narrowly losing to the No. 11 UConn Huskies, the defending national champions. One key moment in the game occurred early in the second half when Omier executed a nice play to find Edgecombe for a two-handed slam dunk, which was quickly followed by Edgecombe assisting Omier on a layup.
Notably, Miro Little, Utah’s starting point guard and former Baylor player, struggled in his return, finishing without a point in 25 minutes of play and missing all nine of his field goal attempts, including five attempts from beyond the arc.
Looking ahead, Utah will host Texas Tech on Saturday, while Baylor, with a 2-3 record against ranked opponents, faces a tough challenge against No. 3 Iowa State on the same day.
