In Raleigh, North Carolina, the Baylor Bears secured a thrilling victory over Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with prospective NBA draft pick V.J. Edgecombe playing a key role in the win. Edgecombe, who was relatively quiet in the first half with just four points, burst into action in the second half, finishing with 16 points overall. His performance, including scoring crucial free throws in the final moments of the game, was instrumental in Baylor’s narrow 75-72 win over the Bulldogs.
Baylor’s coach, Scott Drew, commented on Edgecombe’s impact beyond scoring: “Because he’s so highly rated on the draft boards, people just assume that he’s going to score. V.J. doesn’t have to score to impact a game. He is an all-around player.” Drawing comparisons to players like Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook, Edgecombe demonstrated his versatility with five rebounds, a block, and a steal in his NCAA Tournament debut.
Robert Wright led the Bears with 19 points, while Langston Love contributed 15 and Norchad Omier had a solid showing inside with 12 points and nine rebounds. Baylor held an 11-point lead in the second half, but Mississippi State fought back to make it a close contest in the dying seconds. With the victory, Baylor (20-14) advanced to face the East Region’s top seed, Duke, in Sunday’s second-round matchup.
Despite a valiant effort from Mississippi State, who were led by Josh Hubbard with 26 points, the team fell short in their quest for their first March Madness win since 2008. The Bulldogs had an opportunity to equalize late in the game, but a missed 3-pointer by Claudell Harris Jr. with 1.1 seconds on the clock sealed their fate. An additional attempt by Hubbard just before the final buzzer was unsuccessful.
Coach Chris Jans of Mississippi State expressed his thoughts on the close encounter, noting that his team’s strategy did not fully pay off despite having practiced their play for a scenario like this. “It’s the first time we’ve ever run it exactly for this type of scenario where we had enough time to get one look and then a second look,” Jans remarked.
The win marks Coach Scott Drew’s 21st NCAA Tournament victory, helping Baylor overcome a rough patch in which they had lost six of their last ten games leading up to the tournament. Meanwhile, this marks the third consecutive appearance at March Madness for the Bulldogs under Jans, highlighting the progress the coach has made with the program.
Looking forward, Baylor’s Jeremy Roach is set to revisit his former team, Duke, whom he played for over four seasons and with whom he reached the Final Four three years ago. The match-up against Duke promises to be a compelling contest as the tournament advances.