8/8 BAYLOR BEARS (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)	8/8 BAYLOR (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. 16/16 ARKANSAS (1-0, 0-0 SEC) Nov. 9, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. CT Dallas, Texas • American Airlines Center (19,200)  LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPNU Talent: John Schriffen (pxp), Jimmy Dykes (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com Talent: John Morris (PBP), Pat Nunley (Analyst) SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 200 or on the SXM App Baylor Social Media:
	16/16 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (1-0, 0-0 SEC) Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas Conference/Affiliation: SEC Head Coach: John Calipari (Clarion, 1982) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – Going into Monday's season opener on the road against sixth-ranked Gonzaga, Baylor coach Scott Drew knew that it was going to be a challenge against a team returning seven of its top eight and bringing in two quality transfers.
 
But even the ever-positive Drew would have a tough time finding a silver lining in the eighth-ranked Bears' 101-63 loss to the Zags.
 
"Sometimes, that's the best thing, to learn under fire," said Drew, whose Bears (0-1) will have another difficult challenge in trying to bounce back, facing 16^th-ranked Arkansas (1-0) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
 
"Besides knowing that it would be a challenge, I don't think any of us thought we'd lose by that margin. We were able to, obviously, get to film, make some corrections, make some adjustments, work on some things that will hopefully get us better when it gets to conference time. That's why we play these games, so we can see what we need to do to beat the best teams in conference. The only way to do that is to play these teams now."
 
You could throw a dart and probably hit something that was a problem for the Bears in the lopsided loss, but Drew identified the post defense as the biggest issue. Gonzaga's inside trio of Graham Ike, Ben Gregg and Braden Huff combined for 38 points and helped the Bulldogs dominate the boards, 45-32, and points in the paint, 48-36.
 
"The post defense, the switching, was first and foremost," Drew said. "That was obvious. But at the same time, Gonzaga probably has the best post-playing offense – or at least one of the top two or three in the country. We didn't prepare enough for that, and that's on me. That's something where we've learned some things going forward on how we want to address it and what we want to do."
 
One of the few highlights was the play of freshman guard Rob Wright, who had 12 points and six assists with only one turnover in 30 minutes off the bench.
 
"I'm very proud of Rob and all the guys that went out there and played," said Miami transfer Norchad Omier, who narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. "There were nerves, but Rob handled it really well. I just hope everybody is on the same page, because I'm really proud of Rob. He did a great job."
 
More highly touted, 6-4 freshman guard VJ Edgecombe struggled in his collegiate debut, finishing with just four points on 2-of-11 shooting (0-for-3 from 3-point range). But he did have a posterizing dunk on Joe Few, the Gonzaga coach's son, late in the game.
 
"If you look at me from one of the camera angles, I was kind of grabbing my head. I couldn't believe it," Wright said.
 
The 6-7 Omier said he got some direct messages "from Gonzaga fans that were mad at the way I was celebrating. I was so hyped; I couldn't believe it. I did not expect it.  If you see the film, I'm on the sideline flexing. I'm holding my head. That was crazy!"
 
Responding after the loss, Edgecombe "put it behind him," Omier said. "He's excited, he has a smile on his face. So, I'm not worried at all."
 
"VJ is somebody that doesn't live and die by his scoring," Drew said of Edgecombe, who did have seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal. "He affects the game by the glass, by his defense. There's a lot of facets where he affects the game. First and foremost, he's a winner. Anytime a winner loses, they want to get better. And I love his attitude."
 
Baylor faces a deep and talented Arkansas team that defeated Lipscomb, 76-60, Wednesday night in coach John Calipari's debut with the Razorbacks. Calipari completely flipped the roster after coming from Kentucky, bringing in six freshmen and seven transfers, including four from Kentucky.
 
In their season-opening win, freshman guard Boogie Fland scored a game-high 17 points and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis added 15 points and six rebounds.
 
"First, he's a Hall of Fame coach for a reason," Drew said of Calipari, whose Kentucky team beat Baylor in the Elite Eight en route to the 2012 national championship. "He's always going to have talented players.
 
"This year, their perimeter speed, their guard speed, along with their front-line athleticism, make a great, great team to get stops, get out in transition and make it a long night for the opponent. First and foremost, we've got to make sure that we're not letting them win in transition."
 
Drew said redshirt junior guard Langston Love has been "a game-time decision for three years. . . . The good news is, the way I look at it, each day we're getting closer to hopefully having him right for the whole year. Having him healthy for the whole year is more important than rushing him back."
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast by ESPNU, with John Schriffen and former Arkansas player and head women's basketball coach Jimmy Dykes calling the action.
 


STORY LINES

• No. 8 Baylor returns to the Lone Star State to take on No. 16 Arkansas at the American Airlines Center in the 4PT Dallas Duel, a 6:30 p.m. CT tip on ESPNU

• The Bears continue their gauntlet to start the season as the only team in the country to play ranked opponents in each of the first two games of the season.

• Scott Drew and John Calipari are the only two active coaches with an NCAA and an NIT Title

• A win over Arkansas would be Baylor's earliest win over a ranked opponent in program history. BU beat No. 4 Oregon 66-49 on Nov. 15, 2016, en route to the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking two months later

• The Bears have won three-straight and three of the last four meetings between these two teams since Arkansas left the Southwest Conference in the early 90s

• Prior to BU's last win over the Hogs in Waco in 2023, Drew's crew bested the Hogs in the 2021 Elite Eight, 81-72, for the program's first Final Four since 1950, resulting in the first NCAA title in program history.

• The Bears are 20-11 against the SEC during the Drew era, including 15-7 since 2012-13

• Coming off a 101-63 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga in the season opener, Baylor is looking to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2005-06, when the Bears didn't have a non-conference slate because of NCAA Sanctions

• Monday marked just the fourth time in the Drew Era the Bears have allowed 100 point in regulation.

• Norchad Omier led the way for BU scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds, the first Baylor player with at least 15 pts and 9 rebs. in their debut since MaCio Teague has 18 pts and 10 rebs against Central Arkansas to open the 2019 season

• With his 12 pts and 6 assist on Monday, Robert Wright became the first freshman in the Drew era with 10+ points and 6+ assists in their debut, and the first Baylor player since Manu Lecomte in 2016 with those numbers in a Baylor debut.

• Baylor is one of just four teams to win at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of the last five tournaments.

• The Bears are one of four programs to be ranked inside the top-10 in each of the last six seasons

• BU is the only team in the country to be a No. 3 seed or higher in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments

• The Bears are the only team in the country with a top-19 pick in each of the last four NBA Draft, and one of just two programs with a top-20 pick in fourth-straight drafts (Duke)

• Baylor welcomes nine new faces to the 2024-25 squad, aiming to replace four of their five starters off of last year's team, including a pair of first-round draft picks in Ja'Kobe Walter and Yves Missi

• Additionally the Bears brought in experienced transfers Jalen Celestine (Cal), Omier (Ark. St. and Miami) and Jeremy Roach (Duke) to help replace 71.4% of the scoring, 68.3% of the rebounding and 78.8% of the assists.

• Roach and Omier bring Final Four experience, as Roach helped his Duke team to the 2022 Final Four, while Omier led Miami to it's first-ever Final Four in 2023.

• A "Walking double-double" Omier is the NCAA's active leader in career rebounds (1,324) and double-doubles (68), while ranking 10th in career points (1,838)

• VJ Edgecombe is Baylor's fourth-straight Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year. The Bears and Kansas Jayhawks are the only teams in league history to have the preseason conference freshman of the year in four consecutive seasons.