BAYLOR BEARS (18-12, 10-9 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler, 1993) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF )	#3/3 HOUSTON (26-4, 18-1 Big 12) vs. BAYLOR (18-12, 10-9 Big 12)  March 7, 2025 • 9:00 p.m.  Waco, Texas • Foster Pavilion (7,500)  LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN Talent: Roxy Bernstein (PBP), Sean Farnham (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 380 or on the SXM App Baylor Social Media:
	#3/3 HOUSTON COUGARS (26-4, 18-1 Big 12) Location: Houston, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke, 1978) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill                                                          
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – When Baylor had a total of four offensive rebounds in last month's 76-65 loss at then-No. 6 Houston, a frustrated Norchad Omier said rebounding is about wanting it more than the other team.
 
"I give credit to Houston, they're tough guys," said the 6-7 Omier, who is averaging 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds going into Saturday's 9 p.m. regular-season finale between the Bears (18-12, 10-9) and third-ranked Cougars (26-4, 18-1) at Foster Pavilion, "but we've got to want it more."
 
That also happened to be Baylor's first game without 6-10 redshirt junior center Josh Ojianwuna (7.4 ppg, 6.4 rebounds), who suffered a season-ending knee injury five minutes into a 91-76 homecourt win over UCF two days earlier.
 
Baylor coach Scott Drew said the last time the Bears only had four offensive rebounds, "I had hair, and it wasn't gray."
 
"The last couple games, we've done a better job as far as getting guys into the fight," said Drew, whose team is tied for first in the Big 12 with 12.7 offensive rebounds per game. "The first time we faced them was right after (Ojianwuna's injury), and I think we had four offensive rebounds. That's not something Baylor basketball does. . . . A lot of times, you can do your job, and the ball doesn't bounce your way. We just want to do our job and play the percentages."
 
Houston is a tick behind the Bears at 12.6 offensive rebounds per game and ranks third in the league in rebounding margin at plus-5.3.
 
With both teams shooting at a sizzling pace – 57.9% for Baylor and 51.7% for Houston – there weren't a lot of rebounds to be had in the previous meeting. But the Cougars scored 16 second-chance points on nine offensive boards and finished with a 22-20 edge overall.
 
"We shot the ball really well the first time we faced them," Drew said, "we just didn't get enough shots."
 
That was because of Houston's 28 points off 15 turnovers, with six of the turnovers coming during a five-minute stretch of the second half, when the Cougars went on a 17-1 run to go up by 25.
 
"Normally, someone's a little better offensively, a little better defensively," Drew said. "They're just great everywhere. Big thing is they do a great job getting second and third-shot opportunities. And as the third-best 3-point shooting team (in the country, at 39.64%), they don't need a lot of second and third opportunities."
 
On a team filled with weapons, Baylor transfer LJ Cryer (15.0 ppg) is arguably the Cougars' best. Between his stops at Baylor and Houston, Cryer has been a part of four Big 12 championship teams.  
 
"LJ, first and foremost, for two years has been durable," Drew said. "That's hard to do in the Big 12. I know he had the foot that bothered him here. He's done a great job recovering from that. . . . He brings a lot to the table, but his consistency and shooting, knowing what you're going to get from him night in and night out, his dependability. And he's improved, just like any player that's going to spend time in the gym. LJ spends time on his craft."
 
Baylor, which lost four of five games after Ojianwuna's injury, has bounced back to beat Oklahoma State at home (71-61) and TCU on the road (61-58), avoiding a series sweep by the Horned Frogs. The Bears are looking to snap Houston's nine-game winning streak and hand the Cougars their first road loss of the season (9-0).
 
"I feel like we're capable of taking on anybody," said Cal transfer Jalen Celestine (7.5 ppg), who is shooting 36.8% from 3-point range. "We're just going to try to execute the game plan and go from there."
 
Celestine said he would like to go out with a win in his final game at the Foster, where Baylor is 13-2 this season and 21-4 since moving into the new arena in January 2024.
 
"Our fans have been nothing but amazing," he said. "We've had some great home games, great atmosphere. As a transfer, it's been honestly an amazing experience. And for the guys who can't come back to college, our seniors, we don't want to have the last home game in the Foster be a loss. We can get this (win) and go undefeated in March."
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast by ESPN, with Roxy Bernstein and Sean Farnham calling the action.



WACO, Texas – Baylor men's basketball, winners of two straight, will wrap up its regular-season schedule on Saturday night, hosting No. 3/3 Houston at 9 p.m. at the Foster Pavilion. 
 
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN, with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) on the call. The game will also be on the Baylor Sports Media Network, with the Voice of the Bears, John Morris detailing the action alongside Baylor Hall of Famer Pat Nunley (analyst). 
 
Baylor (18-12, 10-9 Big 12 Conference) will face off with Houston (26-4, 18-1 Big 12) in a quest to wrap up the No. 6 seed in the league tournament. The Bears could land anywhere from the six to eight seed, depending on the results on Saturday in the conference, and have clinched a bye to Wednesday in the Big 12 Championships, which are played in Kansas City. 
 
The Bears are coming off a pair of wins, including a 71-61 win over Oklahoma State on March 1 and a 61-58 win at TCU on Tuesday in Fort Worth. 
 
Houston has wrapped up the regular-season title in the Big 12 and enter the game having won nine straight, while also boasting a perfect 9-0 record on the road in 2024-25. 
 
STORY LINES
• Baylor wraps up its regular-season schedule, playing host to No. 3 Houston on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT at Foster Pavilion, live on ESPN and the Baylor Sports Media Network. 
• The Bears have won two straight, coming off a 61-58 win at TCU on Tuesday night in Fort Worth, which followed a 71-61 win over Oklahoma State on March 1. 
• BU fell in the previous meeting with Houston, when the then-No. 6 ranked Cougars posted a 76-65 win over the Bears in Houston. 
• UH leads the all-time series with the Bears, 40-16, with the Bears owning a 9-14 mark in games played in Waco against the Cougars. 
• The Bears have won two of the last four meetings in the series with its most recent win coming in the 2021 Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind., a 78-59 win. Baylor's last win over UH in Waco came in 1995 and have dropped two straight at home vs. the Cougars. 
• The win for the Bears at TCU on Tuesday night marked a fifth straight over the Frogs in Fort Worth and marked the 19th win in the last 25 tries vs. TCU. 
• With the teams even at 35 at the break, the Bears used a strong start to the final stanza to own an 11-point lead with just over seven minutes left at TCU. The Frogs rallied and the Bears were able to get a pair of game-winning free throws from Robert Wright in the closing seconds to rally for the win in a game they led for over 33 minutes. 
• The Bears were led in the TCU win by a 19-point, 12-rebound game from Norchad Ormier, with Wright owning 11 points and seven assists, and VJ Edgecombe going for 18 points, seven boards and three assists. 
• BU improved to 14-1 in 2024-25 when holding an opponent under 70 points and are 373-60 under Coach Scott Drew. BU is 6-0 on the year and 165-9 under Drew when holding its foe to under 60 points. 
• Holding the Frogs to 34.5% shooting from the field, the Bears are 16-6 in 2024-25 and 427-139 under Drew when holding their opponent under 50%. 
• At TCU, BU's Norchad Omier recorded his 18th double-double of the season, the second-most in program history, equaling Charlie McKinney (1973-74).
• Omier's 18 double-doubles this season are just shy of Jerome Lambert (1993-94), who had 19. 
• With 1,630 career rebounds, Omier ranked 12th in NCAA history and sits just behind Al Innis (1,667) from St. Francis (N.Y.).
• VJ Edgecombe continues to climb draft boards, averaging a team-leading 17 points per game over his last 16 games, shooting 46.4% from the field, 40.5% from three and 80% from the free-throw line.
• Edgecombe ranks eighth in the Big 12, averaging 16.4 points per game in conference play and with 14.7 points per game, he is on pace for the fifth-best scoring average by a freshman in BU history.
• Robert Wright now holds Baylor's single-season freshman assist record (135), which comes after setting the single-game freshman record of 13 against Norfolk State earlier this season.
• The Bears have lost 33 games and counting due to injuries this season: Langston Love (14), Jeremy Roach (6), Jalen Celestine (4) VJ Edgecombe (2) and Josh Ojianwuna (7) (Out for the season).
• Of the 1,225 minutes of game time this season, Baylor has had it's full complement of rotation players for just 189:56 (15.5%). 
• The Bears have clinched a bye in the Big 12 Championships next week and could earn a No. 6, No. 7 or No. 8 seed, pending outcomes of games on Saturday. 
• Baylor has 8+ Big 12 wins for a 14th-straight season after winning 8+game just three times in the league's first 15 years.