By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has seen his third-ranked Cougars go against three other top-10 teams and some of the best players in the country.
 
But he called Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe "the best pro prospect we've played against this year . . . the best pro prospect we've seen maybe in the last couple years. He's really good."
 
Projected as a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Edgecombe certainly delivered in what will likely be his last game at Foster Pavilion. The 6-5 freshman scored 23 points, including nine of his team's last 16 points, but the Bears (18-13, 10-10) came up short in a 65-61 loss to a Houston team (27-4, 19-1) that has won back-to-back Big 12 regular-season titles.
 
"I'm not surprised. I know what he's got to give every night. So, I'm not surprised," Miami transfer Norchad Omier said of Edgecombe, who added five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. "It's March, I'm happy he's playing that way. We still haven't played our best. I don't think he played his best game today, and he had 23. So yeah, I'm feeling good."
 
That's the thing, the Bears still haven't played their best basketball. But even playing with a limited seven-man rotation since losing 6-10 redshirt junior Josh Ojianwuna to a season-ending ACL knee injury, Baylor has clearly made progress.
 
Four weeks ago, the Bears trailed Houston by 25 at one point in a 76-65 road loss and had only four offensive rebounds. This time, Baylor was up 29-26 at the half, led by as many as seven in the second half and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
 
"Playing against a team like that – they're a top-3 team in the country – just to be in that position with them gives us a lot of confidence that we can play with anybody in the country," said redshirt junior guard Langston Love, who hit three 3-pointers and scored 10 points. "Just happy for the guys and happy for the staff and just all the progress we've been making, putting in hard work through these practices leading up to these games."
 
Omier notched his 19^th double-double of the season with 13 points and 16 rebounds, which tied Jerome Lambert's 31-year-old school record. It was also his 87^th career double-double, moving him into a tie for the second-most in NCAA history with Tim Duncan of Wake Forest and Armando Baccott of North Carolina.
 
"The last time we played, Houston kind of punked us on the offensive glass, and I just couldn't let that happen again," said Omier, who nearly matched Houston's team total (10) with nine offensive boards himself. "I'm proud of everybody, that's all I can say. I'm happy where we're at right now. Just give God thanks in the wins and the losses."
 
Baylor led by three at the break and by as many as seven in the second half, going up 39-32 on Love 3-pointer at the 17:23 mark in the second half. But Ja'vier Francis had a tip-in off a missed 3-pointer by Milos Uzan to finish off a 14-2 run that gave the Cougars a 46-41 lead.
 
After Houston stretched it out to a 10-point lead on a deep 3-pointer by Emanuel Sharp, the Bears twice made it a two-point game late and even had a chance to tie or take the lead after a rare miss by Baylor transfer LJ Cryer from 3.
 
Cal transfer Jalen Celestine knocked down a corner trey to make it a 61-59 game with just over a minute left. Following the miss by Cryer, who tied Edgecombe for game-high scoring honors with 23 points, the Baylor freshman's potential game-tying bucket on a floater rolled off the rim.
 
"That's one of those, again, we always say assume a miss," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "So, you've got to come up with (an offensive rebound). But you're pretty happy (with Edgecombe's shot)."
 
Down two after a pair of Edgecombe free throws, the Bears had another chance when they fouled 6-8 forward J'wan Roberts – a career 59.1% free throw shooter – with 13.6 seconds left. But Roberts, who had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards, calmly sank both free throws to give the Cougars a two-possession lead.
 
"I saw how happy Scott was that (Roberts) got fouled," Sampson said, "but Scott didn't know about those 150 free throws (they have to make every day in practice). Now, would I have preferred LJ? But good for J'wan. . . . He stepped up there and made two big free throws."
 
Houston finishes off a perfect 10-0 slate on the road and goes in as the No. 1 seed for the Big 12 Championships that begin Tuesday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
 
Earning the seventh seed because of a head-to-head advantage over West Virginia, the Bears will play a second-round game at 6 p.m. Wednesday against the winner of a first-round matchup between 10^th-seeded Kansas State (15-16, 9-11) and 15^th-seeded Arizona State (13-16, 4-16).
 
 

 
 GAME NOTES

• Baylor is 18-13 on the season and 10-10 in conference play. Houston, the regular-season Big 12 Champion, is 27-4 and 19-1 in league action. 
• Baylor will advance to the second round of the 2025 Big 12 Championships on Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo., at the T-Mobile Center.  
• The Bears are now 4-26 all-time against Houston and the Cougs own a 15-9 lead in the series in Waco. 
• BU is 74-31 in Big 12 play over the last six years, its 73 wins are second to only Kansas (76).
• Under Coach Scott Drew, the Bears 1-3vs. Houston. 
• Since owning a full complement of scholarships, Baylor is 427-185 under Drew, dating back to 2007-08. 
• The Bears are 146-48 over the last six seasons. 
• The Bears used the starting lineup of Robert Wright, VJ Edgecombe, Langston Love, Jalen Celestine and Norchad Omier for the seventh time. That combination is now 3-4 this season.
• Baylor held a 29-26 lead at halftime, owning a 15-4 record on the year when leading or tied at halftime and a 374-61 record under Drew. 
• Baylor is 35-24 against AP top-25 ranked teams since 2019-20, the second-best mark in the nation. 
• Baylor is 17-6 at home vs. ranked foes in the last five seasons. 
• Baylor is 81-11 in home games over the last six seasons and are 13-3 in 2024-25. Baylor is 21-3 in two year at Foster Pavilion. 
• Omier finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds in 38 minutes. 
• Omier now has 87 double-doubles moving into a tie with second-place Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) and Armando Baccott (North Carolina) in NCAA history. 
• Omier has tied the program record, set by Jerome Lambert (1993-94) for double-doubles (19) in a season.
• Omier has scored in double figures in 26 of 31 games in 2024-25, with the Bears going 18-8 in those outings. 
• With 16 rebounds, Omier is 13^th in NCAA history with 1,646 career boards.
• Edgecombe had 23 points, five rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes, making 6-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. 
• Edgecombe has scored in double figures in 23 games on the year, and 13 in Big 12 play, with the Bears going 16-7 in those outings.
• Edgecombe has six games with 20+ points on the year.
• Wright had three points and three assists in 28 minutes.  
• Wright has 138 assists in 2024-25, the Baylor freshman record.
• Love had 10 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes. 
• Love has scored in double figures in eight games in 2024-25 and in 32 games in his Baylor career.