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Baylor Basketball

Gameday Thread: No. 15 Baylor Travels To Take On No. 25 Connecticut

December 2, 2024
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No. 15 Baylor (5-2) travels to Storrs, Connecticut, to play two-time defending national champions No. 25 Connecticut (5-3) on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 5:30 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on FS1.

KenPom Prediction: Connecticut 76, Baylor 73

Torvik Prediction: Connecticut 73, Baylor 70

Evan Miyakwa: Connecticut 75, Baylor 72

Haslametrics: Connecticut 73, Baylor 69

Coaches

  • Connecticut: Dan Hurley (51); 297-166 (146-61 at UCONN); 6 NCAAs; 2 Sweet 16s; 2 Elite 8s; 2 FFs; 2 National Championships
  • Baylor: Scott Drew (54); 470-255 overall (440-244 at Baylor); 12 NCAAs; 5 Sweet 16s; 3 Elite 8s; FF; 1 National Championship
  • Head to Head: 0-0

Connecticut Starters

  • Guard: Hassan Diara (Sr.) 6-2 195 lbs; 8 ppg; 3 reb; 5 asst; 51% FG; 35% 3pt; 80% FT
  • Guard: Solo Ball (So.) 6-3 190 lbs; 13 ppg; 2 asst; 51% FG; 46% 3pt; 67% FT 
  • Guard: Liam McNeely (Fr.) 6-7 210 lbs; 13 ppg; 5 reb; 2 asst; 41% FG; 35% 3pt; 80% FT
  • Forward: Alex Karaban (Sr.) 6-8 225 lbs; 16 ppg; 4 reb; 3 asst; 2 blks; 51% FG; 47% 3pt; 83% FT
  • Forward: Samson Johnson (Sr.) 6-10 225 lbs; 7 ppg; 3 reb; 80% FG; 67% FT

Connecticut Bench

  • Forward: Tarris Read (Jr.) 6-10 260 lbs; 11 ppg; 9 reb; 2 blks; 77% FG; 70% FT
  • Forward: Jayden Ross (So.) 6-7 205 lbs; 6 ppg; 3 reb; 2 asst; 43% FG; 22% 3pt; 100% FT
  • Guard: Aidan Mahaney (Jr.) 6-3 185 lbs; 5 ppg; 2 asst; 31% FG; 28% 3pt; 50% FT
  • Forward: Jaylin Stewart (So.) 6-7 215 lbs; 6 ppg; 3 reb; 2 asst; 54% FG; 21% 3pt; 71% FT

Baylor Starters

  • Guard: Jeremy Roach (Sr.) 6-2 180 lbs; 13 ppg; 5 asst; 44% FG; 37% 3pt; 71% FT
  • Guard: Jayden Nunn (Sr.) 6-4 190 lbs; 13 ppg; 4 reb; 2 st; 45% FG; 49% 3pt; 67% FT
  • Guard: VJ Edgecombe (Fr.) 6-5 190 lbs; 11 ppg; 5 reb; 3 asst; 2 st; 2 blks; 37% FG; 27% 3pt 68% FT
  • Forward: Norchad Omier (Sr.) 6-7 245 lbs; 16 ppg; 10 reb; 60% FG; 18% 3pt; 70% FT
  • Forward: Josh Ojianwuna (Jr.) 6-10 255 lbs; 6 ppg; 5 reb; 2 st; 82% FG; 68% FT

Baylor Bench

  • Guard: Langston Love (Jr.) 6-5 215 lbs; 11 ppg; 3 reb; 47% FG; 48% 3p; 78% FT (2023-24 stats)
  • Forward: Jalen Celestine (Sr.) 6-7 215 lbs; 9 ppg; 2 reb; 41% FG; 42% 3pt; 100% FT
  • Guard: Rob Wright (Fr.) 6-1 180 lbs; 12 ppg; 5 asst; 48% FG; 50% 3pt; 79% FT
Discussion from...

Gameday Thread: No. 15 Baylor Travels To Take On No. 25 Connecticut

20,104 Views | 193 Replies | Last: 19 days ago by Big12Fan2024
MrGolfguy
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3:52p, 12/2/24
Just win Bears!
I don't feel tardy
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chorne68
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7:11a, 12/3/24
I long for the days when we opened with a dozen wins.
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Crawfoso1973
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In reply to chorne68 • 9:18a, 12/3/24
chorne68 said:
I long for the days when we opened with a dozen wins.
I dunno would you rather have easy wins against cupcakes, or challenge ourselves against tough opponents? We have the toughest schedule in the nation so far this season.
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IowaBear
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In reply to Crawfoso1973 • 9:27a, 12/3/24
The answer is somewhere in the middle. Drew has basically all but said the Gonzaga scenario is never going to repeat itself. I think he's going to dial it back a bit going forward in the non con
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Jorkel
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In reply to IowaBear • 9:41a, 12/3/24
IowaBear said:
The answer is somewhere in the middle. Drew has basically all but said the Gonzaga scenario is never going to repeat itself. I think he's going to dial it back a bit going forward in the non con



We should always look to play tough opponents in the early holiday tournaments. Maybe a quality opponent away and a quality opponent at home, but if we are set on roster turnover year after year we should have 3-4 games to get the team in game shape and work out issues from not playing together.
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IowaBear
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In reply to Jorkel • 10:27a, 12/3/24
Homer said as much, even offered to configure the schedules going forward (non con wise) I'm sure he was joking a bit.
My biggest issue is we play all these essentially true road or "neutral" road games against tough opponents that really aren't neutral games. I get why we do it. Those games are considered Q1. Just don't understand why we don't push harder for true H/A series. Baylor seems to be the one doing the traveling with no return games ala Gonzaga.
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Big12Fan2024
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1:03p, 12/3/24
The game against Gonzaga was not ill advised. The timing of the game against Gonzaga was and Drew has said as much. That should have been a December game, but was obviously out of his control and one where I am sure he would have passed if he had it to do over again.

If we truly think we are a top program and want to continue to build our brand then we should play teams like Gonzaga and Arkansas along with a holiday tournament. The UConn game is a challenge series. We just shouldn't play them until we have a couple of games under our belt like Sam Houston, New Orleans or Tarleton St. and let the talent all learn to play more with each since roster turnover is gonna be the norm in college basketball going forward.

The holes on defense are glaring. In prior years they were somewhat hidden through our normal blowouts over the host of Southland, SWAC and MEAC schools. Drew and his staff have been able to see how different defensive sets have worked or had huge holes and why against quality competition. He now has over a month to work on those with his staff and team. Same with how putrid the offense looked against Tennessee's tight D which replicates what we will see from Iowa St and Houston. I'll take that any day of the week over Cincinnati's higher ranking solely because they've played nothing but cupcakes so far. They'll be getting a staggering wake up call over the next few weeks when they finally have to play a team with basketball talent.

A lot of words to basically say I don't think it matters if we lose 3 or 4 or 5 non-conference games in a given year. If it gets us better prepared for Big 12 play and we finish where we should we will still end up with a reasonably high seed in the NCAAs. If it didn't prepare us then we probably didn't have the team we and all the media thought we had in preseason.
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Crawfoso1973
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In reply to Big12Fan2024 • 1:22p, 12/3/24
I could not agree more. Despite all the panic and gnashing of teeth after our couple of bad losses, I saw them as a positive. Nothing better than tape of getting your ass handed to you to enable coaches to see team weaknesses an coach 'em up.
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Mitch Henessey
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1:26p, 12/3/24
I've not watched UConn this year, but having observed how much production they lost from last year's team, and watching St. Mary's a few times last season, I'm very surprised that Aidan Mahaney isn't playing a much bigger role for them thus far.
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Big12Fan2024
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In reply to Mitch Henessey • 2:19p, 12/3/24
Mitch Henessey said:
I've not watched UConn this year, but having observed how much production they lost from last year's team, and watching St. Mary's a few times last season, I'm very surprised that Aidan Mahaney isn't playing a much bigger role for them thus far.
I agree but I think it's largely been due to him being a defensive liability in the games I've watched. I think UConn and us, Hurley and Drew, are all in a similar pattern so far. The athleticism is there for both squads. The offensive abilities are readily apparent for both, even though both have slipped in a game or two and not performed as well as what they should have. The defense has been pretty atrocious for both when matched against equal or better talent. Both squads have defenders who get routinely lost in defensive coverage and give up wide open shots. It's a bit of a head scratcher because I don't think either lack in physicality. They just lack in basic fundamentals. Maybe it's due to just not enough time together yet?

Mahaney in particular has looked great at distributing the ball and keeping the offense flowing but he has been alarmingly bad defensively. On offense he looks like a quality high major player but on D he has looked almost D2-ish particularly against really athletic types. I will be highly disappointed if Roach and/or Wright don't use that to our advantage tomorrow night.

EDITED TO ADD: When I say both are atrocious on D, I am making that in reference to comparisons against NCAA teams who are good enough to and past the Round of 32. We are certainly not atrocious when compared against the majority of the teams in our conference, and I suspect the same for UConn.
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Mitch Henessey
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9:31p, 12/3/24
Alex Karaban is out tomorrow. Big loss for UConn, and means we have almost no excuse to not come out of Stores with a W.
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IowaBear
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In reply to Mitch Henessey • 9:40p, 12/3/24
This forces UConn to put Mcneely on Omier. Norchad should absolutely feast. Hopefully we put him on the low block and feed him relentlessly. Liam is incapable of matching Norchad on the block
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Quinton
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In reply to Mitch Henessey • 9:58p, 12/3/24
He isn't translating to the high D1 that well so far. Excelled in the WCC and the occational big game. Solid player so a little surprising. Thought a St Mary's tranfer would be ready to play D but has looked like a BU guard on D from the last few years out there. Hopefully it isn't a get right game on Wednesday.
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Big12Fan2024
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6:03a, 12/4/24
As I thought, last night Cincinnati plays a mediocre Villanova team with a .500 record that actually has high major athletes and now Cincinnati has a loss. Big 12 starts off 0-2 in the Big 12 vs Big East challenge as BYU gets pummeled by Providence.
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IowaBear
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In reply to Big12Fan2024 • 7:07a, 12/4/24
B12 is down imo. At least the middle/bottom of the conference. Really top heavy imo
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BluesBear
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9:30a, 12/4/24
The boys better come to play tonight. Hurley will have a point to prove and if he can have his team drop 100 points on us - he will.
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Crawfoso1973
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In reply to BluesBear • 9:49a, 12/4/24
BluesBear said:
The boys better come to play tonight. Hurley will have a point to prove and if he can have his team drop 100 points on us - he will.
The reverse is also true.
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Johnny Bear
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In reply to IowaBear • 2:54p, 12/4/24
IowaBear said:
B12 is down imo. At least the middle/bottom of the conference. Really top heavy imo

Sure has looked that way early on.
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Big12Fan2024
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5:32p, 12/4/24
No Edgecombe.

Here we go again.
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Big12Fan2024
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5:39p, 12/4/24
You gotta get more physical, Josh. These guys play physical ball.
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Big12Fan2024
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5:41p, 12/4/24
And then as usual, Wright comes into the game and we suddenly appear to have some type of offensive flow.
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Stefano DiMera
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5:46p, 12/4/24
Amazing we start great defensively and game thread is dead.

Love limping again.
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Big12Fan2024
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5:46p, 12/4/24
We are a good offensive squad with Wright at PG, Roach at the 2, Love at the 3, Norchad at the 4 and then Josh at the 5 (for height).
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Big12Fan2024
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In reply to Stefano DiMera • 5:47p, 12/4/24
Stefano DiMera said:
Amazing we start great defensively and game thread is dead.

Love limping again.
By far the best defensive rotations of the year so far.
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gbfell
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5:47p, 12/4/24
Edgecombe out means Love gets much needed minutes.
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Big12Fan2024
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5:48p, 12/4/24
McNeely signed with the wrong school. He belongs at Gonzaga.
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Karab
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In reply to Big12Fan2024 • 5:48p, 12/4/24
Big12Fan2024 said:
No Edgecombe.

Here we go again.

I'm not watching. Is he injured?
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Stefano DiMera
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In reply to gbfell • 5:48p, 12/4/24
He's hobbling on one leg .
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Stefano DiMera
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In reply to Karab • 5:48p, 12/4/24
The hamstring from Bahamas.
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Big12Fan2024
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In reply to Karab • 5:49p, 12/4/24
Yes. Out with the hamstring issue.
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TXBEAR_bf
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5:51p, 12/4/24
On a flight and can't watch.

So to clarify Love is limping and VJ is out?
Bear living in the woods of Bend Oregon
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Big12Fan2024
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5:52p, 12/4/24
VJ - Out with hamstring injury

Love - Playing, but visibly limping. Nailed an open 3 and drove to the basket and scored.
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Big12Fan2024
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5:53p, 12/4/24
Wright is a hell of a PG.
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TXBEAR_bf
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5:53p, 12/4/24
Thanks

Damn, Love cannot get healthy. He needs to sit until 2-3 weeks into conference. We are going to need him badly.
Bear living in the woods of Bend Oregon
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Big12Fan2024
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5:54p, 12/4/24
21-15 Bears

10 to go in the 1st half
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