24. Baylor (11-4)
Opening night saw Baylor ravished by Gonzaga, and a few other stinkers have followed since that night. Overall, there’s a lot to like about these Bears, and they’ve shown it more times than not, especially on the offensive end. Scott Drew’s program might not be having their best season in recent years, but this last week showed that they can do major damage in the Big 12.
Fresh off another stinker at Iowa State, the Bears bounced back nicely with a 68-48 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. 18-point efforts from both VJ Edgecombe and Norchad Omier led the charge in a nice defensive effort from the Bears. Saturday’s effort was also positive, with Baylor winning 72-66 at Arizona State in overtime. Omier had 19 points and 8 rebounds while Josh Ojianwuna added 12 points and 17 rebounds in an iconic effort.
The season’s been far from perfect but Baylor’s done more than enough to attract our attention. Their metrics look pretty solid, that offense really delivers on a regular basis, and the Bears look like they can be near the top of the Big 12 standings yet again. Next Tuesday features a road game at Arizona before an easier stretch for a couple of weeks, meaning the Bears can really rise in the standings if they can put together a nice performance in Tucson next week.