Baylor has had the upper hand against West Virginia in recent years, winning the last six meetings. That’s the longest streak by either team in series history.
The Bears (15-9, 7-6 Big 12) will look to keep it rolling when they host the Mountaineers (15-9, 6-7) on Saturday afternoon in Waco, Texas.
Baylor is coming off a 76-65 loss to No. 6 Houston on Monday, its first game without Josh Ojianwuna, who sustained a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 8 vs. UCF. The Bears finished with just four offensive rebounds.
“Without Josh, we’ve got to figure out a way to get to the glass a little bit more,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
Norchad Omier is expected to play extended minutes with Ojianwuna out. Omier finished with five rebounds against Houston, a dip after he had a stretch in which he pulled down at least 12 rebounds in five of the previous six games.
The Bears will also look to VJ Edgecombe to continue his hot stretch. He’s scored in double figures in 10 straight games, including a 30-point performance against Kansas State on Jan. 22.
“He’s playing terrific,” West Virginia coach Darian DeVries said of Edgecombe. “When you watch the film, his speed just stands out, especially on the open floor. It’s impressive.
“There’s a reason he’s so highly thought of on the NBA draft boards. It certainly shows up on tape.”
DeVries has his own offensive star in Javon Small, who is averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds and looking to bounce back after a rough night.
Small scored nine points in the Mountaineers’ 73-69 loss to BYU on Tuesday, the second-fewest points he has scored this season. He had a season-low four field-goal attempts.
However, DeVries was pleased with how Small distributed the ball as he had nine assists.
“At times, there’s only so much you can do if you want to commit two people to him all the time,” DeVries said. “Now you’ve got to take what they give you.”
–Field Level Media
