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The Baylor Bears step into the 2024-25 college basketball season looking to clinch the Big 12 Conference title and surpass its second-round finish in the previous NCAA Tournament.
Veteran coach Scott Drew assembled a competitive roster, featuring two highly-touted high school recruits and three battle-tested transfers. They should be ready to help Baylor go deeper into the 2025 edition of March Madness.
Let's take a closer look into the Bears' upcoming campaign, from its biggest games to key players fans should keep an eye on in the 2024-25 season.
Baylor's biggest games of the 2024-25 season
Baylor is yet to release its complete non-conference schedule. But the team management successfully arranged a regular season clash with back-to-back national champion UConn.
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The December 4 Bears-Huskies game at the XL Center in Storrs, Connecticut is part of the Big 12-Big East Battle. This will be the first time that Baylor and UConn meet in a regular-season game since 1965, when the Huskies won 96-88.
Meanwhile, Baylor will play 20 games against conference foes beginning in January 2025. It will have home-and-away games against Arizona, Utah, TCU, Houston and Cincinnati.
The Bears will host Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, UCF and West Virginia at the Foster Pavillion and visit Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Iowa State and Texas Tech.
Top Baylor players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season
Baylor picked up a tremendous haul of standout players from the transfer portal and high school during the offseason. Its 2024 recruitment class is ranked sixth in the nation as it was able to secure the commitments of two four-star and one five-star hoopers, as per 247 Sports.
The Bears also have high-caliber acquisitions from the transfer portal. These feature a Nicaraguan forward who is capable of producing double-doubles every game and a combo guard who can shoot the lights out from deep while doing his playmaking chores. Here are the three Bears players to watch out for this season.
#1. Jeremy Roach
Jeremy Roach transferred to Baylor after four seasons with Duke. The 6-foot-2 guard appeared in 35 games for the Blue Devils and averaged 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Roach was lights out this past season, shooting 46.8%, including a 42.9% from the 3-point line. He also made 84.6% from the field. The Leesburg, Virginia native is expected to carry most of the playmaking chores for the Bears this season. Although, he could still damage the opponents by his passing and timely shooting.
#2. Norchad Omier
Norchad Omier averaged in double digits in points and rebounds during the first four years of his college basketball career with Arkansas State and Miami. The 6-7 Nicaraguan forward averaged 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists per game for the Hurricanes this past season.
The Bluefields, Nicaragua player will continue to play above the rim for Baylor despite giving up inches while going for the board.
#3. VJ Edgecombe
VJ Edgecombe is coming off a big year when he helped Long Island Lutheran reach the No. 2 seed in the ESPN High School basketball rankings. The Crusaders reached the national finals and made the quarterfinals of the tournament.
He played for the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit and scored 17 points and five rebounds for the World Team which lost to Team USA 98-75. Edgecombe is set to play in the small forward spot where he can use his quickness to go hard on the basket and use his shooting skills to outwit opponents in the college ranks.
Baylor's predictions for the 2024-25 season
Baylor will be one of the teams expected to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. With a strong and healthy roster, Scott Drew's men are capable of winning 22 to 25 games in the regular season and make the tournament as one of the committee's selections.
A Final Four stint in the 2025 NCAA Tournament is highly likely for the Bears as it has the deep lineup that would make weary rivals gasp for air.
Will Baylor make it deep the 2025 NCAA Tournment? Let us know your views in the comments section.
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