The Big 12 men’s basketball teams finished the seventh round of league action on Wednesday, with three games played in the state of Texas.
Wednesday’s game results included:
No. 7 Houston 70, Utah 36
Baylor 70, Kansas State 62
The Big 12’s eighth round of league action begins on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from the latest day of men’s basketball action.
Best Game
The nightcap between Baylor and Kansas State featured a career performance by freshman VJ Edgecombe, who dropped 30 points and came up big down the stretch as the Bears put that loss to TCU behind them.
At one point, the Bears were down 12 points. But coach Scott Drew changed things up his zone defense and it really seemed to discombobulate the Wildcats in the second half. No Big 12 coach uses a zone more strategically than Drew.
Related: Three Takeaways From Baylor’s 70-62 Win Over Kansas State
Baylor is still short-handed. Forward Norchad Omier only had three points but grabbed 13 rebounds. Guard Jalen Celestine came off the bench for 18 points. But Edgecombe carried them.
Kansas State shot better than Baylor. The Wildcats only committed nine turnovers. Most nights, that’s a great number. But the Bears only had four. K-State’s defense didn’t create enough havoc. David N’Guessan had 13 points and 11 rebounds. And the Wildcats slip further and further behind in this Big 12 race.
Best Performances
Kansas State’s Coleman Hawkins had a balanced game — eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists. But the Wildcats need him to be more dominant.
Houston’s L.J. Cryer was efficient — 13 points in 23 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting with a trio of 3-pointers.
Kansas’ Flory Bidunga had an intriguing game — 10 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. The Jayhawks could use more of that.
Most-Needed Win
Baylor needed that win over Kansas State. The Bears had lost two straight and falling to Kansas State was not something they could afford. Baylor isn’t a bubble team, but it feels like one because the Bears are just middle-of-the-pack right now.
Baylor’s next two games are against Utah and BYU, but up in the Beehive State. Utah is wounded after getting drubbed by Houston. The Marriott Center is a crazy place to play, and Cougars freshman Egor Demin is a matchup problem. Baylor needs both of those games.
Worst Loss
One hates to pick on Utah. But 26 turnovers at Houston? No, that won’t do. Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the country and it’s not easy to simulate what the Cougars do. But 26 turnovers won’t cut it — especially when Houston only committed five.
This is how bad it was:
The Key Coog
In the second half of the Houston-Utah game I saw something you don’t want to see — J’Wan Roberts turning an ankle. He did it while running downcourt and went straight to the ground.
He left the floor but returned later. He finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Houston is seen by outsiders as a guard-driven team. And the Cougars have some of the best in the country. But Roberts is the glue. Last year he was somewhat of a blunt instrument in Houston’s offense. Now he’s been sharpened by offseason surgery and talent progression.
His 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game belie how important he is to Houston’s potential Final Four hopes. And this IS a Final Four team. But not without a healthy Roberts.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
