Baylor is looking to solidify itself as a team worthy of an invitation to the NCAA Tournament when it visits TCU on Tuesday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Bears (17-12, 9-9 Big 12), ranked No. 8 in the preseason, are on the right side of the bubble by most projections. They snapped a three-game losing streak with a 71-61 home victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday and have flashed their potential throughout the season.
Norchad Omier remains a double-double threat on a nightly basis, recording his 17th of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds in the victory over Oklahoma State. Jeremy Roach, a Duke transfer, found his offensive rhythm with a season-high 21 points.
“You lose three in a row, you need a win,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “And normally, you lose a couple in a row, it just takes some of that swag, some of that confidence. That’s why I always prefer to play a team coming off a loss. Good thing is we got one, now we’ll see what we can do in the last two.”
Baylor will be looking to win consecutive games for the first time since late January when it knocked off Kansas State and Utah.
For TCU (16-13, 9-9), it will be eyeing a regular season sweep. The Horned Frogs upset the then-No. 25 Bears 74-71 on Jan. 19 in Waco, Texas.
In that game, TCU overcame a 12-point deficit and Brendan Wenzel hit a late 3-pointer for the victory. Wenzel finished with a team-high 17 points off the bench, while Ernest Udeh Jr. also had a standout game with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
TCU is coming off an 89-78 home victory over UCF on Saturday. The Frogs enjoyed a 49-30 halftime lead before being outscored 48-40 in the second half. Still, the 89 points were the Frogs’ most since their season-opening 105-59 home win over Florida A&M.
“It was a great Saturday for us. I loved how we played that first half,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “It was about as good a half as we played offensive and defensively. We had a 19-point lead, we did it on the glass, we were plus-11. We really passed it well, too. Loved the first half, wish we would’ve been better in the second half.”
–Field Level Media
