As we will do throughout this basketball season, HawgBeat went behind enemy lines with The Baylor Lariat's Jackson Posey to gain insight on the No. 8 Baylor Bears.
Baylor opened its season Monday with a 101-63 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga inside Spokane Arena, a game that saw former Duke transfer Jeremy Roach score nine points and former Miami transfer Norchad Omier total 15 points and nine boards.
Starting for the Bears in their loss to the Bulldogs were senior Roach, senior Omier, freshman guard V.J. Edgecombe, senior guard Jayden Nunn and junior foward Josh Ojianwuna. Nunn and Ojianwuna return from a Baylor team that finished 24-11 (11-7 Big 12) a year ago, while Edgecombe is a former five-star prospect.
Here is what Posey had to say about Saturday's matchup between Arkansas and Baylor, which is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center in Dallas...
1. To address the elephant in the room (and for those who couldn't stay up to watch), what happened for Baylor in its big loss to Gonzaga? Was it fluke-ish, or is there something there for the Hogs to exploit?
Posey: Gonzaga had something few teams do in modern college basketball: continuity. Six of their top seven scorers from last season returned, while Baylor only returned one starter (Jayden Nunn) and three rotation players overall. The talent is there, and the talent is cohesive in a vacuum, but it’ll take a while for this team to gel.
Two things that Arkansas will be game-planning for: 1) Awkward offensive sets as the Bears build chemistry and 2) Defensive miscommunications, for the same reason. There were a lot of your-turn-my-turn possessions and poor scramble drills against Gonzaga. This team was built for March; the Razorbacks are getting them at the right time.
2. Most fans know about former transfers Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Norchad Omier (Miami), but what other major newcomers comprise Baylor's roster?
Posey: The freshmen! VJ Edgecombe is a top-five recruit with absolutely game-breaking athleticism, he was dunking on NBA centers for The Bahamas at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament this summer. And fellow five-star Robert O. Wright III is one of my favorite prep guards I’ve ever evaluated. He’s a bit raw at the moment but he’s lightning in a bottle with a sky-high ceiling.
3. Both Arkansas and Baylor have experienced guards and young, highly-touted guards (most notably DJ Wagner vs. Roach and Boogie Fland vs. VJ Edgecombe). How do those backcourts match up against each other?
Posey: Baylor has a fleet of sharpshooting guards. Between starters Jeremy Roach and Nunn, plus backups Wright and Langston Love (who missed Monday’s game but should be healthy Saturday), the Bears have four guards who could legitimately shoot 40% from three on high volume.
Throw in VJ Edgecombe, who’s a high-intensity impact defender and rebounder, and there’s a ton of talent out on the perimeter. No one has emerged yet as a true playmaking lead guard, so look for a lot of guys to get reps running the offense.
4. When Baylor is clicking, what does that look like under Scott Drew? What kind of offensive/defensive systems does he run?
Posey: Motion, motion, motion. This team can drill threes, and with Edgecombe and Norchad Omier's elite rim pressure, the Bears’ inside-outside game could be deadly once they start clicking. They were still working out the kinks against Gonzaga, but if everything goes right, they have the potential to be a top-five offense nationally.
5. How do you see this game playing out?
Posey: I don’t have any qualms saying Baylor is one of the most talented teams in the country, but it’s going to take more time and a lot more reps to start clicking. Saturday could go either way, but give me the Razorbacks in a close one.
