Baylor’s Big Three Dominate as Bears Roll Past Colorado
WACO, Texas - No smoke, no mirrors, no secret recipe. Just three guys playing high-level basketball - and doing it in sync.
Baylor’s trio of Tounde Yessoufou, Cameron Carr, and Obi Agbim lit up Foster Pavilion on Wednesday night, combining for 65 points in a convincing 86-67 win over Colorado. The Bears came out firing and never looked back, building a 24-point first-half lead behind a barrage of three-pointers and a defensive effort that left the Buffaloes scrambling.
“When you don’t guard and you let their best three players - who we knew were their best guys - score 65, something’s wrong,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said postgame. “But credit Baylor.
Those three kids are really talented, very, very good. They were better than us tonight, that’s for sure.”
Boyle’s frustration was understandable. Baylor’s offense clicked early and often, with Yessoufou, Carr, and Agbim knocking down seven threes between them before halftime. That early cushion gave the Bears the breathing room they needed to control the game - and they did just that.
Head coach Scott Drew, now with his team sitting at 13-9 overall and 3-7 in Big 12 play, knows how rare it is to have three scorers clicking on the same night.
“It definitely makes coaches look better,” Drew said. “When you’ve got three guys going, it’s really hard to stop a team.
You can lock in on one or two, but three? Especially those three?
They can put up big numbers.”
Yessoufou Shows Star Power
Freshman guard Tounde Yessoufou continues to look more like a veteran with each passing game. On Wednesday, he poured in 27 points - just one shy of his career high - and did it with efficiency and poise.
He hit 4-of-7 from deep, was nearly perfect at the line, and scored at all three levels. Whether it was a turnaround jumper in the post, a spot-up three, or a drive to the rim, Yessoufou had it working.
“He took shots we practice. He took them in spots we practice,” Drew said.
“He let the game come to him. Defensively, he’s continued to get better and better, knowing what we want, when we want it, how we want it.”
Yessoufou, who also added seven rebounds, a block, a steal, and an assist, kept it simple when asked about his approach.
“I just play the game,” he said. “Whenever it comes to me, I just go and play the right way and try to help my team out as much as I can.”
Boyle didn’t mince words when describing what he saw from the freshman: “He was a man against boys tonight.”
Colorado tried to contain him in the post - with limited success - but the real damage came when Yessoufou faced up and attacked one-on-one. “We just had nobody that could stop him,” Boyle admitted.
Agbim Heating Up
While Yessoufou delivered the knockout blows, Agbim kept the pressure on throughout. The senior guard has been on a tear lately, and Wednesday was his fourth straight game in double figures. He finished with a season-high 19 points, six assists, and even added a highlight-reel block - chasing down Colorado’s Isaiah Johnson to swat a layup off the glass.
“Every now and then, I can probably get one or two [blocks],” Agbim said, smiling. “Tonight I just happened to get one, and I’m happy for that.”
Agbim’s recent stretch - 64 points over four games, with 14 made threes - is a huge boost for a Baylor team that’s finally finding its rhythm after a rocky start to conference play.
Carr Does It All
Cameron Carr may not have had the flashiest stat line, but his all-around performance was arguably the most complete of the night. The 6-5 guard scored 19 points, pulled down eight rebounds, dished out six assists, and recorded two blocks - all without a single turnover in 35 minutes of action.
“Cam, with six assists and zero turnovers, that’s a tremendous outing for him,” Drew said.
Carr’s ability to impact the game on both ends - and do it efficiently - was a major reason the Bears maintained control even when Colorado tried to make a push.
Momentum Building
Coming off a gritty 63-53 road win over West Virginia that snapped a four-game skid, Baylor has now stacked back-to-back victories for the first time since December. And while the Big 12 standings still show work to be done, there’s a sense that this team is starting to turn a corner.
Next up? A big one.
The Bears head to Ames on Saturday to face seventh-ranked Iowa State - a team that already handed them a 70-60 loss earlier this season in Waco. But with momentum shifting and confidence growing, Baylor isn’t backing down.
“Whatever Coach has for us, as a plan, we’re just going to stick to it and be locked in,” Yessoufou said. “At the end of the day, right now, we’ve got nothing to lose.
We’re just going to go out there and fight. That’s the mindset now.”
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPN.