Baylor Set to Host BYU in Big 12 Clash with Familiar Faces, Rising Stars, and High Stakes
WACO, Texas - Tuesday night at Foster Pavilion has all the makings of a must-watch Big 12 showdown. Baylor (13-10, 3-8 Big 12) welcomes No.
22 BYU (17-6, 5-5 Big 12) to town for a 6 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPN2, and there’s no shortage of intrigue heading into this one.
Let’s start with the headline: Robert Wright III is back in Waco. The former Baylor guard, now a key piece for BYU, returns to the place where he made his name as a freshman.
Wright still holds Baylor’s freshman records for assists in a season (148) and in a game (13), and Bears fans won’t soon forget the performance he put on the last time these two teams met. In that January 2025 game in Provo, Wright scored 14 straight points late in the second half to force overtime, teaming with VJ Edgecombe to score Baylor’s final 25 points.
Now, he’s running the show for the Cougars, averaging 17.3 points and 5.0 assists per game.
But make no mistake - this Baylor team has firepower of its own, and it’s starting to show signs of life.
A Glimpse of Momentum
The Bears are coming off a 1-1 week that included a much-needed conference win over Colorado. In that game, Baylor exploded out of the gate, building a 24-point halftime lead - their largest in a Big 12 game since 2021.
That kind of dominance before the break is no fluke either. Baylor is 13-0 this season when leading at halftime and has won 90% of such games over the past 14 seasons (279-37).
Get ahead early, and the Bears know how to finish.
Even in their narrow 72-69 loss at No. 7 Iowa State, Baylor showed grit, battling through eight lead changes and nearly pulling off the upset. That game may have ended in a loss, but it revealed something important: this team is starting to click.
The Trio Carrying the Load
A big reason for that recent surge? The emergence of Baylor’s trio of Obi Agbim, Cameron Carr, and Tounde Yessoufou.
These three played all 40 minutes in Ames and accounted for 56 of Baylor’s 69 points. Against Colorado, they upped the ante - combining for 65 points on 55% shooting, plus 12 of the team’s 17 assists and half its rebounds.
Carr, in particular, is turning heads. Named to the Big 12 Starting Five for his performances last week, he scored 24 at Iowa State - just four points shy of his career high - while tying his personal bests in made threes (5) and attempts (10).
Over the two-game stretch, Carr averaged 21.5 points and logged all but four minutes of action. He’s now on the Jerry West Award Midseason Watch List, while Yessoufou earned a spot on the Julius Erving Award Top 10.
Agbim, meanwhile, is finding his rhythm at the right time. After a slow start to conference play, he’s now posted five straight double-digit scoring games, tallying 79 points on 41.4% shooting in that span.
His 19-point outing against Colorado was a season high, and he added six assists and a block to round out a complete performance. Quietly, he’s become one of the most efficient ball-handlers in the country - ranking third in the Big 12 and 17th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.36).
Baylor’s Edge on the Glass
Another stat worth watching: rebounding. Baylor has outrebounded its opponent in eight of 11 Big 12 games this season, averaging nearly 35 boards per game and over 11 on the offensive glass. That kind of activity on the boards will be crucial against a BYU squad that thrives in transition and can pile up points in a hurry.
Scouting the Cougars
BYU may have hit a rough patch - losing four of its last five - but this is still a team that started the season 16-1 and remains in the AP Top 25 for a reason. The Cougars are one of the most explosive offenses in the country, averaging 85.8 points per game (top 20 nationally).
They’re led by AJ Dybantsa, the projected top-two NBA Draft pick who currently leads the nation in scoring at 24.0 points per game. Add in the playmaking of Wright and a deep backcourt, and BYU is dangerous - even if they’ve cooled off of late.
The Last Time They Met…
The last meeting between these teams was a thriller. Baylor trailed by 13 early and was down 10 at halftime before clawing back into it.
Edgecombe was electric, dropping 28 points with five assists and four boards in 43 minutes. Wright again stepped up big, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the final five and a half minutes of regulation to force overtime.
But in OT, BYU struck first and didn’t look back. Trevin Knell’s layup and a Dallin Hall three gave the Cougars a five-point cushion. Baylor made it interesting - Edgecombe hit his sixth three of the night to cut it to one - but BYU was perfect from the line in the final two minutes, going 6-for-6 to seal the win.
What’s at Stake
For Baylor, this is a chance to build momentum and make a late-season push in the Big 12. For BYU, it’s about stopping the slide and proving they belong in the upper tier of the conference.
And for fans? It’s a matchup with star power, storylines, and the kind of edge you expect in February basketball.
Tipoff is at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Get your popcorn ready - this one’s got all the ingredients for a classic.