Takeaways on Baylor Basketball's win against Norfolk St.
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The Bears welcomed Norfolk State to the Foster Pavilion for an early morning matchup. It was a unique atmosphere at the Foster Pavilion as Baylor welcomed local elementary school students to the game, in what Baylor calls "the Future Bears Day." Norfolk State is quite the capable opponent, having made the NCAA tournament three times in the last five years. Baylor welcomed the Spartans to the Foster last season as well, where the Bears also came out with a win.
Today's game started off well for the Bears; they got out to a 15-4 lead early, and it seemed to be smooth sailing from there. But Norfolk State fought back keeping the game within 10 for most the first half. At the end of the first half, the Bears pulled away, going on a 14-2 run leading into the break. The half would end 47-31.
The second half was more of the same. The Baylor defense stepped up, holding Norfolk to 36 points in the second half. The Bears' offense kept the pressure, totalling 50 points. The game finished as a lopsided affair, with Baylor winning 97-67. Here are some takeaways from this non-conference win.
Carr continues to shine
Cameron Carr led the team with 19 points and 5 rebounds in 29 minutes. The most shocking stat is the +/- of 41 points, which led the team. He also had four blocks himself, which is the most of any Baylor player since Yves Missi in February of 2024 against Iowa State. Carr continues to show why he is one of the best players in the conference. It's highlight dunks, it's pure efficiency, it's his ability to score at all three levels. He plays defense at a high level and creates turnovers while not turning it over himself. Many Baylor fans hoped he would be a multi-year player for the Bears, but every time he steps on the court, it seems more and more likely that this is a lottery pick and an NBA player.
Baylor Defense steps up
The Baylor defense seems to have played its second best defensive game of the season this afternoon. Scott Drew's defense caused havoc, creating 17 blocks and steals and holding Norfolk State to 67 points. They held Norfolk to 38.3% from the field and 25% from three. Along with this, the Bears played a very clean game, only having 2 fouls in the first half and then racking up a lot in garbage time. Altogether, a very good defensive performance with a lot of positives that can be taken to Big 12 play.
Strong Obi Agbim game
All the strong Baylor Basketball teams of the past few years have had very elite point guard play. From the national championship team with Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell, to James Akinjo and Adam Flagler, who led teams to NCAA tournament #1 seeds, there has always been strong guard play. Obi Agbim will need to be that star guard if Baylor wants to succeed in conference play and get a top four seed at the tournament in March. Today, Agbim ended the game with 18 points and 5 assists with 3 steals, one of the most well rounded games of his career. If Baylor wants to succeed down the line, we will need to see more performances like this from Agbim, where he shoots 40%+ from three and gets his teammates involved.
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.
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