Colorado Buffaloes vs Baylor Bears Picks and Predictions February 22nd 2025

Baylor Bids for Improved 3-Point Shooting vs. Colorado

Baylor’s first visit to Boulder, Colo., in 15 years will take place Saturday afternoon. And the stakes for the Bears couldn’t be much higher.

Baylor’s Tournament Push

Baylor (16-10, 8-7 Big 12) appears to be in good shape for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, but with three of their next four games against teams like Colorado (10-16, 1-14), the Bears must take care of business.

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A loss to the Buffaloes, while not fatal, would be a serious blow. Colorado sits last in the Big 12 standings, two games behind Arizona State.

Saturday will be an opportunity the Bears can’t afford to squander. However, poor 3-point shooting has plagued them recently, as they went 5-of-22 from deep in both Monday’s 74-67 loss to No. 19 Arizona and last Saturday’s overtime win over West Virginia.

“The last two games, we haven’t shot from 3 like we’re capable,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “As a staff, we’ve got to do a better job of getting us better looks because we have better shooters than that.”

The Bears are led by senior Norchad Omier, who is averaging 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Omier collected his 82nd career double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) Monday night, while freshman VJ Edgecombe (15 ppg) is coming off a game-high 24 points against Arizona.

Colorado’s Struggles

Colorado most recently played on Tuesday night, falling 79-65 at No. 8 Iowa State. It was the Buffaloes’ third double-figure loss of the season to the Cyclones, who established a 45-28 halftime lead.

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Colorado coach Tad Boyle was left wishing his team had played as well in the final 10 minutes as it did the first 30, when it trimmed a 24-point deficit to a more respectable final margin.

“I was really proud of our guys the last 10 minutes,” Boyle said.

Julian Hammond is Colorado’s only double-figure scorer at an average of 12.9 points per game, though he has struggled lately. Hammond has made only 6 of 26 shots from the field (20.7 percent) over the last three games.

What’s at Stake?

With Baylor looking to solidify its NCAA Tournament resume and Colorado desperate for an upset, this game could have major implications.