Expect the clash between No. 13 Baylor and No. 11 Tennessee in the final of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, on Friday night to have a March Madness-level of intensity.
The teams will have to work hard to produce the kind of excitement they did in this event’s opening round on Thursday, in which Baylor won in double overtime over No. 22 St. John’s and the Volunteers dismantled previously undefeated Virginia with a dominant second half.
The Bears (4-1) won in stunning fashion when Jeremy Roach hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer as part of his 20 points. Baylor stumbled through the second overtime, missing five free throws and neglecting to properly defend the 3-point line as St. John’s built a lead.
But the Red Storm left the door open just a crack, and Roach barreled through it with his decisive shot, giving Baylor its fourth straight victory after an embarrassing season-opening loss to Gonzaga.
V.J. Edgecombe’s 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds left Thursday brought Baylor to within two points and, after a timeout and a foul, Zuby Ejiofor of St. John’s missed both free throws with 4.1 seconds to play. Norchad Omier grabbed the rebound and fed Roach for his winning shot.
“Jeremy Roach — a big-time play,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said after the win. “He makes big plays. I loved seeing him make that shot and the team celebrate. We showed a lot of heart.”
Omier led Baylor with 24 points and 10 rebounds, with Robert Wright scoring 17 points, Jalen Celestine adding 14, Jayden Nunn tallying 12 and Edgecombe contributing 10.
“My teammates had my back,” Roach said. “They had my confidence in me, and I just wanted to make a play. We’ve just been in too many battles together, so we had to come back for that one. We all came together. We never back down.”
The Volunteers (5-0) beat Virginia 64-42 behind 26 points from Chaz Lanier, 14 from Igor Milicic Jr., and a determined defensive effort. Eighteen of Lanier’s points came after halftime.
“My teammates were finding me. Shout-out to them,” Lanier said. “We had a great plan defensively and really focused on that in the second half.”
Tennessee led just 22-21 at the break and was up 39-34 with 10:48 remaining. It then reeled off a 25-8 run to end the game; Virginia hit just one field goal over the final 7:44.
The Volunteers doubled the output of Virginia in the second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 42-21. Tennessee held Virginia to 28 percent shooting and forced nine turnovers that they turned into 18 points.
Tennessee also had 19 points off 18 offensive rebounds combined in both halves.
Tennessee is playing this tournament without J.P. Estrella (left foot injury) and Cameron Carr (left thumb injury), with Estrella’s lack of physical improvement a spot of concern for coach Rick Barnes and the team.
“It is concerning,” Barnes said about Estrella. “We know he wants to play. We know he has done everything he can do. I think the plan we had for him to start was the right plan. … It is day-to-day, and it is the same injury that he has dealt with.”
