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Game of the year?
Baylor's wild rally vs. St. John's gave us an incredible start to Feast Week. We break it down, and also look at Thursday's other results, which included more than a few surprises. There's also a look at the elite Friday night matchup between Arizona and Duke and the tourneys for the weekend. Plus, how good is the A-10?
Tristan Freeman
November 22, 2024
In partnership with
We got off to a great start to kick off MTE season, whether it was Bryce Lindsay of James Madison scoring 26 points off the bench, or Jeremy Roach capping a dramatic Baylor win over St. John’s. We’ll dive into that and much more.
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1. Jeremy Roach caps a wild Baylor win vs. St. John’s
If this is how Feast Week begins, we’re gonna need a new wardrove after next week.
The lone ranked matchup of the day looked like it would be a dud. No. 22 St. Jonhn’s swarmed No. 13 Baylor early in the Baha Mar semifinals, leading by as many as 18 in the first half.
But instead of it slipping away from the Bears (that Gonzaga loss still looms), they crept back in the thanks to 10 3-pointers in the second half and a massive performance from big man Norchad Omier (24 points, 10 rebounds).
Kadary Richmond (14 points and 7 assists) made a shot to force it into overtime, then helped the Johnnies to 5-point lead in the double OT with 18 seconds left. After a VJ Edgecombe 3-pointer, St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor was at the free-throw line to ice it. Then …
JEREMY ROACH WINS IT FOR BAYLOR AT THE BUZZER
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68)
2:51 AM • Nov 22, 2024
The Duke transfer got his statement moment five games in a Baylor uniform, finishing with 20 points and four assists. He discussed it with the After Dark crew.
The tough ending ruined an otherwise career performance from Ejiofor, who led St. John’s with 22 points and 10 rebounds. RJ Luis had 16 points in 44 minutes, while Aaron Scott chipped in with 20 off the bench. Coach Rick Pitino was not happy with the outcome of the game, and he wasn’t happy with the referees in terms of how they handled the final minutes.
Rick Pitino was NOT happy with the officials at the end of tonight's game 👀
"I felt it was highly unethical to go to the camera on a BS make-up call, icing my free-throw shooter. Highly unethical."
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68)
5:26 AM • Nov 22, 2024
Still, that doesn’t explain how the Red Storm gave up a double-digit halftime lead, with one trip at the FT line being the difference between a close win and the heartbreaking result. It’s still a team worthy of being considered a Big East contender, but it’ll have to work on closing out opponents. They’ll have to prepare for Virginia, coming off a 64-42 defeat to Tennessee in the other Baha Mar semifinal game (7 pm ET on CBS Sports Network).
The finals will be Baylor (4-1) versus the Vols — in the Bears’ fourth ranked matchup of the season. Compared to the Zags, Arkansas and St. John’s, No. 11 Tennessee (5-0) boasts the sport’s best defense. If the Bears win that, they’ll have earned a break next week. (9:30 pm ET on CBS Sports Network).
2. Miami wasn’t the only surprising loss on Thursday
We didn’t have to wait long until a surprise to open Feast Week. Drake opened the noon matchup vs. Miami with a 7-0 run and led the entire game to an 80-69 win at the Charleston Classic.
