Two of the top freshmen guards and 2025 NBA draft prospects in the country, BYU's Egor Demin and Baylor 's VJ Edgecombe, will square off Tuesday night when the Cougars host the Bears in a pivotal Big 12 battle at the Marriott Center.
Naturally, it has drawn the attention of pro scouts, who are expected to flock to Provo to watch the teenagers who are expected to be one-and-done college players and enter June's draft, although Demin has pointed out several times this season that he has never said anything definitive on the matter.
"There has been a lot of traffic in and out of here. I get calls all the time. A bunch of people coming tomorrow as well," BYU coach Kevin Young said Monday in his weekly press briefing via Zoom.
How many scouts are expected?
BYU basketball spokesperson Tyson Jex reported that as of 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, 26 scouts representing 13 NBA teams had requested credentials.
"It is the most we have had this year," Jex said. "I know that off the top of my head."
BYU (13-6, 4-4) and Demin didn't play well the past two times that dozens of NBA scouts flocked to the Cougars' games, losing 83-64 at Providence and 86-55 at Houston. Demin went 0 for 10 from the field (but was 6 of 6 from the line) on Dec. 3 at Providence while battling a knee contusion that would sideline him the remainder of the month, and was 1 of 6 at Houston, with seven assists and three turnovers.
The 18-year-old from Moscow, Russia, has played significantly better the past two games , going 4 of 7 for eight points and seven assists in the win at Colorado and 3 of 5 for 15 points and seven assists in the 80-52 crushing of Cincinnati last Saturday.
"Certainly it is a step in the right direction for him. He is a guy, even when he was going through some rough times, his confidence never really wavered. I think he was just trying to figure things out. When I say figure things out, I just mean the style of play, defenses, who he is playing with, and so forth," Young said of the young star.
"I think a lot of things are starting to get smoothed out for him. You have a game like that where you make shots, and you make free throws, I definitely think it will give him an added boost of confidence," Young continued. "But I have been happy with how he has approached going through some tough times."
After Saturday's game, Demin said he is feeling "better and better" with each passing day and feeling "more and more comfortable" with the physical, rugged style of basketball played in the Big 12.
Demin said he is looking forward to facing Baylor and Edgecombe, having followed the successful program and highly recruited prospect from the Bahamas even when he was playing in Europe.
Edgecombe, 19, a 6-foot-5 wing, has played well all season, but has really upped his production the past six games. He had 30 and 21 points, respectively, in blowouts of Kansas State and Utah last week and is averaging 14.2 points, second on the team behind 6-foot-7 forward Norchad Omier 's 15.4.
"Yeah, VJ is dynamic. He is one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has got a lot of upside," Young said. "Athletically, they are really good, not just with him, but across the board."
With Baylor's NET ranking standing at 28 and BYU's at 38, it will be one of the marquee games in all of college basketball on Tuesday night, and not just because of the matchup of fabulous freshmen. It will also begin a string where eight of BYU's next nine games are Quad 1 games, if current rankings hold.
"It is going to be a really big matchup, and I am glad we get them here," said another of BYU's players who is starting to draw some NBA attention, 6-5 junior wing Richie Saunders.
Baylor (13-6, 5-3) edged BYU 81-72 last January at the new Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas, then fell 78-71 on Feb. 20 in Provo despite enjoying a 21-9 advantage at the free-throw line in a physical game that featured 35 fouls.
Neither Langston Love (ankle) nor Jeremy Roach (concussion) played against Utah, and both are day-to-day for Tuesday night's game, a Baylor basketball spokesperson told the Tribune-Herald of Waco.
"As athletic as they are, I think we play a bit faster. So it will be interesting matchup stylistically," Young said. "We will have to do a good job of neutralizing their athleticism with good team defense, and then (use) our ability to space the floor on the other end and make quick decisions like we like to play."
Scouts will probably keep an eye on another BYU freshman, 6-9 forward Kanon Catchings , as well. A four-star recruit who was rated No. 35 in the ESPN Top 100 but has struggled to adjust to the physicality of the college game, Catchings hasn't scored in double figures since getting 11 in the Big 12 opener against Arizona State. But the Indiana native did have a good game off the bench against Cincinnati, going 3 of 5 from deep.
"We obviously have an NBA lens on everything that we are doing. So like, when I talk to my friends in the NBA, yeah, I think those guys are clearly on radars," Young said of Demin and Catchings. "… So we have had no shortage of eyes on those guys. A lot of that stuff kind of plays itself out as the season goes along, and as draft season goes along, as workouts go along, as interviews go along.
"So yeah, I do think they will be there (in the NBA) sooner rather than later, but that is a relative statement," Young concluded.
Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe drives the ball to the basket in a Big 12 contest against TCU Sunday, Jan.19, 2025, in Waco, Texas. Edgecombe and the Bears will take to the Marriott Center country in Provo on Tuesday night to take on the suddenly-surging Cougars. | Jerry Larson, Associated Press
