Gonzaga vs. Baylor score, takeaways: No. 6 Zags make strong opening statement with easy win vs. No. 8 Bears

College basketball fans deserved this game

Last season's opening night slate featured zero ranked-on-ranked games. Although this matchup ended up in a blowout (and it started at almost midnight on the East Coast), Gonzaga and Baylor deserve credit for making this happen. Opening night of the college basketball season feels similar to Week 0 of the college football season because it's not full of marquee-ranked matchups. Most of the teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll played against teams they should beat by 30 points. College basketball needs more matchups like this during the first day of the season.

Baylor's VJ Edgecombe struggles in college debut

Edgecombe, who most draft experts project as a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, struggled against Gonzaga. The Baylor star guard missed the first four shots before finally getting one to fall late in the first half. The good news is veteran guard Langston Love should be back soon, and having him and guard Jeremy Roach in the backcourt with him will help ease some of that pressure.

Gonzaga passes first test

FINAL: No. 6 Gonzaga 101, No. 8 Baylor 63

No. 6 Gonzaga has a loaded nonconference schedule that includes games against Kentucky, UConn, UCLA and Monday's clash against Baylor. Mark Few's squad passed their first test with flying colors. Gonzaga did an excellent job of making life miserable for Baylor on offense and knocked down timely shots on the other end to stretch its lead throughout the end of the first half. Gonzaga looked like a serious national title contender, and the next month or so will be telling to see what the ceiling can be.

Gonzaga makes a statement on opening night

FINAL: No. 6 Gonzaga 101, No. 8 Baylor 63

No. 6 Gonzaga recorded a blowout 101-63 win over No. 8 Baylor on Monday at Spokane Arena in one of the biggest nonconference games of the 2024-25 college basketball season. The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 in the opening minute and used a near wire-to-wire effort to add a marquee win to their résumé.

Gonzaga guard Nolan Hickman scored a game-high 17 points, and star big man Graham Ike added 15 in the victory. Eight players on Gonzaga's roster scored at least five points, with five scoring in double-figures. Mark Few's squad went into halftime with a 49-30 lead and used a 16-2 run in the second half to pull away for good after Baylor cut the deficit to 13 points.

Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, a projected top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, struggled in his first college action. Edgecombe missed his first four shot attempts before finally knocking one down in the final moments of the first half. Edgecombe finished with four points, six rebounds and two blocks. Miami transfer Norchad Omier scored a team-high 15 points for Baylor.

Gonzaga's nonconference schedule includes games against Kentucky, UConn, UCLA and Baylor over the next month and a half before conference play starts at the turn of the calendar year. Baylor is set to face UConn, Arkansas and St. John's before the gauntlet of Big 12 play begins.

• Baylor shot 3 of 21 from the 3-point line.
• Gonzaga has won nine consecutive season openers
• This is Baylor's largest loss vs. an AP Top 10 team. This is Gonzaga's biggest win vs. an AP Top 10 team.
• Gonzaga went 13 of 31 from beyond the arc.
• Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle scored 12 points in his Gonzaga debut. He is at his fourth different school after playing previously at Butler, Temple and Arkansas.
• Gonzaga scored 46 points in the paint. Gonzaga also got 42 points from its bench.

Gonzaga is on the cusp of a huge win

EARLY 2H: No. 6 Gonzaga 75, No. 8 Baylor 48

Gonzaga is on a 16-2 run over the last five minutes to stretch its lead to 27 points. Baylor has missed seven of its last eight field goal attempts. The Bulldogs are on the verge of a statement win.

Gonzaga is pulling away

EARLY 2H: No. 6 Gonzaga 65, No. 8 Baylor 46

After Baylor cut the deficit to 13 points, Gonzaga responded with a 6-0 run. The Zags have made their last three field goal attempts and the Baylor scoring drought is approaching three minutes with 11:18 remaining.

Can Baylor go on a run?

EARLY 2H: No. 6 Gonzaga 59, No. 8 Baylor 42

Baylor has cut Gonzaga's lead to 17 points at the under-16 media timeout. This is when Baylor needs to start going on a run if they want to cut into the deficit further. Baylor star big man Norchad Omier has a team-high 11 points.

Second half underway

EARLY 2H: No. 6 Gonzaga 53, No. 8 Baylor 30

Hickman just knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night to extend Gonzags's lead to 23 points. Hickman has a game-high 14 points. Gonzaga is fully in control right now.

Gonzaga in control over Baylor

HALF: No. 6 Gonzaga 49, No. 8 Baylor 30

We have reached halftime from Spokane Arena, and the "home team" has been dominant through the first 20 minutes of action in this marquee showdown. Gonzaga is doing an excellent job of getting quality shots on offense, and on the defensive end, they have forced Baylor into tough shots with on-ball pressure and a full-court press. Gonzaga has held Baylor star freshman VJ Edgecombe in check. Edgecombe missed his first four field goal attempts and turned the ball over twice before getting his first bucket late in the half. Gonzaga forward Dusty Stromer knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening frame. Nolan Hickman has 11 points and Stromer has nine.

More stats: Gonzaga has 24 points in the paint and nine second chance points.

Baylor making a run

LATE 1H: Gonzaga 36, Baylor 24

Baylor went on a 6-0 run before Gonzaga responded on the other end with an And-1 layup from Ben Gregg. Baylor freshman Rob Wright, the No. 23 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, has been a nice spark off the bench. He has six points and three assists in 11 minutes.

Stromer is feeling it

MID 1H: Gonzaga 27, Baylor 16

Stromer has been huge for Gonzaga early. He has hit three 3-pointers and has a game-high nine points. Gonzaga forward Braden Huff has eight points in seven minutes. Baylor is just 6 of 17 from the floor, while Gonzaga has knocked down 11 of its first 21 attempts.

Gonzaga responds

Early 1H: Gonzaga 16, Baylor 9

Immediately after Baylor went on an 8-0 run, Gonzaga responded with a run of its own. The Zags have scored the last 10 points to take their largest lead of the game. Dusty Stromer knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and the crowd inside Spokane Arena is going nuts.

Baylor on a run

Early 1H: Baylor 9, Gonzaga 8

Baylor is on an 8-0 run at the moment and it seems like they're finally settling down. Cal transfer Jalen Celestine knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Bears the lead back. Baylor and Gonzaga have combined to shoot 2 of 13 from beyond the arc in the first seven minutes.

Gonzaga in front early

Early 1H: Gonzaga 6, Baylor 1

It's approaching midnight on the East Coast and the play has been sloppy from both sides early. Gonzaga is doing a great job of getting pressure on Baylor's guards. Baylor star freshman VJ Edgecombe missed his first shot, turned the ball over and fouled Gonzaga on the other end.

Here we go!

We are officially underway from Spokane, Washington.

Starters for both teams

Baylor

G: Jayden Dunn

G: Jeremy Roach

G: VJ Edgecombe

F: Norchad Omier

F: Josh Ojianwuna

Gonzaga

G: Ryan Nembhard

G: Nolan Hickman

G: Khalif Battle

F: Graham Ike

F: Ben Gregg

Gonzaga vs. Baylor prediction

This will be a de facto home game for Gonzaga given the close proximity of Spokane Arena to the Zags; campus. The x-factor in this game will be Edgecombe, who showed flashes of what he can be at this level while playing for the Bahamian National Team. This game is legitimately a toss-up because of how good both sides are. Baylor wins in a close one if it can overcome the home-court advantage the Bulldogs will have. Prediction: Baylor +3.5

How will Gonzaga look?

Mark Few and Co. bring back a majority of the team's core that reached the Sweet 16 last season. That roster includes Ryan Nembhard, Graham Ike and Ben Gregg. The Bulldogs added former Arkansas guard Khalif Battle and Pepperdine forward Michael Ajayi to bolster the roster. Gonzaga will be the clear-cut favorite in the WCC.

Who is Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe?

Edgecombe is one of my favorite players in this class. He shined this summer while playing for the Bahamian National Team and held his own against older and more experienced competition. He has a quick first step and is explosive in getting to the rim. Baylor coach Scott Drew has a strong track record of developing blue-chip prospects in recent years, and Edgecombe might be the best draft prospect in program history. Former Baylor standout Ekpe Udoh was drafted No. 6 overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. There's a strong possibility Edgecombe goes higher.

Edgecome ranked No. 4 in our preseason freshmen rankings.

Duke's Cooper Flagg leads rankings of top freshmen in college basketball for 2024-25

Cameron Salerno

How will Baylor look?

The Bears will look different this season with the additions of former Duke guard Jeremy Roach and Miami big man Norchad Omier -- two of the top-ranked transfers available. Baylor also added five-star guard VJ Edgecombe, who ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle by 247Sports and is a projected top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.