In one of the marquee games of the week, Baylor basketball was looking to pick up a huge non-conference road win on Wednesday night against No. 25 UConn. Both teams came into the game shorthanded, with Baylor missing star freshman V.J. Edgecombe and UConn missing veteran wing Alex Karaban due to injuries.

During the second half, things got even tougher for Scott Drew and the Bears. Star point guard Jeremy Roach, one of the veteran leaders of this group, left the game and will not return. He is in concussion protocol, according to the broadcast on FS1. Roach had nine points on just 3-for-6 shooting when he left the game.

UConn had a slight lead when Roach exited the game, and Dan Hurley and company were able to hang on and come away with a very important 76-72 win. Guard Langston Love was very good in the second half for Baylor, finishing with a team-high 16 points. Big man Norchad Omier added 14 points and seven rebounds. Robert Wright III was also stellar for Baylor in Roach's absence and finished with a game-high 22 points.

In the end, UConn freshman Liam McNeeley was too much for the Bears to handle. The former Monteverde Academy star finished with 17 points and eight boards.

Roach has been a big addition for this Baylor basketball team this season, as he came into this one averaging more than 13 points and nearly five assists per game. His experience in big moments has already shown up as he hit a miraculous 3-pointer to win a hard-fought double overtime game against St. John's down in the Bahamas.

This loss drops Baylor to 5-3 on the season. That may not seem like a great mark on the surface, and it's surely below the expectations of what Drew and his staff expect from this program at this point. However, the Bears' three losses have come against Gonzaga, Tennessee and UConn, who should be three of the top teams in the nation. Now, Baylor's schedule lightens up for the rest of December before it begins Big 12 play.

This was a massive win for UConn, who desperately needed a bounce-back after dropping three games in a row and finishing in last place at the Maui Invitational. Hurley's club still stayed in the top 25 despite the losing streak, and it cemented itself in the rankings with this win.