Game Preview: Baylor at Cal State Fullerton, Dec. 16

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BAYLOR (4-0) at CAL STATE FULLERTON (1-5)
Titan Gym (3,500) - Fullerton, Calif.
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000 - 7:05 p.m. PST

THE GAME
Baylor enters a grueling stretch of 18 days in which it will play seven games, beginning with a contest at Cal State Fullerton Saturday, Dec. 16. The game, set to tipoff at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif., at 9:05 CST, marks the Bears first road game of the season. Baylor enters the game boasting a perfect 4-0 record, and is coming off an 84-57 victory over St. Edward's last Saturday in Waco. Fullerton is 1-5 on the season, most recently losing a 78-61 decision to Wyoming at Titan Gym last Saturday. The Bears are in the second year of the Dave Bliss era and their 95th year of men's basketball in 2000-2001. Baylor owns an all-time record of 948-1,077 in 94 seasons of basketball.

HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss was handed the reigns of Baylor basketball on March 23, 1999, and given the task of rebuilding a program that had finished the 1998-99 season without a Big 12 Conference win. Bliss proceeded to guide the Bears to a 14-15 record in 1999-2000, which was an eight game turnaround from the previous season - the 10th-best turnaround in Division I basketball last year.

Bliss, in his second season at Baylor, is a 26-year coaching veteran and ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in victories with 483. The former head coach at New Mexico, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma owns a career record of 481-286 (.627). He has led teams to 15 postseason tournament appearances, including 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Five times Bliss has been honored as his conference's coach of the year, and he is one of only 23 Division I coaches ever to have taken three different schools to the NCAA Tournament (UNM, SMU, OU).

BLISS vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON
Dave Bliss-coached teams have never played against Cal State Fullerton.

THE cal state fullerton SERIES
Baylor and Cal State Fullerton have never met on the hardcourt.

THE CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (1-5) is led by Donny Daniels, an alumnus in his first year at his alma mater and his third season as a head coach. Daniels owns a 1-5 record at Cal State Fullerton, and a career record of 33-32.

CSUF NOTES: The Titans are led by senior forward Ike Harmon, who stands No. 5 on the school's career scoring list with 1,366 points and No. 5 on CSUF's career rebounding chart with 564 boards (54 shy of No. 4 Cedric Ceballos)... Fullerton has lost eight of its last nine games at home in Titan Gym dating back to last season... The Titans have committed 126 turnovers to only 65 assists this season... Saturday marks the first game that junior guard David Castleton (former transfer from Orange Coast Junior College and BYU) will be academically eligible to play.

THE LAST TIME OUT - ST. EDWARD'S
Behind stellar performances by its two seniors, Baylor defeated St. Edward's 84-57 at the Ferrell Center Saturday night. Forward Terry Black scored 22 points and point guard DeMarcus Minor recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bears (4-0) over the Hilltoppers (5-3). "This game was an example of post-exam blahs," Baylor head coach Dave Bliss said. "We didn't play with enough emotion after we got the early lead." In the midst of semester exams, the Bears let the Hilltoppers hang close early on. Baylor jumped out 6-0 to start the game, but St. Edward's came back to tie the game at 14, then take a 22-16 lead at the seven-minute mark in the first half. The Bears scored the next 12 points, holding the Hilltoppers scoreless for nearly four minutes, to go up 28-22. Baylor took the six-point lead into the half, ahead 33-27. The Bears found their shooting touch in the second half. After missing all 14 3-point attempts in the first half, Baylor went 9-for-18 in the second half from beyond the arc. The improved shooting allowed the Bears to steadily increase their lead, with the final 27-point margin being their game high. Minor notched his fourth career double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Black led all scorers with 22 points, while sophomore guard Wendell Greenleaf added 17 points for the Bears in just his second career start.

BAYLOR vs. BIG WEST CONFERENCE
The Bears own an all-time record of 7-6 vs. teams currently in the Big West Conference. Although Baylor won its last game vs. a Big West team (last season's 91-74 victory over North Texas, a current member of the Sun Belt Conference), its last contest against a current member of the Sun Belt was a 76-67 overtime loss to Pacific on Dec. 30, 1997.

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
Including wins in its first four games, Baylor has compiled a 13-2 record vs. non-conference opponents under head coach Dave Bliss. The Bears recorded a 9-2 non-conference record last season.

ROAD OPENERS
The Bears own a 4-6 record in road openers since 1990, including a 1-0 mark under head coach Dave Bliss (beat Jacksonville 82-71 last season in Jacksonville).

FULLERTON GAME MARKS DEBUT OF ELSEY
Saturday's game at Cal State Fullerton will mark the Baylor debut of guard Chad Elsey, a transfer from Southern Methodist who sat out last season and the first semester this year establishing his eligibility. Elsey, a junior this season, played two seasons at SMU. He played 58 career games, averaged 10.9 points and shot 33 percent from the 3-point arc (95-for-292). As a junior in 1998-99, Elsey started all 30 games at SMU, averaged 13.4 points and 30.2 minutes per game.

THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE LAND
Baylor, which has yet to surrender more than 57 points through four games this season, leads the nation in scoring defense (through games of 12/10/00). The Bears' 50.0 points-against average is currently No.1 among all Division I schools.

BEARS DOMINATE BIG 12 DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
Baylor currently leads the Big 12 Conference in four key defensive categories. In addition to their No. 1 ranking in scoring defense (50.0, also first nationally), the Bears top the conference in field goal percentage defense (32.6%), steals (12.0) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (24.2%).

DEADLY FROM THE LINE
Baylor has excelled from the free throw line during this young season, boasting a conference-best 77.5 percentage (69-for-89) from the charity stripe, a number that ranks seventh nationally among Division I schools. The Bears are led by true freshman Matt Sayman (a perfect 7-for-7 on free throws and would lead the Big 12 in that category but lacks one free throw made) and senior DeMarcus Minor (third in Big 12 with 90.5%, 19-for-21).

BEST BACK-TO-BACK STARTS SINCE...
Baylor has opened consecutive seasons at 4-0 for the first time since the 1984-85 and 1985-86 campaigns. Both of those teams won their first four games. Last season, the Bears also opened at 4-0 before dropping its fifth game.

BEARS DOMINANT IN SECOND HALF
Through the season's first four games, the Bears have shown a propensity for improved play in the second half. Baylor is outscoring its opponents by an average of just 34-25 in the first half this season, but is dominating the second half by an average score of 45-25.

BEARS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN SCORING MARGIN
Baylor has accumulated a 29.0 scoring margin in four wins this season, and ranks No. 3 nationally in the category (trailing only Alabama [29.7] and Stanford [29.5]). The Bears have posted three wins of 27-plus points on their way to a perfect 4-0 record.

BLACK IS BACK AND LEADING THE BEARS
Senior forward Terry Black has successfully met Bear fans' high expectations through the season's first two games, by posting two double-doubles and leading the Bears to four straight wins to open the 2000-2001 campaign. Black leads the team with an 18.8 scoring average and boasts a Big 12-leading rebound average of 10.8 (No. 17 nationally). Black, an athletic playmaker, is in just his second season at Baylor, but is a co-captain and one of two seniors on the team. The former junior college all-American and national champion led the Big 12 in steals last season (2.66 per game) and registered the third-most double-doubles (nine) in the league. Black has started every game at Baylor and is a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Black has also been tabbed in preseason publications as the Big 12's "Top Defensive Player" (Preview Sports magazine), "Best Leaper" (The Sporting News), and most "Underrated" (Athlon Sports).

BLACK ATOP THE BIG 12 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Terry Black is the Big 12 Conference leader in both rebounding (10.8) and steals (2.75) in the league's statistical rankings. Black also ranks among the conference's top 15 in five other catagories: scoring (3rd, 18.8), field goal percentage (5th, 65.1%), blocks (12th, 1.0 per game), assists (15th, 3.25) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (15th, 1.44). Nationally, Black's 10.8 rebound average ranks No. 17, and his 2.75 steals-per-game ranks 25th individually.

THE WORKHORSE
Senior DeMarcus Minor is back to quarterback the Bears in 2000-2001 and through four games is averaging 14.5 points and 5.3 assists and only 34.2 minutes. Minor is the only Bear to have scored in double-digits in each of the first four games. Last season Minor, in his first year in Green and Gold, started every game and led Baylor with an amazing 38.4 minutes-per-game average. Minor played all 40 minutes in 12 of 27 regulation games in 1999-2000, en route to being named honorable mention all-Big 12. This season the former transfer, who played at Marquette and Barton County Community College, has been projected a third-team all-Big 12 pick by Athlon's preseason publication.

OTHORO OUT WITH BROKEN TOE
Sophomore Steven Othoro, who played his finest collegiate game in this season's opening-game win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, is out with a broken toe on his right foot. Othoro injured the toe at the end of the victory over UAPB Nov. 22. In just 16 minutes played vs. the Golden Lions, Othoro posted career highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and blocks (2), and hit 6-of-7 field goals. Othoro is expected to be out two to three weeks.

ROOKIES IMPRESS
True freshmen Logan Kosmalski (6-8 forward) and Matt Sayman (6-3 guard) have made an immediate impact this season. Through four games, all wins, Kosmalski has started all four games and is averaging 8.8 points in 28.5 minutes per game. Sayman has three starts, and is averaging 6.5 points in 25.8 minutes. Additionally, Sayman (The Colony [Texas] HS) is second on the team in 3-point percentage (41.7%) and has tallied 13 assists and six steals. Kosmalski (Euless [Texas] HS) is averaging 6.3 rebounds and is shooting 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the free throw line.

GREENLEAF PROVIDING OFFENSE
In three games played, sophomore Wendell Greenleaf ranks second on the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game. He is ranked 12th in the Big 12 in scoring. His 3.33 3-pointers per-game (10-for-34) leads the Big 12. Greenleaf averaged 4.1 points as a true freshman last season.

A GRUELING 18-DAY STRETCH FOR BEARS
Beginning Saturday, Dec. 16, at Cal State Fullerton, the Bears enter an 18-day period in which they will play seven games. The stretch concludes the non-conference portion of the schedule with a Jan. 2 game vs. Texas Southern.

ONLY 4 SCHOOLS BOAST PERFECT HOOP SQUADS
Baylor University is one of only four schools in the nation that has yet to suffer a defeat - by either its men's or women's basketball team. Only four institutions - Alabama, Baylor, Mississippi and Tennessee - boast undefeated squads in both sports (through games of 12/10/00). In addition to the 4-0 record Baylor's men own, the Lady Bears are a perfect 7-0 this season.

LOTS OF NEW BRUINS
The 2000-2001 Baylor roster includes six new players: three true freshman (Michael DeGrate, Logan Kosmalski and Matt Sayman), two Division I transfers (R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry), and one junior college transfer (Shon Robinson). Guinn and Henry will sit out the 2000-2001 season to comply with the NCAA transfer policy. Also seeing their first game action in Green and Gold this season are former transfers Greg Davis, Chad Elsey and Andre White. All three sat out last season at Baylor to gain eligibility.

TRANSFERS
The 2000-2001 Bear squad boasts four players who transferred to Baylor from Division I schools, and a fifth who previously played at a DI institution. A sixth transferred from a DIII school. The players are:

    Player      Prev. School    Status    Greg Davis  New Mexico  Junior forward    Chad Elsey  SMU     Junior guard    R.T. Guinn  New Mexico  redshirt    Kevin Henry    New Mexico  redshirt    DeMarcus Minor  Marquette*  Senior guard    Andre White    Hardin-Simmons  Soph. guard

* Minor played as a freshman (1997-98) at Marquette before transferring to Barton County Community College.

RECRUITING CLASS EARNS NATIONAL PRAISE
Baylor's 2001 recruiting class has garnered some early accolades from various publications. The class is made up of three high school players inked in the early signing period, Dandrick Jones, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor. The Baylor class was rated 25th nationally by Rivals100Hoops.com, and No. 32 in the nation by HoopScoop. Rivals noted, "Roberts, Taylor headline outstanding group for Bliss." The Sporting News, which included transfers R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry (who will be eligible for the 2001-2002 season) when judging the recruits, rated Baylor's class as the third-best in the Big 12. (detailed information on November's early signees included later in notes)

GOBAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.GoBaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the FANSonly Network. FANSonly currently hosts sites for more than 80 schools, including six institutions of the Big 12 Conference.

OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The flagship station is KRZI-AM (1660/1580) in Waco. Selected BU games will be broadcast on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WBAP News/Talk 820, which covers 80 percent of the nation during night games. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris. Morris is a veteran broadcaster in his sixth season behind the mic at Baylor. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 19th season as color analyst for Bear broadcasts.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
The radio broadcast from all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

NATION'S LONGEST-STANDING COACHING DUO
Baylor boasts Division I basketball's longest-tenured current coaching tandem. Bear assistant coach Doug Ash has been Dave Bliss' top aide for all 26 years Bliss has been a collegiate head coach. The Bliss and Ash duo began at Indiana University in the early 1970s when both were assistants under Bobby Knight. When Bliss became head coach at Oklahoma in 1975, he took Ash with him. The pair has been together ever since, at SMU, New Mexico, and Baylor.

PRESEASON HONORS
The Bears have been honored by preseason prognosticators, led by senior forward Terry Black. Black was projected a third-team All-Big 12 selection, and the conference's "Most Versatile" player by Lindy's preseason publication. He was also named the Big 12's "Top Defensive Player" by Preview Sports magazine. The Sporting News tabbed Black the "Best Leaper" in the Big 12, and Athlon Sports selected him the most "Underrated" player in the conference. Senior point guard DeMarcus Minor was selected a preseason third-team All-Big 12 player by Athlon Sports.

BIG-12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2000-2001 edition has been projected in preseason polls to finish anywhere from eighth to 11th in the Big 12 Conference. The league's coaches picked the Bears to finish 11th in preseason balloting, as did the conference media. The highest projected finish for Baylor was eighth, by both Preview Sports magazine, and ESPN.com.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and other regional outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays while Fox shows it at 1 p.m. each Wednesday.

THE LOBO TRANSFERS
As has been well documented, the Baylor roster includes three former players from the University of New Mexico, where Dave Bliss and his staff previously coached. The players, junior Greg Davis, sophomore R.T. Guinn and senior Kevin Henry, were all recruited by Bliss' UNM staff. Davis, the Bears' current starter at center, is the only former Lobo playing this season after sitting out 1999-2000 at Baylor. Guinn (who was recruited by - but never played for - Bliss at UNM) and Henry are sitting out this season to comply with the NCAA transfer policy. All three players were starters at New Mexico.

BEARS ADD 3 EARLY SIGNEES
Baylor has signed three early signees, all from the state of Texas, to national letters of intent during the early signing period: Dandrick Jones, a guard from Kimball High School in Dallas, Lawrence Roberts, a forward from Lamar High School in Houston, and Kenny Taylor, a guard from Willowridge High School in Sugar Land, Texas.

Jones, a 6-3, 185-pound guard, was an All-District 11-5A selection last year as a junior on a 22-12 Kimball squad that reached the playoffs. He averaged 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 2000. Listed as the 12th best prospect in Texas by TexasHoops, Jones also received High Honorable Mention All-America status in Street & Smith's College Basketball magazine. He was listed among the top seniors nationally by Athlon Sports preseason publication.

Roberts, a 6-8, 220-pound forward, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as a junior at Lamar in 2000. One of the most sought-after forwards in the nation, Roberts is rated the No. 5 prospect in the state of Texas by TexasHoops entering his senior season. Athlon Sports included Roberts on its list of the nation's Top 20 Power Forwards in its preseason publication. He was rated the No. 14 power forward nationally by FastBreak Recruiting.com. Roberts was listed No. 86 on Lindy's magazine's Top 100 Seniors nationally.

The 6-3, 175-pound Taylor averaged 14 points and three assists as a junior for state champion Willowridge last season. Taylor led WHS to a 36-1 record and the Class 5A state title in 2000. TexasHoops rated Taylor the No. 13 prospect in Texas entering his senior season. Taylor was also listed among the High Honorable Mention All-America status in Street & Smith's College Basketball preview and among the nation's top seniors by Athlon Sports magazine.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES

Name            Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (High School)Dandrick Jones          G   6-3 185 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Kimball HS)Lawrence Roberts    F   6-8 220 Fr. Houston, Texas (Lamar HS)Kenny Taylor            G   6-3 175 Fr. Sugar Land, Texas (Willowridge HS)

UP NEXT...
Baylor returns home to Waco to host Grambling State in a Tuesday, Dec. 19 game. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

Game Preview: Baylor at Cal State Fullerton, Dec. 16

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