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BAYLOR (14-11, 4-8) vs. No. 5 OKLAHOMA (20-4, 9-3)
Ferrell Center (10,182) - Waco, Texas
Saturday, Feb. 16, 2002 - 3:00 p.m. CST
RADIO: Baylor Radio Network
KRZI 1660/1580 AM (Waco)
on-line @ www.GoBaylorBears.com)
TELEVISION: Sooner Sports Network (not aired in Waco area)
QUICK NOTES
??? Baylor is 12-2 at home this season.
??? BU is 10-1 when outrebounding its opponent.
??? BU is 8th in nation with 9.2 avg. 3-pointers.
??? Baylor ranks 1st in the Big 12 in steals (10.16 spg), 2nd in turnover margin (+3.16) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.24) and 3rd in assists (17.68).
??? Baylor teams have made at least one 3-point basket in 317 straight games.
??? In the past two years Baylor is 28-1 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (10-0 this year).
??? Freshman Lawrence Roberts ranks in the Big 12???sup>TMs Top 10 in four categories: scoring, rebounding, blocks & steals.
??? Wendell Greenleaf leads the Big 12 and is 24th nationally in steals with 2.48 per game. ??? Wendell Greenleaf is third on BU???sup>TMs career steals list with 148.
??? Lawrence Roberts has scored in double-digits in in 21 of 25 games this season with six double-doubles.
??? Lawrence Roberts ranks 5th among the nation???sup>TMs freshmen in rebounding average.
??? Matt Sayman has made 11 straight free throws over the last four games.
THE GAME
Baylor returns home for a game against yet another nationally ranked opponent when it faces No. 5 Oklahoma Tuesday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. Baylor (14-11, 4-8) is coming off back-to-back road losses, most recently an 87-72 defeat at then-No. 2 Kansas Saturday. Oklahoma (20-4, 9-3) beat Kansas State 73-62 at home Saturday. The Sooners won the earlier matchup between the schools, a 70-57 decision in Norman. The Bears are 12-2 record at home this season.
HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss, in his third season at Baylor, is a 27-year coaching veteran and ranks 17th among active Division I coaches in victories with 512. The former head coach at New Mexico, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma owns a career record of 512-309 (.624). 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 took over the reigns of Baylor basketball on March 23, 1999, and was 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 and in his second year led Baylor to a 19-12 mark and into the NIT.
BLISS A MEMBER OF COACHING???sup>TMS 500 CLUB
Baylor???sup>TMs Dave Bliss became the 92nd collegiate head coach to reach 500 career victories Nov. 21 when the Bears defeated Texas-Arlington 88-64. In 27 years as a head coach, Bliss has averaged more than 19 wins per season.
THE OKLAHOMA SERIES
Baylor and Oklahoma will meet for the 25th time Tuesday. The Sooners lead the all-time series 20-5. Oklahoma has won 15 straight dating back to the 1978-79 season. The Sooners defeated the Bears 70-57 Feb. 6 in Norman. Ironically, the last time Baylor defeated Oklahoma (75-67, Dec. 6, 1977 in Waco), current Bears head coach Dave Bliss was the head coach of the Sooners. The Sooners are 8-2 against the Bears in Waco and have won eight straight.
THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Defending Big 12 Tournament champion Oklahoma (20-4, 9-3) is in its eighth season under the direction of Kelvin Sampson, who owns a 352-221 career record with stops at Montana Tech (1981-85) and Washington State (1985-94) prior to his days in Norman. Sampson has amassed a 176-73 ledger in his eight seasons at Oklahoma, including six 20-win campaigns. The Sooners have won 70 games since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season.
OU NOTES: The Sooners are led by junior guard Hollis Price, who averages 16.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game... Senior forward Aaron McGhee (15.0) and junior guard Ebi Ere (14.6) are the only other Sooners averaging at least 10 points per game... Oklahoma is 5-4 on the road this season, including a 3-3 mark in Big 12 play.
BLISS vs. OKLAHOMA
Dave Bliss is 1-7 against the school he coached from 1975 to 1980, including an 0-5 mark while at Baylor. His lone victory over the Sooners came Dec. 22, 1984, an 85-76 triumph in Honolulu, Hawai???sup>TMi, while with SMU. While head coach in Norman, Bliss amassed a 77-62 record in four seasons. His best season came in 1978-79 when the Sooners went 21-10, finished first in the Big Eight Conference, won the Big Eight Tournament and reached the Sweet 16. Bliss was named Big Eight Coach of the Year that season and during his first season at OU, 1975-76.
ROBERTS TABBED NABC ALL-DISTRICT 9
Freshman Lawrence Roberts, who leads the Bears in scoring, rebounding and blocks, was named second-team all-District 9 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches last week. The Houston, Texas, native was one of 10 athletes selected from District 9, joining 140 other athletes nation wide on all-district teams. Those players are now eligible for the NABC/Pontiac Division I all-America team. Roberts was one of four Big 12 players selected from the Texas-Arkansas district, joining Texas guard T.J. Ford as the only freshmen honored.
BEARS CONTINUE ROUGH STRETCH
The Bears are in the middle of perhaps the toughest portion of their schedule, as Tuesday???sup>TMs game against No. 5 Oklahoma is one of five against nationally ranked opponents in a six-game stretch. Baylor is 1-2 vs. ranked teams in that stretch, having beaten 22nd-ranked Missouri and losing to then-No. 4 OU and to No. 2 Kansas. Following Oklahoma on Baylor???sup>TMs schedule is No. 13 Oklahoma State.
BEARS???sup>TM WINNING WAYS AT HOME
The Bears are 12-2 at home in the Ferrell Center this season. Baylor recorded a 14-3 record at home in 2000-2001, giving the Bears a school-record 26 wins at home over a two-year span. Since Dave Bliss took over the reigns of Baylor???sup>TMs basketball program, the Bears have compiled a 37-12 record (.755) at home, that is the best three-year record at home in the program???sup>TMs history.
BEAR FANS SHATTER ATTENDANCE MARKS
With two home games remaining, Baylor has already established a new Ferrell Center record for attendance in a single-season of 92,973. The previous record of 91,421 was set last season in 17 home games. Baylor is averaging 6,641 fans per game this season (14 games), which is on pace to set a new average attendance record as well (previous high is 5,856 in 1992-93). Additionally, Baylor fans broke the single-game attendance mark in January, when 10,496 were on hand against Texas.
GOLD DOME BRINGS OUT BEST IN BEARS
The Bears once again hit the road, where they have struggled to match the success they???sup>TMve enjoyed at home in the Ferrell Center. The following chart illustrates the difference between Baylor???sup>TMs play at home vs. other venues in key stat categories:
HOME-AWAY COMPARISON Ferrell Center Road Record 12-2 2-9 Points per game 83.7 71.7 Scoring Margin +18.1 -6.9 Rebounding Margin -0.9 -7.1 Opp. 3-Pt FG Pct. 33.3% 42.2% Blocks per game 4.9 2.6 Lucas 3-Pt FG Pct. 44.9% 28.6% Roberts FG Pct. 48.5% 41.8%
3-POINT BARRAGE
Baylor is averaging 9.20 3-point shots made per game (230) this season, a figure that ranks second in the Big 12 Conference and eighth nationally. The Bears are on pace to break the school???sup>TMs single-season record of 265 3-pointers in 1994-1995. Projected over a 30-game season, the Bears are on track to make 276 3s this year. Baylor has made 10 or more 3s in in 13 of 25 games this season.
THE LAST MEETING, No. 4 OKLAHOMA 70-BAYLOR 57
Fourth-ranked Oklahoma defeated Baylor 70-57 at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Bears were led by sophomore Matt Sayman's 15 points, which matched his career best. Sayman was 9-for-10 from the free throw lines, both career highs. The Sooners built a 15-point lead 12 minutes into the game before a 13-2 Baylor run, sparked by two 3-pointers by R.T. Guinn, cut the lead to 30-26 a minute before halftime. Oklahoma scored the half's final three points to make it 33-26 at the break. Oklahoma shot just 36 percent in the first half, but got 14 points off the bench from Jason Detrick. Aaron McGhee, who led the Sooners with 23 points, took over in the early moments of the second half, scoring 10 points in a 16-8 run that helped OU re-establish a double-digit lead. The Bears cut the lead to eight points on several occasions in the second half, but got no closer the rest of the way. Lawrence Roberts added 13 points for Baylor. Baylor has not beaten the Sooners since 1977-78, when current Bears coach Dave Bliss was head coach at Oklahoma.
THE LAST TIME OUT, KANSAS 87 - BAYLOR 72
Baylor gave second-ranked Kansas a run, but eventually fell to the Jayhawks 87-72 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Bears came in as 22-point underdogs but led by as many as 3 points during the first half and trailed by only two about six minutes into the second half. Lawrence Roberts had 21 for Baylor while John Lucas had 16, mostly on off-balance jumpers and runners. Wendell Greenleaf, who'd been averaging 14 points, was just 1-of-10 for 2 points. Nick Collison had 22 points as Kansas overcame early lethargy and sloppy ball-handling for their 10th win in a row. The Jayhawks' offense, which had scored over 100 points four of the previous five games, was never able to get in high gear against the stiff defense and deliberate offense of the Bears. Collison hit the last two buckets in a 10-2 run that put the Jayhawks on top 83-68 with 2:32 left. Outshot and outrebounded, the Jayhawks trailed much of the first half while Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich struggled. Jeff Boschee's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Kansas a 4-point halftime lead they never relinquished. Kansas led 53-51 when Keith Langford hit a 12-foot jumper and triggered a 9-2 run that finally gave Kansas a semi-comfortable lead.
MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
??? Baylor is 20 steals shy of setting a new team steals record (274 - 2000-01).
??? Baylor is 35 made 3-pointers shy of setting a new team 3-point record (265 - 1994-95).
??? Wendell Greenleaf is 25 points shy of 800 career points.
??? Lawrence Roberts is 62 points shy of breaking the Big 12 freshman scoring record (474 - Bernard King, A&M, 1999-00).
??? Lawrence Roberts is 54 rebounds shy of breaking the Big 12 freshman rebounding record (257 - Arthur Johnson, MU, 2000-01).
??? Wendell Greenleaf is 7 rebounds shy of 200 career rebounds.
??? Greg Davis is 7 assists shy of 100 career assists.
??? Wendell Greenleaf is 2 steals shy of 150 career steals.
??? Wendell Greenleaf is 9 3-pointers shy of moving into 3rd in career 3-pointers made.
??? Greg Davis is 7 blocks shy of moving into 4th in career blocked shots.
??? Wendell Greenleaf is 5 steals shy of moving into 2nd in career steals.
??? Wendell Greenleaf is 18 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 12th in career 3-pointers made in the Big 12.
3-POINT MISCELLANY
Leading the Bears???sup>TM charge in 3-pointers made is junior Wendell Greenleaf with 57, freshman John Lucas has hit 49. In all, nine Bears have made at least 10 shots from 3-point range this season. Prior to this season, no Baylor team has ever had more than seven players make at least 10 3-pointers in a season... With seven 3-pointers Saturday at Kansas, the Bears have made at least one 3-pointer in 317 consecutive games. That streak dates back to Feb. 21, 1990, when Baylor was 0-for-8 from long range at home against Texas Tech.
BEARS TAKE CARE OF THE BALL
Baylor has shown a strong sense of court awareness this season, evidenced by the fact that the Bears rank first in the Big 12 Conference in steals (10.16 per game), second in turnover margin (+3.16) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.24), and third in assists (17.68). However, BU is just as solid in conference contests. According to the Feb. 17 conference rankings, the Bears lead the league in steals (9.25), rank second turnover margin (+2.67), and rank third assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27) and assists (15.92) in Big 12 games.
BAYLOR LED BY ITS CUBS
Baylor???sup>TMs three true freshmen (John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts, and Kenny Taylor) have made an immediate impact on this year???sup>TMs team. Through 25 games, the three freshmen have combined for 41 percent of the team???sup>TMs points, 30 percent of the rebounds, 33 percent of the steals and 32 percent of the assists.
ROBERTS AMONG FRESHMAN BOARD LEADERS
Freshman Lawrence Roberts has made his presence felt in virtually every aspect of the game this season, however, perhaps nowhere moreso than in the rebounding department. He leads the Bears and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 8.1 rebounds per game. Through games of Feb. 12, Roberts is tied for fifth nationally in rebounding average among freshmen.
COOL HAND LUCAS
In the waning minutes with the game on the line, who better to have on the line than freshman John Lucas? Through 25 games, Lucas is 17-of-18 (94.4 percent) from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of games. Overall, Lucas is shooting 81.5 percent (44-of-54) from the free throw line, second on the team.
ROBERTS ENJOYING STELLAR FROSH SEASON
Lawrence Roberts has hit the ground running in his first season of college basketball. In 25 games, the true freshman has compiled six double-doubles, been honored a second-team NABC All-District 9 selection, been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week and to the San Juan Shootout all-tournament team, and leads the team in several categories, including: scoring (16.5 ppg), rebounds (8.1 rpg), blocks (31), field goals (140), free throws made (109) and free throws attempted (158). The Houston, Texas, native is also second on the team in steals (44). According to the Feb. 17 Big 12 rankings, Roberts ranks seventh in scoring, sixth in rebounding, fourth in steals and eighth in blocks.
YOUNG LUCAS LEADING THE BEARS
Freshman point guard John Lucas III (son of Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas Jr.) has adequately assumed the Bears???sup>TM point guard position. Lucas is shooting 38.6 percent on 3-point shots (49-of-127). The Houston, Texas, native has scored 20-plus points three times and his assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.04 (102-to-50), 12th in the conference. According to the Feb. 17 rankings, Lucas is 24th in the Big 12 in scoring, ninth in assists and 11th in 3-pointers. He has twice been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 10, Jan. 7).
GREENLEAF CLIMBS TO THIRD ON STEALS LIST
Junior Wendell Greenleaf recently moved into third place all-time at Baylor in career steals. Greenleaf passed David Wesley, who tallied 145 swipes from 1990 to 1992, and his total of 148 trails former teammate Terry Black (153) by just seven thefts. Greenleaf leads the Big 12 and ranks 24th nationally with 2.48 steals per game.
FERRELL CENTER???sup>TMS 14th YEAR
The Bears are in their 14th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Including this season???sup>TMs 12-2 mark, the Bears own a 128-81 all-time record in the arena, which opened in November 1988. The Ferrell Center is a golden-domed structure that seats 10,284 for basketball games.
BIG 12 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Three of 10 Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors this season have gone to Baylor true freshmen. Forward Lawrence Roberts was selected Nov. 27, and guard John Lucas was honored Dec. 10 and Jan. 7. Roberts received the award following his performance in season-opening wins over Hardin-Simmons, UT-Arlington and Sacred Heart. He averaged a double-double and led Baylor in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounds (12.0 rpg), steals (12), blocks (7), free throws made (13) and free throws attempted (20). Lucas was initially honored after the Bears???sup>TM 95-81 victory over North Texas, in which he had career highs with 27 points and 11 field goals. Lucas earned his second selection after averaging 17.5 points in wins over Colorado State and Iowa State.
BEAR FAMILY LOSES ECHOLS
The Baylor basketball program lost one of its own in January, when letterman Ben Echols died following surgery. Echols, who transferred to Baylor from Centenary, played for the Bears from 1997 to 2000. Echols started every game at center in 1999-2000, Dave Bliss???sup>TM first season, and led the team in blocks and averaged 6.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. Following graduation from Baylor in May 2000, Echols had played overseas in Lebanon and Russia.
PLENTY OF NEW BRUINS
The 2001-2002 Baylor roster includes four new players: three true freshmen (John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor) and one junior college transfer (Rod Nealy). Also seeing their first game action in the Green and Gold this season are former transfers R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry. The pair, both former New Mexico players, sat out last season at Baylor to gain eligibility.
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, senior Greg Davis, sophomore R.T. Guinn and senior Kevin Henry, were all recruited by Bliss???sup>TM UNM staff. Guinn (who was recruited by???QUOTE]but never played for???QUOTE]Bliss at UNM) and Henry sat out last year due to NCAA transfer policy. All three players were starters at New Mexico.
TRANSFERS FIND HOME AT BAYLOR
The 2001-2002 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.
NATION???sup>TMS LONGEST-STANDING COACHING DUO
Baylor boasts Division I basketball???sup>TMs longest-tenured current coaching tandem. Bear assistant coach Doug Ash has been Dave Bliss???sup>TM top aide for all 27 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.
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: Ellis Kidd Jr., a guard from Seminole (Okla.) State College, Tommy Swanson, a forward from North Crowley (Texas) High School, and Terrance Thomas, a forward from Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas.
Kidd, a 6-4, 185-pound guard, is in his first season at Seminole State after transferring from Oklahoma State. He redshirted the 2000-2001 season at OSU after playing only 10 minutes in two early games and will have three seasons of eligibility at Baylor. A former Dallas Morning News all-area selection at James Madison High School in Dallas, Kidd was named a USA Today honorable mention all-American as a senior in 2000.
Swanson, a 6-9, 215-pound forward, played only seven games as a junior last season at North Crowley following a head injury. He averaged 14 points and nine rebounds before a hairline fracture to his skull sidelined him for the season. Texas Hoops rated Swanson the state's No. 24 player prior to his senior season. He is listed among the nation's top 300 prep seniors by Athon Sports and was named an honorable mention all-American by Street & Smith's College Basketball.
Thomas, a 6-7, 220-pound forward, was highly recruited after being named to the All-Region XIV team as a freshman last season at Lon Morris. Thomas averaged 19.3 points and 12 rebounds last season, and is rated No. 4 among junior college small forwards by The Sporting News in its preseason preview. He is also listed as the 22nd-best junior college recruit by Mike Mitchell's Midwest Report and is rated the No. 27 juco player nationally by Greg Swaim's scouting service. A native of Waco, Thomas attended Maceo Smith High School in Dallas. He averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds as a senior in 2000 and was named a USA Today honorable mention all-American.
BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEESName Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (High School)Ellis Kidd Jr. G 6-4 185 So. Dallas, Texas (Madison HS/OSU/Seminole St.)Tommy Swanson F 6-9 215 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS)Terrance Thomas F 6-7 220 Jr. Dallas, Texas (Maceo Smith HS/Lon Morris)
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 Baylor 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 ???eVoice of the Bears??? John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his seventh season. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 20th 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???sup>TMs official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.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 the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.
BIG-12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor???sup>TMs 2001-2002 edition has been projected in preseason polls to finish anywhere from seventh to 10th in the Big 12 Conference. The league???sup>TMs coaches picked the Bears to finish ninth in preseason balloting, and the conference media projected Baylor eighth. The highest projected finish for Baylor was seventh, by Lindys magazine.
UP NEXT...
Baylor begins a two-game road swing with a game at No. 13 Oklahoma State Saturday, Feb. 23. The Bears and Cowboys tip off at 3 p.m. CST at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Baylor will attempt to break a 15-game road losing streak. OSU defeated Baylor 68-57 earlier this season in Waco.
