Men's Hoops Preview: March 2 vs. Texas Tech
3/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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BAYLOR (14-14, 4-11) vs. TEXAS TECH (20-7, 9-6)
Ferrell Center (10,284) - Waco, Texas
Saturday, March 2, 2002 - 12:45 p.m. CST
RADIO: Baylor Radio Network
KRZI 1660/1580 AM (Waco)
on-line @ www.GoBaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN Regional (KWBU-TV Ch. 34 / 4)
THE GAME
Baylor concludes its 2001-2002 regular-season schedule Saturday, March 2, hosting Texas Tech. Tipoff is set for 12:45 p.m. at the Ferrell Center. The Bears (14-14, 4-11) have lost five straight and are coming off a 75-55 setback Wednesday night at Nebraska. Texas Tech (20-7, 9-6) dropped a 96-71 decision Tuesday night at Texas. The Red Raiders won the first meeting this season, a 90-65 decision in Lubbock. Saturday???sup>TMs game will be televised live as part of the Big 12???sup>TMs ESPN-Regional package and will be aired in the Waco-Temple-Bryan area on KWBU-TV, channel 34 over the air and channel 4 on Time-Warner Cable. Fred White will handle play-by-play duties, and Paul Splittorff will provide color analysis.
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 512-312 (.621). 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 TEXAS TECH SERIES
Baylor trails in its long-standing series with Texas Tech by a 64-38 mark. Baylor owns a 24-22 edge in games played in Waco. The Red Raiders have won six of the last eight meetings. Tech won the first meeting this season 90-65 Feb. 12 at Lubbock. The teams split their season series last year with the home team winning both times. The two schools have met as conference foes since 1957, when Texas Tech joined Baylor in the Southwest Conference, Tech holds a 7-4 advantage since the inception of the Big 12 Conference.
THE TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Texas Tech (20-7, 9-6) is led by the legendary Bobby Knight, in his first season with the Raiders and his 35th as a collegiate head coach. Knight, who owns a career record of 784-296, ranks second nationally in career wins among active Division I coaches.
TTU NOTES: The Red Raiders are led by sophomore guard Andre Emmett, who is third in the Big 12 Conference with 19.3 points per game and 15th in the league with 6.5 rebounds per contest... Emmett, senior center Andy Ellis (16.4 ppg) and junior forward Kasib Powell (14.7) provide 63 percent of Tech???sup>TMs offense (80.4 ppg)... Ellis 11th in the conference in rebounding with 7.0 per game.
BLISS vs. TEXAS TECH
Dave Bliss is 15-15 all-time as a head coach vs. Texas Tech, including a 2-3 mark against Tech since taking over at Baylor. Bliss compiled a 4-2 record vs. the Raiders while at New Mexico, and was 9-10 against Tech while coaching SMU.
LONGTIME FRIENDS BLISS, KNIGHT MEET AGAIN
Baylor???sup>TMs Dave Bliss will face his former employer Bobby Knight for just the second time in his head coaching career Saturday (the first a 90-65 loss in Lubbock last month). Bliss began his coaching career under Knight???sup>TMs tutelage in 1967 at Army, he spent two seasons on Knight???sup>TMs USMA staff. In 1971, Bliss rejoined Knight at Indiana in the fall of 1971. Bliss spent four seasons on Knight???sup>TMs staff at IU, during which time the Hoosiers were 93-20.
SENIOR TRIBUTE
Saturday marks the final regular-season home contest for Baylor???sup>TMs three seniors, Greg Davis, Chad Elsey and Kevin Henry. The three will be honored prior to the Texas Tech game in a pre-game ceremony.
4 BEARS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12
Four Baylor men's basketball student-athletes were named to the 2002 Academic All-Big 12 Team, the conference office announced Thursday. Sophomore Logan Kosmalski was honored to the league's first team. Three Bear student-athletes were on the second team, junior Andre White and seniors Chad Elsey and Kevin Henry. Baylor had the second most representatives on the 26-player teams, trailing only Texas A&M's five selections. The four student-athletes represented the most Baylor all-academic honorees since the conference's inception in 1996-97.
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 second in the Big 12 Conference in steals (9.61 spg), fourth in turnover margin (+2.66) and in assists (17.11). BU is just as solid in conference contests. According to the Feb. 28 rankings, the Bears are second in the league in steals (8.40).
THE LAST MEETING, TEXAS TECH 90-BAYLOR 65, FEBRUARY 2002
Andre Emmett scored 30 points and Kasib Powell had a double-double as Texas Tech defeated Baylor 90-65 Tuesday night at the United Spirit Arena. Tech took control of the game in the first half and passed the ball deftly throughout. The Red Raiders spotted open teammates and zipped and lofted the ball through Baylor's zone defense. On 36 shots from the field, Tech had 30 assists, many that led to easy baskets inside. Lawrence Roberts scored 26 points and R.T. Guinn added 12 to lead the Bears. The Bears turned the ball over 20 times and Tech had 12 steals. The coaching matchup was the first between Bob Knight and Baylor coach Dave Bliss, who are longtime friends. Bliss worked with Knight at West Point in 1967 and when Knight became Indiana's coach in 1971, he hired Bliss as his assistant coach. It was Knight who helped Bliss land his first head coaching post at Oklahoma in 1975. Tech led 49-26 at halftime and held the Bears scoreless for five minutes. Tech, meanwhile, was hot offensively and defensively. The Red Raiders had nine steals, 18 assists and carved out a 19-2 run to take a 22-7 lead. They had another run of 9-0 a few minutes later and shot just better than 63 percent on 21-of-33.
THE LAST TIME OUT, NEBRASKA 75-BAYLOR 55
Baylor fell victim to a torrid shooting night by Nebraska's Cary Cochran, who hit a school-record eight 3-point field goals as the Cornhuskers defeated the Bears 75-55 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Cochran hit six first-half 3-pointers en route to a career-high 27 points. Nebraska trailed Baylor 19-12 after Wendell Greenleaf hit a 3-pointer with 12:22 left in the first half. But the cold-shooting Bears got just one more field goal in the rest of the period. The Cornhuskers closed the half with a 23-4 run, powered by four 3-pointers by Cochran. Nebraska made eight 3-point shots in the first half, hitting 47 percent of its long-range shots to take a 35-23 halftime lead. Baylor made only 26 percent of its first half shots. The Bears cut the Nebraska lead to eight early in the first half, but Nebraska quickly pushed the margin back to 18. Baylor again rallied and came within 10 on Greenleaf's 3-pointer with 6:36 left. The Huskers then put together a 12-2 run to open up a 20 point gap, their largest lead of the game. Led by Cochran, Nebraska hit 13 3-pointers in the game out of 27 total field goals.
GUINN BLOSSOMING IN THE POST
Sophomore center R.T. Guinn has been making his presence felt in the post recently. Guinn entered the starting lineup following an injury to Greg Davis in mid-January, and in the last 13 games he has made 12 starts and has gradually put up impressive numbers. His 8.5 scoring average in Big 12 games is nearly double that of his non-conference average (4.3) and he leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage (45.5%). Guinn posted a career-high 18 points in Baylor???sup>TMs last outing at Oklahoma State, and over the last six games is averaging 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds.
BEARS ON TV
Saturday???sup>TMs contest against Texas Tech is Baylor???sup>TMs 15th game this season in front of a television audience. The Bears are 4-10 this season in TV games. Baylor is 13-28 in televised games under Dave Bliss.
3-POINT MISCELLANY
Baylor is averaging 8.93 3-point shots made per game (250) this season, a figure that ranks third in the Big 12 Conference and 12th nationally... The Bears are on pace to break the school???sup>TMs single-season record of 265 3-pointers in 1994-1995... Baylor has made 10 or more 3s in in 13 of 28 games this season... Leading the Bears???sup>TM charge in 3-pointers made is junior Wendell Greenleaf with 63, freshman John Lucas has hit 52... In all, nine Bears have made at least 10 shots from 3-point range this season... With nine 3-pointers Wednesday at Nebraska, the Bears have made at least one 3-pointer in 320 consecutive games (dating back to Feb. 21, 1990, 0-for-8 vs.Texas Tech).
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 28 games, the three freshmen have combined for 42 percent of the team???sup>TMs points, 31 percent of the rebounds, 33 percent of the steals and 32 percent of the assists.
ROBERTS ENJOYING STELLAR FROSH SEASON
Lawrence Roberts has hit the ground running in his first season of college basketball. In 28 games, the true freshman has compiled seven 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 (16.2 ppg), rebounds (8.3 rpg), blocks (37), field goals (157), free throws made (116) and free throws attempted (173). The Houston, Texas, native is also second on the team in steals (48). According to the Feb. 28 Big 12 rankings, Roberts is tied for 10th in scoring, fifth in rebounding, sixth in steals and eighth in blocks.
ROBERTS TABBED NABC ALL-DISTRICT 9
Freshman Lawrence Roberts was named second-team all-District 9 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in February. Roberts was one of 10 athletes selected from District 9, joining 140 other athletes nationwide who are now eligible for the NABC/Pontiac Division I all-America team.
ROBERTS AMONG FRESHMAN BOARD LEADERS
Freshman Lawrence Roberts leads the Bears and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 8.4 rebounds per game. Through games of Feb. 24, Roberts is tied for fifth nationally in rebounding average among freshmen.
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 36.9 percent on 3-point shots (52-of-141). The Houston, Texas, native has scored 20-plus points three times and his assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.93 (112-to-58). According to the Feb. 28 rankings, Lucas is tied with teammate Wendell Greenleaf for 24th in the Big 12 in scoring, 10th in assists, tied for 15th in steals and 12th in 3-pointers. He has twice been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 10, Jan. 7).
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 27 games, Lucas is 17-of-18 (94.4 percent) from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of games. Overall, Lucas is shooting 80.7 percent (46-of-57) from the free throw line, second on the team.
GREENLEAF NEARING SECOND ON STEALS LIST
Wendell Greenleaf enters Saturday???sup>TMs game just two steals shy of second place at Baylor in career steals. Greenleaf, who has 151 career steals, recently passed David Wesley, who tallied 145 swipes from 1990 to 1992, next on the list is former teammate Terry Black (153). Greenleaf leads the Big 12 with 2.32 steals per game.
BEARS???sup>TM WINNING WAYS AT HOME
The Bears are 12-3 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 37-13 record (.740) at home, that is the best three-year record at home in the program???sup>TMs history.
BEAR FANS SHATTER ATTENDANCE MARKS
This season Baylor has established records for total attendance, average attendance and single-game attendance at the 14-year-old Ferrell Center. With one home game remaining, a total of 99,616 Bear fans have attended games, shattering the previous mark of 91,421 set last season in 17 games. Baylor is averaging 6,641 fans per game through 15 games and even if no fans were to show for the Bears final home game, the average would still eclipse the previous high of 5,856 set in 1992-93. Additionally, Baylor fans broke the single-game attendance mark in January, when 10,496 were on hand against Texas.
BIG 12 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Three 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.
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.
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.
FERRELL CENTER???sup>TMS 14th YEAR
The Bears are in their 14th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Including this season???sup>TMs 12-3 mark, the Bears own a 128-82 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.
UP NEXT...
Baylor travels to Kansas City, Kan., for the 2002 Big 12 Conference Tournament, to be held March 7-10 at Kemper Arena. The Bears are 3-2 in the tournament under head coach Dave Bliss, advancing to the semifinals last season.
