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BAYLOR (7-2) vs. UT-PAN AMERICAN (4-11)
Jan. 4, 2003 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 3:00 p.m. CST

RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (KRZI 1660/1580 AM Waco)
TELEVISION: None

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor has won 26 of its last 27 home games vs. non-conference opponents.
- Under Dave Bliss, Baylor is 14-4 vs. non-conference schools from Texas.
- Freshmen and sophomores account for 62% of Baylor's scoring (415-of-665).
- Baylor is 25-3 under Dave Bliss when recording 40 or more rebounds (3-0 this year).
- Baylor is forcing an average of 18.6 turnovers a game.
- The Bears are averaging 10.3 3-pointers and attempting 28.7 per game, both figures lead the Big 12 and are on pace to shatter Baylor's single-season school records.
- Baylor is 11-7 vs. current Division I independent schools.
- Baylor teams have made at least one 3-point basket in 331 straight games.
- Baylor's 73.8% team free throw shooting ranks 2nd in the Big 12.
- Over the past three seasons Baylor is 33-1 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (5-0 in 2002-2003).
- Dave Bliss is 3rd winningest active coach in the Big 12 - 519 wins (13th nationally).
- In the last 2 games, Kenny Taylor has scored 44 points and hit 12 3-pointers.
- John Lucas is shooting 91.7% from FT line, 2nd in Big 12 and 10th nationally.
- Dave Bliss has coached 99 games in four years at Baylor and owns a 54-45 record.
- Lawrence Roberts leads the Big 12 in off. rebounds, averaging 4.71 per game.
- Lawrence Roberts has compiled 3 double-doubles this season, and 11 in 37 career games played.
- Kenny Taylor leads the Big 12 in made 3-pointers, averaging 3.4 per game.
- Baylor is 10-3 in games that John Lucas records 5 or more assists (5-1 this year).
- Sophomores John Lucas & Lawrence Roberts have most career starts -36- on the team.

THE GAME
Baylor faces UT-Pan American Saturday, Jan. 4, in its first game of 2003. The contest is scheduled to tipoff at 3 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. The Bears will attempt to avenge a 72-66 loss to the Broncs in the championship game of last year's 2001 San Juan Shootout in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Baylor is 7-2 after downing North Texas 82-56 at the Ferrell Center on Monday. UTPA enters the contest with a record of 4-11 following a 74-56 loss at the hands of Alcorn State on Monday. The Bears have won 26 of their last 27 non-conference games at home.

BLISS' 100th GAME
Saturday marks Dave Bliss' 100th game courtside at Baylor. He has accumulated a 54-45 record in three-plus seasons in Waco.

HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss, in his fourth season at Baylor, is a 27-year coaching veteran and ranks 13th among active Division I coaches in victories with 519. The former head coach at New Mexico, SMU and Oklahoma owns a career record of 519-316 (.622). 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 two dozen 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, a 19-12 mark and into the NIT in 2000-2001 and in his third year led Baylor to a 14-16 record.

BLISS CLIMBING BAYLOR'S COACHING LISTS
In four seasons at the helm of the Bear basketball program, Dave Bliss has compiled a 54-45 won-loss record. His 54 victories are the seventh-most victories all-time at Baylor.

THE UT-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS
Texas-Pan American (4-11) is led by Bob Hoffman, in his fourth year at UTPA and his 15th year as a head coach. Hoffman is 48-54 at the helm of the Broncs and owns a career record of 379-148.

UTPA NOTES: The Broncs are led by Kevin Mitchell, who is averaging 14.7 points per game... Allen Holcomb adds an average of 11.1 points per contest while grabbing a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game... UTPA and Baylor have shared one common opponent, the Bears defeated Alcorn State in the season opener, while the Broncs fell to the Braves 74-56 on Monday... UTPA has played one other Big 12 team, dropping an 102-68 decision at Kansas State on Dec. 11.

THE UT-PAN AMERICAN SERIES
This is the sixth meeting on the hardcourt between Baylor and UT-Pan American. Baylor leads the all-time series by a 3-2 margin, though the Broncs won the last meeting-a 72-66 decision in the championship game of the 2001 San Juan Shootout. The Bears own a 3-1 record in games played in Waco.

BLISS vs. UT-PAN AMERICAN
Baylor's Dave Bliss is 3-1 all-time as a head coach against UT-Pan American. Bliss' only meeting with the Broncs while at the helm of the Bears was a 72-66 loss last season at the San Juan Shootout. All three of Bliss' wins over UTPA came while he was in charge of the New Mexico program.

BAYLOR vs. DIVISION I INDEPENDENTS
The Bears own an all-time record of 11-7 against teams that are currently independant NCAA Division I members. That record includes a 3-2 mark against UT-Pan American as well as an 8-3 record against Centenary and an 0-2 mark against South Florida.

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears are 7-2 this season against non-conference opponents and 37-7 in regular-season non-league play in Dave Bliss' four seasons. Baylor has won 26 of its last 27 games vs. non-conference opponents in the Ferrell Center.

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 82 - NORTH TEXAS 56
Kenny Taylor and Lawrence Roberts each scored 23 points to lead Baylor to an 82-56 victory over North Texas at the Ferrell Center. Taylor notched his career-high 23 points behind a career-best 7-of-10 3-point shooting, including three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach. Roberts added seven rebounds and two steals for the Bears. Former Baylor player Michael DeGrate led North Texas in scoring with 13 points. Baylor shot a season-high 49 percent from the field, and held North Texas to 36 percent. The Mean Green took two early first-half leads at 7-2 and 9-8. But Taylor's first 3-pointer of the game put Baylor in front 11-9. The shot triggered a 24-2 Bear run and gave Baylor a 32-11 lead with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Taylor and Roberts combined for 27 first-half points to give Baylor a 46-21 halftime lead.

HOT HANDS
Baylor hit 49.1 percent (28-of-57) of its shots from the floor on Monday night against North Texas. That was the Bears' highest shooting percentage since hitting 31-of-58 (.534) attempts in a 97-45 victory over Texas A&M last season. The stellar shooting began with a 17-of-29 (.586) performance in the first half.

THE LAST MEETING: UTPA 72 - BAYLOR 66 [Dec. 22, 2001]
Mire Chatman hit two long 3-pointers to seal Texas-Pan American's 72-66 victory over Baylor in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The Broncs (10-3) overcame a 17-point deficit in the final 17 minutes. Texas-Pan American had a 67-62 lead after Chatman hit his first 3-pointer with 1:44 left. After a turnover by Baylor (9-2), and with the shot clock running out, Chatman launched a 25-foot shot that went in with a minute to play. Chatman scored 20 points for the Broncs, who have won five straight games. Chatman scored 76 points in the three games and was the tournament MVP. John Lucas had 16 points to lead Baylor, which hasn't won an in-season tournament since 1993. Lawrence Roberts had 15 points and Wendell Greenleaf had 14.

3-POINT PROPENSITY
The Bears are averaging 10.3 made 3-pointers and 28.7 attempts per game this season. Both of those figures top the Big 12 conference and on are pace to shatter Baylor's single-season school records (273 made, 783 att.). In three previous seasons under Dave Bliss, Baylor has finished no lower than fourth in 3-point field goals or attempts in the conference rankings. Last season's squad established a new school record with 273 made 3-pointers (9.1 per game). Kenny Taylor leads the Big 12 with 31 made 3-pointers (3.4 per game). Baylor has made at least one 3-pointer in 331 consecutive games (dating back to Feb. 21, 1990).

ROBERTS RECOVERING NICELY
After sitting out two of the season's first three games with a stress fracture in his left leg (fibula), All-Big 12 forward Lawrence Roberts has returned to the starting lineup and is leading the Bears with a 15.6 scoring average, 9.0 rebounding average and 11 blocks. He has also tallied three double-doubles. The sophomore, who last season set a Big 12 freshman scoring record with 498 points, injured the leg in workouts in October.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Baylor's prized freshman class of 2001, John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor, has improved in 2002-2003 on its impressive performance last season. Through nine games this season the sophomore trio from Houston has accounted for 53 percent of the team's points, 30 percent of rebounds, 46 percent of steals and 51 percent of Baylor's assists. Production in three of the four categories is up from the trio's fabulous freshman season.

BEARS' WINNING WAYS AT HOME
The Bears are 5-1 at home this season. In four years under Dave Bliss, the Bears have compiled a 42-15 record (.737) at home in the Ferrell Center. Baylor has been victorious in 26 of its last 27 non-conference home contests.

LUCAS LEADS BEARS' STELLAR SHOOTING FROM LINE
Sophomore John Lucas has shot a stellar 91.7 percent (22-of-24) from the free throw line, and ranks second in the Big 12. Baylor as a team is shooting 73.8 percent, also the second-best mark in the conferenc.e.

3 FROM KT
Sophomore Kenny Taylor had a career-night last time out against North Texas. He made seven of his 10 shot attempts, all from 3-point range, en route to scoring a career-high 23 points.

FERRELL CENTER'S 15th YEAR
The Bears are enjoying their 15th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Baylor is 5-1 at home in 2002-2003 and owns a 132-85 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.

LOTS OF NEW BRUINS
The 2002-2003 Baylor roster includes nine new players: four high school players (Will Allen, Corey Herring, Steve Raquet and Tommy Swanson), four junior college transfers (Carlton Dotson, Robert Hart, Ellis Kidd and Terrance Thomas) and a four-year transfer (Patrick Dennehy). Dennehy, a transfer from New Mexico, will redshirt this season.

MONUMENTAL COACHING MATCHUPS
Baylor's 2002-2003 schedule presents six games featuring matchups of current college coaching legends. This season Baylor's Dave Bliss, who ranks 13th among the nation's winningest active coaches with 519 career wins, faces four other coaches who rank among the list's top 12. Baylor will play the active leader in coaching victories, Mount St. Mary's Jim Phelan (No. 1 - 824), and two games against the second winningest coach, Texas Tech's Bob Knight (No. 2 - 796). Also on the Bears' schedule is Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State (No. 5 - 711). Bliss opened the season with an 81-61 victory over Davey L. Whitney of Alcorn State (No. 12 - 553).

TRANSFERS FIND HOME AT BAYLOR
The 2002-2003 Bear roster boasts two players who transferred to Baylor from Division I schools, and a third who previously played at a DI institution. A fourth transferred from a DIII school.

THE LOBO TRANSFERS
Baylor's 2002-2003 roster includes two former players from the University of New Mexico, where Dave Bliss and his staff previously coached. Neither Patrick Dennehy or R.T. Guinn played under Dave Bliss at UNM, though Guinn was recruited to New Mexico by Bliss and staff. Dennehy played at New Mexico under current Bear assistant Rodney Belcher, who was not a part of Bliss' staff at UNM, but joined Baylor this off-season. Both players were starters at New Mexico.

ROAD WOES
Baylor has lost 18 straight decisions in games played on their opponents' home court. That 18-game losing streak dates back to a 63-55 victory at Kansas State on Jan. 13, 2001.

BEARS INK NELSON IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Baylor signed big-man Tyrone Nelson of Hempstead (Texas) High School to a national letter of intent in the early signing period. A 6-9 forward/center, Nelson averaged 29 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks as a junior at Hempstead in 2001-2002. He was named to the TABC Class 3A All-State first team and MVP of District 25-AAA following his junior year. A highly sought recruit nationwide, Nelson is included on several national top-100 recruiting lists. He was rated the 60th-best recruit by TheInsidersHoops.com, No. 64 by Basketball News, No. 70 by The Sporting News, No. 79 by PrepStars, No. 90 by RivalsHoops and No. 125 by Hoop Scoop. Street & Smith's named Nelson an honorable mention prep All-America.

NATION'S LONGEST 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 28 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.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
The radio broadcast of all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on-line on Baylor's official website, www.BaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

BIG-12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2002-2003 edition has been projected in preseason polls to finish anywhere from sixth to 12th in the Big 12 Conference. The league's coaches picked the Bears to finish eighth in preseason balloting, and the conference media projected Baylor ninth. The highest projected finish for Baylor was sixth, by Basketball News.

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 Fox Sports Net Southwest.

UP NEXT...
The Bears conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule Jan. 7 by hosting Mount St. Mary's and legendary head coach Jim Phelan. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.