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BAYLOR (9-6, 0-4) vs. #7 OKLAHOMA (12-3, 3-1)
Jan. 25, 2003 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 5:00 p.m. CST

RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (KRZI 1660/1580 AM Waco)
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net Southwest

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor's 9.7 3-pointers per game ranks second nationally.
- Baylor's 74.5% team free throw shooting is tops in the Big 12 and 26th nationally.
- Baylor is 30-3 under Dave Bliss when scoring 80 or more points (5-0 this year).
- Freshmen and sophomores account for 63% of Baylor's scoring (683-of-1,091).
- Over the past three seasons Baylor is 35-1 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (7-0 in 2002-2003).
- Baylor is forcing an average of 17.5 turnovers a game.
- The Bears are averaging 9.7 3-pointers and attempting 26.8 per game; both figures lead the Big 12 and are on pace to break Baylor's single-season school records.
- 45% of Baylor's field goal attempts (402-898) are 3-pointers.
- Baylor is 27-3 under Dave Bliss when recording 40 or more rebounds (5-0 this year).
- Baylor has won 2 games after trailing at the half this season; in 30 games last season the Bears had one second-half comeback.
- Kenny Taylor is the Big 12's most improved scorer, averaging 9.4 points more (13.3 ppg) than last season.
- Kenny Taylor leads the Big 12 in made 3-pointers, averaging 3.6 per game.
- 83% (130-156) of Kenny Taylor's field goal attempts are 3-pointers.
- Lawrence Roberts is 2nd in the Big 12 in off. rebounds, averaging 4.38 per game.
- Lawrence Roberts has compiled 6 double-doubles this season, and 14 in 43 career games played.

THE GAME
Baylor remains at home to face its fifth straight ranked opponent Saturday when the Bears welcome the seventh-ranked Oklahoma Sooners to the Ferrell Center for a 5 p.m. CST contest. Baylor fell to 9-6 overall, 0-4 in the Big 12, after a heartbreaking 67-64 overtime loss to No. 13 Oklahoma State at the Ferrell Center on Tuesday. No. 7 Oklahoma comes into Waco with an overall record of 12-3, 3-1 in the Big 12. The Sooners came out on the winning end of their own overtime thriller on Monday, defeating Texas Tech 69-64 in Norman. Saturday's contest will be televised live by Fox Sports Net Southwest.

HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss, in his fourth season at Baylor, is a 27-year coaching veteran and ranks 12th among active Division I coaches in victories with 521. The former head coach at New Mexico, SMU and Oklahoma owns a career record of 521-320 (.620). 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 56-48 won-loss record. His 56 victories tie him with his predecessor, Harry Miller, for the sixth-most victories all-time at Baylor.

THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
A 2002 Final Four participant, Oklahoma (12-3, 3-1) is in its ninth season under the direction of Kelvin Sampson, who owns a 375-225 career record with stops at Montana Tech (1981-85) and Washington State (1985-94) prior to his days in Norman. Sampson has amassed a 199-77 ledger in his eight seasons at Oklahoma, including six 20-win campaigns. The Sooners have won 82 games since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season.

OU NOTES: The Sooners are led by senior guard Hollis Price, who averages 18.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game... Junior guard Ebi Ere (15.9) is the only other Sooner averaging at least 10 points per game... Kevin Bookout's 6.0 rebounds per game are a team high... Oklahoma is 1-1 on the road this season with both true road contests being against Big 12 opponents.

THE OKLAHOMA SERIES
Baylor and Oklahoma will meet for the 26th time Saturday. The Sooners lead the all-time series 21-5. Oklahoma has won 16 straight dating back to the 1978-79 season. 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 9-2 against the Bears in Waco and have won nine straight.

BLISS vs. OKLAHOMA
Dave Bliss is 1-8 against the school he coached from 1975 to 1980, including an 0-6 mark while at Baylor. His lone victory over the Sooners came Dec. 22, 1984, an 85-76 triumph in Honolulu, Hawai'i, 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.

BRUTAL BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Baylor is opening its Big 12 schedule with five straight contests against nationally ranked opponents. Saturday's game against No. 7 Oklahoma marks the fifth such contest. Baylor began its conference season with losses to No. 13 Missouri Jan 11, No. 4 Texas Jan. 15, No. 25 Texas Tech last Saturday and No. 13 Oklahoma State on Tuesday (rankings at time of game).

LUCAS LEADS BEARS' STELLAR SHOOTING FROM LINE
Sophomore John Lucas has shot a stellar 90.9 percent (30-of-33) from the free throw line which ranks second in the Big 12. Baylor as a team is shooting 74.5 percent, the best mark in the conference and the 26th highest figure in the nation.

3-POINT PROPENSITY
The Bears are averaging 9.7 made 3-pointers and 26.8 attempts per game this season. Both of those figures top the Big 12 Conference and are on pace to break 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 54 made 3-pointers (3.6 per game). Baylor has made at least one 3-pointer in 337 consecutive games (dating back to Feb. 21, 1990).

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Baylor's prized freshman class of 2001, John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor, has improved significantly in 2002-03 on its impressive performance last season. Through 15 games the sophomore trio from Houston has accounted for 56 percent of the team's points, 36 percent of rebounds, 49 percent of steals and 49 percent of assists. Production in every category is up from the trio's fabulous freshman season.

TAYLOR AND BEARS QUICK TRIGGER WITH 3-POINTERS
Sophomore Kenny Taylor currently leads the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goals made, averaging 3.6 per game. He is shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point distance. Taylor has attempted 130 3-pointers this season. Treys account for an incredible 83 percent of the 156 shots he has taken. As a team, the Bears have taken 402 of their 898 shot attempts (.448) from behind the arc.

TAYLOR BIG 12's MOST IMPROVED SCORER
Sophomore Kenny Taylor owns the highest increased scoring average in the Big 12 Conference from last season to this. During 2001-02, Taylor averaged 3.9 points per game. This season he has raised his scoring average to 13.3, an increase of 9.4 points per game.

BEARS ON TV
Saturday's contest against Oklahoma is Baylor's fifth game this season in front of a television audience. Baylor is 0-4 in TV games this season. The Bears are 13-34 in televised games under Dave Bliss.

BAYLOR IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 20, Baylor's average of 9.8 3-pointers per game ranks second amongst NCAA Division I teams. The Bears are led in that department by Kenny Taylor, who is ninth nationally with an average of 3.7 treys per contest. The Bears are also among the leaders in free throw shooting. Baylor is 26th nationally hitting on 74.5 percent of its charity shots. Baylor's average of 16.5 fouls per game ties for 22nd in the national rankings.

BEARS' WINNING WAYS AT HOME
The Bears are 7-3 at home this season. In four years under Dave Bliss, the Bears have compiled a 44-17 record (.721) at home in the Ferrell Center.

FERRELL CENTER'S 15th YEAR
The Bears are enjoying their 15th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Baylor is 7-3 at home in 2002-2003 and owns a 134-87 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.

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 averaging 15.2 points and 9.5 rebounds (3rd in Big 12) per game while recording 15 blocks (11th in Big 12). He grabbed a career-high tying 17 rebounds while tying with R.T. Guinn with a team-best 21 points last time out against Oklahoma State. He has tallied six double-doubles. The sophomore, who last season set a Big 12 freshman scoring record with 498 points, injured the leg in workouts in October.

LAST TIME OUT: NO. 13 OKLAHOMA STATE 67 - BAYLOR 64 OT
Despite a second-half comeback and a Herculean effort by Lawrence Roberts Baylor lost 67-64 in overtime to No. 13 Oklahoma State at the Ferrell Center. Roberts recorded possibly the best game of his college career in the loss, totaling 21 points, 17 rebounds and three steals. His 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime. OSU's Tony Allen scored the game-winning basket with 38.6 left in overtime. He added a free throw to make it 66-64. Baylor had one more chance, but with the shot clock winding down and Allen in his face, Terrance Thomas couldn't get off a desperation shot with 2.5 seconds left. Victor Williams then hit a free throw after being fouled on the inbounds pass. Roberts scored the Bears' only points in overtime, stealing a pass from Williams and driving for a layup and scoring a tip-in on a missed Kenny Taylor layup. After Melvin Sanders hit a 3-pointer to put OSU ahead, Roberts had his tip-in with two minutes left to put Baylor ahead 64-63. But the Bears didn't score again. Two missed 3-pointers by the Cowboys and two turnovers by Baylor set up the winning sequence. After Roberts' 3-pointer to tie it at 60, OSU had one more chance in regulation. But Williams' 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired. Oklahoma State started the second half with a 9-1 run and built a 44-34 lead four minutes into the second half. Baylor then put together a 15-4 run to take a 49-48 lead on an R.T. Guinn jumper with 9:12 remaining. The Bears never extended that lead, and Oklahoma State was back in front when Allen had a steal and a layup with 6:31 left to make it 51-49.

BEARS vs. NATIONALLY RANKED FOES
Saturday's game against No. 7 Oklahoma is Baylor's fifth of the season against a nationally ranked opponent. The Bears are 0-4 this season after coming up short in a 67-64 overtime decision to No. 13 Oklahoma State last time out. Baylor was 1-6 last season in such contests, with an 81-80 win over No. 22 Missouri in Waco being the lone victory. The Bears are 1-9 in their last 10 games against nationally ranked foes.

BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12
Baylor has compiled an all-time record of 223-424 against current Big 12 foes. The majority of those contests have been played against Texas (75-140), Texas A&M (69-114) and Texas Tech (38-66).

THE LAST MEETING: NO. 5 OKLAHOMA 65 - BAYLOR 54 [Feb. 19, 2002]
A late run decided a tight game as Baylor lost 65-54 to No. 5 Oklahoma at the Ferrell Center. The Sooners broke open a close game with a 10-0 run deep in the second half. OU led 51-50 then Quannas White hit a 3-pointer with 5:35 left to start the run that lasted two minutes and pushed the lead to 61-50. Baylor's last win vs. OU was 75-67 on Dec. 6, 1977 - when current Bears coach Dave Bliss was the Sooners' coach. Oklahoma has a 21-5 lead in the series and has won nine straight games in Waco. Before the Sooners took command, the teams traded the lead six times in a two-minute span without a missed shot. Aaron McGhee's 3-pointer put the Sooners ahead to stay at 48-47. John Lucas then missed a 3-pointer for the Bears to end the furious stretch, and Hollis Price hit another 3-pointer for the Sooners. It was a basket by Lucas that got Baylor within 51-50 before White started the game-deciding run. Lucas led Baylor with 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting, but missed all three of his 3-pointers. Lawrence Roberts, like Lucas a freshman, had 13 points and eight rebounds. The Bears, second in the Big 12 with nine 3-pointers a game, were just 3-of-22 from long range to match a season-low. Lucas sparked Baylor with seven points in the opening five minutes of the second half, including a three-point play that tied the game at 37. All three baskets in that stretch by the 5-foot-10 freshman were inside. Jason Detrick's 3-pointer gave Oklahoma a 31-24 lead, but the Sooners didn't score over the final three minutes of the half. Baylor managed just two free throws and a dunk by Roberts in the same stretch.

ROAD WOES
Baylor has lost 20 straight decisions in games played on their opponents' home court. That 20-game losing streak dates back to a 63-55 victory at Kansas State on Jan. 13, 2001.

LOTS OF NEW BRUINS
The 2002-03 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, is a redshirt this season.

MONUMENTAL COACHING MATCHUPS
This season the Bears play six games featuring matchups of current college coaching legends. This season Baylor's Dave Bliss, who ranks 12th among the nation's winningest active coaches with 521 career wins, faces four other coaches who rank among the list's top 11. Baylor will play two games against the second winningest coach, Texas Tech's Bob Knight (No. 2 - 798) and Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State (No. 4 - 717). Earlier this season Bliss recorded victories against the active leader in coaching victories, Mount St. Mary's Jim Phelan (No. 1 - 825) and Davey L. Whitney of Alcorn State (No. 11 - 555).

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears concluded their non-conference schedule with a 9-2 record. Baylor is 39-7 in regular-season non-league play in Dave Bliss' four seasons, and the Bruins have won 28 of their last 29 games vs. non-conference opponents in the Ferrell Center.

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.

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.

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 and reaches 38 states during night games. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his eighth season. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 21st season as color analyst for Bear broadcasts.

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 have a week off before taking to the road Saturday, Feb. 1, to face Iowa State in Ames. The game, scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. CST at Hilton Coliseum, is Baylor's first against an unranked conference opponent.