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RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (KRZI 1660/1580 AM Waco & WBAP 820 AM Dallas)
TELEVISION: Mizzou Sports Network (no local telecast)

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor is 9-6 over the last two seasons vs. Big 12 North schools.
- Over the last 5 games, Baylor is limiting opponents to 24 average first-half points and 55 average points per game.
- Freshmen and sophomores account for 62% of Baylor's scoring (499-of-823).
- Baylor is 27-3 under Dave Bliss when recording 40 or more rebounds (5-0 this year).
- 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 18.6 turnovers a game.
- The Bears are averaging 9.8 3-pointers and attempting 26.9 per game; both figures lead the Big 12 and are on pace to break Baylor's single-season school records.
- Baylor's team assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.28, 2nd highest in the Big 12.
- Baylor's 74.0% team free throw shooting is tops in the Big 12.
- John Lucas is shooting 93.1% from FT line, tops in the Big 12.
- Kenny Taylor leads the Big 12 in made 3-pointers, averaging 3.4 per game.
- Lawrence Roberts has compiled 4 double-doubles this season, and 12 in 39 career games played.

THE GAME
Baylor travels to No. 13 Missouri on Saturday, Jan.11, to play in the Big 12 opener for both teams. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m. CST at the Hearnes Center. The Bears are 9-2 after closing out non-conference play with an 80-47 victory over Mount St. Mary's at the Ferrell Center on Tuesday. The 13th-ranked Tigers enter the contest with a record of 9-1 following an 88-58 victory over Centenary at home on Tuesday. Saturday's game, carried by Mizzou Sports Network, will not be televised in Central Texas.

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 521-316 (.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 56-45 won-loss record. His 56 victories tie him with his predecessor, Harry Miller, for the sixth-most victories all-time at Baylor.

THE MISSOURI TIGERS
No. 13 Missouri (9-1) is led by head coach Quin Snyder, in his fourth year as a head coach, all at the helm of the Tigers. Snyder has led Missouri to a 71-39 record in his three-plus seasons since taking over for legendary head coach Norm Stewart.

MIZZOU NOTES: Four Tigers average in double figures with three scoring more than 15 points per game... Rickey Paulding is Missouri's leading scorer (18.6 ppg) with Ricky Clemons adding 16.9 ppg and 5.5 apg... Arthur Johnson contributes 15.5 ppg while grabbing a team-best 8.9 rpg... The Tigers concluded the non-conference schedule with an 88-58 victory over Centenary on Tuesday.

THE MISSOURI SERIES
The Bears and Tigers will meet for the 13th time on Saturday. Each team has won six of the previous contests, with Missouri holding a 5-2 advantage on its home court. Baylor won last season's matchup, an 81-80 thriller in Waco. The two squads have met six times since joining the Big 12 with the Tigers holding a 4-2 edge in the conference contests.

BLISS vs. MISSOURI
In 15 previous meetings, Dave Bliss' squads have an 8-7 mark against the Missouri Tigers. That includes a 1-2 mark against Mizzou while guiding Baylor. The majority of the contests between Bliss-coached teams and the Tigers were played when he led Oklahoma and both teams were in the Big Eight conference.

BEARS SUCCESSFULL vs. BIG 12 NORTH
Baylor is 9-6 over the last two seasons in games against schools from the Big 12 North (7-5 in regular reason, 2-1 in the Big 12 Tournament).

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 80 - MOUNT ST. MARY'S 47
John Lucas scored 22 points and Terrance Thomas added 16 points and 11 rebounds as Baylor defeated Mount St. Mary's 80-47 at the Ferrell Center. For the third straight game, Baylor's defense shut down its opponent en route to a convincing non-conference victory. The Bears held Mount St. Mary's to just 26 percent shooting from field. Lucas hit 8-of-10 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 3-pointers and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Thomas' double-double was his second of the season. Lawrence Roberts added 11 points and seven rebounds. The Mountaineers led 7-6 with just over 15 minutes to play in the first half, but Baylor reeled off a 20-3 run over the next nine minutes and moved in front 26-10. In the first half the Bears forced 11 Mountaineer turnovers that resulted in 15 points and led 41-20 at the half. Despite holding only a 43-41 edge in rebounding, Baylor scored 34 points in the paint compared to eight for the Mount. Baylor almost doubled Mount St. Mary's in shooting percent from the floor, hitting 27-of-58 field goals for 47 percent, while the Mountaineers managed only 26 percent with a 16-for-61 effort.

BAYLOR IN BIG 12 OPENERS
Since the inception of the Big 12, Baylor has a 3-3 record in conference openers, including home victories over Iowa State and Colorado to start the conference schedule each of the past two seasons. The Bears are 1-3 when opening Big 12 play on the road with the victory coming at Texas (87-81) to start the 1998 Big 12 Conference campaign.

HOT HANDS
In the past three contests, Baylor has hit 48.0 percent (83-173) of its shots from the floor. The Bears have shot better than 48 percent in three contests this season led by a 49.1 percent (28-of-57) performance 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.

3-POINT PROPENSITY
The Bears are averaging 9.8 made 3-pointers and 26.9 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 37 made 3-pointers (3.4 per game). He has hit 13-of-22 from behind the arc in the past three contests. Baylor has made at least one 3-pointer in 333 consecutive games (dating back to Feb. 21, 1990).

TOUGH D, QUICK STARTS
Baylor has held opponents to 22 or fewer first-half points in each of its last three games (21.0 average points allowed). The tight scoring defense has resulted in averaged halftime leads of 20.3 points over the last three contests.

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.

BAYLOR IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 6, Baylor's average of 10.0 3-pointers per game tied for third amongst NCAA Division I teams. The Bears are led in that department by Kenny Taylor, who is tied for 16th nationally with an average of 3.4 treys per contest. The Bears are also among the leaders in free throw shooting. Baylor is 30th nationally hitting on 74.3 percent of its charity shots.

THE LAST MEETING: BAYLOR 81 - MISSOURI 80 [Feb. 9, 2002]
Two free throws by Matt Sayman with 11 seconds remaining gave Baylor an 81-80 win over No. 22 Missouri before a frenzied crowd at the Ferrell Center. Following Sayman's go-ahead free throws, Mizzou's Kareem Rush missed a jumper with two seconds on the clock that was rebounded by Lawrence Roberts to end the game as gold-clad Baylor fans stormed the court. Rush scored 29 points, including 11 in a 20-6 run that gave Missouri its first lead since just after halftime. The last of Rush's seven 3-pointers put Missouri ahead 78-76 with 1:37 left. John Lucas made a 3-pointer with 39 seconds to put Baylor back in front, before Arthur Johnson scored inside for Missouri for an 80-79 lead. Sayman was then fouled by Rush as he drove inside. Lucas and Wendell Greenleaf both had 19 points for Baylor, while R.T. Guinn had 14. Baylor led 63-53 after Lucas flashed inside and took a pass from Greg Davis for a layup with 11:45 left. The Bears still led by 10 nearly five minutes later before Rush hit two free throws. Missouri led 43-41 at the half after Clarence Gilbert's 3-pointer - and after blowing a 14-point lead. A 3-pointer by Rush gave the Tigers a 36-22 lead, but Baylor went on a 17-2 run over the final 5:37 of the half. Greenleaf started the Bears' comeback with two free throws, followed by a steal he turned into a layup. Four players scored in the run, capped when Sayman found a gap in the lane for a layup that pushed the Bears ahead 41-40.

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 15.8 scoring average, 9.1 rebounding average and 15 blocks. He has also tallied four double-doubles. The sophomore, who last season set a Big 12 freshman scoring record with 498 points, injured the leg in workouts in October.

LUCAS LEADS BEARS' STELLAR SHOOTING FROM LINE
Sophomore John Lucas has shot a stellar 93.1 percent (27-of-29) from the free throw line and leads the Big 12 in the category. Baylor as a team is shooting 74.0 percent, the second-best mark in the conference.

BEARS vs. NATIONALLY RANKED FOES
Saturday's game at No. 13 Missouri is Baylor's first this season against a nationally ranked opponent. 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 2-8 in their last 10 games against nationally ranked foes with one of the victories coming over a top 10 opponent.

INCREASING SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY
Beginning with Saturday's game at No. 13 Missouri, four of Baylor's next five opponents are nationally ranked, and the fifth is just outside the top 25 receiving votes. Following the Mizzou game, the Bears face No. 7 Texas, No. 21 Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and No. 9 Oklahoma.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Baylor's prized freshman class of 2001, John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor, has improved in 2002-03 on its impressive performance last season. Through 11 games the sophomore trio from Houston has accounted for 54 percent of the team's points, 31 percent of rebounds, 45 percent of steals and 49 percent of assists. Production in three of the four categories is up from the trio's fabulous freshman season.

3s FROM KT
Sophomore Kenny Taylor currently leads the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goals made, averaging 3.36 per game. He is shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point distance, and in his last three games, Taylor has hit 13-of-22 (.590) 3-point attempts. Taylor had a career-night against North Texas, making 7-of-10 3s en route to scoring a career-high 23 points.

BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12
Baylor has compiled an all-time record of 223-420 against current Big 12 foes. The majority of those contests have been played against Texas (75-139), Texas A&M (69-114) and Texas Tech (38-65).

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.

BEARS' WINNING WAYS AT HOME
The Bears are 7-1 at home this season. In four years under Dave Bliss, the Bears have compiled a 44-15 record (.746) 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 7-1 at home in 2002-2003 and owns a 134-85 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 2002-03 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 - 797) and Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State (No. 4 - 713). Earlier this season Bliss recorded victories against the active leader in coaching victories, Mount St. Mary's Jim Phelan (No. 1 - 824) and Davey L. Whitney of Alcorn State (No. 11 - 553).

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 host Texas in their Big 12 home opener on Wednesday, January 15. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST and the game will be televised regionally on ESPN Regional.