BAYLOR (7-4) vs. SAVANNAH STATE (0-20)
Jan. 13, 2005 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 7:00 p.m. CST

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RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: none
INTERNET VIDEO (BEARCAST): live stream at baylorbears.com
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THE GAME
Baylor concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule when it hosts Savannah State Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. The Bears are 7-4 on the season after having their five-game winning streak snapped by a 79-60 loss at No. 11 Texas Sunday. Baylor, the nation's most inexperienced team, is playing with limited scholarships and with nine newcomers. The Tigers are winless at 0-20, most recently a 70-47 setback vs. The Citadel Monday. Savannah State has lost 22-straight games dating back to last season. The Bears are 6-2 at home in non-conference games this season.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor is 6-2 vs. non-conference foes at home this season.
- Aaron Bruce ranks 1st in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting (52%), 4th in FG shooting (55%) and 1st in FT shooting (85%).
- Freshman Aaron Bruce is on Dick Vitale's Super Six All-Daiper Dandies listing.
- Three Baylor players are shooting 50% or better on 3-pointers (Tim Bush 56% [9-16], Aaron Bruce 52% [24-46], and Richard Hurd 50% [8-16]).
- Baylor is the nation's most inexperienced team (only 1 returning scholarship player).
- Baylor has dressed 7 or fewer scholarship players for 40 straight games [15-25 record] (since final game of 2002-2003 season).
- Aaron Bruce was named the Midseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Rocky Mountain News.
- 4 Bears have double-digit scoring averages.
- Junior Tommy Swanson has made 40 straight starts (BU's longest streak since John Lucas III started 41 consecutive games from 2001-2003).
- Freshman Aaron Bruce or sophomore Tim Bush has led the team in scoring in 9 of 11 games.
- Baylor ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting, averaging 7.6 3s per game.
- 66 of Kevis Shipman's 69 points scored this season are from 3-pointers (22).
- Baylor is 2nd in the Big 12 in steals-per-game, averaging 9.6.
- Baylor is currently playing with 6 active scholarship players and 5 walk-ons.
- Baylor's roster includes two active players taller than 6-6 (Mark Shepherd 6-9 and Tommy Swanson 6-10).
- Over the past five seasons Baylor is 50-3 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (7-0 this season).

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew is in his second season of the massive rebuilding project he undertook at Baylor and owns a two-year mark of 15-25 and a career record of 35-36 (3 seasons). Drew spent 10 seasons at Valparaiso, the last as head coach after nine seasons as an assistant to his father Homer. During his decade at Valpo, the Crusaders earned six NCAA Tournament berths, including five straight from 1996-2000. An outstanding recruiter, Drew is responsible for four national Top-20 recruiting classes over the last six years. He was named the 1998-99 National Recruiter of the Year by Court Vision and helped produce what HoopScoop named the nation's sixth best recruiting class in 2001, the 10th best in 2004, the 13th best in 1999 and the 19th best in 2003.

THE SAVANNAH STATE SERIES
Thursday marks the first meeting between Baylor and Savannah State on the hardwood.

THE SAVANNAH STATE TIGERS
Savannah State (0-20) is led by Edward Daniels Jr., in his third season as a head coach, all at SSU.

SSU NOTES: Savannah State is a Division I independent located in Savannah, Ga... The Tigers are winless this season and on a 22-game losing streak dating back to last season... Savannah State is led by freshman G Mark Williams, who is averaging 17.6 points and 1.5 assists... Senior F Sherrard Reddick, who is averaging 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, was named to the All-Independent second team in Lindy's preseason publication... Reddick is one of five returning lettermen and three returning starters for the Tigers.

VITALE NAMES BRUCE AMONG TOP SIX DAIPER DANDIES
On a recent ESPN telecast and again in Tuesday's USA Today, Dick Vitale included Baylor true freshman Aaron Bruce among his "Super Six All-Daiper Dandies" - a listing of the top freshman in the nation. Vitale wrote: "Coming via Australia, he is a lethal three-point shooter who is putting up big numbers for Scott Drew's Bears." Joining Bruce on the list were Jordan Farmar (UCLA), Daniel Gibson (Texas), Malik Hairston (Oregon), D.J. White (Indiana) and Marvin Williams (North Carolina).

CUB FROM DOWN UNDER LEADING BEARS
True freshman G Aaron Bruce has led the inexperienced Bears since the start of his young career. Bruce has started every game and leads the Bears in 3-point percentage (52.2%; 1st in Big 12) and free throw shooting (85.3%; 1st in Big 12) and is second in scoring (16.5 ppg; 5th in Big 12) and minutes played (31.6 mpg; 8th in Big 12). Bruce has scored in double-digits in 10 of 11 games played.

BUSH POSTING IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS DESPITE LONG LAYOFF
Sophomore F Tim Bush, a transfer from LSU, has made an immediate impact since gaining his eligibility following the fall semester. Bush is averaging 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 32.9 minutes and has scored in double-digits in six of seven games (scored nine points in limited action vs. Southern due to leg cramps). Bush is playing substantial minutes for the first time in four seasons. After not playing his senior season of high school, Bush played just 36 minutes in 10 games for LSU as a true freshman in 2002-03 and transferred prior to last season - which he sat out at Baylor as a redshirt.

"VETERAN" SWANSON SHOWING STEADY IMPROVEMENT
Junior C Tommy Swanson, Baylor's only scholarship returnee, is stepping into his role as a major contributor in scoring and rebounding for the young Bears. Swanson has increased his average points to 13.7 (from 6.4 as a sophomore), shooting percentage to 62 percent [1st in Big 12] (from 45), rebounds to 7.1 [6th in Big 12] (from 4.1) and minutes to 28.2 (from 22.1). Swanson has made 40 consecutive starts, Baylor's longest streak since current Oklahoma State All-American John Lucas III started 41 consecutive games during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.

BIG 12'S TOP SHOOTER?
Through the first 11 games of his career, true freshman Aaron Bruce is establishing himself as a proficient shooter. The guard from Australia, tabbed the Big 12's "best jump shooter" in Lindy's preseason publication, currently ranks first in the conference in 3-point shooting (24-of-46, 52.2%), fourth in field goal shooting (64-of-116, 55.2%) and first in free throw shooting (29-of-34; 85.3%).

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears are 51-18 in regular-season non-league play over the last six seasons, including a 7-3 record this year.

LAST TIME OUT: No. 11 TEXAS 79 - BAYLOR 60
Short-handed Baylor made an impressive showing at No. 11 Texas before falling 79-60 to the Longhorns at the Erwin Center. Baylor trailed 63-54 midway through the second half when leading scorer Aaron Bruce fouled out. The Bears were outscored 16-6 in the final 9:33 without the freshman guard. Baylor scored only two points (on free throws) in the last seven minutes. Texas hit 11 3-pointers and outrebounded the shorter Bears 38-17. While the Longhorns shot 52 percent and hit eight 3-pointers in building a 45-37 halftime lead, Baylor did everything it could to keep up, hitting four 3-pointers and shooting 51.9 percent. Tim Bush scored 12 points, including Baylor's last seven of the half. Bush finished with 20 points to lead the Bears. Bruce had 11 points in 26 minutes.

BIG 12 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Baylor newcomers have been honored as Big 12 Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks recently. Sophomore forward Tim Bush was selected Jan. 3 and true freshman guard Aaron Bruce was honored Dec. 27. Bush, a transfer from LSU, received the award after leading the Bears to wins over Purdue and Prairie View A&M and averaging 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Bruce, a native of Australia, was honored for his performance in a win over Maryland-Eastern Shore in which he scored a game-high 22 points and shot 73 percent (8-for-11) from the field - including 4-for-7 from 3-point distance. This is the first time Baylor has had two players named rookie of the week in the same season since 2001-2002, when former Bears John Lucas III (twice) and Lawrence Roberts were so honored.

NATION'S MOST INEXPERIENCED TEAM
Baylor returned just three players from it's 2003-04 roster this season, including two walk-ons. Nine new players were included on the 2004-05 preseason roster. Baylor is the nation's only team (and the only team in recent memory) to have only one scholarship returnee. The three returnees had a combined total of four seasons of experience at the Division I level prior to this season. The 2004-05 roster includes nine underclassmen. This marks Baylor's second consecutive season of enduring short roster numbers (the Bears suited up between five and seven scholarship players during the 2003-04 season). Baylor has dressed 7 or fewer scholarship players for 40 straight games (since final game of 2002-03 season; 15-25 record during that span).

FERRELL CENTER'S 17th YEAR
The Bears are in their 17th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 6-2 at home in 2004-2005 and owns a 148-102 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.

BAYLOR'S EARLY SIGNING CLASS RATED 11th NATIONALLY
Baylor's five-man early signee class is rated the 11th-best class in the nation according to HoopScoop and is one of the highest rated recruiting classes in recent school history. The class includes three national Top-100 players and three Top-10 state recruits. The signees include four prep seniors, Henry Dugat of Dayton (Texas) High School, Curtis Jerrells of Del Valle High School in Austin, Texas, Kevin Rogers of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas and Jari Vanttaja of Oulu, Finland; as well as Tony Jones, a freshman at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas.

Rogers, a 6-8, 220-pound power forward, is rated the 35th-best recruit nationally by Rivals and Hoop Alliance and the sixth-best recruit in the state by Rivals. Dugat is a 6-0, 160-pound combo guard rated No. 69 nationally by Scout.com and the fifth-best recruit in the state by TexasHoops. Jerrells, a 6-1, 170-pound point guard, was named to the TABC 4A All-State second team. He is rated the No. 94 recruit nationally by Rivals and the No. 7 recruit in Texas by Texas Roundball. Vanttaja is a 6-10, 215-pound forward who recently averaged 14 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Finnish Junior National Team at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim, Germany. According to HoopScoop, if Vanttaja played in the U.S. he would be rated among the Top 50 high school prospects. Jones is a 6-7, 185-pound forward who redshirted the 2003-2004 season at Hill College and will have three seasons of eligibility at Baylor.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES:Name        Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Schools)Henry Dugat G   6-0 160 Fr. Dayton, Texas (Dayton HS)Curtis Jerrells G   6-1 170 Fr. Austin, Texas (Del Valle HS)Tony Jones  F   6-7 185 So. San Antonio, Texas (Taft HS/Hill College)Kevin Rogers    F   6-8 220 Fr. Dallas, Texas (South Oak Cliff HS)Jari Vanttaja   F   6-10    215 Fr. Oulu, Finland (South Tapiola HS)

LOTS OF NEWCOMERS
The 2004-2005 Baylor roster includes seven newcomers and an additional two players who sat out last season. The nine new faces include three junior college transfers (junior G Kevis Shipman, sophomore G Roscoe Biggers and G/F Patrick Fields); one Division I transfer (sophomore F Tim Bush); and five high schoolers (G Aaron Bruce, C Mamadou Diene, G/F Hall Henderson, F Richard Hurd, F Mark Shepherd).

DEPARTED PLAYERS
Nine lettermen from Baylor's season-opening 2003-2004 roster are not on the 2004-2005 edition. With those departed players the Bears have lost 88.8 percent of their scoring and 86.4 percent of last season's rebounding. Gone is Baylor's all-time games-played leader Matt Sayman, the USBL's No. 1 draft pick R.T. Guinn, talented All-District honoree Terrance Thomas, the scoring of third-team All-Big 12 selection Harvey Thomas and 22-game starter Carl Marshall. Four players left due to graduation/expired eligibility (Guinn, Robbie McKenzie, Sayman, T. Thomas), three transferred (Will Allen, Corey Herring, Marshall), one left to play professionally (H. Thomas) and one was dismissed from the team (Ellis Kidd Jr.).

BAYLOR GAMES ONLINE - AUDIO AND VIDEO (BEARCAST)
A live audio stream of all Baylor basketball games can be heard on BaylorBears.com at no cost. Live video (BearCasts) is available at BaylorBears.com; all non-televised home games will be streamed on-line. BearCast subscriptions are $6.95 a month or $49.95 annually. Single-game basketball fees are $0.95 for an annual BearCast subscriber, $1.95 for a monthly BearCast subscriber or $4.95 for non-BearCast subscribers.

NEXT UP...
The Bears get back to Big 12 Conference play by hosting No. 25 Oklahoma Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Ferrell Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live on FSN Southwest.