BAYLOR (6-3) vs. CHICAGO STATE (1-8)
Jan. 3, 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
Fresh off its stunning upset of Purdue Thursday, Baylor returns home to host Chicago State Monday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. The Bears are 6-3 on the season following a 73-72 road over Purdue and have put together a four-game winning streak for the first time since starting the 2002-2003 season 4-0. Baylor, the nation's most inexperienced team, is playing with limited scholarships and with nine newcomers. Monday against CSU the Bears will attempt to win five straight games for the first time since starting the 2001-2002 season 5-0. The Cougars are 1-8 after an 86-59 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor is on its first 4-game winning streak since starting the 2002-2003 season 4-0.
- The Bears haven't won 5 straight games since the 2001-2002 season, when they started 5-0.
- Baylor is 11-4 all-time vs. teams currently in the Mid-Con Conference.
- Scott Drew is 3-0 all-time as a head coach vs. Chicago State.
- Baylor has shot better than 50% from the field in 4 of 5 wins this season.
- Baylor is the nation's most inexperienced team (only 1 returning scholarship player).
- Kevis Shipman ranks 5th in the Big 12 in 3-pointers (2.33 per game).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 1st in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting (54%), 2nd in FG shooting (55%) and 4th in FT shooting (84%).
- 4 Bears have double-digit scoring averages.
- Aaron Bruce has made 16-of-26 (62%) 3-pointers over the last 6 games.
- Baylor has dressed 7 or fewer scholarship players for 38 straight games [14-24 record] (since final game of 2002-2003 season).
- Freshman Aaron Bruce or sophomore Tim Bush has led the team in scoring in 8 of 9 games.
- Baylor ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting, averaging 7.4 3s per game.
- 63 of Kevis Shipman's 65 points scored this season are from 3-pointers (21).
- Baylor is 2nd in the Big 12 in steals-per-game, averaging 10.11 [Aaron Bruce ranks 9th (1.78), Tommy Swanson ranks 11th (1.67), Patrick Fields ranks 11th (1.67)]
- 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) [Mamadou Diene, 7-0, is expected to join team in January].
- Over the past five seasons Baylor is 49-3 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (6-0 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 14-24 and a career record of 34-35 (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 CHICAGO STATE SERIES
Monday marks the first meeting between Baylor and Chicago State on the hardwood.

THE CHICAGO STATE COUGARS
Chicago State (1-8) is led by Kevin Jones, in his second season as a head coach, both at CSU. Jones' two-year record is 13-28 and he was named Mid Continent Coach of the Year last season.

CSU NOTES: Chicago State is a Division I member of the Mid-Continent Conference... The Cougars have played seven of nine games on the road, all losses... CSU has been led by senior G Tony Weeden, who averages 13.9 points and 2.1 assists... Senior G Craig Franklin, an All-Mid-Con selection last season, missed the season's first five games and is averaging 6.3 points...

DREW vs. CHICAGO STATE
Scott Drew is 3-0 as a head coach vs. Chicago State. All three wins came in 2002-2003, when Drew was head coach at Valparaiso. Drew's Crusaders swept the Cougars in two regular season games and earned a win in the Mid-Con Conference tournament.

BAYLOR vs. THE MID-CON
Baylor is 11-4 all-time vs. teams currently in the Mid-Continent Conference. The Bears' last contest against a Mid-Con team was a 49-46 loss to Missouri-Kansas City in the 1998 Honolulu Shootout.

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 scoring (17.2 ppg; 5th in Big 12), 3-point percentage (54.1%; 1st in Big 12) and free throw shooting (84.4%; 4th in Big 12). Bruce has led the team in scoring in six of nine games played and over the last six games has hit 16-of-26 3-pointers (62%).

BUSH PLAYING WELL IN FIRST EXTENSIVE ACTION IN 4 YEARS
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, 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 32.2 minutes and has scored in double-digits in four of five games (scored nine points in limited action vs. Southern due to leg cramps) - including a career day in Baylor's upset of Purdue Thursday (23 points, 11 rebounds in 40 minutes). 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 13.1 (from 6.4 as a sophomore), shooting percentage to 59 percent (from 45), rebounds to 7.0 [8th in Big 12] (from 4.1) and minutes to 27.1 (from 22.1). Swanson has made 38 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 nine 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 (20-of-37, 54.1%), second in field goal shooting (54-of-98, 55.1%) and fourth in free throw shooting (27-of-32; 84.4%).

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears are 50-18 in regular-season non-league play over the last six seasons, including a 6-3 record this year.

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 73 - PURDUE 72
Tim Bush had a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds and Aaron Bruce hit a game-winning free throw with 2.4 seconds remaining to lift Baylor to a stunning 73-72 road upset over Purdue at Mackey Arena. The Boilermaker's Bryant Dillon tied the game at 72 with a 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds to go and the Bears immediately inbounded the ball. Patrick Fields passed to Bruce who was intentionally fouled by Purdue's Brandon McKnight with 2.4 seconds on the clock. Bruce went to the line and missed the first of two free throws, then hit the second to silence what had been a boisterous Boilermaker crowd. The Bears closed the first half with a 12-1 run, including a rim-shaking dunk by Tommy Swanson and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kevis Shipman, to take a 33-31 lead at halftime. The Boilermakers rebounded in the second half to take a 60-56 edge. Included in Bush's first career double-double were two crucial 3-pointers in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Swanson scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, including a four-point play and a thunderous one-handed put-back dunk during an 11-3 run that gave the Bears a 67-63 lead. Bush nailed his second trey with 1:05 remaining to give the Bears a 70-65 lead. The Bears overcame foul trouble and poor free throw shooting all night long. Mark Shepherd fouled out midway through the second half, and Swanson and Fields (who finished with career-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds) play most of the second with four fouls. Baylor finished 18-of-31 from the free throw line.

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 38 straight games (since final game of 2002-03 season; 14-24 record during that span).

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).

FERRELL CENTER'S 17th YEAR
The Bears are in their 17th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 5-2 at home in 2004-2005 and owns a 147-102 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.

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'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)

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...
Baylor opens its conference schedule with a road contest against No. 12 Texas Sunday, Jan. 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at the Erwin Center in Austin and the game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Southwest.