BAYLOR (9-11, 1-8) vs. NEBRASKA (10-10, 3-6)
Feb. 12, 2005 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 7:00 p.m. CST

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RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco & WBAP 820 AM Dallas)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: FSN Midwest
INTERNET VIDEO (BEARCAST): live stream at BaylorBears.com
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THE GAME
The Bears play host to Nebraska Saturday, Feb. 12, as part of a Baylor basketball double-header. Tipoff for the men's game vs. the Huskers is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. Baylor's women's team hosts Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. The Bears are 9-11, 1-8 and attempting to snap a six-game losing streak, most recently an 83-67 defeat to No. 23 Texas Tech Wednesday in Lubbock. Baylor, the nation's most inexperienced team, is playing with limited scholarships and with nine newcomers. Nebraska owns a 10-10, 3-6 record and has lost two straight games including a 65-60 decision to Iowa State at home Tuesday. The Bears are 3-2 all-time vs. the Huskers in Waco.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- With 9 wins, Baylor has surpassed last season's win total (8-21).
- Aaron Bruce and Nebraska freshman C Aleks Maric are fellow Australians and former teammates on Australia national teams and the Australia Institute of Sport.
- Aaron Bruce ranks 2nd in 3-point shooting (42%), 8th in FG shooting (49%) and 3rd in FT shooting (86%) in the Big 12.
- Tim Bush (87.3%) and Aaron Bruce (85.7%) rank 1st & 3rd in Big 12 FT shooting.
- Baylor is the nation's most inexperienced team (only 1 returning scholarship player).
- Aaron Bruce is the second-highest scoring freshman in the nation (17.3 ppg).
- Baylor is 11-0 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 2 seasons).
- Baylor is 8-3 when holding opponents under 50% field goal shooting.
- Baylor has dressed 7 or fewer scholarship players for 49 straight games [17-32 record] (since final game of 2002-2003 season).
- Baylor is 13-16 (.433) vs. Big 12 North & just 8-40 (.167) vs. Southern schools over last 5 seasons.
- Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 18 of 20 games.
- Baylor ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting, averaging 7.7 3s per game.
- Freshman Aaron Bruce is on Dick Vitale's Super Six All-Diaper Dandies listing.
- 105 of Kevis Shipman's 122 points scored (86%) this year are from 3-pointers (35).
- Baylor is 6-0 when recording more points in the paint than its opponent this season.
- Baylor's roster includes two active players taller than 6-6 (Tommy Swanson 6-10 and walk-on Mark Shepherd 6-9) [freshman Mamadou Diene, 7-0, has yet to dress].
- 4 Bears have double-digit scoring averages.
- Baylor is 0-4 this season in games in which Tommy Swanson fouls out.
- Aaron Bruce has made a 3-pointer in 17 straight games.
- BU is 1-22 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 2 years under Drew).
- Aaron Bruce's 33-pt game vs. OSU is the highest total by a Big 12 player this year & set a new Baylor single-game freshman scoring mark.
- Over the past five seasons Baylor is 51-3 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (8-0 this season).
- Junior Tommy Swanson has made 49 straight starts (BU's longest streak since Terry Black & DeMarcus Minor started all 60 games during 1999-00 and 2000-01).

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 17-32 and a career record of 37-43 (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 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska (10-10, 3-6) is led by fifth-year head coach Barry Collier, who is 66-73 while at Lincoln. Collier owns a career record of 262-205; he spent 11 seasons as the head coach at Butler, his alma mater, prior to taking over at Nebraska.

NU NOTES: Nebraska is 2-5 on the road this season... The Huskers have lost six of their last eight games... Nebraska is led by freshman G Joe McCray, who averages 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds... Freshman C Aleks Maric is a native of Sydney, Australia and former teammate of Baylor's Aaron Bruce at the Australian Institute of Sport... The pair were also teammates on the Australian national team that won the 2003 World Championships.

THE NEBRASKA SERIES
Saturday marks the 15th meeting between Baylor and Nebraska. The Huskers lead the series, which dates back to 1949, by a 9-5 tally. The Bears lead the series in games played in Waco by a 3-2 margin and have won two straight. The series began with a 71-55 Nebraska victory in December 1949 over Bill Henderson's Baylor squad that would advance to the 1950 NCAA Final Four.

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 (17.3 ppg; 6th in Big 12) and is second in 3-point percentage (41.9%; 2nd in Big 12), free throw shooting (85.7%; 3rd in Big 12, 28th nationally) and minutes played (33.8 mpg). Bruce has scored in double-digits in 18-of-20 games.

BRUCE LEADING BIG 12 FRESHMEN
True freshman Aaron Bruce tops the Big 12 freshmen in four major categories: Scoring (1st, 17.3 ppg); field goal percentage (1st, 48.6%); 3-point field goal percentage (1st, 41.9%); and free throw percentage (1st, 85.7%).

BRUCE 2nd NATIONALLY AMONG FRESHMAN SCORERS
With a 17.3 scoring average, Aaron Bruce ranks second among the nation's freshmen in points per game, trailing Auburn's Toney Douglas (17.8 ppg).

BUSH POSTING IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS
Sophomore F Tim Bush, a transfer from LSU, has made an immediate impact since gaining his eligibility following the fall semester. Bush is averaging 13.6 points [18th in Big 12], 5.9 rebounds [17th in Big 12], 34.0 minutes, is shooting 87.3% on free throws [1st in Big 12] and has scored in double-digits in 12 of 16 games. 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 SHOWS STEADY IMPROVEMENT
Junior C Tommy Swanson, Baylor's only scholarship returnee, has stepped into his role as a major contributor in scoring and rebounding for the young Bears. Swanson has increased his average points to 12.1 (from 6.4 as a sophomore), shooting percentage to 53 percent (from 45), rebounds to 6.1 [16th in Big 12] (from 4.1) and minutes to 29.7 (from 22.1). Swanson has made 49 consecutive starts, Baylor's longest streak since Terry Black and DeMarcus Minor started all 60 games of the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons.

BRUCE ALMIGHTY: PURE SHOOTER
Through 20 games of his career, freshman Aaron Bruce has established himself as a proficient shooter. The guard from Australia, tabbed the Big 12's "best jump shooter" in Lindy's preseason publication, currently ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting (44-of-105, 41.9%), eighth in field goal shooting (118-of-243, 48.6%) and third in free throw shooting (66-of-77; 85.7%).

VITALE NAMES BRUCE AMONG TOP SIX DIAPER DANDIES
Dick Vitale included Baylor true freshman Aaron Bruce among his "Super Six All-Diaper Dandies" - a listing of the top freshman in the nation published in January. 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).

SUCCESS FROM THE LINE
Baylor newcomers Tim Bush (87.3%) and Aaron Bruce (85.7%) rank first and third, respectively, in the Big 12 in free throw shooting. Bruce's 85.7 percent ranks 16th nationally and Bush's 87.3 ranks 32nd.

BRUCE'S RECORD NIGHT vs. No. 10 OKLAHOMA STATE
Freshman Aaron Bruce had a record-setting performance against No. 10 Oklahoma State last week, totaling 33 points on 11-of-18 shots (including 5-of-6 3-pointers). The 33-point total set a new Baylor freshman single-game scoring mark (topping former Bear and current Mississippi State All-American Lawrence Roberts' 30 in 2001-02) and is currently the highest total by a Big 12 player this season.

NORTH vs. SOUTH
Over the last five seasons Baylor has had much more success against Big 12 North schools than those in the South. Baylor is 13-17 (.433) the last five seasons vs. Northern schools and just 8-40 (.167) vs. teams in the South.

BEARS SURPASS LAST SEASON'S WIN TOTAL
Despite losing nine lettermen from it's 2003-2004 depleted roster, Baylor has surpassed its win total from last season. With a 67-59 victory over Colorado Jan. 19, the Bears upped their win total to nine. In 2003-2004, the first in Scott Drew's rebuilding project, the undermanned Bears finished 8-21 (3-13 in the Big 12).

THE LAST MEETING: NEBRASKA 76 - BAYLOR 47 [Jan. 21, 2004]
A cold shooting night doomed Baylor from the start as the Bears lost 76-47 to Nebraska at the Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers held Baylor without a field goal for nearly 13 minutes to open the game. But Nebraska struggled to score as well, taking its first double digit lead on Nate Johnson's 3-pointer that made the score 12-1 with 8:55 remaining. Nebraska led by nine at the half and saw Baylor score to open the period to come within seven. Then the Huskers went on an 11-2 run that put the lead at 39-21 with 15:40 remaining. The Bears had a five-point flurry to cut the lead to 13. But Nebraska countered with 13 straight points to take a 52-26 lead. Nebraska did much of its damage from the 3-point line where the Huskers hit 11 of 18 shots. The Huskers also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Bears 39-25 Terrance Thomas had 16 to lead Baylor..

LAST TIME OUT: No. 23 TEXAS TECH 83 - BAYLOR 67
Ronald Ross scored 25 points to lift No. 23 Texas Tech past Baylor 83-67 at the United Spirit Arena. Down 36-31 at the half, Tommy Swanson scored five points in an 8-2 run to open the second half and give Baylor a 39-38 lead. Texas Tech responded with a 15-0 run to virtually put the game out of reach for the Bears. After nearly 6 minutes without scoring, Patrick Fields hit two free throws and a 3-pointer to whittle the deficit to 55-44. Tech's lead dwindled to 69-60 on a free throw by Fields with 6:22 remaining. Fields scored 18 points and Tim Bush added 17 for the Bears, who hit three straight 3-pointers to open the game and finished 9-of-22 from beyond the arc. Baylor freshman Aaron Bruce, who came in averaging 17.6 points, had 10 of his 12 points in the second half.

FERRELL CENTER'S 17th YEAR
The Bears are in their 17th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 8-5 at home in 2004-2005 and owns a 150-105 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.

SEVEN-FOOT SENEGALESE CENTER JOINS TEAM
Baylor freshman Mamadou Diene arrived on campus at the end of January and is practicing with the team. Diene, a 7-foot, 200-pound center from Yeumbeul, Senegal, was Scott Drew's first-ever signee at Baylor and one of the top international prospects when he signed with Baylor in 2003. The coaching staff plans to redshirt Diene this season.

BIG 12 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Twice this season Baylor newcomers have been honored as Big 12 Rookie of the Week. In back-to-back weeks, sophomore F Tim Bush (Jan. 3) and true freshman G Aaron Bruce (Dec. 27) won the award. 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 46 straight games (since final game of 2002-03 season; 17-29 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).

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)

OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games are aired live on the Baylor Radio Network and flagship station 1660AM ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco. Selected games are broadcast on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WBAP 820AM, 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 10th season, and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley, in his 23rd season as color analyst.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour wrap-up of BU athletics, airs weekly throughout the Southwest. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV (Sundays at 10:30 p.m.), FSN Southwest (Wednesdays at 1 p.m) and CSTV (Thursdays at 5 or 5:30 p.m). All shows are archived online at BaylorBears.com and BaylorTV.com.

NEXT UP...
Baylor hits the road for a Wenesday, Feb. 16 contest at Missouri, its third midweek road game in four consecutive weeks. Tipoff for the Bears-Tigers game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Paige Sports Arena in Columbia, Mo.