BAYLOR (9-13, 1-10) vs. TEXAS (17-7, 6-5)
Feb. 19, 2005 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 8:00 p.m. CST

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RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco & WBAP 820AM Dallas)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN+Plus complete TV listings
INTERNET VIDEO (BEARCAST): live stream at BaylorBears.com
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THE GAME
Baylor hosts Texas Saturday, Feb. 19, as the nightcap of the four-sport "Super Saturday on the Brazos" at the Turner Riverfront Athletic Complex. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live on syndicated stations via ESPN+Plus (Time Warner Cable channel 16 in Waco/Temple/Bryan). The Bears are 9-13, 1-10 on the season and attempting to snap an eight-game losing streak, most recently a 60-53 defeat to Missouri Wednesday in Columbia. Baylor, the nation's most inexperienced team, is playing with limited scholarships and with nine newcomers. Texas owns a 17-7, 6-5 record and has won two straight including a 75-40 victory over Texas A&M at home Wednesday. Saturday marks the 221st game between Baylor and Texas, the most-played rivalry for both schools. The Bears have lost 14 straight games to UT dating back to 1998.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Aaron Bruce is the highest scoring freshman in the nation (17.7 ppg).
- Saturday marks the 221st meeting between Baylor and Texas, the most-played rivalry for both schools.
- The Bears-Longhorns game is the nightcap a four-sport Super Saturday on the Brazos for Baylor athletics.
- With 9 wins, Baylor has surpassed last season's win total (8-21).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd in 3-point shooting (41%), 9th in FG shooting (48%) and 1st in FT shooting (87%) in the Big 12.
- Aaron Bruce (86.8%) and Tim Bush (85.3%) rank 1st & 3rd in Big 12 FT shooting.
- Baylor is the nation's most inexperienced team (only 1 returning scholarship player).
- Baylor has dressed 7 or fewer scholarship players for 51 straight games [17-33 record] (since final game of 2002-2003 season).
- Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 20 of 22 games.
- Roscoe Biggers has 16 assists & 4 turnovers the last 4 gms (last 3 as starting PG).
- Former All-American Micheal Williams will be honored as a Baylor Legend at Saturday's game.
- Baylor ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting, averaging 7.5 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 11-0 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 2 seasons).
- Baylor is 0-4 this season in games in which Tommy Swanson fouls out.
- Aaron Bruce has made a 3-pointer in 19 straight games.
- BU is 1-23 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 2 years under Drew).

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 17-34 and a career record of 37-45 (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 TEXAS SERIES
Saturday marks the 221st meeting between Baylor and Texas, the most-played rivalry for both schools (dating back to the 1905-06 season). The Longhorns own a 145-75 advantage in the all-time series, including a 58-45 edge in games played in Waco. The Longhorns have won 14 straight meetings. Baylor's last victory over Texas came Feb. 21, 1998 when the Bears knocked off UT 80-75 at home.

THE TEXAS LONGHORNS
Texas (17-7, 6-5) is led by seventh-year head coach Rick Barnes, in his 18th year as a head coach. Barnes owns a career record of 360-199 with stints at George Mason, Providence and Clemson; he is 158-65 with the Longhorns.

UT NOTES: Saturday marks the first time in the last seven Baylor-Texas meetings that the Longhorns enter the game unranked... Texas is 2-5 in road games this season... Senior G Kenny Taylor played two seasons at Baylor before transferring to UT prior to last season, he is averaging 10.4 points... The Longhorns are led by freshman G Daniel Gibson, who averages 14.4 points and 4.2 assists per game... The Longhorns lead the Big 12 in rebounding (40.7) and 3-pointers per game (8.17).

BRUCE NATION'S TOP FRESHMAN SCORER
With a 17.7 scoring average, Aaron Bruce leads the nation's freshmen in points per game.

SUPER SATURDAY ON THE BRAZOS
Saturday's Bears-Longhorns men's basketball game is part of "Super Saturday on the Brazos," featuring three of Baylor's nationally ranked teams competing at the Turner Riverfront Athletic Complex. The day includes the 25th-ranked women's tennis team facing No. 38 Pepperdine at 1 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. women's basketball showdown between No. 7 Baylor and 19th-ranked Iowa State at the Ferrell Center. The Bears' baseball squad, ranked No. 8 nationally, then hosts No. 24 Oral Roberts at Baylor Ballpark at 5:30 p.m., before the day concludes with the men's basketball matchup. Free shuttle service will be available for fans to and from both the Ferrell Center and Baylor Ballpark Saturday between the hours of 12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

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 (17.7 ppg; 3rd in Big 12), free throw shooting (86.8%; 1st in Big 12, 22nd nationally) and minutes played (34.1 mpg) and is second in 3-point percentage (41.0%; 3rd in Big 12). Bruce has scored in double-digits in 20-of-22 games.

BRUCE LEADING BIG 12 FRESHMEN
True freshman Aaron Bruce tops the Big 12 freshmen in four major categories: Scoring (1st, 17.7 ppg); field goal percentage (1st, 47.8%); 3-point field goal percentage (1st, 41.0%); and free throw percentage (1st, 86.8%).

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 13.3 points [18th in Big 12], 5.8 rebounds [16th in Big 12], 34.0 minutes, is shooting 85.3% on free throws [3rd in Big 12; 16th nationally] and has scored in double-digits in 13 of 18 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 12.0 (from 6.4 as a sophomore), shooting percentage to 53 percent (from 45), rebounds to 5.9 [15th in Big 12] (from 4.1) and minutes to 29.6 (from 22.1). Swanson has made 51 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 22 games of his career, true 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 third in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting (50-of-122, 41.0%), ninth in field goal shooting (130-of-272, 47.8%) and first in free throw shooting (79-of-91; 86.8%).

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).

RECORD SUCCESS FROM THE LINE BY BUSH & BRUCE
Baylor newcomers Aaron Bruce (86.8%) and Tim Bush (85.3%) are putting up record numbers from the free throw line this season. The duo ranks first and third, respectively, in the Big 12 in free throw shooting. Bruce's 86.8 percent ranks 22nd nationally and Bush's 85.3 ranks 16th. Bruce's 86.8% percent currently ranks fourth all-time on Baylor's single-season free throw percentage listing, and Bush's 85.3% ranks fifth.

BEARS SURPASS LAST SEASON'S WIN TOTAL
Despite losing nine lettermen from it's 2003-04 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 2003-04, the first in Scott Drew's rebuilding project, the undermanned Bears finished 8-21 (3-13 Big 12).

THE LAST MEETING: No. 11 Texas 79 - BAYLOR 60 [Jan. 9, 2005]
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.

LAST TIME OUT: MISSOURI 60 - BAYLOR 53
Aaron Bruce scored 26 points but it wasn't enough as undermanned Baylor fell 60-53 to Missouri at Mizzou Arena, the Bears' eighth-straight defeat. Trailing 49-39 with eight minutes remaining, Bruce sandwiched two 3-pointers around a jumper by Missouri's Jason Horton to cut the lead to 51-45. Horton scored again to give the Tigers an eight-point lead. Two free throws by Bruce with 50 seconds to go cut the gap to 55-51, but Missouri hit 5-of-8 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. The Bears never trailed by more than 12 points, despite being outrebounded 37-25 and hitting only 4-of-17 3-point attempts. Baylor's leading rebounder was guard Roscoe Biggers with eight, while Tim Bush collected six. After Baylor jumped to an early 5-1 lead, the Tigers reeled off a 16-2 run and were up 17-7 12 minutes before the half. Behind Bruce's nine first-half points, the Bears fought back to cut Missouri's halftime lead to 30-23. Bruce, Baylor's only double-digit scorer, also totaled four rebounds and two steals.

WILLIAMS TO BE HONORED AS BAYLOR LEGEND SATURDAY
Former Baylor star and NBA guard Micheal Williams will be honored as a "Baylor Legend" at halftime of Saturday's game vs. Texas. Williams was an All-American in 1988 finished his career as the second-leading scorer in school history with 1,854 points. He helped Baylor to an NIT bid in 1986-87 as a junior, then led the Bears to a 23-11 record and the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 1987-88. Williams was a second-round NBA pick who played 10 seasons in the league. He joins previous Baylor Legend honorees Jerry Mallet and Terry Teagle this season.

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.).

FERRELL CENTER'S 17th YEAR
The Bears are in their 17th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 8-6 at home in 2004-2005 and owns a 150-106 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 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.

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)

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 Wednesday, Feb. 23 contest at Kansas State, its fourth straight midweek road game. Tipoff for the Bears-Wildcats game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Bramlage Coliseum.