BAYLOR (9-14, 1-11) at KANSAS STATE (13-10, 3-9)
Feb. 23, 2005 - Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan, Kan.) - 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: FSN Midwest (to air in Northern & Central Texas on FSN Southwest)
INTERNET VIDEO (BEARCAST): none

THE GAME
Baylor travels to Manhattan, Kan., for a Wednesday, Feb. 23 contest at Kansas State, the Bears' fourth straight midweek road game. Tipoff at the Bramlage Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live on FSN Midwest (will air in Northern and Central Texas on FSN Southwest). The Bears are 9-14, 1-11 on the season and attempting to snap a nine-game losing streak, most recently a 75-60 defeat to Texas at home Saturday. Baylor, the nation's most inexperienced team, is playing with limited scholarships and with nine newcomers. Kansas State owns a 13-10, 3-9 record and is on a six-game losing streak including a 69-68 setback to Oklahoma at home Saturday. The Wildcats lead Baylor 8-7 in the all-time series.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Aaron Bruce is the highest scoring freshman in the nation (17.7 ppg).
- Baylor has lost 9 straight games, its longest losing steak since dropping 17 straight to close the 1998-99 season.
- Aaron Bruce is averaging 21.4 points over the last 5 games.
- Baylor has won 1 of its last 9 games away from home (7 straight Big 12 road losses).
- With 9 wins, Baylor has surpassed last season's win total (8-21).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd in 3-point shooting (40%), 8th in FG shooting (47%) and 1st in FT shooting (88%) in the Big 12.
- Aaron Bruce (87.8%) and Tim Bush (83.6%) rank 1st & 4th 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 52 straight games [17-35 record] (since final game of 2002-2003 season).
- Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 21 of 23 games.
- Roscoe Biggers has 20 assists & 6 turnovers the last 5 gms (last 4 as starting PG).
- 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.
- Baylor is 13-19 (.406) vs. Big 12 North & just 8-41 (.163) vs. Southern schools over last 5 seasons.
- 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).
- Aaron Bruce was named the Midseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Rocky Mountain News.
- Baylor is 0-4 this season in games in which Tommy Swanson fouls out.
- Aaron Bruce has made a 3-pointer in 20 straight games (2nd-longest streak in school history - Tevis Stukes hit a 3 in all 29 games of 1999-2000).
- BU is 1-24 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 17-35 and a career record of 37-46 (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 KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Kansas State (13-10, 3-9) is led by fifth-year head coach Jim Wooldridge, who owns a 64-75 record at K-State and a 293-222 career record in four stints as a collegiate head coach at Central Missouri (1985-91), Southwest Texas State (1991-94) and Louisiana Tech (1994-98).

KSU NOTES: The Wildcats have lost six straight games... KSU is 11-5 at home in the Bramlage Coliseum this season... The Cats are led by senior F Jeremiah Massey, last season's Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, who averages 16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game... Sophomore F Cartier Martin is a native Texan (Nimitz High School in Houston)... KSU started the season 8-0 and was 10-1 in non-conference games.

THE KANSAS STATE SERIES
Baylor trails 8-7 in its short series with Kansas State, though the Bears have won six of nine games since the two schools became conference foes in the Big 12. The Wildcats lead 5-3 in games played in Manhattan. Kansas State won last season's matchup, a 64-62 decision in Waco.

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

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; 4th in Big 12), free throw shooting (87.8%; 1st in Big 12, 22nd nationally) and minutes played (34.3 mpg) and is second in 3-point percentage (39.7%; 3rd in Big 12). Bruce has scored in double-digits in 21-of-23 games and has a 20-game streak with at least one 3-pointer.

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, 46.9%); 3-point field goal percentage (1st, 39.7%); and free throw percentage (1st, 87.8%).

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 13.4 points [18th in Big 12], 5.8 rebounds [15th in Big 12], 34.2 minutes, is shooting 83.6% on free throws [4th in Big 12; 16th nationally] and has scored in double-digits in 14 of 19 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 contributor in scoring and rebounding for the young Bears. Swanson has increased his average points to 11.7 (from 6.4 as a sophomore), shooting percentage to 53 percent (from 45), rebounds to 5.7 [16th in Big 12] (from 4.1) and minutes to 29.4 (from 22.1). Swanson has made 52 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 23 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 (41.0%), eighth in field goal shooting (46.9%) and first in free throw shooting (87.8%).

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 (87.8%) and Tim Bush (83.6%) are putting up record numbers from the free throw line this season. The duo ranks first and fourth, respectively, in the Big 12 in free throw shooting. Bruce's 87.8 percent ranks 22nd nationally and Bush's 83.6 ranks 16th. Bruce's 87.8% percent currently ranks third all-time on Baylor's single-season free throw percentage listing.

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: KANSAS STATE 64 - BAYLOR 62 [Mar. 3, 2004]
Baylor's bid to send its three captains out victorious on senior night and to win its fourth Big 12 game of the season came inches short as R.T. Guinn's 3-point attempt bounced off the rim in the final second and Kansas State defeated the Bears 64-62 at the Ferrell Center. Baylor had made a furious second-half comeback after trailing by 21 points with 12 minutes to go. K-State led 56-37 at the 10 minute mark when Baylor began a 12-1 run ending with a Corey Herring layup to cut the lead to single digits at 57-49 with just under seven minutes left to play. The Wildcats pushed the lead back to 61-51 with five minutes to go, then Baylor went on an 11-3 run capped by Terrance Thomas' 3-pointer off the glass to close the gap to 64-62 with 41 seconds remaining. Kansas State faced a one-and-one foul situation twice in the closing seconds. But Jarrett Hart and Marques Hayden each missed their first free throws, and Baylor snared both rebounds. After Hayden's miss with 15 seconds left, Matt Sayman drove the lane and kicked to Guinn, who pump-faked once before releasing his final shot that bounced long as the game ended. "I thought it was over, and I also got away with a foul. I poked him in the side," KSU's Jeremiah Massey said of Guinn's 3-pointer. Kansas State closed out the final five minutes of the first half with a 10-1 run and led 39-22 at the break.

LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS 75 - BAYLOR 60
Baylor put up a good fight but was defeated 75-60 by Texas, the Bears' 15th straight loss in the series. The defeat was also the ninth straight for Baylor. Baylor cut the deficit to 54-45 with 8:34 left. Texas then scored five points on the same possession - in the same second. Daniel Gibson hit a long 3-pointer, and while the ball was in the air Tommy Swanson was called for a foul in the lane. The basket counted and then Jason Klotz made both free throws, making it 59-45 with 8:14 left. Texas kept at least a 10-point lead the rest of the way. Baylor, which tallied a season-low seven turnovers, was led by 19 points from Aaron Bruce - the nation's top-scoring freshman. Tim Bush had 15 points, but was limited by foul trouble. The Bears led for the first nine minutes, before a Gibson 3-pointer gave Texas a 15-14 lead. That 3 began a 15-0 Texas run the left Baylor down 27-14 with seven minutes remaining. Former Bear Kenny Taylor finished with 14 points and seven assists for the Longhorns.

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)

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 plays its final regular-season road game, Saturday, Feb. 26 when it faces Oklahoma in Norman. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CST at the Lloyd Noble Center and the game will be televised live on syndicated stations via ESPN+Plus (Time Warner Cable channel 16 in Waco/Temple/Bryan).