BAYLOR (9-15, 1-12) at No. 22 OKLAHOMA (20-6, 9-4)
Feb. 26, 2005 - Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Okla.) - 12:30 p.m. CST

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RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN+Plus complete TV listings
INTERNET VIDEO (BEARCAST): none

THE GAME
Baylor plays its final true road game of the season when it faces No. 22 Oklahoma Saturday, Feb. 26, in Norman. Tipoff at the Lloyd Noble Center is scheduled for 12:30 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 9-15, 1-12 on the season and attempting to snap a 10-game losing streak, most recently an 80-69 defeat at Kansas State Wednesday. Baylor, the nation's most inexperienced team, is playing with limited scholarships and with nine newcomers. Oklahoma owns a 20-6, 9-4 record and has won three straight including a 71-63 win over Kansas Monday. The Bears have lost 21 straight games in the series vs. Oklahoma, including a narrow 65-61 decision in Waco last month.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Aaron Bruce is the highest scoring freshman in the nation (17.8 ppg).
- Baylor has lost 10 straight games, its longest losing steak since dropping 17 straight to close the 1998-99 season.
- With 9 wins, Baylor has surpassed last season's win total (8-21).
- Junior Tommy Swanson missed the KSU game due to injury, breaking a 52-game starting streak.
- Baylor has lost 16 straight games vs. ranked opponents (2-29 last 4 years).
- BU has won 1 of its last 10 games away from home (8 straight Big 12 road losses).
- Aaron Bruce is averaging 21.2 points over the last 6 games.
- Aaron Bruce ranks 4th in 3-point shooting (38%), 9th in FG shooting (47%) and 1st in FT shooting (87%) in the Big 12.
- Aaron Bruce (87.3%) and Tim Bush (84.0%) 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 53 straight games [17-36 record] (since final game of 2002-2003 season).
- Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 22 of 24 games.
- Roscoe Biggers has 24 assists & 7 turnovers the last 6 gms (last 5 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.
- 108 of Kevis Shipman's 125 points scored (86%) this year are from 3-pointers (36).
- 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.
- Aaron Bruce was named the Midseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Rocky Mountain News.
- Aaron Bruce has made a 3-pointer in 21 straight games (2nd-longest streak in school history - Tevis Stukes hit a 3 in all 29 games of 1999-2000).
- BU is 1-25 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.

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 17-36 and a career record of 37-47 (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 OKLAHOMA SOONERS
No. 22 Oklahoma (20-6, 9-4) is in its 11th season under the direction of Kelvin Sampson, who owns a 430-246 career record with stops at Montana Tech (1981-85) and Washington State (1985-94) prior to his days in Norman. Sampson has amassed a 254-98 ledger at Oklahoma, including eight 20-win campaigns.

OU NOTES: The Sooners are riding a three-game winning streak and are ranked 22nd nationally... OU is 13-1 at home this season... Oklahoma is holding opponents to a Big 12-best 28.2% on 3-point shots... The Sooners are led by junior F Taj Gray, who averages 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds... Gray leads the Big 12 in blocks (2.1) and offensive rebounds (3.4).

THE OKLAHOMA SERIES
Baylor and Oklahoma will meet for the 32nd time Saturday. The Sooners lead the all-time series 26-5 and have won 21 consecutive games dating back to the 1977-78 season, including a narrow 65-61 victory in Waco last month. The Bears trail 12-2 in the series in games played in Norman and have lost nine straight.

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 (17.8 ppg; 3rd in Big 12), free throw shooting (87.3%; 1st in Big 12, 17th nationally) and minutes played (34.4 mpg) and is second in 3-point percentage (37.9%; 4th in Big 12). Bruce has scored in double-digits in 22-of-24 games and has a 21-game streak with at least one 3-pointer.

BRUCE LEADING BIG 12 FRESHMEN
True freshman Aaron Bruce tops the Big 12 freshmen in three major categories: Scoring (1st, 17.8 ppg); field goal percentage (1st, 46.6%); free throw percentage (1st, 87.3%); and is second in 3-point field goal percentage (37.9%).

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 13.7 points [16th in Big 12], 5.8 rebounds [15th in Big 12], 34.4 minutes, is shooting 84.0% on free throws [3rd in Big 12] and has scored in double-digits in 15 of 20 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.

SWANSON'S STARTING STREAK ENDS WITH INJURY
Tommy Swanson had his 52-game consecutive starts streak snapped when he missed the Kansas State game due to an eye injury he sustained Feb. 19 vs. Texas. Swanson's status for the Oklahoma game will be a gameday decision.

"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).

BRUCE ALMIGHTY: PURE SHOOTER
Through 24 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 fourth in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting (37.9%), ninth in field goal shooting (46.6%) and first in free throw shooting (87.3%).

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 (87.3%) and Tim Bush (84.0%) 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 87.3 percent ranks 17th nationally and currently ranks third all-time on Baylor's single-season free throw percentage listing.

THE LAST MEETING: No. 25 OKLAHOMA 65 - BAYLOR 61 [Jan. 15, 2005]
Baylor battled No. 25 Oklahoma to the final minute but eventually fell 65-61 to the Sooners at the Ferrell Center. Oklahoma's Drew Lavender hit a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final 45 seconds to overcome the Bears' gutsy performance. Baylor fought back from a 12-point second-half deficit to cut it to 57-56 on Tommy Swanson's two free throws with 2:39 left. Two more times the Bears would come within one point, but never tied or went ahead. Lavender hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to give the Sooners a 62-58 lead. Tim Bush answered with a long 3-pointer with 31 seconds left, the last Baylor points. Baylor still had a chance to tie after a missed free throw by Oklahoma. Aaron Bruce drove the baseline with 11 seconds left but his reverse layup attempt in traffic ricocheted off the bottom of the rim. Bruce ended up in a scramble for the ball with Kevin Bookout. The officials ruled a jump ball, and the possession arrow pointed to Oklahoma. Lavender then made the two game-clinching free throws. Bruce scored a game-high 21 points and Swanson added 13 before fouling out with 2:14 left.

LAST TIME OUT: KANSAS STATE 80 - BAYLOR 69
Short-handed Baylor erased an 18-point second half deficit but a late comeback fell short as the Bears fell 80-69 to Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum. The Bears, playing with just five scholarship players after an injury to junior Tommy Swanson, lost their 10th straight game. Up 36-31 at the half, Kansas State opened the second half with a 14-1 run to take a commanding 50-32 lead with 15:56 remaining. Over the next 10 minutes the Bears crept back, cutting the lead to 60-58 on a Patrick Fields jumper with 5:13 to go. The Wildcats answered with a 3-pointer, then hit 13-of-14 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. Fields finished with 22 points to lead Baylor. Aaron Bruce added 20 points and five assists and Tim Bush had 18 points. The Wildcats outrebounded the Bears 35-19 and shot 56 percent from the field, taking advantage of 16 Baylor turnovers.

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).

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 13th NATIONALLY
Baylor's five-man early signee class is rated the 13th-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 returns home to host Texas Tech in a Wednesday, March 2, contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center and the game will be televised live on syndicated stations via ESPN+Plus (Time Warner Cable channel 16 in Waco/Temple/Bryan).