BAYLOR (0-3, 0-3) vs. No. 5 TEXAS (15-2, 3-0)
Jan. 21, 2006 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 3:00 p.m. CST

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

THE GAME
Baylor faces the toughest test yet in its abreviated season when it hosts No. 5 Texas Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Ferrell Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live via ESPN+Plus syndicated stations (KCEN NBC6 in Waco/Temple/Bryan). Baylor (0-3, 0-3) has played just three games after an NCAA ban removed all non-conference games. The result is that the youthful Bears, playing four freshmen among its seven-man rotation, have suffered three defeats at the hands of league teams in midseason form. Baylor has lost 17 straight games dating back to last season. Texas (15-2, 3-0) is on a seven-game winning streak and has won 15 straight games in the series vs. Baylor; the most-played rivalry for both schools (222nd meeting). Baylor is celebrating its 100th season of basketball in 2005-06.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor has dropped 15 straight contests in the series vs. Texas (dating to 1998).
- Saturday marks the 222nd meeting between Baylor and Texas, the most-played rivalry for both schools (UT leads 146-75).
- Baylor's freshmen account for 54% of the team's scoring, 55% of rebounds, 59% of assists and 52% of minutes played.
- Baylor's schedule strength is ranked 9th nationally (by CBSSportsLine.com's RPI).
- Mamadou Diene leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, averaging 4.3 per game.
- BU's 4 freshmen are outproducing the Bears' 4 returning starters in scoring (28.7-21.0 average points) and rebounding (18.0-10.3 average boards).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and 5th in 3-point percentage (39.1%).
- Baylor has lost 17 straight games (dating to last season), its longest losing streak since dropping 17 straight to close the 1998-99 season [school record is 23-game skid spanning 1943-44 & 1944-45 seasons].
- For the 3rd straight season BU is playing without its full allotment of scholarships (12 available, 10 filled).
- Underclassmen have led BU in scoring in 29 of its last 31 games (dating to last year) [in 20 of last 31 a freshman has been top scorer].
- Baylor's roster includes 6 freshmen, more than any other Big 12 team.
- Baylor is 11-1 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 3 seasons).
- Aaron Bruce has made a 3-pointer in 28 straight games dating to last season (2nd-longest streak in school history - Tevis Stukes hit a 3 in all 29 games of 1999-2000).
- BU is 1-31 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 3 years under Drew).
- Over the past five seasons Baylor is 51-3 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (8-0 last season).
- Baylor teams have made at least one 3-point basket in 409 straight games.
- Baylor will play a minimum of 17 games this season. The last time BU played fewer than 21 games was 1944-45 (0-17).

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew is in his third season of the massive rebuilding project he undertook at Baylor and owns a three-year mark of 17-43 and a career record of 37-54 (four 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 seven years (No. 17 in 2005 and No. 10 in 2004 at Baylor; No. 6 in 2001 and No. 13 in 1999 at Valpo). He was named the 1998-99 National Recruiter of the Year by Court Vision.

THE TEXAS LONGHORNS
No. 5 Texas (15-2, 3-0) is led by seventh-year head coach Rick Barnes, in his 19th year as a head coach. Barnes owns a career record of 378-205 with stints at George Mason, Providence and Clemson; he is 176-71 with the Longhorns.

UT NOTES: Texas is 5-1 away from home this season... The Longhorns are led by junior F P.J. Tucker, who averages 17.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game... UT leads the Big 12 in rebounding, averaging 42.9 boards per game, and boasts the top two individual rebounders in the league in sophomore F LaMarcus Aldridge (9.8 rpg) and Tucker (9.0)... The Horns have won seven straight games... Texas is outscoring its opponents by a 21.6 margin, tops in the Big 12... The Longhorns also lead the league in field goal percentage defense (35.8%) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.6%).

THE TEXAS SERIES
Saturday marks the 222nd meeting between Baylor and Texas, the most-played rivalry for both schools (dating back to the 1905-06 season). The Longhorns own a 146-75 advantage in the all-time series, including a 59-45 edge in games played in Waco. The Longhorns have won 15 straight meetings. Baylor's last victory over Texas came Feb. 21, 1998 when the Bears knocked off UT 80-75 at home.

CRIPPLING SANCTIONS & INEXPERIENCED ROSTER
Baylor's basketball program has been hamstrung by a crippling combination of no non-conference games and heavy inexperience. Due to NCAA sanctions Baylor has been set back by having to play teams with half a season under their belts. At the same time, the Bears are having to do so with a roster loaded with freshmen without collegiate experience (BU's top four freshmen play an average of 25.9 minutes between them).

BAYLOR LED BY ITS CUBS
Four of Baylor's six freshmen (Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells, and Kevin Rogers) are playing significant minutes and have made an immediate impact on this year's team. Through three games, the freshmen have combined for 54 percent of the team's points, 55 percent of the rebounds, 59 percent of the assists and 52 percent of the minutes played.

INCREDIBLY TOUGH SCHEDULE
Baylor's lack of non-conference games has resulted in a schedule filled solely with Big 12 opponents. The result is high schedule difficulty, and a national ranking of ninth in strength of schedule (by CBSSportsLine.com's RPI), currently the highest schedule strength among Big 12 schools.

HALF A SEASON
Due to unprecedented NCAA sanctions brought on by the previous coaching staff, Baylor did not play any regular-season non-conference games this season. Baylor will play a minimum of 17 games this season (16-game Big 12 schedule plus at least one game in Big 12 Championship). The last time the Bears played fewer than 21 games in a season was 1944-45, when Baylor finished 0-17. [NOTE: Baylor is eligible for postseason play]

BAPTISM BY FIRE FOR BAYLOR'S CUBS
Rarely have collegiate freshmen been thrust into NCAA Division-1 play as emphatically as Baylor's cubs. The Bears rookies, without the benefit of exhibition contests or non-conference games, jumped right from the high school ranks into Big 12 play. Additionally, the freshmen are playing substancial minutes against experienced opponents in midseason form.

BAYLOR VETS NOT CARRYING THE LOAD
Baylor's four returning starters haven't carried the team as most Bears fans might have expected heading into the 2005-06 season. The quartet (sophomores Aaron Bruce and Richard Hurd, junior Tim Bush and senior Tommy Swanson) is averaging just 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game combined; in comparison Baylor's four freshmen are averaging 28.7 points and 18.0 rebounds combined.

BRUCE ALMIGHTY AVOIDING THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP
The Bears continue to be led by sophomore guard Aaron Bruce, coming off a sensational rookie year in which he led the nation's freshmen in scoring and earned All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American accolades. Through three games Bruce is 17th in the Big 12 in scoring (13.3 ppg), fifth in 3-point percentage (39.1%) and second in 3-pointers made (3.0 3pg) [29th nationally].

EMERGENCE OF "THE MAYOR"
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot redshirt freshman from Senegal, has made his presence felt early in his young career. Diene, referred to as "The Mayor" by the Baylor coaching staff due to his huge popularity across campus, has averaged 5.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his first three games played. Diene is leading the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, averaging 4.33 per game. The 18-year-old Diene has gained more than 40 pounds since his arrival in the United States in Jan. 2005 weighing 197 pounds.

BAYLOR'S THIRD HANDICAPPED SEASON
For the third straight year, Baylor enters the season without its full allotment of scholarships. The Bears have 12 available scholarships (only 10 filled). During head coach Scott Drew's first two seasons, Baylor dressed seven or fewer scholarship players in every game.

WINLESS STREAK
The Bears have lost 17 straight games dating back to the 2004-05 season, the school's longest losing streak since the 1998-99 Baylor squad lost its final 17 games (finished 0-16 in Big 12, Harry Miller's final season). The school's longest losing streak is a 23-game skid spanning the last six games of 1943-44 and the entire 17-game schedule in 1944-45 (interestingly, that streak was followed by a 25-5 season in 1945-46 in which Baylor won the Southwest Conference and qualified for the NCAA Tournament under new head coach Bill Henderson).

BEARS vs. NATIONALLY RANKED FOES
Saturday's matchup vs. No. 5 Texas is Baylor's first game against a ranked opponent this season. The Bears are 2-30 over the last five seasons vs. ranked teams and have lost 17 straight since knocking off No. 13 Oklahoma State 74-72 in Stillwater on Feb. 15, 2003.

PRESEASON HONORS
Aaron Bruce is rated the eighth-best point guard nationally by CBSSportsline.com and No. 12 in Lindy's preseason publication and is also honored with the league's "Best Instincts" by Street & Smith's magazine. The sophomore was also projected an All-Big 12 honoree by Lindy's and Athlon. Baylor freshman Kevin Rogers was named the Big 12's "No. 1 Signing Coup" by Lindy's and Rivals, as well as being tabbed a "Top 100 College Freshman by Street & Smith's.

THE LAST MEETING: TEXAS 75 - BAYLOR 60 [Feb. 19, 2005]
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.

LAST TIME OUT: COLORADO 81 - BAYLOR 48
A young Baylor squad lost the third game of its abbreviated season when it was snowed under a barrage of 11 Colorado 3-pointers and dropped an 81-48 decision to the Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. The Buffaloes beat Baylor for the sixth straight times at home, and extended the Bears losing streak to 17 games. Freshman Henry Dugat led Baylor with 10 points. The team's leading scorer Aaron Bruce had nine points and didn't score until hitting a 3-pointer a little over a minute into the second half. The Bears started strong and after a Tim Bush layup led 12-7 at the 11:48 mark. Following a timeout Colorado hit back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 13-12 and never trailed again. Baylor managed only two field goals and a pair of free throws over the final 10:12 of the period and trailed 36-18 at halftime. Curtis Jerrells hit 1-of-2 free throws ahead of an 11-2 run for Colorado to increase the Buffaloes lead to 60-36 with 7:40 remaining.

VERY YOUNG CUBS
Baylor has six freshmen on its roster (5 true, 1 redshirt), the school's highest such total in 28 years (7 frosh on '78-79 squad) and the most of any Big 12 team. Baylor's roster boasts two seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen.

BEARS REACH NEW HEIGHTS... LITERALLY
Unlike last season when Baylor's roster had a noticeable lack of height - with only two players taller than 6-6 (one a walk-on) - the 2005-2006 roster boasts five such players: Kevin Rogers (6-9), Mark Shepherd (6-9), Tommy Swanson (6-10), Jari Vanttaja (6-10) and Mamadou Diene (7-0).

SWANSON'S SENIOR EXPERIENCE A RARITY
Fourth-year senior Tommy Swanson entered the season as not only the most experienced member of the Bear squad - he's also a rare veteran in BU's recent basketball history. Swanson was just the second BU player in the last six years to enter his senior season with more than 60 career games played as a Bear (73 prior to season); former teammate Matt Sayman had 89 entering senior year.

INTERNATIONAL ROSTER
Baylor's 13-man 2005-2006 roster boasts 10 Americans and three players from overseas. The three, all signed by Scott Drew in the last two years, include sophomore Aaron Bruce (native of Australia), redshirt freshman Mamadou Diene (native of Senegal) and freshman Jari Vanttaja (native of Finland).

DEPARTED PLAYERS
Baylor lost four lettermen from it's 2004-05 roster: three walk-on guards (freshman Hall Henderson, sophomore Turner Phipps and senior Ryan Pryor) and sophomore guard Roscoe Biggers.

PLENTY OF NEWCOMERS
Baylor's 2005-2006 roster lists five newcomers and a redshirt who has yet to dress for a game. The six rookies include five true freshmen [Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells, Kevin Rogers, Carl Sims and Jari Vanttaja] and one redshirt freshman [Mamadou Diene].

RECRUITING CLASS RATED 11th NATIONALLY
Baylor's 2005 signee class was rated the nation's 11th-best class by Rivals and No. 17 according to HoopScoop. The class includes three national Top-100 freshmen and a top international signee. The signees include four prep seniors, Henry Dugat of Dayton (Texas) High School, Curtis Jerrells of Del Valle High School in Austin, Texas and Kevin Rogers of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas; as well as Jari Vanttaja of Oulu, Finland.

100th SEASON OF BASKETBALL
The 2005-2006 season marks the 100th season of collegiate basketball at Baylor. Baylor's Centennial, which is presented by H-E-B, will be celebrated by a season-long series of events, culminating with a basketball lettermen reunion the weekend of Feb. 24-25. The highlight of the weekend's events will be the announcing and honoring of the 15-man Baylor All-Centennial Team during the Bears home game vs. Iowa State Saturday, Feb. 25. Baylor basketball officially began in 1906-07 with a seven-man squad that won its first two games and finished 5-6. The Bears' storied history includes Final Four appearances in 1948 and 1950, a national runner-up finish in 1948, five conference championships as well as the heroic tragedy of the 1927 Immortal Ten team.

ALL-CENTENNIAL TEAM
Baylor's season-long series of Centennial events is highlighted by the selection of an All-Centennial Team. The team, selected by a combined fan vote and expert panel, will represent the 15 greatest players in Baylor basketball history. Baylor fans can vote online at www.BaylorBears.com and at Central Texas H-E-B stores. Additionally, ballots will be published in the Waco Tribune-Herald and available at Ferrell Center voting booths during Baylor's men's games. Voting will conclude Feb. 1 and the team will be unveiled and honored during the Bears home game vs. Iowa State Saturday, Feb. 25.

BIG 12 10th ANNIVERSARY VOTING NOW OPEN
The Big 12 is celebrating its 10th anniversary this season and is selecting special teams to honor the top players in the first nine years of the conference. Followers of the Big 12 can vote for the top five men's basketball players in league annals by visiting the conference web site at www.big12sports.com/10th-anniversary/. Winners will be announced live on the ESPN Plus Studio 66 halftime show in early February.

BAYLOR'S EARLY SIGNING CLASS RATED 21st NATIONALLY
Baylor's two-man early signing class was rated 21st nationally by Rivals.com, the second-highest national ranking for a class of two or fewer players. The signees include two consensus Top 100 recruits, guard Demond "Tweety" Carter and center Josh Lomers. Carter, a 5-10 point guard for Reserve Christian from LaPlace, La., is one of the most prolific scorers in high school basketball history. His national rankings include No. 45 HoopScoop, No. 47 CSTV.com, No. 61 Rivals.com, No. 82 Hoopmasters and No. 87 Scout.com. Carter is rated a Top-10 point guard recruit nationally by both Rivals.com and Hoopmasters. Carter, whose nickname is "Tweety," has scored more than 6,000 career points and been a varsity starter since the seventh grade. He is a four-time all-state selection and has led Reserve Christian to three state championships, including the school's first-ever title in 2002 as an eighth grader when he was honored as the tournament MVP. Lomers is rated the No. 6 center nationally by Rivals.com. Overall he is rated nationally by CSTV.com (No. 39), Rivals.com (No. 43), Hoopmasters (No. 64), and Scout.com (No. 88). Lomers is also the third-rated recruit in Texas according to Rivals.com. A 7-foot, 1-inch center, Lomers plays for Boerne (Texas) High School and was named to the 2005 TABC 4A All-State team as a junior last season after averaging 22 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7 blocks per game at Boerne.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES:Name            Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Schools)Demond "Tweety" Carter  G   5-10    170 Fr. LaPlace, La. (Reserve Christian School)Josh Lomers     C   7-1 250 Fr. Boerne, Texas (Boerne HS)

FERRELL CENTER'S 18th YEAR
The Bears are in their 18th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 0-1 at home in 2005-06 and owns a 150-110 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.

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 11th season, and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley, in his 24th season as color analyst.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour wrap-up of Baylor 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. All shows are archived online at BaylorBears.com and BaylorTV.com.

NEXT UP...
Baylor plays a second straight home game when it hosts Oklahoma Wednesday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center.