BAYLOR (0-6, 0-6) vs. KANSAS STATE (12-5, 3-3)
Feb. 1, 2006 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 7:00 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: none
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at BaylorBears.com
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THE GAME
Baylor plays the seventh game of its abbreviated season when it hosts Kansas State Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. Baylor (0-6, 0-6) has played just six games after an NCAA ban removed all non-conference games. The result is that the youthful Bears, playing four freshmen among their eight-man rotation, have suffered defeats at the hands of league teams in mid-season form and played the nation's toughest schedule. Baylor has lost 20 straight games dating back to last season. Kansas State (12-5, 3-3) had a three-game winning streak snapped last Saturday with a 79-75 loss at Colorado. The Wildcats are 1-4 on the road this season. Baylor is celebrating its 100th season of basketball in 2005-06, Wednesday marks the final day of fan voting for BU's All-Centennial Basketball Team.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- BU's schedule is rated the nation's toughest (by ESPN.com & CBSSportsLine RPI).
- Baylor has shot 48% (22-46) on 3-pointers over the last 2 games; led by Henry Dugat (4-7), Curtis Jerrells (4-8), Patrick Fields (3-6) & Aaron Bruce (8-17).
- Baylor's freshmen account for 51% of the team's scoring, 53% of rebounds, 58% of assists and 52% of minutes played.
- Mamadou Diene ranks 3rd in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds (3.7 orpg) and 4th in blocks per game (1.67 bpg).
- BU's 4 freshmen are outproducing the Bears' 4 returning starters in scoring (27.5-18.1 average points) and rebounding (16.6-10.9 average boards).
- Baylor's bench has accounted for 44% of its scoring (143 of 326 points).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 4th in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (2.8) and 6th in 3-point percentage (37.8%).
- Freshman Mamadou Diene has made at least block in all 6 career games (1.7 bpg).
- Baylor has lost 20 straight games (dating to last season), its longest losing streak since a school-record 23-game skid spanning the 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 30 of its last 34 games (dating to last year) [in 21 of last 34 a freshman has been top scorer].
- Baylor has allowed 3 of 6 opponents to shoot 50% or higher this season.
- Baylor's roster includes 6 freshmen, more than any other Big 12 team.
- Baylor is 11-2 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 3 seasons).
- BU is 1-32 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 3 years under Drew).

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew, in the third season of what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history at Baylor, owns a three-year mark of 17-46 at the school and a career record of 37-57 (four seasons). Prior to Baylor, 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 KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Kansas State (12-5, 3-3) is led by sixth-year head coach Jim Wooldridge, who owns an 80-82 record at K-State and a 309-229 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 are 1-4 away from home this season, the lone win a 59-55 decision at Kansas Jan. 14... KSU is led by junior F Cartier Martin, a native Texan (Nimitz High School in Houston), who averages 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game... The Cats won seven of their first eight games, and have tallied a 5-4 record since... Martin leads the Big 12 in free throw shooting percentage at 83.5 percent.

THE KANSAS STATE SERIES
Baylor trails 9-7 in its short series with Kansas State. The Bears have won six of 10 games since the two schools became conference foes in the Big 12, but the Wildcats have won two straight. Baylor leads 3-2 in series games played in Waco.

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 in mid-season form (what Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight termed a "tremendous handicap"). At the same time, the Bears are having to do so with a roster loaded with freshmen lacking collegiate experience (BU's top four freshmen play an average of 26.0 minutes between them).

BAYLOR LED BY ITS FRESHMAN QUARTET
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 six games, the freshmen have combined for 51 percent of the team's points, 53 percent of the rebounds, 58 percent of the assists and 52 percent of the minutes played.

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]

NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
Baylor's lack of non-conference games resulted in a schedule filled solely with Big 12 opponents. The difficult conference-only slate is rated the nation's toughest strength of schedule by the RPI on ESPN.com and CBSSportsLine.com.

BAYLOR VETS NOT CARRYING THE LOAD
Baylor's four returning starters haven't carried the team as much as most Bear fans might have expected heading into the season. The quartet (sophomores Aaron Bruce and Richard Hurd, junior Tim Bush and senior Tommy Swanson) is averaging just 18.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game combined; in comparison Baylor's four freshmen combine to average 27.5 points and 16.6 rebounds.

VOTING FOR ALL-CENTENNIAL TEAM TO END WEDNESDAY
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. The fan vote ends Wednesday, Feb. 1. Baylor fans can vote online at www.BaylorBears.com, at Central Texas H-E-B stores, and at Ferrell Center voting boxes. The team will be unveiled and honored during the Bears home game vs. Iowa State Feb. 25.

BAPTISM BY FIRE FOR BAYLOR'S CUBS
Rarely have collegiate freshmen been thrust into NCAA Division I 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 (and the nation's toughest schedule). Additionally, the freshmen are playing substantial minutes against experienced opponents in mid-season form.

BRUCE TRYING TO AVOID SOPHOMORE SLUMP
The Bears leading scorer, second-year guard Aaron Bruce, has experienced a drop in production from his sensational rookie year in which he led the nation's freshmen in scoring (18.2 ppg) and earned All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American accolades. Bruce's scoring average is down to 11.7 points per game through six games. He is sixth in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (37.8%) and fourth in 3-pointers made (2.8 3pg).

BAYLOR'S THREE TRUE FRESHMEN REMINISCENT OF `01-02 TRIO
Baylor's three true freshmen - Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers - have made an immediate impact this season; an impact that is reminiscent of another trio of Bear cubs that made a big splash in 2001-02. This year's freshmen are putting up numbers comparable to the previous trio of John Lucas III, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor. [Lucas and Roberts were eventual All-Americans and NBA players].

BAYLOR TRUE FRESHMEN                 MPG    PPG RPG APG'05-06 True Freshman (Dugat, Jerrells & Rogers) 76.5    24.2    9.9 5.5'01-02 True Freshman (Lucas, Roberts & Taylor)  69.3    33.7    11.4    5.5

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 3.3 points, 6.7 rebounds (12th in the Big 12) and 1.7 blocks (fourth in the league) per game in his first six games played. Diene ranks third in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.7 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.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.394).
- Tommy Swanson is 3 blocks shy of entering Baylor's Top 10 career blocks list (52 blocks, two players tied at No. 9 with 55).
- Aaron Bruce is 11 made 3-pointers shy of entering Baylor's Top 10 career 3-point field goal list (86 made, Patrick Hunter No. 10 with 97).
- Mamadou Diene is 15 blocks shy of qualifying for Baylor's single-season blocks list (would be 8th at 1.67).
- Tommy Swanson is 1 disqualification shy of entering Baylor's Top 10 career fouled out list (11 FOs, five players tied at No. 10 with 12).
- Kevis Shipman is 10 made 3-pointers shy of qualifying for BU's career 3-point percentage list (would be 7th at .367).

THE LAST MEETING: KANSAS STATE 80 - BAYLOR 69 [Feb. 23, 2005]
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.

LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS A&M 72 - BAYLOR 70
A late comeback fell just short for a scrappy Baylor squad that fell 72-70 on the road at Texas A&M's Reed Arena. The Bears fought back from a 12-point deficit in the second half. The Aggies barely outlasted Baylor after Aaron Bruce made three 3-pointers in the last 1:30, including one at the buzzer. Texas A&M made four free throws in the last 40 seconds to secure the win. The loss was Baylor's 20th straight, dating back to last season. The Aggies used an 11-0 run to open the second half that turned a 1-point halftime advantage into a commanding 43-31 lead. The Bears didn't score until Henry Dugat's 3-pointer more than four minutes into the half. Dugat single-handedly kept the game from getting out of hand in the next few minutes, scoring the Bears' first 13 points of the half, including two more 3s. The Bears finished 16-of-30 from 3-point range for 53 percent, with Bruce shooting 6-of-11 and Curtis Jerrells and Dugat hitting four each. The three guards scored 18 points apiece. In an ugly first half, both teams went through separate spans of almost seven minutes without scoring a field goal. Baylor's drought came midway through the half and Texas A&M's near the end. The Aggies had a 27-21 lead late in the first before Baylor scored seven straight points to take the lead. It would be short-lived as Texas A&M went back on top with Joseph Jones' dunk with 1:24 remaining. The Aggies led 32-31 at halftime.

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 20 straight games dating back to the 2004-05 season, the school's longest losing streak since a school-record losing skid of 23 games 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).

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. BU'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).

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.

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.

FERRELL CENTER'S 18th YEAR
The Bears are in their 18th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 0-3 at home in 2005-06 and owns a 150-112 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'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.

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)

NEXT UP...
Baylor travels to Lincoln, Neb., for a Saturday, Feb. 4, matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tipoff at the Devaney Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live via ESPN+Plus syndicated stations.