BAYLOR (1-0) at NIT SEASON TIP-OFF
WEST REGION - Spokane Arena (Spokane, Wash.)

vs. COLORADO STATE (1-0) - Nov. 14, 2006 - 6:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. CT
vs. GONZAGA or RICE - Nov. 15, 2006 - 4:30 PT/6:30 p.m. CT or 7:30 PT/9:30 p.m. CT

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RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: none (Nov. 15 championship game on ESPN2)
INTERNET VIDEO: none
LIVE STATS: TBA

THE TOURNAMENT
Baylor travels to Spokane, Wash., to participate in the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off West Region. The Bears open the tournament Tuesday, Nov. 14, with a matchup against Colorado State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 PT/8 p.m. CT at Spokane Arena. Baylor (1-0) is coming off a 90-65 win over Angelo State in the season-opener in Waco. The young Bears, with nine freshmen and sophomores, play a full season and have a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four years. Colorado State (1-0) beat Colorado State-Pueblo 76-67 in its season-opening game Friday in Fort Collins, Colo. Gonzaga and Rice face off in Tuesday's other contest. Wednesday will feature consolation (4:30 PT/6:30 p.m. CT) and championship (7:30 PT/9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2) games at Spokane Arena.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor is making its first-ever appearance in the 22-year-old NIT Season Tip-Off.
- Baylor returns its starting backcourt of Aaron Bruce (Jr.) and Curtis Jerrells (So.), both former Freshman All-Americans.
- Underclassmen have led BU in scoring in 41 of its last 46 games (dating to 2004-05) [in 28 of last 46 a freshman has been top scorer].
- Junior guard Aaron Bruce played for the Australia national team last summer that finished tied for ninth place in the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan.
- Sophomore Mamadou Diene has made at least one block in all 17 career games.
- Baylor's last three recruiting classes have all been rated Top-20 nationally: 2006 No. 17 (Rivals.com); 2005 No. 11 (Rivals.com); and 2004 No. 10 (Hoopscoop.com).
- True freshman Tweety Carter is Baylor's first-ever McDonald's All-America signee.
- Baylor is 16-3 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 4 seasons).
- BU is 1-33 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 4 years under Drew).
- Over the past six seasons Baylor is 55-5 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (1-0 in 2006-07).
- Baylor teams have made at least one 3-point basket in 424 straight games.
- Junior Aaron Bruce has started all 46 games of his career.

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew, in his fourth season at Baylor in what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history, owns a four-year mark of 22-53 at the school and a career record of 42-64 (five 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 five national Top-20 recruiting classes over the last eight years (No. 17 in 2006, No. 11 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.

BAYLOR IN NIT-SEASON TIP-OFF
Baylor's appearance in the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off is its first-ever participation in the 22-year-old tournament (formerly called the Preseason NIT). The 16-team tournament boasts a strong field that includes 10 teams that participated in postseason tournaments last season (8 NCAA, 2 NIT). The Bears will play a minimum of two games in the NIT's West Region, to be held at Spokane Arena. Following the opening round game, each participating school will play in regional championship or consolation games, with Baylor set to face either host Gonzaga or Rice in its second game Nov. 15. The revamped tournament, which in 2006 moved to a double-header "common site" format, features 16 teams grouped into four, four-team regions (East, Charlotte, N.C.; South, Nashville, Tenn.; Midwest, Indianapolis). Winners from each region will compete in New York's Madison Square Garden in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal and championship double-headers, Nov. 22 and 24.

THE COLORADO STATE RAMS
Head Coach: Dale Layer (Eckerd College, 1980); 253-180 17 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: tied 3-3
Last meeting: Baylor 68-53, Jan. 2, 2002 in Waco
Drew vs. CSU: 0-0
Baylor vs. Mountain West: 100-101

CSU NOTES: Colorado State (1-0) is located in Fort Collins, Colo., and is a member of the Mountain West Conference... The Rams return four starters from last season's 16-15 squad... CSU is led by NBA prospect junior C Jason Smith, a 7-footer who was a first-team All-MWC last season and averaged 16.2 ppg... Senior G Cory Lewis averaged 10.1 ppg last season... The Rams roster includes one Texan, 7-0 junior C Stuart Creason, a native of Coppell, Texas.

THE GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Head Coach: Mark Few (Oregon, 1987); 189-41 8 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: GU leads 1-0
Last meeting: GU 87-57, Nov. 29, 1991 at Fresno State Classic in Fresno, Calif.
Drew vs. GU: 0-0
Baylor vs. West Coast Conf.: 3-4

GU NOTES: Gonzaga (1-0) is located in Spokane, Wash. and is a member of the West Coast Conference... The Bulldogs are receiving votes in both the AP and coaches polls... The Zags lost All-American Adam Morrison to the NBA draft last season, but returned three starters from last season's 29-4 squad that finished fifth in the final AP poll... GU has made eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances... Gonzaga is led by senior G Derek Raivio, senior F Sean Mallon and sophomore F Josh Heytvelt.

THE RICE OWLS
Head Coach: Willis Wilson (Rice, 1982); 201-203 15 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: Rice leads 90-85
Last meeting: Rice 75-60, Dec. 1, 2001 at Houston
Drew vs. Rice: 0-0
Baylor vs. Conference USA: 193-255

RICE NOTES: Rice (1-0) is a fellow former Southwest Conference foe of Baylor and current Conference USA member... Head Coach Willis Wilson owns an 8-2 record vs. Baylor... The Owls returned three starters from last season's 12-16 squad... Rice is led by senior G Morris Almond, a conference player of the year candidate who led C-USA with 21.9 points per game last season.

FULL ROSTER, FULL SCHEDULE
For the first time in four seasons since taking over at Baylor, head coach Scott Drew has both a full allotment of scholarships available and a complete schedule to play. For three seasons the Bears have played through handicaps: in each of the first three years the program was playing with scholarship limits; last season, the Bears were stripped of playing a non-conference schedule (all results of sanctions brought on by the previous coaching staff). In 2006-07 Baylor has 13 scholarships available to use and will play a full schedule.

TWO BEARS STARTERS INJURED
Two Baylor starters are currently injured: senior G/F Pat Fields and sophomore C Mamadou Diene. Diene is nursing a sprained ankle and sat out the Bears' exhibition and last Saturday's season opener. He may return to action Tuesday or Wednesday at the NIT Season Tip-Off. Fields is out with a sprained MCL in his knee suffered during the exhibition game Nov. 4, and is sidelined for four to six weeks.

BRUCE ALMIGHTY BACK AS SEASONED JUNIOR
The 2006-07 Bears are once again led by third-year guard Aaron Bruce, who had 11 points, six rebounds and six assists in the season-opening win over Angelo State. The junior, rated the nation's 11th-best point guard by The Sporting News preseason publication, spent the offseason playing for the Australian national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan. Bruce averaged 13.1 points during an injury-riddled sophomore campaign last season and averaged 18.2 points in 2004-05 when he led the nation's freshmen in scoring and was named a freshman All-American.

JERRELLS LOOKS TO BUILD ON STELLAR FRESHMAN SEASON
Curtis Jerrells, who scored eight points and had four assists in the season-opening win over Angelo State, is coming off a rookie season in which he led the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), assists (3.3 apg), steals (1.4 spg) and minutes (33.4 mpg) and was named a Freshman All-American. Jerrells is projected a preseason All-Big 12 selection by Lindy's, USA TODAY and ESPN.com. He has also been named the Big 12's "Most Underrated Player" by both Athlon and The Sporting News preseason publications.

MAYOR DIENE'S SECOND TERM AS SHOT BLOCKER
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot sophomore from Senegal, has yet to play this season due to an ankle injury suffered in preseason practice. Diene established himself in his rookie season as the Big 12's top shot-blocker and is on pace to be the second-most prolific swatter in Baylor history. Diene averaged a league-leading 2.2 blocks per game and is second on the school's career blocks-per-game chart trailing only current Milwaukee Buck Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Diene, referred to as "The Mayor" by the Baylor coaching staff due to his huge popularity across campus, averaged 3.2 points and 5.8 rebounds (13th in the Big 12) as a freshman. The 19-year-old Diene has gained more than 55 pounds since his arrival in the United States in Jan. 2005 weighing 197 pounds.

BRUINS BOAST TALENTED BACKCOURT
The strength of Baylor's 2006-07 team lies in it's talented pool of guards. Led by former Freshmen All-Americans Aaron Bruce (2005) and Curtis Jerrells (2006), Baylor's backcourt was listed among the nation's top 14 backcourts in The Sporting News preseason publication. Junior Bruce (13.1 ppg in 2005-06) and sophomore Jerrells (13.5 ppg) are joined in the backcourt by sophomore Henry Dugat (7.2) and the school's first-ever McDonald's All-American, freshman Demond "Tweety" Carter.

BEARS STILL YOUNG
Despite returning 11 of last season's 13 players, the Bears are still a relatively young squad in 2006-07. Baylor's roster includes just two seniors and three juniors compared to nine freshmen and sophomores. [Note: Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 40 of its last 45 games (over the last three seasons); in 28 of those 45 a freshman has been top scorer.]

"FRESHMAN FOUR" BACK FOR SOPHOMORE SEASON
Back for its sophomore campaign is Baylor's 2005-06 rookie quartet of Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers, nicknamed the "Freshman Four" last season. The four were huge contributors as freshmen, when they combined to account for 46 percent of the team's scoring, 51 percent of rebounds, 49 percent of assists and 49 percent of minutes played.

BEARS RETURN PRODUCTION NUMBERS
In 2006-07 Baylor returns four-of-five starters, 11-of-13 roster players and a great majority of its production, statistically speaking. The Bears return 87.6 percent of last season's points, 84.7 percent of rebounds and 93.5 percent of assists.

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears are 53-18 in regular-season non-league play over the past seven seasons (1-0 this season).

THE LAST MEETING: BAYLOR 68 - COLORADO STATE 53 [Jan. 2, 2002]
John Lucas III scored 19 points and Wendell Greenleaf added 15 to lead Baylor to a 68-53 win over Colorado State at the Ferrell Center. Lucas connected on 7-of-9 field goal attempts for Baylor (10-3), including 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Colorado State's Brian Greene led all scorers with 22 points. Baylor's Greg Davis and Lawrence Roberts scored 10 points apiece. After missing their only free-throw opportunity in the first half, the Bears made 14-of-16 in the second half, while Colorado State (7-6) managed only a 15-for-24 effort for the game. For the game, Baylor shot 52 percent, hitting 22-of-42 shots, while the Rams tallied 37 percent with a 19-of-52 mark. Trailing 35-27 at halftime, Colorado State narrowed the margin to 41-40 with just over 15 minutes remaining in the game. The Bears answered with a 12-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 53-44 lead. The Rams closed to within four at 55-51 with just over five minutes to play, but Baylor sank 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to clinch the win. Baylor connected on 7-of-14 3-pointers in the first half with Greenleaf and Kevin Henry both adding two apiece. The Rams failed to hit a single shot from 3-point range, going 0-for-9 in the contest.

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 90 - ANGELO STATE 65
Kevin Rogers scored a career-high 21 points to lead Baylor to a season-opening 90-65 victory over Angelo State at the Ferrell Center. The Bears opened the second half with a 21-6 run to take a 69-43 lead midway through the second half. The Bears led 48-37 at halftime and shot 21-of-31 (67.7 percent) from the field in the first half while holding the Rams to 11-of-25 (44.0 percent) shooting. Baylor finished the game shooting 35-of-56 (62.5 percent), the best percentage since shooting 62.3 percent in their 90-64 defeat of Missouri on February 7, 2006. Senior Tim Bush had 17 points and junior Aaron Bruce had 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Freshman center Josh Lomers, starting in the place of injured sophomore center Mamadou Diene, had 10 points and seven rebounds in his collegiate debut. ASU's Marcus Hubbard led all scorers with 29 points, and former Baylor guard Turner Phipps added 17. As a team, the Rams made 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) shots from 3-point range. The young Baylor squad has now been led in scoring by underclassmen in 41 of the past 46 games dating back to the 2004-05 season.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.403).
- Aaron Bruce is 9 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 7th place on Baylor's career 3-point field goal list (114 made, David Wesley No. 7 with 123).
- Pat Fields ranks 6th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.378).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 5th on Baylor's career free throw percentage list (.817).
- Mamadou Diene ranks 2nd on Baylor's career blocks-per-game list (2.24).

FRESHMAN CLASS RATED 17th NATIONALLY
Baylor's 2006 signee class was rated the nation's 17th-best class by Rivals.com and is made up of a trio of freshman, all top-100 national recruits. The signees include Demond "Tweety" Carter of Reserve Christian School (Reserve, La.), Josh Lomers of Boerne (Texas) High School and Djibril "Penny" Thiam of Stoneridge Prep (Tarzana, Calif.).

INTERNATIONAL ROSTER
Baylor's 14-man, 2006-07 roster boasts 10 Americans and four players from overseas. The four international student-athletes include junior Aaron Bruce (native of Australia), sophomore Mamadou Diene (native of Senegal), redshirt freshman Jari Vanttaja (native of Finland) and true freshman Djibril "Penny" Thiam (native of Senegal).

DEPARTED PLAYERS
Baylor lost just two lettermen from it's 2005-06 roster: four-year forward Tommy Swanson (6.6 ppg) and two-year transfer guard Kevis Shipman (2.1 ppg).

EARLY 2007 SIGNEES
Baylor signed two players in the early signing period, LaceDarius Dunn of Monroe, La., and Fred Ellis of Sacramento, Calif. Dunn, a senior at Excelsior Christian School, is the highest-rated Baylor signee in recent memory. Dunn is rated the No. 18 recruit nationally by Scout.com's Dave Telep. Other national ratings include: No. 27 by Hoopmasters.com, No. 29 by HoopScoop.com and No. 33 by Rivals.com. A 6-4 shooting guard, Dunn was rated the No. 5 player at the 2006 Adidas Superstar Camp in Atlanta by USA TODAY. He is rated the nation's fifth-best shooting guard by Scout.com and the No. 7 shooting guard by Rivals.com. Dunn is a two-time, first-team all-state honoree who guided ECS to a 35-4 record as a junior in 2005-06, averaging 27.7 points, 13 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Dunn led Excelsior Christian to the Class C state title and a 47-2 record as a sophomore in 2004-05. Ellis is a senior at Sacramento High School in Sacramento, Calif. He was called the "biggest sleeper" recruit of the summer by Telep at Scout.com. A 6-7 wing, Ellis led SHS to a 29-6 overall record and an 11-1 conference mark as a junior in 2005-06. Sacramento lost in the SJS-Div. III championship game. Ellis averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. Ellis was invited to the Super 100 Basketball Camp in Berkeley last summer.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES:

Name            Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Schools)LaceDarius Dunn           G 6-4 190 Fr. Monroe, La. (Excelsior Christian School)Fred Ellis      F   6-7 190 Fr. Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento HS)

OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games are aired live via the Baylor-ISP Radio Network on flagship station 1660AM ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco and worldwide on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 161. Selected games will air on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate KKDL 1160AM. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his 12th season, and former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley, in his 25th 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 BaylorTV.com.

NEXT UP...
The Baylor-Colorado State winner will face the winner of the Gonzaga-Rice matchup in the NIT Season Tip-Off West Region championship game Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 PT/9:30 p.m. CT live on ESPN2. The losing teams will face off Wednesday at 4:30 PT/6:30 p.m. CT. The Bears return home to face Texas Southern Nov. 20 at the Ferrell Center.