BAYLOR (3-11, 3-11) vs. TEXAS TECH (14-14, 6-8)
March 1, 2006 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 7:00 p.m. CST

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: Texas Tech Television Network
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at BaylorBears.com
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor concludes its home schedule when it hosts Texas Tech Wednesday, March 1. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST. The contest marks the final game in Waco for Baylor seniors Kevis Shipman and Tommy Swanson. Baylor (3-11, 3-11) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 91-73 win over Iowa State last Saturday. BU has played just 14 games after an NCAA ban removed all non-conference games. The result is that the young Bears, playing four freshmen among their eight-man rotation, have played the nation's toughest schedule. Texas Tech (14-14, 6-8) has lost its last two games, most recently a 74-63 setback at Oklahoma State Saturday. The Bears have lost nine of 10 meetings to the Red Raiders, including a 79-61 loss at Lubbock on Jan. 11, the first game of Baylor's abbreviated season. The Bears have won three of their last four home games, the lone loss a four-point defeat to Texas A&M. Baylor is celebrating its 100th season of basketball in 2005-06.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor's schedule is rated the nation's toughest (by ESPN.com's InsideRPI).
- Baylor has won 3 of its last 4 home games.
- Baylor has lost 9 of its last 10 games vs. Texas Tech, including 6 straight.
- Senior Tommy Swanson has averaged 8.8 points & 5.7 rebounds the last 6 games.
- Baylor's "Freshmen Four" account for 49% of the team's scoring, 52% of rebounds, 48% of assists and 50% of minutes played.
- Mamadou Diene leads the Big 12 in blocks per game (2.1 bpg) and 11th in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds (2.5 orpg).
- Baylor's 38.4 3-point percentage is within reach of the school-record 38.5% ('86-87).
- Over the last 6 games, Curtis Jerrells has averaged 16.8 points and shot 56% (15-of-27) on 3-pointers.
- BU's 4 freshmen are outproducing the Bears' 4 returning starters in scoring (29.8-21.6 average points) and rebounding (15.2-11.2 average boards).
- BU's 8.0 average 3-pointers per game ranks 2nd in the Big 12 and 42nd nationally.
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (41.1%) and 4th in 3-pointers per game (2.6).
- Baylor ranks 3rd in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting, hitting on 38.4% of 3s.
- Freshman Mamadou Diene has made at least one block in all 14 career games.
- Curtis Jerrells' 28-point effort in the win over Missouri matched the top scoring total by a freshman in the Big 12 this season.
- 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 37 of its last 42 games (dating to last year) [in 26 of last 42 a freshman has been top scorer].
- Baylor's bench has accounted for 39% of its scoring (338 of 860 points).
- Baylor's 3 Big 12 wins triples its conference victories from last season (1-15).
- Baylor is 14-2 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 3 seasons).
- BU is 1-33 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 3 years under Drew).
- Over the past five seasons Baylor is 53-4 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (2-1 this season).
- 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, in his third season at Baylor in what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history, owns a three-year mark of 20-51 at the school and a career record of 40-62 (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 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Texas Tech (14-14, 6-8) is led by fifth-year head coach Bobby Knight, in his 40th year as a collegiate head coach. Knight owns a career record of 868-347 and an 104-58 mark at Tech. He is the winningest active coach in Division I men's basketball.
TECH NOTES: The Red Raiders are 2-11 away from home this season... Tech is led by junior G Jarrius Jackson, the Big 12's leading scorer averaging 20.0 points a game... Jackson is shooting 44.2 percent from 3-point range... The Raiders are the Big 12's top 3-point shooting squad, shooting 39.1 percent from long range... Jackson leads the conference in free throw percentage (83.3%) and minutes played (3.70 mpg).

THE TEXAS TECH SERIES
The Bears and Red Raiders meet for the 112th time Wednesday, and Texas Tech holds a 72-39 series advantage. Tech has won nine of the last 10 meetings, including a 79-61 decision Jan. 11 in Lubbock (Baylor's first game of the season). The series is tied 25-25 in Waco and Tech has won two straight.

SENIOR SEND-OFF FOR SHIPMAN & SWANSON
Wednesday marks the final home game for seniors Kevis Shipman and Tommy Swanson. The pair will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Swanson, a forward/center from Fort Worth, is a fourth-year player who has started 69 games and ranks ninth on Baylor's all-time blocks list. Shipman is a former junior college transfer who has earned 19 career starts in two seasons and shoots 36 percent on 3-point shots.

"FRESHMAN FOUR" LEADING THE BEARS
Four of Baylor's six freshmen, the "Freshman Four" (Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells, and Kevin Rogers), are playing significant minutes and have made an immediate impact on this year's team. The freshmen have combined for 49 percent of the team's points, 52 percent of the rebounds, 48 percent of the assists and 50 percent of the minutes played.

JERRELLS MAKING BIG SPLASH AS ROOKIE
Curtis Jerrells has steadily produced for the Bears since earning the starting PG position to begin the season. The lefty true freshman from Austin, Texas, has averaged a team-leading 12.7 points and 3.2 assists. Over the last six games Jerrells has averaged 16.8 points and shot 56 percent on 3-pointers (15-of-27) and led the team in scoring four times. Jerrells earned Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors and Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week honors after scoring a career-best 28 points on 5-of-6 3-pointers in Baylor's 90-64 win over Missouri (the 28-point effort matched the top scoring game by a Big 12 freshman this season) and he hit a game-winning 3-pointer vs. Kansas State.

SWANSON STEPPING UP HIS PLAY
Senior F/C Tommy Swanson has stepped up his play over the last six games. In that span he has averaged 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds and shot 51.4% from the field (Swanson's numbers in the season's first eight games: 3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 30.0 FG%).

HOME vs. ROAD SUCCESS
The Bears have played significantly better basketball at home in the Ferrell Center this season than they have on the road. In addition to a better record at home (3-4 vs. 0-7 on the road), the following chart details other significant statistical differences based on location:

             Home        Road    Win-Loss Record:            3-4     0-7    Scoring Margin:     -3.6        -19.7    Field Goal %:       .433        .350    Rebounding Margin:          -2.0        -12.4    Jerrells' 3FG%:     44.8%       34.4%    Fields' FG%, PPG:           59.4%, 11.3 32.0%, 3.9

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

YOUNG BEARS OVERCOMING CRIPPLING SANCTIONS
Baylor was hamstrung to start its season by a crippling combination of no non-conference games and heavy inexperience. Due to NCAA sanctions Baylor was set back by having to start its season against teams in mid-season form (what Texas Tech Head Coach Bob Knight termed a "tremendous handicap"). At the same time, the Bears had to do so with a roster loaded with freshmen lacking collegiate experience (BU's "Freshmen Four" play an average of 25.8 minutes between them).

THE YOUNG "MAYOR" BIG 12's TOP SHOT-BLOCKER
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, 5.8 rebounds (13th in the Big 12) and a league-leading 2.1 blocks per game. Diene ranks 11th in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.5 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 FRESHMEN OUTPERFORMING THE VETERANS
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 21.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game combined; by comparison Baylor's four freshmen combine to average 29.8 points and 15.2 rebounds.

BRUCE'S NUMBERS LEVELING OFF DURING SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN
The Bears are once again led by second-year guard Aaron Bruce, though he hasn't had to carry the team's scoring load as he did during 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 is averaging 11.9 points per game in his sophomore campaign and ranks third in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (41.1%) and fourth in 3-pointers made (2.6 3pg).

TRIPLED LAST SEASON'S CONFERENCE WINS
With three wins so far in 2005-06, the Bears have tripled their total Big 12 victories from last season (one). Baylor, which has been hamstrung by sanctions in each of Scott Drew's three seasons at the helm, has finished 3-13 (`03-04) and 1-15 (`04-05) in Big 12 play the last two years.

SIGNEE CARTER NAMED McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN
Baylor signee Demond "Tweety" Carter has been selected to the prestigious 2006 McDonald's All-American Team. The 5-10, 170-pound guard will play for the West Team in the 29th Annual McDonald's All-American game March 29 at Cox Arena in San Diego, Calif. The game will be televised live on ESPN at 9 p.m. CST. Carter, a native of LaPlace, La., is the first Baylor player to be selected a McDonald's All-American. The McDonald's game is one of two all-star contests Carter will participate in. He was also selected to participate in the 2006 Jordan All-American Classic to be played April 22 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The incoming freshman has scored more than 7,200 career points at the prep level and is the second-highest scorer in national high school history. Carter, who has made 246 3-point field goals this season at RCS, recently broke the national record for single-season 3-pointers; shattering the old mark of 215.

THE BIG 12's YOUNGEST TEAM
Baylor is playing with a very inexperienced squad of youngsters. The Bears roster includes six freshmen (nine total underclassmen) and only two seniors. Baylor's freshmen average 25.9 minutes played per game - the most in the Big 12. Additionally, Baylor boasts the conference's leading freshman in blocks [Mamadou Diene, 2.1 bpg] and in minutes played [Curtis Jerrells, 33.1 mpg], as well as the No. 2 freshman scorer [Jerrells, 12.7 ppg], rebounder [Diene, 5.8 rpg] and assists [Jerrells, 3.2 apg]. Freshmen have led Baylor in scoring in eight of 14 games this season. Baylor's six freshmen (5 true, 1 redshirt) on the roster is the school's highest total in 28 years (seven frosh on '78-79 squad).

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.403).
- Curtis Jerrells is 1 assist shy of entering Baylor's freshman single-season assists list (45 assists, Matt Sayman No. 10 with 46).
- Tommy Swanson is 2 blocks shy of moving into 8th place on Baylor's Top 10 career blocks list (63 blocks, Jamie Kendrick No. 8 with 65).
- Aaron Bruce is 17 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 6th place on Baylor's career 3-point field goal list (106 made, David Wesley No. 6 with 123).
- Curtis Jerrells' 12.7 scoring average ranks 9th on Baylor's freshman scoring average list.
- Mamadou Diene ranks in a 5th place tie on BU's single-season blocks per game list (2.14).
- Curtis Jerrells ranks 4th on the Big 12's all-time freshman minutes played list (33.07 mpg).
- Pat Fields ranks 7th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.375).
- Aaron Bruce ranks 5th on Baylor's career free throw percentage list (.816).
- Tommy Swanson is 3 disqualifications shy of moving into 6th place on Baylor's career fouled-out list (13 FOs, Steve Bartels No. 6 with 16).
- Kevis Shipman is 8 made 3-pointers shy of qualifying for BU's career 3-point percentage list (would be 9th at .360).
- Mamadou Diene is 5 blocks shy of moving into 3rd place on Baylor's freshman single-season blocks list (30 blocks, John Flippen No. 3 with 35).

JERRELLS EARNS BIG 12 AND NATIONAL HONORS
Baylor true freshman G Curtis Jerrells was selected the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week and the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week last week after averaging 22 points in a win over Missouri and a loss at Oklahoma Feb. 7 and 11. The Big 12 award, selected by a media panel, is the first for a Baylor rookie since then-sophomore transfer Tim Bush was honored in January of last season. Jerrells, a true freshman from Austin, averaged 22 points and hit 6-of-7 3-pointers in Baylor's win over Missouri and loss at Oklahoma. He had a career day in the MU win, shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Jerrells also scored a team-high 16 in the loss at OU.

THE LAST MEETING: TEXAS TECH 79 - BAYLOR 61 [January 11, 2006]
After an unprecedented ban on non-conference games due to NCAA sanctions brought on by its previous coaching staff, Baylor opened its season Jan. 11, with a 79-61 loss at Texas Tech in the United Spirit Arena. The Bears made an impressive start, hitting five of their first six shots, including two 3-pointers by Aaron Bruce, to take a 20-17 lead through the first 11 minutes. Tech used a 20-4 run over the remainder of the half to take control. Tech built a 17-point lead twice in the second half. Baylor used an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 51-43 with 10 minutes to go, but the Red Raiders answered quickly, using an 11-2 run to go up 62-45 with 6:52 remaining. Tech outrebounded the Bears 45-26 and Baylor got only eight second-chance points. The Bears were 23-of-60 from the field. Tech took advantage of its conditioning edge by dominating inside. The Red Raiders outrebounded Baylor, 45-26, including 15 in offensive boards. They also had a 40-26 edge in points in the paint. Bruce, the nation's top scoring freshman last season, scored 20 points and Tim Bush added 12.

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 91 - IOWA STATE 73
Baylor's current players put the perfect finishing touches on the school's Centennial Weekend by polishing off Iowa State 91-73 at the Ferrell Center. The win was witnessed by more than 100 former Bears players, in town to celebrate the 100th season of basketball at Baylor. Quick 3-pointers in the first minute and a half by Aaron Bruce and Curtis Jerrells gave the Bears an early 6-0 that they pushed to 11-4 with a Mamadou Diene layup five minutes in. When Pat Fields hit a layup at 9:53 Baylor was up 23-10 and never looked back. Fields finished with a team-high 22 points off the bench, one of five Baylor players in double-digits in scoring. Fields' 22 tied a career-high while Kevin Rogers (17) and Diene (10) each topped their career bests. Leading 37-24 at halftime, Baylor jumped to a 45-26 lead three minutes into the second half. But Iowa State responded with a 17-4 run and cut the margin to single digits at 49-43 with 12 1/2 minutes left to play. The Bears regained control with a 10-3 outburst to make it 59-46 midway through the second half, and the Cyclones never cut their deficit to less than double digits. Baylor converted 24 of their 30 free-throw attempts, while the Cyclones shot 14-of-16. Baylor shot 54.5 percent from the field. The Bears held ISU to just 37.1 percent from the field, including just 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from 3-point range. The Cyclones missed 21 of their first 25 shots.

HOT PERIMETER SHOOTING
Baylor is shooting 38.4% (third in the Big 12) on 3-pointers this season, a shade below the school record of 38.5% recorded by the 1986-87 squad. The Bears are averaging 8.0 made 3-pointers per game, the second-most in the Big 12 and No. 42 nationally. That figure currently ranks fourth on the school's single-season 3-point field goals per game list (school record 9.46 3FG/G in 1994-95).

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) 79.7    27.1    9.6 4.8'01-02 True Freshman (Lucas, Roberts & Taylor)  69.3    33.7    11.4    5.5

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 non-conference games, jumped right from the high school ranks into Big 12 play (and the nation's toughest schedule). Additionally, Baylor's freshmen have played substantial minutes against experienced opponents in mid-season form.

BAYLOR'S 100-YEAR CELEBRATION
The 2005-06 season marks the 100th season of collegiate basketball at Baylor. Baylor's Centennial, which is presented by H-E-B, has been celebrated by a season-long series of events that culminated with last weekend's lettermen reunion. The highlight of BU's Centennial Weekend was the unveiling of Baylor's All-Centennial Basketball team, selected by a combination of fan voting and an expert panel. 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.

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]

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.

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).

FERRELL CENTER'S 18th YEAR
The Bears are in their 18th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 3-4 at home in 2005-06 and owns a 153-113 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...
The Bears conclude their abbreviated regular season on the road March 4 when they face Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. Tipoff at Gallagher-Iba Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.