BAYLOR (11-5, 1-2) at KANSAS STATE (11-6, 1-2)
Jan. 17, 2007 • Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan, Kan.) • 7:00 p.m. CST
PDF of complete Game Notes & Stats

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco / Sirius Satellite ch. 161)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: FSN Midwest / FSN Southwest (Texas listings)
INTERNET VIDEO: none
LIVE STATS: Live stats on K-StateSports.com

THE GAME
Baylor plays the first of two consecutive road games Wednesday, Jan. 17, when it faces Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at Bramlage Coliseum and the game will be televised live in parts of Texas on FSN Southwest . Baylor is 11-5 (1-2 Big 12) and coming off a 73-70 win over Texas Tech in Waco Saturday. The young Bears, with nine freshmen and sophomores, are playing a full schedule and have a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons. Kansas State is 11-6 (1-2) and most recently beat Missouri 85-81 Saturday in Columbia. The Wildcats own a slim 9-8 lead in the all-time series between the schools. Baylor won last season's matchup in a thrilling 72-70 overtime contest in Waco that snapped a 20-game Bears losing streak.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Baylor is 2-30 in its last 32 true road games (dating to '02-03) and has lost 18 straight since a 73-72 win at Purdue 12-30-04.
• Baylor is 4-35 in its last 39 away games (dating to '02-03).
• Baylor has won two of its last three games at Manhattan (lost most recent in `04-05).
• Baylor's 11 wins is the most in a season in Scott Drew's four seasons at the helm.
• Baylor is 8-1 this season when Curtis Jerrells scores in double-digits.
• Tweety Carter leads Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers made (33) & 3-point percentage (37.9%) and is 3rd in assists-per-game (2.6).
• BU is 16-25 (.390) over the last 7 seasons vs. Big 12 North schools. The Bears are just 10-46 (.179) vs. South schools over the same span.
• Sophomore Kevin Rogers is averaging 16.7 points & 9.7 rebounds in Big 12 games.
• Due to ankle & knee injuries Mamadou Diene has just 3 blocks over the last 7 games (23 blocks in first 8 games). Diene ranks 2nd in Big 12 with 2.0 avg blocks.
• Baylor is scoring 78.4 ppg, 15.2 ppg more than last season (4th in 12 rankings), the school's highest scoring average since the `94-95 squad averaged 81.2 ppg.
• Kevin Rogers' 56.5% field goal shooting ranks 5th in Big 12 & 43rd nationally.
• Baylor is undefeated (15-0) in the Drew Era when scoring 80-plus points.
• Baylor is 10-0 this season when leading or tied at the half.
• Sophomore Kevin Rogers has more than doubled his scoring output from last season - 13.6 ppg up from 6.1 ppg - the 4th biggest increase among Big 12 players.
• BU's quartet of sophomore starters (Diene, Dugat, Jerrells & Rogers; last season's "Freshman Four") accounts for 53% of Baylor's scoring and 59% of its rebounds.
• Underclassmen have led BU in scoring in 52 of its last 61 games (dating to 2004-05) [in 31 of last 61 a freshman has been top scorer].
• BU's 1.05 assist-to-turnover ratio is the 2nd-highest in 29 years of records at school.

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 32-58 at the school and a career record of 52-69 (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.

THE KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Head Coach: Bob Huggins (West Virginia, 1977); 578-205, 25 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: KSU leads 9-8
Last meeting: Baylor 72-70 OT, Feb. 1, 2006 in Waco
Streak: Baylor won 1 straight
Series at Manhattan: KSU leads 6-3
Drew vs. KSU: 1-2

KSU NOTES: K-State is 11-6, 1-2 under first-year head coach Bob Huggins... The Wildcats returned four starters from last season's 15-13 squad... KSU is 6-1 this season at home in Bramlage Coliseum... Baylor has won two of its last three games in Manhattan (lost last game 80-69 in `04-05)... The Cats are led by senior All-Big 12 wing Cartier Martin, who averages 14.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game... Junior wing David Hoskins leads the team through three Big 12 Conference games with averages of 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds.

BEST START SINCE...
Baylor's 11-5 record marks its best start in five seasons and matches the start of the 2001-02 squad that began 11-5 (`01-02 Bears won 17th game to start 12-5).

MOST WINS IN DREW ERA
This season's 11 wins represent the most for a Baylor (11-5) squad in four seasons under head coach Scott Drew. After taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Drew led the Bears to records of 8-21 (2003-04), 9-19 (2004-05) and 4-13 (2005-06). The 2002-03 Baylor squad finished 14-14 prior to Drew's arrival.

BRUINS BOAST TALENTED BACKCOURT
Baylor's strength in 2006-07 lies in its talented pool of guards, including its trio of starters, Curtis Jerrells (12.3 ppg, 31.4 mpg), Aaron Bruce (11.3 ppg, 29.5 mpg) and Henry Dugat (11.5 ppg, 27.2 mpg); and reserve Tweety Carter (9.8 ppg, 23.4 minutes off the bench). The four guards combine to score an average of 44.9 points a game. Bruce (2005) and Jerrells (2006) are former Freshmen All-Americans and true freshman Carter is the school's first-ever McDonald's All-American. Baylor's backcourt was listed among the nation's top 14 backcourts in The Sporting News preseason publication.

ROAD WOES
The Bears are 2-30 in their last 32 games played on opponents' home courts and have lost 18 straight (last true road win was 73-72 upset at Purdue Dec. 30, 2004). Baylor owns a 4-35 record in its last 39 games away from home (dating back to the 2002-03 season).

FULL ROSTER, FULL SCHEDULE
For the first time in four seasons since head coach Scott Drew was hired, Baylor has both a full allotment of scholarships available and a complete schedule to play. In each of the first three seasons the Bears played through handicaps: all 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 and is playing a full schedule.

OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION UP
Baylor ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (34th nationally), averaging 78.4 points per game - up 15.2 points from last season and the highest team scoring average since 1994-95 (when the Bears scored an average 81.2 points).

BEARS MORE SUCCESSFULL vs. BIG 12 NORTH
Over the last seven seasons Baylor has had much more success against Big 12 North schools than those in the South. Baylor is 16-25 (.390) the last seven seasons vs. Northern schools and just 10-46 (.179) vs. teams in the South. This season, Baylor is 0-0 vs. Northern schools and 1-2 vs. Southern teams.

MORE TEAM BALANCE (SCORING/MINUTES PLAYED)
A byproduct of Baylor's increased depth and talent is a more balanced team, evidenced by balanced scoring and fewer minutes played. Four Bears average double-digits in scoring, and five average between 9.8 and 13.6 points. Only one Baylor player averages more than 30 minutes played per game: sophomore G Curtis Jerrells, 31.4 mpg.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR LAST SEASON'S "FRESHMAN FOUR"
Baylor is powered by its nucleus of youth, namely a quartet of sophomore starters which as rookies in 2005-06 was nicknamed the "Freshman Four": Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers. As freshmen the quartet combined to account for nearly half of the team's points, rebounds and assists. This season the sophomores have increased that production (percentages below).

DIENE, DUGAT, JERRELLS & ROGERS% of Team's:        Pts     Reb.        Asst.Freshmen in 2005-06 46% (496/1,074) 51% (252/493)   49% (92/186)Sophomores in 2006-07   53% (670/1,254)59% (323/545)    49% (126/255)

MR. ROGERS BECOMING A FORCE
Bears' leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Rogers ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories. The sophomore forward leads Baylor in scoring (13.6 ppg, 15th in Big 12) and rebounding (7.1 rpg, 9th in Big 12) and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in shooting (56.5% FGs), ninth in free throw shooting (78.2%) and 13th in blocks (1.13 bpg). As a frosh in 2005-06, Rogers averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench.

BRUCE ALMIGHTY LEADING THE BEARS
Third-year guard Aaron Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with only 61 career games played, is averaging 11.3 points and 4.1 assists [eighth in Big 12]. His 1.86 assist-to-turnover ratio is 10th in the Big 12. Bruce's 82.5 career free throw percentage ranks fourth in school history and his 39.5 career 3-point percentage ranks third all-time. 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 BUILDING ON STELLAR FRESHMAN SEASON
Curtis Jerrells, who is averaging 12.3 points and 4.0 assists [ninth in Big 12] in a team-high 31.4 minutes, 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.

CARTER AMONG BIG 12 FRESHMEN LEADERS
Despite playing just 23.4 minutes per game off the bench, true freshman G Tweety Carter leads all Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers and is third in assists. Carter's 33 3-pointers and 37.9 3-point shooting percentage top all freshmen, and his 2.6 assists-per-game is third. Carter, Baylor's first-ever McDonalds All-America signee, is averaging 9.8 points per game. He was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week Dec. 18 after scoring 31 points in a loss at No. 23 Syracuse (Carter hit seven 3-pointers off the bench). Carter scored a U.S. high school record 7,457 points at Reserve (La.) Christian School.

DUGAT'S NUMBERS UP
Henry Dugat has improved his statistical output in his sophomore season. Through 16 games (his first 15 career starts), the guard is third on the team with 11.5 points per game and shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers. As a freshman in 2005-06, Dugat averaged 7.2 points and 24.3 minutes per game off the bench.

MAYOR DIENE SLOWED BY INJURY
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot sophomore from Senegal, is averaging 5.5 points, 5.5 rebounds [19th in Big 12] and 2.0 blocks [2nd Big 12, 43rd nationally] despite playing through ankle and knee injuries the last seven games (67 minutes played over team's last seven games). Diene has totaled three blocks in his last five games played (averaged 2.9 through first eight games before injury). Diene led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman, averaging 2.21 in 2005-06 and his 2.37 career figure is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Milwaukee Buck Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Diene has recorded 19 multi-block games. The 19-year-old Diene, referred to as "The Mayor" by the Baylor coaching staff due to his huge popularity across campus, has gained more than 55 pounds since his arrival in the United States in Jan. 2005 weighing 197 pounds.

ROGERS & DUGAT AMONG BIG 12's MOST IMPROVED SCORERS
Sophomores Henry Dugat and Kevin Rogers have each nearly doubled their scoring output from their freshman season in 2005-06. Both players are also among the Big 12's most improved scorers from last season: Rogers averages 7.5 more points than last season (fourth in Big 12) and Dugat averages 4.3 more (12th in Big 12).

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 73 - TEXAS TECH 70
Aaron Bruce broke out of a shooting slump with a season-high 24 points, and Curtis Jerrells scored the go-ahead basket to lead Baylor past Texas Tech 73-70 at the Ferrell Center. Bruce had just 12 points on 2-of-19 shooting the previous three games before breaking out against Texas Tech. Jerrells scored 23 points and Kevin Rogers had a career-first double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds) in the win. Bruce hit six 3-pointers in the game, including consecutive long-range shots that gave Baylor a 69-66 lead. After Jarrius Jackson tied the game with a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, Jerrells hit a floater in the lane that gave Baylor a 71-69 lead with 1:23 left. Tim Bush hit two free throws that put the Bears ahead 73-70 with 23 seconds left. Jackson missed two potential game-tying 3-pointers in the final seconds. The game was tied seven ties in the second half and neither team led by more than six points in the second half. Texas Tech led 35-32 at halftime and held on to a slim lead until Rogers put Baylor ahead 56-55 with a put-back basket with 8:21 remaining. Henry Dugat followed with a dunk and Bruce hit a 3-pointer to put the Bears ahead by six. But the Red Raiders answered with an 11-2 run that ended with Martin Zeno's layup that gave the Red Raiders a 66-63 advantage with 3:40 to go. Bruce then answered with two 3-pointers.

THE LAST MEETING: BAYLOR 72 - KANSAS STATE 70 OT [Feb. 1, 2006]
Freshman Curtis Jerrells nailed a game-winning 3-pointer to lift underdog Baylor to an improbable 72-70 overtime win over Kansas State at the Ferrell Center. The win snapped a 20-game losing streak that dated to Jan. 19, 2005, for the Bears, who have been crippled by sanctions the last three seasons. Jerrells took a skip pass from Tim Bush on the left wing and swished the game-winner from 24 feet with 21.4 seconds remaining. After Jerrell's basket, K-State had two more chances. Kevin Rogers rebounded a 3-point miss by Lance Harris with eight seconds left but a jump ball was called when Rogers fell to the ground. Alternate possession gave the ball to the Wildcats with 2.3 seconds remaining. Kansas State inbounded to Cartier Martin, whose shot glanced off the backboard. Henry Dugat got the rebound as time expired. Rogers' putback tied the game 62-62 for the Bears with 1:21 left in regulation. Neither team could score in the final minute and Martin missed two potential winning jumpers for the Wildcats, the second at the buzzer. Dugat scored 17 in the first half and led all scorers with a career-high 23 points. The Bears were playing without forward Pat Fields, out with a sprained wrist, and lost leading-scorer Aaron Bruce to fouls. Bruce missed the final 12 minutes of the game. Baylor trailed 23-13 with just over eight minutes to play in the first half but cut the margin to 33-32 at halftime. The Bears took their first lead of the game at 47-45 on Bruce's 3-pointer with 14 minutes to play in the second half.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce ranks 4th on Baylor's career free throw percentage list (.825).
• Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.395).
• Henry Dugat ranks 4th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.392).
• Pat Fields ranks 7th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.379).
• Mamadou Diene ranks 2nd on Baylor's career blocks-per-game list (2.13).
• Aaron Bruce ranks 8th on Baylor's career assists-per-game list (3.69).
• Mamadou Diene is 1 block shy of moving into 8th place and 4 shy of 7th place (64 blocks, Tommy Swanson & Jamie Kendrick No. 8 with 65, Lawrence Roberts No. 7 with 68) on Baylor's career blocks list.
• Aaron Bruce is 9 assists shy of entering Baylor's career top 10 assists list (225, Roddrick Miller No. 10 with 234).

INJURIES: SHEPHERD PROBABLE, DIENE QUESTIONABLE, THIAM OUT
Through 16 games five different Baylor players have missed a total of 32 games for medical reasons. Currently nursing injuries are sophomore C Mamadou Diene, who is battling a knee (tendonitis) injury and is questionable to play Wednesday; and junior F Mark Shepherd, who missed last game with an illness but is probable for Wednesday. Freshman F Djibril "Penny" Thiam sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the win over Texas Southern Nov. 20 and is out for the season.

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. Junior Aaron Bruce is the team's leader in career games played with 61. [Note: Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 52 of its last 61 games (over the last three seasons); in 31 of those 61 a freshman has been top scorer.]

BEARS RETURN PRODUCTION NUMBERS
In 2006-07 Baylor returns four-of-five starters, 11-of-13s 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.

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).

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)

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).

NEXT UP...
Baylor concludes a two-game road stretch with a trip to Norman, Okla. for a Saturday, Jan. 20, matchup against Oklahoma. The game is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. CST at Lloyd Noble Center and will be televised live regionally via ESPN Plus.