Men's Hoops GameDay: vs. Tarleton State Nov. 2

Men's Basketball 11/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

BAYLOR (0-0) vs. TARLETON STATE (0-0)
Nov. 2, 2007 • Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) • 7:00 p.m. CDT

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (www.BaylorBears.com)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: none
INTERNET VIDEO: none
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor plays a final tune up before the 2007-08 regular season when it hosts an exhibition matchup against the Texans of Tarleton State Friday, Nov. 2, at the Ferrell Center. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. CDT and is part of a Homecoming Weekend that also includes Baylor's football game vs. Texas Tech Saturday. The Bears open their regular season Nov. 11 when they host Jackson State at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Curtis Jerrells has scored in double-digits in 14 straight games (dating to 2006-07).
• Aaron Bruce ranks 15th on BU's all-time scoring list (1,060 career points).
• Kevin Rogers is the 3rd-leading returning rebounder in Big 12 this season (7.6 rpg).
• 64% (171-269) of Tweety Carter's career points have come from 3-pointers (57).
• Junior C Mamadou Diene is out 6-8 weeks to rehab an ankle injury.
• Baylor is 18-1 in the Drew Era when scoring 80-plus points.
• Underclassmen have led BU in scoring in 66 of its last 76 games (dating to 2004-05) [in 32 of last 76 a freshman has been top scorer].
• Mamadou Diene is the top active career shot-blocker in the Big 12 (79).
• Scott Drew's 36 wins at Baylor ranks 10th in school history.
• Baylor is 19-6 when totaling 40+ rebounds (last 6 seasons).
• BU is 2-39 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 5 years under Drew).
• Over the past six seasons Baylor is 68-8 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (12-2 in 2006-07).
• Baylor teams have made at least one 3-point basket in 454 straight games.

THE TARLETON STATE TEXANS
Tarleton State is a Division II program located in Stephenville, Texas, that competes in the Lone Star Conference... The Texans are this season's preseason favorite to win the Lone Star Conference, as selected by league coaches... Head coach Lonn Reismann (Pittsburgh State, 1977) has a career record of 392-179 in 18 seasons at TSU... The Texans finished 18-10 last season, 7-5 and third place in the Lone Star... Tarleton returns three starters and seven lettermen from last season's squad... Sophomore F Dan Eichel was named the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year in 2006-07.

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew, in his fifth season at Baylor in what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history, owns a four-year mark of 36-69 at the school and a career record of 56-80 (five seasons). Drew's 36 wins rank 10th all-time on Baylor's all-time coaching victories list (in ninth place on the list is Carroll Dawson with 42 career victories). 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.

BEARS CONTINUE MASSIVE REBUILDING PROCESS
The 2007-08 season will be head coach Scott Drew's fifth at Baylor as he continues the unprecedented overhaul he began in 2003. After taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Drew has recruited a solid foundation of high school players that have earned valuable playing experience and showed steady progress. Last season's youthful Bears posted 15 wins-the highest win total at Baylor in six seasons-including three wins in the final six games and the program's first Big 12 Championship victory since 2001. Baylor has increased its competitiveness in conference games, evidenced by the fact that eight of last season's 12 league losses were by 10 points or less (in `05-06 BU lost nine Big 12 games by 15 points or more).

MOST EXPERIENCED BEAR SQUAD IN YEARS
For the first time in years, Baylor will take to the court in 2007-08 with a predominantly upperclassman, experienced team. After several seasons of young, inexperienced teams, the Bears return nine lettermen, including seven lettermen with multiple letters. The roster includes two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Veteran guard Aaron Bruce is the just the fourth four-year senior to play at Baylor in the last eight seasons. Baylor's '07-08 returnees have a combined 246 career starts under their collective belts, the highest such number at the school in over a decade.

BEARS RETURN HIGH PRODUCTION NUMBERS
In 2007-08 Baylor returns all five starters, nine of 12 roster players and nearly all of its statistical production. The Bears return 90.6 percent of last season's points, 86.9 percent of rebounds and 94.5 percent of assists.

BAYLOR'S BACKCOURT: "IN GUARDS WE TRUST"
Baylor's strength in 2007-08 will once again lie in its talented backcourt. The four returning guards each averaged 25-plus minutes and combined to score an average of 46.7 points per game (61 percent of team's scoring) in 2006-07. The quartet of returnees, made up of senior Aaron Bruce (11.3 ppg, 29.7 mpg), juniors Curtis Jerrells (15.0 ppg, 32.9 mpg) and Henry Dugat (11.7 ppg, 27.5 mpg) and sophomore Tweety Carter (8.7 ppg, 25.5 mpg), are joined by heralded freshman LaceDaruis Dunn of Monroe, La., the nation's No. 24 recruit according to Scout.com.

`05-06 "FRESHMAN FOUR" BACK AS VETERAN JUNIORS
Baylor will once again be powered by a quartet of juniors which as rookies in 2005-06 was nicknamed the "Freshman Four": Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers. As freshmen the foursome combined to account for nearly half of the team's points, rebounds and assists.

"OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES"
Baylor received votes in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll (three votes, tied for 46th). That marked the Bears' first poll recognition since January 2001, when BU received votes in the Associated Press poll.

JERRELLS LOOKS TO CONTINUE HOT HAND
Junior guard Curtis Jerrells has started all 48 career games and led the team in scoring, assists and minutes in each of his first two seasons at Baylor. Jerrells, a preseason Cousy Award candidate, was projected a preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league coaches, Athlon and Lindy's. Jerrells carries over streaks of 14-game double-digit scoring and 12-game 3-point field goal from last season.

BRUCE BACK TO LEAD BEARS IN SENIOR SEASON
Guard Aaron Bruce begins his fourth and final season at Baylor in 2007-08. The senior was a preseason All-Rolls Royce fourth team selection by Dick Vitale and was named the Big 12's "Best Leader" by the Sporting News preseason publication. Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 74 career games played, ranks 15th on the school's career scoring list with 1,060 career points. Bruce's 39.9 career 3-point percentage ranks third in school history and his 81.7 career free throw percentage ranks fifth all-time. For the first time in his collegiate career, Bruce spent the offseason in Waco rather than playing for Australian national teams.

MR. ROGERS COMING OFF BREAKOUT SEASON
During his breakout sophomore season in 2006-07, F Kevin Rogers doubled his scoring average and finished among the Big 12's top five in rebounding and field goal percentage. His production increased against Big 12 competition, as he averaged 13.1 points and 9.0 rebounds (third in Big 12) and recorded five double-doubles [the most by a Baylor player in Big 12 games since current Memphis Grizzlies forward Lawrence Roberts notched 10 in 2002-03]. On the season, the southpaw averaged 12.8 points (18th in Big 12), 7.8 rebounds (fifth in Big 12), shot 52.5 percent (fourth in Big 12) and averaged 0.9 blocks. As a frosh in 2005-06, Rogers averaged 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds off the bench.

DUGAT PROVIDED PUNCH IN SIXTH-MAN ROLE
Henry Dugat's stats increased during a sophomore season in which he started the first 18 games before assuming the sixth man role the latter half of the season. He finished third on the team in scoring with 11.7 points per game and shot a team-high 40.6 percent on 3-pointers. Over the final eight games Dugat averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and shot 48.9 percent from the 3-point line. As a freshman in 2005-06, Dugat averaged 7.2 ppg and 24.3 mpg off the bench.

FROSH DUNN BAYLOR'S TOP SIGNEE IN RECENT HISTORY
Freshman G LaceDarius Dunn of Monroe, La., is the highest-rated Baylor signee in recent memory (rated the nation's No. 24 recruit by Scout.com). Dunn was named the "Best Perimeter Scorer" among incoming Big 12 newcomers by Rivals.com. He is a three-time all-state player and two-time class MVP in Louisiana who led Excelsior Christian School (Monroe, La.) to 118-9 record and one state championship over his final three prep seasons. Dunn was rated the nation's No. 6 shooting guard prospect by Scout.com and the nation's No. 8 wing guard by Hoopmasters.com.

`THE MAYOR' OUT 6-8 WEEKS REHABBING ANKLE
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot junior from Senegal, underwent a procedure Nov. 25, to repair a chronic stress fracture in his ankle and was expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Diene has started all 43 games played in his two-year career and has recorded 22 multi-block games.. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26 games last season as a sophomore and missed a total of five games due to injury. Diene is the Big 12's active leader in career blocks with 79. Diene led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman, averaging 2.21 in 2005-06 and his 1.88 career figure is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Milwaukee Buck Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Referred to as "The Mayor" due to his huge popularity across campus, Diene has gained more than 50 pounds since his arrival in the United States in Jan. 2005 weighing 197 pounds.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce is 2 points shy of moving into 14th place, 34 shy of 13th place (1,060, Arthur Edwards No. 14 with 1,062 & Roddrick Miller No. 13 with 1,094) on Baylor's career scoring list.
• Aaron Bruce is 1 assist shy of moving into 8th place (259, Pat Nunley No. 8 with 260) on Baylor's career assists list.
• Kevin Rogers is 13 points shy of reaching the 500 career points plateau (487).
• Henry Dugat is 28 points shy of reaching the 500 career points plateau (472).

'06-07 HIGHLIGHTS
- Most wins (15) by Baylor squad since 2000-01.
- First Big 12 Championship win (97-83 over MU) since '00-01 [Only second 11th-seed to win game in Big 12 Championship in 11 years of tournament].
- Curtis Jerrells school's second-ever Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team selection (first since 2000-01).
- Most points (2,333) by BU team since 1992-93 squad scored 2,350.
- Aaron Bruce & Curtis Jerrells All-Big 12 honorable mention selections.
- 46.0 field goal percentage highest by BU squad since the 1991-92 team shot 47.0%.
- Big 12 Championship record 63% field goal shooting in first-round win over Missouri.
- Kevin Rogers selected to Big 12 All-Improved team.

DEPARTED PLAYERS
Baylor lost just three lettermen from its 2006-07 roster: three-year forwards Tim Bush (6.3 ppg) and Patrick Fields (3.0 ppg) and one-year forward Jari Vanttaja (0.9 ppg).

FERRELL CENTER'S 20th YEAR
The Bears are in their 20th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor finished 13-5 at home in 2006-07 and owns a 167-118 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.

NEXT UP...
Baylor opens its regular season Sunday, Nov. 11, by hosting Jackson State at the Ferrell Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

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