BAYLOR (13-15, 3-12) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (20-9, 6-8)
March 3, 2007 • Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) • 12:45 p.m. CST
PDF of complete Game Notes & Stats

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco / KVCE 1160AM Dallas / Sirius Satellite ch. 161)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN Plus (KWTX & The CW in Waco/Temple) [complete TV listings]
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at BaylorBears.com
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor concludes its regular season by hosting Oklahoma State in its home finale Saturday, March 3. The game is scheduled to tip off at 12:45 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center and will be televised live regionally via ESPN Plus syndicated stations (KWTX & The CW in Waco/Temple). Baylor is 13-15 (3-12 Big 12) and coming off back-to-back road losses at Texas A&M and Texas Tech (85-74 Wednesday). The young Bears, with eight freshmen and sophomores, are playing a full schedule and have a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons. Oklahoma State is 20-9 (6-8) and broke a four-game losing streak with an 84-70 win over K-State in Stillwater Tuesday. The Cowboys are 0-6 this season in true road games. Baylor has lost 18 of 19 games vs. OSU and seven straight, including an 81-77 defeat to the then-12th-ranked Cowboys Jan. 9 in the conference opener for both teams. Saturday's game is Senior Day for Baylor seniors Tim Bush and Patrick Fields.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Baylor has lost 7 straight games to OSU, including an 81-77 loss at Stillwater in Jan.
• Oklahoma State has won 8 straight games in Waco (last BU win 1998).
• Baylor is shooting 51.3% from the field over the last 2 games.
• BU has outrebounded its opponents in 4 of last 5 games [+6.2 margin, 37.4 to 31.2].
• Baylor is 11-1 this season when leading at the half and 1-13 when trailing (2 ties).
• Curtis Jerrells has scored in double-digits in each of the last 11 games.
• BU seniors Tim Bush and Patrick Fields will be honored Saturday on "Senior Day."
• Kevin Rogers leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds in conf. games - 3.20 orpg.
• Aaron Bruce became the 19th BU player to score 1,000 points this season (1,022).
• Tweety Carter is 2nd among Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers made (54) and 3rd in assists-per-game (2.6).
• Kevin Rogers is averaging 13.1 points & 9.0 rebounds (2nd in Big 12) in Big 12 games and has posted 5 double-doubles.
• Over the last 5 games, Henry Dugat is averaging 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds & shooting 42.4% on 3-pointers.
• Injury Update: Tim Bush (broken foot) is out 3-5 weeks; Penny Thiam (torn ACL) is out for the season. [7 BU players have missed a total of 51 games due to injury]
• Kevin Rogers' 5 double-doubles in Big 12 play is the most by a BU player since Lawrence Roberts had 10 in 2002-03 / 2nd most double-doubles by Big 12 player in conference play behind UT's Kevin Durant.
• Sophomore Kevin Rogers has more than doubled his scoring output from last season - 13.0 ppg up from 6.1 ppg - the 5th biggest increase among Big 12 players.
• BU's quartet of sophomore starters (Diene, Dugat, Jerrells & Rogers; last season's "Freshman Four") accounts for 56% of Baylor's scoring and 60% of its rebounds.
• 65% (162-248) of Tweety Carter's points come from 3-pointers (54).
• Walk-on Mark Shepherd has averaged 6.7 pts, 6.7 reb. & shot 75% the last 2 gms.
• Baylor's 13 wins is the most in a season in Scott Drew's four years at the helm.
• Due to ankle & knee injuries Mamadou Diene has just 15 blocks over the last 19 games (23 blocks in first 8 games). Diene ranks 3rd in Big 12 with 1.7 avg blocks.
• Baylor will be No. 11 seed at next week's Big 12 Championship in OKC.

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 34-68 at the school and a career record of 54-79 (five seasons). Drew's 34 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. [Drew underwent an appendectomy Jan. 23 - less than 30 hours later he was on the bench in a limited coaching role for BU's home game vs. Kansas]

BEARS CONTINUE MASSIVE REBUILDING PROCESS
Despite taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Scott Drew has recruited a solid foundation of young players that have earned valuable playing experience and showed steady progress. This season's young Bears posted a 10-3 non-conference record but have only earned a 3-12 record in Big 12 games. Despite that record, Baylor has increased its competitiveness in conference games, evidenced by the fact that eight of its 12 losses were by 10 points or less (last season BU lost nine Big 12 games by 15 points or more). Baylor's 13 wins are the most in Drew's four-year rebuilding project. He has led the Bears to records of 8-21 (2003-04), 9-19 (2004-05) and 4-13 (2005-06).

THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Head Coach: Sean Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1992); 20-9, 1 season
Series vs. Baylor: OSU leads 46-12
Last meeting: OSU 81-77, Jan. 6, 2007 at Stillwater
Streak: OSU won 7 straight
Series in Waco: OSU leads 15-9
Drew vs. OSU: 0-7

OSU NOTES: Oklahoma State has won 18 of the last 19 meetings vs. Baylor and seven straight, including an 81-77 victory in Stillwater in January... Senior scoring leader Mario Boggan will not play due to team suspension... Junior G JamesOn Curry averages 17.5 points and 3.8 assists... The Pokes are 0-6 in true road games this season.

SENIOR SEND-OFF FOR BUSH & FIELDS
Seniors Tim Bush and Patrick Fields will be honored prior to Saturday's home finale vs. Oklahoma State, Bayor's "Senior Day." Bush, a former transfer from LSU, was named to the 2005 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. He averaged 8.0 points in three seasons at Baylor and is currrently sidelined with a broken foot. Fields is a third-year wing who averaged 8.3 points in 45 career games at Baylor.

INJURY-FILLED SEASON FOR BEARS
Through 28 games seven Baylor players have missed a total of 51 games due to medical reasons. Senior Tim Bush (missed last three games due to broken foot) and freshman Penny Thiam (torn ACL in right knee in season's fourth game in November) are currently out. Previous injuries included Aaron Bruce (missed two games due to ankle injury), Mamadou Diene (missed five games due to various ankle and knee injuries), Patrick Fields (missed nine games due to knee injury), Mark Shepherd (missed five games due to shoulder injury and illness) and Jari Vanttaja (out three games with ankle injury).

HOT SHOOTING
A recent positive trend is that Baylor has been red-hot from the field over the last two games, shooting a combined 51.3 percent (60-117) in road losses at Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The Bears had shot 39.4 percent through their first 13 Big 12 contests before the recent hot streak. A negative trend is that over the same span (last two games) Baylor's opponents have shot 56.1 percent (55-98).

REBOUNDING IMPROVEMENT
Baylor has outrebounded its opponents in four of its last five games (exception was one-rebound deficit at Texas A&M). Over that five-game span, the Bears average a +6.2 (37.4 to 31.2) rebounding advantage [45-40 at Missouri, 39-33 vs. Texas, 39-28 vs. Nebraska, 30-31 at Texas A&M and 34-24 at Texas Tech] but a 1-4 record. On the season Baylor boasts a +3.0 rebounding margin, 36.6 to 33.6.

MR. ROGERS CRAFTING A BREAKOUT SEASON
The Bears' second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Kevin Rogers ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories. In Big 12 conference games, the sophomore forward is averaging 13.1 points and 9.0 rebounds and has 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]. His 9.0 rebounds in Big 12 games ranks second in the league (7.8 average in all games ranks sixth). On the season, the southpaw averages 13.0 points (18th in Big 12), 7.8 rebounds (sixth in Big 12), shoots 52.7 percent (third in Big 12) and averages 0.9 blocks. As a frosh in 2005-06, Rogers averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench.

BAYLOR'S BACKCOURT: "IN GUARDS WE TRUST"
Baylor's strength in 2006-07 lies in its talented guard foursome; three starters and a reserve who each average 25-plus minutes and combine to score an average of 45.2 points per game. The guard rotation consists of Curtis Jerrells (14.1 ppg, 32.6 mpg), Aaron Bruce (11.2 ppg, 29.6 mpg), Henry Dugat (11.0 ppg, 27.4 mpg) and Tweety Carter (8.9 ppg, 25.1 mpg). 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.

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 (12-5 vs. 1-10 away), the following chart details other significant statistical differences based on location:

       Home    AwayWin-Loss Record:    12-5    1-10Scoring Margin: +10.8   -11.5Field Goal %:   .483    .410Opp. Field Goal %:  .416    .483Rebounding Margin:  +6.8    -3.0

JERRELLS CONTINUES TO LEAD FROM THE POINT
Sophomore point guard Curtis Jerrells leads the Bears in scoring (14.1 points per game, 15th in Big 12), assists (3.8 apg, seventh in Big 12) and minutes (32.6 mpg), and he averages 1.0 steals. He averages 15.9 points in Big 12 games (13th in Big 12) and has scored in double-digits in 11 straight. Jerrells 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.

BEARS' 11th SEED AT BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Baylor, by virtue of its 3-12 conference record, is assured the No. 11 seed in next week's Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City. The 11th seed will play the yet-to-be-determined sixth seed Thursday, March 8, at approximately 8:20 p.m. CST at the Ford Center (game will be televised live on ESPN2).

NEAR-HEALTHY BRUCE ALMIGHTY BACK TO POWER THE BEARS
Third-year guard Aaron Bruce has played the last three games while recovering from a high ankle injury that kept him out of the previous two games. Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 71 career games played, is averaging 11.2 points and 3.5 assists [10th in Big 12]. His 1.44 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks ninth in the Big 12. Bruce's 39.3 career 3-point percentage ranks third in school history and his 82.4 career free throw percentage ranks fifth all-time. This season Bruce joined Baylor's 1,000-point club and he currently ranks 19th on the school's career scoring list with 1,022 points. 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.

BRUCE JOINS BEARS' 1,000-POINT CLUB
In two and a half seasons of play, junior G Aaron Bruce has become just the 19th player in Baylor history to score 1,000 career points. Bruce, in 71 career games, has scored 1,022 points [Bruce has played 28 games as freshman, only 17 due to a shortened season as sophomore and 26 this season). He has averaged 14.4 points per game in three seasons.

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   56% (1,166/2,081)   60% (567/939)   50% (193/387)

CARTER AMONG BIG 12 FRESHMEN LEADERS
True freshman G Tweety Carter is averaging 25.1 minutes per game and broke into Baylor's starting lineup 10 games ago after coming off the bench in his first 18 career games. Carter ranks second among all Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers (54) and third in assists (2.6). Carter, Baylor's first-ever McDonalds All-America signee, is averaging 8.9 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.

SHOT-BLOCKING MAYOR DIENE SLOWED BY INJURIES
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot sophomore from Senegal, is averaging 4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks [3rd Big 12] despite playing through ankle and knee injuries throughout the season. Diene has totaled 15 blocks in his last 15 games played (averaged 2.9 through first eight games before injuries). Diene led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman, averaging 2.21 in 2005-06 and his 1.90 career figure is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Milwaukee Buck Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Diene has started all 40 career games played and has recorded 22 multi-block games. The 19-year-old Diene, referred to as "The Mayor" 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.

DUGAT PROVIDES PUNCH IN SIXTH-MAN ROLE
Henry Dugat's statistics are up in a sophomore season in which he began as a starter and is now the team's sixth man (started the season's first 18 games and two additional games when Aaron Bruce was injured). The guard is fourth on the team in scoring with 11.0 points per game and he is shooting a team-high 37.9 percent on 3-pointers. Over the last five games Dugat has averaged 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and has shot 42.4 percent from the 3-point line. As a freshman in 2005-06, Dugat averaged 7.2 points and 24.3 minutes per game off the bench.

BEARS STILL YOUNG
Despite a preseason roster that included 11 returnees, the 2006-07 Bears remain a relatively young squad. Baylor's current seven-man rotation consists of two true freshmen, four sophomores and one junior. The roster includes just two seniors and three juniors compared to eight freshmen and sophomores. Junior Aaron Bruce is the team's leader in career games played with 71. [Note: Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 63 of its last 73 games (over the last three seasons); in 32 of those 73 a freshman has been top scorer.]

LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS TECH 85 - BAYLOR 74
In a game that featured hot shooting from both squads, Texas Tech shot better and triumphed 85-74 over visiting Baylor at the United Spirit Arena. Tech shot 56 percent from the field and hit 23 free throws to hold off the Bears. Baylor hit on 54.4 percent of field goals on the night. Tech got its biggest lead at 75-62 with 4:56 remaining on a bucket by Jarius Jackson. The Bears pulled within 82-74 on two free throws by Tweety Carter with just more than a minute remaining. They got no closer down the stretch. The Red Raiders trailed only briefly early in the game and withstood a couple of runs by the Bears in the first half. Baylor pulled within 53-51 early in the second half and stayed close the rest of the way by feeding the ball inside to Mark Shepherd and Josh Lomers. The Bears finished with 42 points in the paint. But fouls hurt Baylor. Lomers fouled out with just more than six minutes remaining in the game and Mamadou Diene, Baylor's starting center, fouled out with about 13 minutes remaining in the game. Curtis Jerrells scored 20 points and Carter added 13 to lead Baylor. The Red Raiders were hot early in the opening half, at one point hitting 81 percent from the field. They used a 15-4 run to go up 21-9. But Baylor hung tough and slowly crept back. Down by 10 with just more than five minutes remaining before the break, the Bears went on a 12-3 run to pull within 42-41. The Bears capped the run when Shepherd got a putback bucket off a rebound following Jerrells' miss on the second of two free throws. Tech went to the free-throw line often and hit 11-15 in the first half. For the game, Tech was 23-of-31 from the line.

ROGERS AMONG BIG 12's MOST IMPROVED SCORERS
Sophomore Kevin Rogers has doubled his scoring output from his freshman season in 2005-06. Rogers' 13.0 scoring average is 6.9 points higher than last season's 6.1 and currently ranks fifth among the Big 12's most improved scorers from last season.

THE LAST MEETING: OKLAHOMA STATE 81 - BAYLOR 77 [Jan. 6, 2007]
A late Baylor comeback fell short as the Bears dropped an 81-77 decision at No. 12 Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. The Bears fought back from a 16-point second half deficit to pull within three in the final minute but the comeback fell just short. The Bears hit six 3-pointers in the final 4:21 - five by Tweety Carter - to pull within 77-74 with 17 seconds left on two free throws by Curtis Jerrells. OSU's JamesOn Curry went 4-of-4 from the free throw line after that to seal the win. Baylor, which entered the game shooting 50.3 percent from the field - eighth in NCAA Division I - shot 41.7 percent against Oklahoma State, but reached that percentage in strange fashion, hitting 25.8 percent in the first half and 58.6 percent in the second half. The Cowboys committed only one turnover in the first 11 minutes but struggled to break away from Baylor, leading 17-16 with 10 1/2 minutes left. Then Curry hit two 3-pointers in a 12-2 run that put the Cowboys up 29-18 at the 5:15 mark. Oklahoma State led 37-24 at the half. It was Baylor's lowest-scoring first half of the season and the Bears had only one basket in the final 8 1/2 minutes. Even a technical foul on Baylor coach Scott Drew with 18:30 left didn't seem to do much for the Bears, as Oklahoma State pushed its lead to 50-34 by the 13:56 mark on a 3-pointer by Terrel Harris. Baylor scored the next seven points, but back-to-back OSU dunks put the Cowboys up 54-41 with 11:27 left. Baylor trailed by double digits until the final five minutes. The Bears played without starting sophomore center Mamadou Diene, who is battling tendonitis in his knee and a sprained ankle. Freshman Josh Lomers started in Diene's place but did not score.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce is 8 assists shy of moving into 8th place (252, Pat Nunley No. 8 with 260) on Baylor's career assists list.
• Aaron Bruce is 18 points shy of moving into 18th place (1,022, Don Heathington No. 18 with 1,040) on Baylor's career scoring list.
• Tweety Carter is 5 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 2nd place (54, John Lucas III No. 2 with 59) on Baylor's freshman 3-pointers list.

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.

BUSH OUT WITH BROKEN FOOT
Senior Tim Bush sustained a broken foot in the Feb. 17 game vs. Texas and will be out three to five weeks, effectively ending the career of the third-year forward. Bush had surgery Feb. 19, on the fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. Bush averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds this season in 25 games. He transferred from LSU in 2004 and played three seasons for Baylor, appearing in 66 games (41 starts) and totaling 527 career points and 280 career rebounds.

FERRELL CENTER'S 19th YEAR
The Bears are in their 19th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 12-5 at home in 2006-07 and owns a 166-118 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.

BEARS TO FACE WAZZU IN BIG 12/PAC-10 SERIES
Baylor will host Washington State on Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, as apart of a a four-year deal announced by the Big 12 and Pacific-10 Conferences. The agreement between the conferences provides a series of 12 annual games, beginning in the 2007-08 season. The series will continue in 2008, with return games of the 2007 match-ups games slated for Dec. 4-7. The games in the series in 2009 will be played Dec. 3-6, 2009, while matchups in 2010 will be played Dec. 2-5, 2010.

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)

NEXT UP...
Baylor travels to Oklahoma City to compete in the 2007 Big 12 Championship at the Ford Center. The Bears are assured of the No. 11 seed and will play the yet-to-be-determined sixth seed Thursday, March 8, at approximately 8:20 p.m. CST at the Ford Center (game will be televised live on ESPN2).