BAYLOR (13-2, 1-0) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (10-5, 1-0)
Jan. 15, 2008 • Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) • 7:00 p.m. CST

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco / Sirius Satellite ch. 161)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: FSN Southwest (in state of Texas)
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at BaylorBears.com
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor, fresh off a conference-opening win over Iowa State Saturday, hosts a second straight home game Tuesday, Jan. 15, when it faces Oklahoma State at the Ferrell Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CST and will be televised live within the state of Texas on FSN Southwest. The Bears are 13-2, 1-0 and defeated Iowa State 74-67 Saturday. Oklahoma State is 10-5, 1-0 and riding a five-game winning streak, including a 74-55 win over Texas Tech at home last Saturday. Baylor is 8-1 at home in the Ferrell Center this season; the Cowboys are 1-5 away from Stillwater in 2007-08.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• BU won its last game vs. OSU 86-82 last March, but has lost 18 of 20 in the series.
• Baylor has won 3 straight Big 12 home games (dating to last season).
• Baylor's 13-2 start is its best since the Bears began 13-2 in 2000-01 (last 14-2 start was 1945-46).
• 5 Baylor players average double-figures in scoring.
• Baylor leads the Big 12 (19th nationally) with 9.1 3-pointers per game.
• Baylor's 71.3 free throw % ranks 2nd in the Big 12.
• Baylor is 25-7 in it last 32 games in Waco dating to 2005-06 (8-1 this season).
• BU's 40.4 3FG% is on pace to break the school record (38.5% '86-87).
• BU is 13-0 this season when totaling a higher FG% than its opponents and 0-2 when not. In the Drew Era, BU is 45-7 when outshooting its opponents and 4-64 when not.
• BU has posted a 130-100 team assist-to-turnover mark the last 9 games (8-1 record).
• Baylor has used the same starting lineup in all 15 games this season.
• 10 current BU players average 11 minutes or more & none average more than 30.
• Baylor's 12 non-conference wins is the most in school history.
• LaceDarius Dunn is shooting 50.0% on 3-pointers (2nd in Big 12, 5th nationally).
• Del Valle High School (Austin) recentley retired jersey #0 in honor of Curtis Jerrells.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce is 1 point shy of moving into 10th place, 2 points shy of 9th place, and 9 points shy of 8th place (1,222, Willie Sublett No. 10 with 1,223, David Wesley No. 9 with 1,224, Vinnie Johnson No. 8 with 1,231) on Baylor's career scoring list.

BEST START SINCE...
Baylor's 13-2 record is its best start under head coach Scott Drew and is the school's best start since the 2000-01 squad started the season 13-2 (the `00-01 team lost its 16th game). The last 14-2 start by a Baylor team was Bill Henderson's 1945-46 squad that started 24-2 and won the SWC championship (finished 25-5).

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 49-71 at the school and a career record of 69-82 (six seasons). Drew's 49 wins rank ninth on Baylor's all-time coaching victories list (in eighth place on the list is Frank Bridges with 51 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.

THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Head Coach: Sean Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1992); 32-18, 2 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: OSU leads 46-13
Last meeting: BU 86-82, March 3, 2007 in Waco
Streak: BU won 1 straight
Series in Waco: OSU leads 15-10
Drew vs. OSU: 1-7
OSU NOTES: Oklahoma State has won 18 of the last 20 meetings vs. Baylor, but lost to the Bears 86-82 in the latest meeting last March in Waco... The Cowboys are led by freshman James Anderson, who averages 16.5 points and 3.5 rebounds... Terrell Harris and Marcus Dove average 10.7 and 10.5 points, respectively... OSU leads the Big 12 with a 72.2 free throw percentage, and Byron Eaton tops the league with an 82.9 free throw percentage... The Pokes are 1-5 away from home this season.

BEARS CONTINUE MASSIVE REBUILDING PROCESS
The 2007-08 season is 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 recruited a solid foundation of high school players that after earning valuable playing experience is showing progress. After posting 15 wins (the highest win total at Baylor in six seasons) last season (the first in the Drew Era without restrictions), this year's squad is 13-2.

BALANCED SCORING
Through the non-conference schedule Baylor has shown a very balanced scoring attack, evidenced by five players averaging double-digits in scoring (Curtis Jerrells 13.7, Kevin Rogers 12.3, LaceDarius Dunn 12.2, Henry Dugat 10.9 and Aaron Bruce 10.8). The last time a Baylor team finished the season with five players boasting double-figure scoring averages was 1995-96.

BAYLOR'S BACKCOURT: "IN GUARDS WE TRUST"
Baylor's strength in 2007-08 once again lies in its talented backcourt. The Bears utilize a rotation of five guards that each average 20-plus minutes per game. The quintet is made up of four veterans; senior Aaron Bruce (10.8 ppg, 23.8 mpg), juniors Curtis Jerrells (13.7 ppg, 29.3 mpg) and Henry Dugat (10.9 ppg, 24.7 mpg) and sophomore Tweety Carter (9.2 ppg, 22.7 mpg); and true freshman standout LaceDarius Dunn (12.2 ppg, 20.6 mpg). The fivesome accounts for 70 percent of the team's scoring (average 55.9 points) and shoots 40.7 percent on 3-pointers.

BEARS SHOOT WAY OUT OF OUTSIDE SHOOTING SLUMP
Baylor has shot well from outside the last two games (hitting on 44.4 percent [8-18] Saturday vs. Iowa State and 61.1 percent [11-18] vs. Brown) to reverse a relatively poor shooting streak from the perimeter the previous four games. For the season Baylor is shooting 40.4 percent on 3-pointers (ranks second in the Big 12, 26th nationally), and is on pace to top the school record of 38.5 percent [90-234] recorded in 1986-87.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
One significant statistical indicator to Baylor's success in winning games is field goal percentage, offensively and defensively. This season, Baylor is a perfect 13-0 when totaling a higher shooting percentage than it opponents, and conversely is 0-2 when its opponents shoot a higher percentage. Further, in five seasons under Scott Drew Baylor has accumulated a 45-7 record when outshooting opponents and a 4-64 record when being outshot by opponents.

CUTTING DOWN ON TURNOVERS
Baylor has cut down on its team turnovers recently, totaling more than 11 turnovers just once over the last seven games (6-1 record). For the season the Bears are averaging 12.7 turnovers per game (11.8 since 26 in season opener), which ranks 30th nationally in fewest turnovers and is down from a 14.5 turnover average last season.

ESTABLISHING A HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
The Bears are quietly establishing a winning tradition at home in the Ferrell Center. Baylor is 25-7 in its last 32 games in Waco (dating to 2005-06). The Bears are 8-1 at the Ferrell Center this season.

JERRELLS POWERS BEARS
Curtis Jerrells is leading the Bears in scoring (13.7 ppg, 13th in Big 12), assists (3.7 apg, eighth in Big 12) and minutes (29.3 mpg) for the third straight season. The junior guard has started all 63 career games since arriving at Baylor, was named Big 12 Player of the Week Nov. 19 and took home tournament MVP honors after leading Baylor to the championship of the 2007 Paradise Jam in November. Jerrells is a preseason Cousy Award candidate and projected a preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league coaches, Athlon and Lindy's. He ranks eighth in school history in assists per game (3.63) and his 80.0 free throw percentage this season ranks third in the Big 12.

JERRELLS HIGH SCHOOL JERSEY RETIRED
Del Valle High School in Austin, Texas, recently retired the jersey of star alumnus Curtis Jerrells, who wore the number 0 from 2002 to 2005 for the Cardinals. In four varsity seasons, Jerrells scored 1,944 career points, led Del Valle to 97 wins and to three district championships and was twice named District 26-4A MVP. He is the first male basketball player at the school to have his jersey retired.

VETERAN LEADER BRUCE CONTINUES CLIMB UP RECORD LISTS
Senior Aaron Bruce is averaging 10.8 points per game and continues his climb up the school's all-time records lists, most notably the career scoring chart. Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 89 career games played, currently stands 11th all-time with 1,222 career points (complete list of his ranking on seven different Baylor career charts below). On the season he leads the team in free throw percentage (80.6%) and steals (1.4 spg). The guard was selected a preseason All-Rolls Royce (All-American) fourth team selection by ESPN.com's Dick Vitale and was named the Big 12's "Best Leader" by the Sporting News preseason publication prior to his final season in Waco.

BRUCE ON BAYLOR'S CAREER RECORD LISTS
• 3-point FGs: No. 3 - 203
• 3-point FG %: No. 3 - 40.1%
• Free Throw %: No. 5 - 81.5%
• Minutes Played: No. 7 - 2,721
• Games Started: No. 7 - 89
• Assists: No. 8 - 294
• Points scored: No. 11 - 1,222

MR. ROGERS BUILDING ON BREAKOUT SOPHOMORE SEASON
Junior forward Kevin Rogers is averaging 12.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds (ninth in Big 12) this season. He has recorded four double-doubles and is shooting 54.6 percent from the field (fifth in Big 12). Rogers was named the Big 12 Player of the Week Dec. 24 after averaging 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds while leading Baylor to road wins at South Carolina and Southern. He was named to the 2007 Big 12 All-Improved team following a sophomore season in which he doubled his scoring average (12.8 from 6.1 ppg) and nearly doubled his rebounding average from his freshman season (7.6 from 4.0 rpg).

TRUE FRESHMAN DUNN PUTTING TOGETHER BREAKOUT SEASON OFF BENCH
Fourteen games into his true freshman season, LaceDarius Dunn has made an immediate impact on a Baylor squad stocked with talented guards. The highly recruited rookie from Monroe, La., is third on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and is second in rebounds (4.1 rpg), despite playing just 20.6 minutes per game off the bench. Dunn has been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Nov. 26 after leading Baylor to wins over Winthrop in the Paradise Jam championship and over Centenary) and has posted two 20-plus scoring outings (27 points in win over Brown and 24 points in upset win at South Carolina). Dunn is the highest-rated Baylor signee in recent memory (rated the nation's No. 24 recruit by Scout.com). He was named the "Best Perimeter Scorer" among incoming Big 12 newcomers by Rivals.com. He was a three-time all-state player and two-time class MVP in Louisiana who led Excelsior Christian School to a 118-9 record and one state championship. 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" HITTING HIS STRIDE AFTER ANKLE REHAB
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot junior from Senegal, has averaged 15.1 minutes off the bench in eight games played since returning from an Oct. 25 procedure to repair a chronic stress fracture in his ankle (had started all 43 games played in his freshman and sophomore seasons). Diene has recorded 90 career blocks and his 1.76 career blocks per game total is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Phoenix Suns Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Named the Big 12's "Best Shot Blocker" by the Sporting News preseason publication, he led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman (2.3 bpg) and was third (1.6 bpg) in an injury-plagued sophomore season. Diene is referred to as "The Mayor" due to his huge popularity across campus.

ENERGY-MAN DUGAT HEATING UP
Junior guard Henry Dugat, a starter in all 15 games after finishing his sophomore season in the sixth man role, has used his high energy and athleticism to put up impressive numbers over the last five games. During that span Dugat has averaged 15.8 points, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and shot 45.8 percent (11-24) on 3-pointers [8.4 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg & 26.5% through first 10 games].

BEARS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Baylor is ranked among the top 30 nationally in six team categories and one individual category, listed below...

BAYLOR IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
• 3-Pt Field Goals: No. 19 - 9.07
• 3-Pt Field Goal %: No. 26 - 40.4%
• Scoring: No. 28 - 80.3
• Scoring Margin: No. 28 - +14.3
• Field Goal %: No. 28 - 48.1%
• Fewest Turnovers: No. 30 - 12.7
• 3-Pt Field Goal %: LaceDarius Dunn, No. 5 - 50.0%

COMEBACK WINS OVER QUALITY OPPONENTS
Baylor is a perfect 4-0 this season when trailing at halftime. Included in those four come-from-behind victories is a 20-point comeback win at South Carolina and rallies of 14 points vs. Notre Dame and seven points vs. Iowa State.

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 74 - IOWA STATE 67
Aaron Bruce and Kevin Rogers powered Baylor on a 22-2 run that erased a seven-point second-half deficit and helped lead the Bears to a 74-67 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 opener for both teams at the Ferrell Center. Bruce and Rogers each scored seven points during the game-changing spurt, and Henry Dugat added five points. Dugat and Rogers finished with a team-high 15 points and Bruce had 14. The Bears trailed 44-37 with 15:26 to go when they scored 12 straight points for a 49-44 lead with 12:33 remaining. Bruce had seven points to spur that run. After Jiri Hubalek made two free throws for the Cyclones, Rogers scored four points in a 10-0 Baylor run for a 59-46 lead with 10:03 remaining. Freshman Craig Brackins scored a career-high 33 for Iowa State. The game was back-and-forth throughout. The Cyclones broke a 27-27 tie with an 11-3 run that gave them a 38-29 lead with 55 seconds left in the first half. Brackins had two 3-pointers and a three-point play during the run. Curtis Jerrells, who had 12 points, hit a layup with 3.5 seconds left in the half to pull Baylor within seven at 38-31.

MOST PRE-CONFERENCE WINS EVER
Baylor finished its non-conference schedule with a 12-2 record. The 12 wins mark the most during the regular-season non-conference schedule in school history. The previous high of 11 pre-conference schedule wins was recorded three times, in 1945-46 (11-1), 1996-97 (11-1) and 2000-01 (11-0).

PARADISE JAM CHAMPS
Baylor earned the 2007 Paradise Jam championship with an impressive three-game run Nov. 16-19 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Bears defeated Wichita State (64-55), Notre Dame (68-64) and Winthrop (62-54) to earn the title at the eighth annual tournament. Baylor overcame second-half deficits in both the semis (down 10 to N.D) and the final (down six to Winthrop) to earn the title. Curtis Jerrells was named the tournament MVP after leading the Bears with 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and Aaron Bruce also earned a spot on the all-tournament team. The title marked Baylor's first in-season tournament championship (excluding the Baylor-hosted Dr Pepper Invitational) since winning the 1971 Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. (last eight-team tournament title was the 1968 East Carolina Classic in Greenville, N.C.).

BAYLOR'S SUMMER TOUR TO CANCUN
Baylor spent Labor Day weekend 2007 on a basketball tour to Cancun, Mexico. The four-day trip included two exhibition games as well as sun and fun for the Bears. Baylor beat Belize Tuff E Nuff 115-47 Sept. 1, before defeating the hometown Mexican professional team Quintana Roo 91-57 Sept. 2. Both games were played in Cancun's sweltering Kuchil-Baxal Gymnasium. The Bears were led in scoring both games by junior Henry Dugat, who totaled 25 and 20 points over the weekend. Aside from the games, the players and travel party enjoyed swimming, jet skiing, fishing and shopping on the Yucatan Peninsula.

THE LAST MEETING: BAYLOR 86 - OKLAHOMA ST. 82 [March 3, 2007]
Baylor's four guards combined to score 66 points and that was enough to overcome JamesOn Curry's 40-point performance in the Bears' 86-82 win over Oklahoma State at the Ferrell Center. Baylor held off a late Cowboy rally and got some clutch shooting to secure the victory. The Bears led 75-62 on a layup from Josh Lomers with just over seven minutes remaining. But the Cowboys scored 10 straight, cutting the margin to 75-72 at the 4:09 mark. Curtis Jerrells' 3-pointer put Baylor ahead 80-72 with a little over two minutes left to play. But then Curry nailed three straight free throws to pull Oklahoma State to within three points at 80-77 with 1:17 to go. The Bears responded with six consecutive free throws, four by Aaron Bruce and two by Jerrells, in the final 41 seconds to clinch the win. The Bears, who led 41-32 at halftime, opened the second half with a 10-4 run, extending their margin to 51-36 with just over 17 minutes remaining. Baylor led by as many as 18 points at 64-46 midway through the second half. Both teams were playing without star players. Baylor's Kevin Rogers was sidelined with a sprained ankle and OSU's Mario Boggan was serving a one-game suspension. Baylor's guards picked up the slack in Rogers' absence with an impressive shooting performance. Jerrells (21 points), Henry Dugat (20), Bruce (13) and Tweety Carter (12) combined to make 12 of 18 3-pointers.

LOTS OF BIG 12 HONORS
Baylor players have received three weekly Big 12 honors this season (in seven weeks of awards), the matching the school's highest single-season total (also three awards in 2001-02). Baylor has earned two player of the week awards and one rookie of the week award:
Curtis Jerrells, Big 12 Player of the Week, Nov. 19, 2007
Jerrells was honored after leading Baylor to wins over Wichita State and Notre Dame at the Paradise Jam tournament. He averaged 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two victories and shot 54 percent from the 3-point line and 92 percent from the free throw line.
LaceDarius Dunn, Big 12 Rookie of the Week, Nov. 26, 2007
Dunn was honored after leading the Bears to to wins over Winthrop (in the championship game of the Paradise Jam) and Centenary. Dunn set then-career-highs for points with 17 in each game, shooting a combined 13-of-20 (.650) from the floor off the bench. He also shot 5-of-10 on 3-pointers and averaged 5.5 rebounds.
Kevin Rogers, Big 12 Player of the Week, Dec. 24, 2007
Rogers was honored after leading the Bears to two road victories at South Carolina and Southern that snapped a 25-game losing streak in true road games. He averaged 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds and registered two double-doubles. Rogers had a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double vs. USC and scored a game-high 21 points in a win at Southern.

MOST EXPERIENCED BEAR SQUAD IN YEARS
For the first time in years, Baylor took the court in 2007-08 with a predominantly upperclassman, experienced team. After several seasons of young, inexperienced teams, the Bears returned nine lettermen, including seven lettermen with multiple letters. The roster includes two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Veteran Aaron Bruce is the just the fourth four-year senior to play at BU in the last eight seasons. Baylor's '07-08 returnees entered the season with 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
Baylor in 2007-08 returned 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.

FERRELL CENTER'S 20th YEAR
The Bears are in their 20th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 8-1 at home in 2007-08 and owns a 175-119 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.

EARLY 2009 SIGNEES
Baylor signed two players in the early signing period, Anthony Jones of Houston (Texas) Yates High School and Russian Artem Valov of Three Rivers Community College. Jones, a senior at Yates, is rated 46th nationally by Rivals.com and is a consensus top-70 recruit. He is rated No. 51 by Hoopmasters.com and No. 62 by Scout.com. Jones averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds last season as a junior for a Yates squad that finished 25-8 in 2006-07. A 6-10 forward, Jones is rated No. 8 among the nation's forwards by Rivals.com and ranked as the fourth-best recruit in the state by TexasHoops.com. Valov is a junior college sophomore who was recently named a preseason NJCAA first-team All-American. He is rated the No. 12 junior college recruit nationally by Rivals.com's JucoJunction.com. The 6-9 forward helped lead Three Rivers to a 26-11 record and into the second round of the NJCAA tournament. Valov was named to the 2007 NJCAA All-Tournament team. Valov finished his freshman season with averages of 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds.

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).

NEXT UP...
Baylor hits the road for its first Big 12 Conference game away from home Saturday, Jan. 19, at Nebraska. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. CST at the Devaney Center and will be televised live regionally via ESPN Plus syndicated stations.