Men's Hoops Preview: Baylor at TCU Dec. 29

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BAYLOR (9-2) at TCU (9-4)
Fort Worth Convention Center - Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2001 - 8:30 p.m. CST

RADIO:
Baylor Radio Network
John Morris, play-by-play
Pat Nunley, color
KRZI 1660/1580 AM (Waco)
WBAP 820 AM (Dallas)
on-line @ www.GoBaylorBears.com

TELEVISION:
ESPN+Plus
Brian Estridge, play-by-play
Renzi Stone, color

THE GAME
Baylor will conclude its longest road trip of the season Saturday, traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU in the 2001 Fort Worth Classic. Tip off is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Baylor is coming off a 72-66 loss to Texas-Pan American last Saturday in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout in Carolina, Puerto Rico. TCU most recently dropped a 92-85 decision at home to North Texas last Sunday. The game will be Baylor's final non-conference road game of the regular season. The game will be telecast live on ESPN+plus in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but will not be telecast in Waco.

HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss, in his third season at Baylor, is a 27-year coaching veteran and ranks 18th among active Division I coaches in victories with 507. The former head coach at New Mexico, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma owns a career record of 507-300 (.628). He has led teams to 15 postseason tournament appearances, including 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Five times Bliss has been honored as his conference's coach of the year, and he is one of only 23 Division I coaches ever to have taken three different schools to the NCAA Tournament (UNM, SMU, OU).

Bliss took over the reigns of Baylor basketball on March 23, 1999, and was given the task of rebuilding a program that had finished the 1998-99 season without a Big 12 Conference win. Bliss proceeded to guide the Bears to a 14-15 record in 1999-2000 and in his second year led Baylor to a 19-12 mark and into the NIT.

BLISS A MEMBER OF COACHING'S 500 CLUB
Baylor's Dave Bliss became the 92nd collegiate head coach to reach 500 career victories Nov. 21 when the Bears defeated Texas-Arlington 88-64. In 27 years as a head coach, Bliss has averaged more than 19 wins per season.

THE TCU SERIES
This will be the 169th meeting between Baylor and TCU with the Bears holding an 88-80 advantage in the all-time series. TCU won the last meeting, a 99-75 victory in the 1997 TCU Invitational. The series between the two schools, former Southwest Conference foes, dates back to the 1908-1909 season. TCU leads the series 41-35 in games played at Fort Worth.

BAYLOR vs. CONFERENCE USA
Baylor owns a 117-139 all-time record against teams currently playing in Conference USA. Baylor's series with TCU (88-79), a former Southwest Conference foe, accounts for the majority of those games. Head coach Dave Bliss is 19-21 against teams currently playing in Conference USA, 1-0 while at Baylor.

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears are 9-2 this season in non-conference games, and 29-5 against non-conference opponents in Dave Bliss' three seasons. Baylor has won 20 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.

BAYLOR vs. FORMER SWC FOES
The Bears are 2-2 against non-Big 12 former Southwest Conference schools since the league disbanded (1-0 SMU, 1-1 Rice, 0-1 TCU).

BATTLE OF COACHING HEAVYWEIGHTS
A total of 1,095 career coaching victories will be on the floor Saturday night when Baylor meets TCU. Frogs' head coach Billy Tubbs ranks 12th among Division I active coaches with 588 career victories. Baylor's Dave Bliss is 18th with 507 career wins. The duo has faced off nine times previously, with Bliss holding a 5-4 edge in the matchups. The two men also share the distinction of being former head coaches at the University of Oklahoma, where Tubbs followed Bliss in 1980. Bliss compiled a 77-62 (.554) record in five seasons at OU, while Tubbs was 333-132 (.716) in 14 seasons at Norman.

THE LAST TIME OUT - UT-PAN AMERICAN
Mire Chatman hit two long 3-pointers to seal Texas-Pan American's 72-66 victory over Baylor in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout last Saturday night in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The Broncs (10-3) overcame a 17-point deficit in the final 17 minutes. Texas-Pan American had a 67-62 lead after Chatman hit his first 3-pointer with 1:44 left. After a turnover by Baylor (9-2), and with the shot clock running out, Chatman launched a 25-foot shot that went in with a minute to play. Chatman scored 20 points for the Broncs, who have won five straight games. Chatman scored 76 points in the three games and was the tournament MVP. John Lucas had 16 points to lead Baylor, which hasn't won an in-season tournament since 1993. Lawrence Roberts had 15 points and Wendell Greenleaf had 14 [see recaps section for complete boxscore].

ROAD BEARS
Though the Bears have earned a 4-4 record in their last eight games away from the Ferrell Center (2-1 San Juan Shootout, 0-1 at Rice, 0-1 at New Mexico 2001 NIT, and 2-1 2001 Big 12 Tournament), Baylor has dropped eight straight decisions on games played on their opponents' home court. That eight-game losing streak dates back to a 63-55 victory at Kansas State on Jan. 13, 2001.

SAN JUAN SHOOTOUT RUNNERS UP
The Bears finished as runners-up in the 2001 San Juan Shootout in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Baylor lost 72-66 to UT-Pan American in the championship game, after defeating Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 97-58 in the first round and Florida International 65-61 in the semifinals. Three Bear players, Greg Davis, Wendell Greenleaf and Lawrence Roberts were named to the Shootout all-tournament team.

BEARS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Through games of Dec. 26, Baylor ranks nationally in four statistical categories. The Bears rank tied for seventh nationally with 9.7 3-pointers per game. Baylor is tied with UCLA for 17th nationally in 3-point percentage, making 41.8 percent of its attempts. The Bears' also rank nationally in scoring (8th, 85.6 ppg) and scoring margin (10th, +19.6 ppg). Meanwhile, Wendell Greenleaf is among four players tied for 10th nationally with 3.0 steals per game.

3-POINT BARRAGE
Baylor is averaging 9.7 3-point shots made per game (107) this season, a figure that ranks tied for seventh nationally and first in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears are on pace to shatter the school's single-season record of 265 3-pointers in 1994-95. Projected over a 30-game season, the Bears are on track to make 291 3s this year. Baylor has made 10 or more 3-point shots in five of 11 games this season. Leading the Bears' charge in 3-pointers made are junior Wendell Greenleaf and freshman John Lucas with 19 each (tied for 13th in Big 12), senior Chad Elsey has 18 and Kenny Taylor has 17.

BEARS REMAIN DEFENSIVE
In a continuation of last season's staunch defense, Baylor again ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several defensive categories early in the 2001-2002 season. According to the Dec. 23 rankings, the Bears rank among the league's top 5 in five categories: scoring defense (5th, 66.0), field goal percentage defense (2nd, .380), blocks (3rd, 5.36), steals (2nd, 11.0), 3-point field goal percentage defense (5th, .321) and defensive rebounds (4th, 27.6).

BAYLOR LED BY ITS CUBS
Baylor's three true freshmen (John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts, and Kenny Taylor) have made an immediate impact on this year's team. In Baylor's first 11 games, the three freshmen have combined for 43 percent of the team's points, 31 percent of the rebounds and 37 percent of the steals.

LUCAS III LIGHTING UP 3s
Freshman point guard John Lucas III (son of Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas Jr.) has put together some impressive numbers thus far this season. Lucas has shot 46.3 percent on 3-point shots (19-of-41), tops in the Big 12 Conference. The Houston, Texas, native has scored 20-plus points in three of Baylor's 11 games and his assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.0 (54-to-27). According to the Dec. 23 rankings, Lucas is 23rd in the Big 12 with 13.1 points per game, 15th in field goal percentage (49.5), seventh in assist per game (4.91), fifth in 3-point percentage (46.3), tied with teammate Wendell Greenleaf and Bernard King of Texas A&M for 13th in 3-pointers per game (1.73) and tied with teammate Greg Davis for 12th in free throw percentage (80.6).

ROBERTS MAKING PRESENCE FELT
Lawrence Roberts has hit the ground running in his first season of college basketball. In 11 games, the true freshman has compiled three double-doubles, been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week and to the San Juan Shootout all-tournament team, and leads the team in several categories, including: scoring (17.0 ppg), rebounds (8.6 rpg), blocks (21), field goals (62), free throws made (54) and free throws attempted (80). The Houston, Texas, native is also second on the team in steals (26). According to the Dec. 23 Big 12 statistical rankings, Roberts is eighth in scoring, third in rebounding, third in steals, third in blocks, 10th in offensive rebounds and third in defensive rebounds.

70 IS THE BEARS' MAGIC NUMBER
Over the last two seasons Baylor is 21-1 when scoring 70 points or more, including a perfect 8-0 mark this year. Conversly, the Bears are 7-13 the past two years when failing to reach the 70-point plateau.

GREENLEAF'S THIEVERY
A key component in Baylor's pick-pocket defense, which ranks second in the Big 12 in steals (11.0 per game), is junior Wendell Greenleaf. He leads the conference and is ranked 10th nationally in steals, averaging 3.0 per contest. Greenleaf has 199 career steals, and recently cracked the school's top 5 all-time steals listing trailing former Bear legends Michael Williams (282), Terry Black (153), David Wesley (145) and Terry Teagle (120) [see list below]. Greenleaf finished fifth in the Big 12 as a sophomore last year with a 1.93 steals average.

BAYLOR CAREER STEALS LEADERS       Player       Years       Stl.    1. Michael Williams 1985-88         282    2. Terry Black     1999-01         153    3. David Wesley         1990-92         145    4. Terry Teagle         1979-82         120    5. Wendell Greenleaf 1999-02         119

3-POINT MISCELLANY
With three 3-pointers Saturday in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout against UT-Pan Am, the Bears have made at least one 3-pointer in 303 consecutive games. That streak dates back to Feb. 21, 1990, when Baylor was 0-for-8 from long range at home against Texas Tech. During their last 46 games, the Bears are 23-1 when making seven or more 3-pointers. On the flip side, Baylor is 7-15 during that stretch when making six or fewer.

BAYLOR OFFERS HELPING HAND
According to the Dec. 23 rankings, Baylor is third in the Big 12 Conference with 19.27 assists per game. The Bears are led by John Lucas, who ranks seventh in the conference with 4.91 per game. Wendell Greenleaf (3.91 apg) is 12th in the Big 12. Baylor dished out 30 assists as a team Dec. 8 against North Texas. That total is tied for second all-time at Baylor and was the highest single-game total by a Baylor squad since the Bears dished out a school-record 39 Nov. 26, 1991 vs. Sam Houston State.

BIG 12 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Two of four Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors this season have gone to Baylor true freshmen. Forward Lawrence Roberts was selected Nov. 27, and guard John Lucas was honored Dec. 10. Roberts received the award following his performance in season-opening wins over Hardin-Simmons, UT-Arlington and Sacred Heart. He averaged a double-double and led Baylor in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounds (12.0 rpg), steals (12), blocks (7), free throws made (13) and free throws attempted (20). Lucas was honored after the Bears' 95-81 victory over North Texas, in which he had career highs with 27 points and 11 field goals.

BEARS' SUCCESS EQUALS IMPROVED ATTENDANCE
Through seven home games, Baylor is averaging 5,502 fans per game, which is on pace to rank as the second highest season average in Ferrell Center history. Through seven home games last season, Baylor was averaging 3,211 fans per contest. Last season, Baylor set a Ferrell Center total attendance record, drawing 91,421 in 17 home games. Baylor's 5,378 average in 2000-2001 marked an increase of 2,131 from the 1999-2000 season, the fourth-largest attendance increase in the nation.

BEARS' HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
The Bears are a perfect 7-0 at home in the Ferrell Center this season. Baylor recorded a 14-3 record at home in 2000-2001. Since Dave Bliss took over the reigns of Baylor's basketball program, the Bears have compiled a 32-10 record (.762) at home. Baylor has won 20 straight home games against non-conference opponents.

PLENTY OF NEW BRUINS
The 2001-2002 Baylor roster includes four new players: three true freshmen (John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor) and one junior college transfer (Rod Nealy). Also seeing their first game action in the Green and Gold this season are former transfers R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry. The pair, both former New Mexico players, sat out last season at Baylor to gain eligibility.

THE LOBO TRANSFERS
As has been well documented, the Baylor roster includes three former players from the University of New Mexico, where Dave Bliss and his staff previously coached. The players, senior Greg Davis, sophomore R.T. Guinn and senior Kevin Henry, were all recruited by Bliss' UNM staff. Guinn (who was recruited by-but never played for-Bliss at UNM) and Henry sat out last year due to NCAA transfer policy. All three players were starters at New Mexico.

TRANSFERS FIND HOME AT BAYLOR
The 2001-2002 Bear squad boasts four players who transferred to Baylor from Division I schools, and a fifth who previously played at a DI institution. A sixth transferred from a DIII school. The players are:

    Player          Prev. School            Status    Greg Davis  New Mexico      Senior forward    Chad Elsey  SMU         Senior guard    R.T. Guinn  New Mexico      Sophomore center    Kevin Henry    New Mexico      Senior guard    Rod Nealy *  Ark.-Little Rock    Junior forward    Andre White    Hardin-Simmons          Junior guard

* Nealy played as a freshman (1999-2000) at Arkansas-Little Rock before transferring to McLennan Community College.

NATION'S LONGEST-STANDING COACHING DUO
Baylor boasts Division I basketball's longest-tenured current coaching tandem. Bear assistant coach Doug Ash has been Dave Bliss' top aide for all 27 years Bliss has been a collegiate head coach. The Bliss and Ash duo began at Indiana University in the early 1970s when both were assistants under Bobby Knight. When Bliss became head coach at Oklahoma in 1975, he took Ash with him. The pair has been together ever since, at SMU, New Mexico and Baylor.

FERRELL CENTER'S 14th YEAR
The Bears are in their 14th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Including this season's 7-0 mark, the Bears own a 123-80 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 ADD 3 EARLY SIGNEES
Baylor has signed three early signees, all from the state of Texas, to national letters of intent during the early signing period: Ellis Kidd Jr., a guard from Seminole (Okla.) State College, Tommy Swanson, a forward from North Crowley (Texas) High School, and Terrance Thomas, a forward from Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas.

Kidd, a 6-4, 185-pound guard, is in his first season at Seminole State after transferring from Oklahoma State. He redshirted the 2000-2001 season at OSU after playing only 10 minutes in two early games and will have three seasons of eligibility at Baylor. A former Dallas Morning News all-area selection at James Madison High School in Dallas, Kidd was named a USA Today honorable mention all-American as a senior in 2000.

Swanson, a 6-9, 215-pound forward, played only seven games as a junior last season at North Crowley following a head injury. He averaged 14 points and nine rebounds before a hairline fracture to his skull sidelined him for the season. Texas Hoops rated Swanson the state's No. 24 player prior to his senior season. He is listed among the nation's top 300 prep seniors by Athon Sports and was named an honorable mention all-American by Street & Smith's College Basketball.

Thomas, a 6-7, 220-pound forward, was highly recruited after being named to the All-Region XIV team as a freshman last season at Lon Morris. Thomas averaged 19.3 points and 12 rebounds last season, and is rated No. 4 among junior college small forwards by The Sporting News in its preseason preview. He is also listed as the 22nd-best junior college recruit by Mike Mitchell's Midwest Report and is rated the No. 27 juco player nationally by Greg Swaim's scouting service. A native of Waco, Thomas attended Maceo Smith High School in Dallas. He averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds as a senior in 2000 and was named a USA Today honorable mention all-American.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEESName        Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (High School)Ellis Kidd Jr.  G   6-4 185 So. Dallas, Texas (Madison HS/OSU/Seminole St.)Tommy Swanson   F   6-9 215 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS)Terrance Thomas F   6-7 220 Jr. Dallas, Texas (Maceo Smith HS/Lon Morris)

OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The flagship station is KRZI-AM (1660/1580) in Waco. Selected Baylor games will be broadcast on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WBAP News/Talk 820, which covers 80 percent of the nation during night games. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his seventh season. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 20th season as color analyst for Bear broadcasts.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
The radio broadcast from all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.

BIG-12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2001-2002 edition has been projected in preseason polls to finish anywhere from seventh to 10th in the Big 12 Conference. The league's coaches picked the Bears to finish ninth in preseason balloting, and the conference media projected Baylor eighth. The highest projected finish for Baylor was seventh, by Lindys magazine.

UP NEXT...
The Bears will play their final non-conference game of the regular season Wednesday, Jan. 2, hosting Colorado State at 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center.

Men's Hoops Preview: Baylor at TCU Dec. 29

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