Men's Hoops Preview: Baylor at Texas Jan. 12

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BAYLOR (11-4, 1-1) at TEXAS (10-4, 1-0)
Frank Erwin Center (16,496) - Austin, Texas
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002 - 5:00 p.m. CST

TELEVISION: FOX Sports Net Southwest

RADIO: Baylor Radio Network
KRZI 1660/1580 AM (Waco)
WBAP 820 AM (Dallas)
on-line @ www.GoBaylorBears.com

THE GAME
Baylor returns to the road for the first time since Dec. 29 and for the first time in Big 12 Conference play when it travels to Austin Saturday, Jan. 12, for a matchup against Texas. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CST at the Frank Erwin Center. Baylor is coming of a 68-57 loss at home Tuesday night to No. 6 Oklahoma State. Texas stepped out of conference play Monday night and defeated Providence 68-48 at home. Saturday's game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Southwest. Greg Lucas will handle play-by-play duties, while former Baylor head coach Jim Haller will provide color analysis.

HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss, in his third season at Baylor, is a 27-year coaching veteran and ranks 17th among active Division I coaches in victories with 509. The former head coach at New Mexico, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma owns a career record of 509-302 (.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.

THE TEXAS SERIES
This is the 214th meeting between Baylor and Texas with the Longhorns holding a 138-75 advantage in the all-time series. The Bears have played Texas more times than any other team in the program's history. The Longhorns have won the last seven meetings, including a 76-62 decision in the semifinals of the 2001 Big 12 Tournament. Texas also claimed a 73-66 overtime win at Austin and a 69-59 victory in Waco last season. Baylor's last victory over Texas came Feb. 21, 1998 when the Bears knocked off UT 80-75 at home, Baylor swept the season series that year, winning 87-81 Jan. 3 at Austin. The series dates back to the 1905-06 season, the Longhorns won a pair of meetings at Austin that season.

THE TEXAS LONGHORNS
Texas (10-4, 1-0) is led by fourth-year head coach Rick Barnes, in his 15th year as a collegiate head coach. Barnes owns a career record of 280-170 with stints at George Mason (1987-88), Providence (1988-94) and Clemson (1994-98). He is 78-35 with the Longhorns.

UT NOTES: The Longhorns are led by sophomore guard Royal Ivey, who is averaging 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game... UT's leading scorer (15.8 ppg) and leading rebounder (7.4 rpg), senior forward Chris Owens, is out for the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee Dec. 31 in a loss at Utah... The Longhorns have won three straight since that point, including a 70-61 victory at then-No. 5 Oklahoma State to open Big 12 play last Saturday.

BLISS vs. TEXAS
Baylor head coach Dave Bliss is 13-14 in his career against Texas, 0-5 while with the Bears. Against Texas, Bliss was 2-2 while at Oklahoma, 10-7 while at SMU and 1-0 while at New Mexico. He also enjoyed an eight-game winning streak against the Longhorns while at SMU, extending from the 1982-83 season to the 1985-86 campaign.

THE LAST MEETING: TEXAS 76-BAYLOR 62, MARCH 2001
Chris Owens scored 23 points and Texas cooled off Baylor's hottest shooter en route to a 76-62 victory in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. One day after notching the biggest upset in tournament history with a 62-49 victory over No. 7 Iowa State, Baylor made only 4-of-17 3-point attempts. Baylor's DeMarcus Minor was just 3-of-13 and had 12 points after scoring 55 in the first two games of the tournament. Texas led from start to finish, grabbing a 32-22 halftime lead and never letting Baylor get closer than 10 until a late Bear run. Maurice Evans, who totaled 20 points, canned a 3-pointer that put Texas on top 64-48 with 6:17 to go, then Logan Kosmalski and Wendell Greenleaf each hit 3-pointers that shaved the lead to 67-58. But Owens answered with a short jumper and with 1:23 left, Evans hit two free throws to give the Longhorns a 73-62 advantage.

THE LAST TIME OUT: No. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE 68-BAYLOR 57
Baylor fell victim to a gutsy performance by Maurice Baker as No. 6 Oklahoma State came from behind to defeat the Bears 68-57 at the Ferrell Center. Baker, still recovering from a groin injury, made his last four shots including consecutive baskets that put the Cowboys ahead to stay. A turnover by Baker led to Matt Sayman's layup that put Baylor ahead 54-53 with about seven minutes left. Baker came right back to make a long jumper at the other end to put the Cowboys in front. After a Baylor miss, Baker drove the baseline for a reverse layup and Oklahoma State continued building its lead after that. Victor Williams added 13 points for Oklahoma State. Ivan McFarlin had 10 rebounds, his fourth straight game with at least 10 rebounds. Baylor led 35-28 early in the second half after Lawrence Roberts made a putback and free throw and Wendell Greenleaf made a 3-pointer. The two teams then traded baskets before the Cowboys started their comeback. Roberts led Baylor with 12 points, while Greenleaf and John Lucas both had 11. Baylor led 29-25 at halftime after Roberts made two inside baskets. The game had been tied at 25 when Fredrick Jonzen, who finished with 11 points, made a short bank shot with 3:35 left, but Oklahoma State didn't score again before halftime.

UNHAPPY NEW YEAR
Since flipping the calendar from 2001 to 2002, Baylor has experienced a drop in its offensive output. In three games during the new year, the Bears are averaging 68.0 points per game. Prior to the new year, Baylor was averaging 85.3 points per contest. Likewise, the Bears' rebounding average has dipped from 40.9 boards per game to 38.1 per game. Baylor's three lowest rebounding totals this season have come in each of the last three games.

LUCAS NAMED BIG 12 ROOKIE OF WEEK
Baylor freshman point guard John Lucas was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week following his performances in the Bears' wins over Colorado State and Iowa State last week, the league office announced Monday. This marks the second conference honor for the true freshman, who was also named rookie of the week Dec. 10. Lucas averaged 17.5 points in two Baylor victories last week, including a team-high 16 points in the conference-opening win over two-time defending champion Iowa State. He led the team with 19 points and three assists in a non-conference defeat of Colorado State. Lucas was honored along with Kansas junior Drew Gooden, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the third time this season after averaging 28.5 points and 16 rebounds in two KU wins. The players are selected by a media panel which covers Big 12 men's basketball.

GOLD DOME BRINGS OUT BEST IN BEARS
The Oklahoma State game wrapped up a three-game homestand in the Ferrell Center, where the Bears have played far better than their away games. The following chart illustrates the difference between Baylor's play at home vs. other venues in key stat categories:

    HOME-AWAY COMPARISON                Ferrell Center  Road    Record          9-1     2-3    Points per game     85.8        73.8    Scoring Margin      +20.2       +2.2    Field Goal Pct.     49.2%       41.4%    Assists per game    20.5        15.2    3-pointers per game 10.0        7.8

BEARS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Through games of Jan. 9, Baylor ranks nationally in two statistical categories. The Bears are 10th nationally with 9.27 3-pointers per game. The Bears are also tied with Virginia for 18th nationally in scoring with 81.8 points per game. Baylor ranks just out of the national top 25 in both scoring margin (+14.3 ppg) and 3-point shooting percentage (39.7%). Meanwhile, Wendell Greenleaf is 19th nationally with 2.67 steals per game.

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 Jan. 10 rankings, the Bears rank among the league's top 5 in three categories: steals (2nd, 10.67), blocks (3rd, 4.93) and field goal percentage defense (5th, .400).

3-POINT BARRAGE
Baylor is averaging 9.3 3-point shots made per game (139) this season, a figure that ranks first in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears are on pace to break the school's single-season record of 265 3-pointers in 1994-1995. Projected over a 30-game season, the Bears are on track to make 278 3s this year. Baylor has made 10 or more 3-point shots in seven of 15 games this season. Leading the Bears' charge in 3-pointers made is freshman John Lucas with 32. Junior Wendell Greenleaf has hit 29, senior Chad Elsey has 19 and freshman Kenny Taylor has 17.

3-POINT MISCELLANY
With five 3-pointers Tuesday against Oklahoma State, the Bears have made at least one 3-pointer in 307 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 50 games, the Bears are 25-2 when making seven or more 3-pointers. On the flip side, Baylor is 7-16 during that stretch when making six or fewer.

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 15 games, the three freshmen have combined for 42 percent of the team's points, 30 percent of the rebounds, 36 percent of the steals and 34 percent of the assists.

ROBERTS MAKING PRESENCE FELT
Lawrence Roberts has hit the ground running in his first season of college basketball. In 14 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 (15.5 ppg), rebounds (8.0 rpg), blocks (23), field goals (78), free throws made (65) and free throws attempted (97). The Houston, Texas, native is also second on the team in steals (32). According to the Jan. 10 Big 12 rankings, Roberts is 14th in scoring, seventh in rebounding, fifth in steals, fifth in blocks and sixth in defensive rebounds. He is also tied for fifth with three double-doubles.

LUCAS III LIGHTING UP 3s
Freshman point guard John Lucas III (son of Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas Jr.) has led the Bears in scoring in each of the last four games. Lucas is shooting 47.8 percent on 3-point shots (32-of-67), third in the Big 12 Conference. The Houston, Texas, native has scored 20-plus points three times and his assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.75 (63-to-36). According to the Jan. 10 rankings, Lucas is 16th in the Big 12 in scoring, eighth in assists, sixth in 3-pointers and 11th in free throw percentage. He has twice been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 10, Jan. 7).

GREENLEAF'S THIEVERY
A key component in Baylor's pick-pocket defense, which ranks second in the Big 12 in steals (10.67 per game), is junior Wendell Greenleaf. He leads the conference and is ranked 19th nationally in steals, averaging 2.67 per contest. Greenleaf has 124 career steals, and recently cracked the school's top 5 all-time steals listing trailing only former Bear legends Michael Williams (282), Terry Black (153) and David Wesley [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. Wendell Greenleaf 1999-02         126    5. Terry Teagle         1979-82         120

SAYMAN STEPPING UP PLAY
Sophomore Matt Sayman has been playing well of late, and been rewarded with increased playing time. After averaging 4.0 points and 1.6 assists in 12.6 minutes through the season's first eight games, Sayman has averaged 7.0 points, 3.4 assists and 25.3 minutes over the last seven games, three of which have been starts. Dec. 29 at TCU, in his second start of the season, Sayman posted career highs in points (15), rebounds (6) and minutes played (40). Sayman dished out six assists last Saturday against Iowa State, one shy of his career high. Over the past five games, he is averaging 4.0 assists per game.

70 IS THE BEARS' MAGIC NUMBER
Over the last two seasons Baylor is 22-2 when scoring 70 points or more, including an 9-1 mark this year. Conversely, the Bears are 7-14 the past two years when failing to reach the 70-point plateau, including a 1-3 record this season.

BAYLOR OFFERS HELPING HAND
According to the Jan. 10 rankings, Baylor ranks third in the Big 12 Conference with 18.73 assists per game. The Bears are led by John Lucas, who ranks eighth in the conference with 4.20 per game. Baylor dished out 30 assists as a team Dec. 8 against North Texas. That total is tied for second in school history 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.

BEARS ON TV
Saturday's contest at Texas on Fox Sports Net Southwest is Baylor's fourth game this season in front of a television audience. The Bears are 1-2 this season in such games after posting an 8-11 record in TV games last season season. Baylor is 10-20 in televised games under Dave Bliss.

BIG 12 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Three of six 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 and Jan. 7. 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 initially honored after the Bears' 95-81 victory over North Texas, in which he had career highs with 27 points and 11 field goals. Lucas earned his second selection after averaging 17.5 points in wins over Colorado State and Iowa State.

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.

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)

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.

GOBAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.GoBaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the FANSonly Network. FANSonly currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.

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 return home Wednesday, Jan. 16 for a 7 p.m. CST matchup with Kansas State at the Ferrell Center. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Southwest. Baylor won its only meeting with the Wildcats last season, taking a 63-55 decision in Manhattan, Kan.

Men's Hoops Preview: Baylor at Texas Jan. 12

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