BAYLOR (7-17, 2-9) vs. MISSOURI (12-10, 6-5)
Feb. 21, 2004 * Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) * 12:45 p.m. CST

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

RADIO: Baylor Radio Network (KRZI 1660/1580 AM Waco, WBAP 820 AM Dallas)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN Regional Complete TV Listings
INTERNET VIDEO: none

THE GAME
Baylor returns home for a Saturday, Feb. 21, matchup against Missouri. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. The Bears have lost three straight games, all to ranked teams, and enter the game 7-17, 2-9 in Big 12 play coming off a 74-54 loss to No. 20 Kansas in Lawrence. The Tigers are 12-10, 6-5 and on a three-game winning streak after defeating Iowa State 82-70 Wednesday in Columbia. Baylor is 3-1 vs. Mizzou in Waco. The short-handed Bears (seven available scholarship players) have lost six of their last seven games.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
* Baylor is currently playing with 7 active scholarship players and 5 active walk-ons.
* Baylor has been outrebounded in 4 straight games (1st time all season).
* Baylor is 12-13 vs. Big 12 North schools the last 3-plus seasons (7-32 vs. South).
* After holding its opponents under 80 points for first 18 games, Bears have allowed 80-plus points in 4 of last 6 games.
* Baylor's coaching staff, with an average age of 34 years, is the nation's youngest among major conference schools.
* Baylor has been outscored by an average of 26-14 in bench scoring this year.
* Starting forward Corey Herring is sidelined w/ a fractured hand (missed last 6 gms).
* In Big 12 play, Matt Sayman ranks 3rd in conf. in assists (4.0).
* After fouling out of his first 2 games at Baylor and totaling 10 points, Harvey Thomas is averaging 17.3 points and 6.1 rebounds over the last 14 games.
* Carl Marshall has scored in double-digits in 2 of the last 4 games (1 in previous 20).
* Terrance Thomas ranks 4th in Big 12 scoring (16.5 ppg) & 9th in rebounding (7.2).
* Terrance Thomas is 3rd in the Big 12 w/ 2.2 3-pointers per game.
* R.T. Guinn is 4th in the Big 12 with 1.8 steals per game.
* Baylor's Thomas & Thomas duo is only school's 2nd pair in a decade to average more than 15 ppg (Terrance 16.5, Harvey 15.8).
* Terrance Thomas leads BU in scoring (16.5), rebounding (7.2), 3-pointers (46) & minutes (34.5).
* Matt Sayman in No. 8 on BU's career minutes played list (2,594 in 113 games).
* R.T. Guinn owns the 3rd-best career 3-point shooting % in Baylor history (39.9%).
* Carl Marshall has hit 10-of-18 3-pointers the last 7 games (broke 0-of-8 streak from previous 8 games).
* Terrance Thomas has scored 20+ points in 6 of 20 games.
* Baylor's jerseys include a black stripe in honor of late teammate Patrick Dennehy.

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew is 7-17 in his first season as head coach at Baylor and 27-28 in two seasons as a head coach. He came to Waco after 10 seasons coaching at Valparaiso, the final as head coach. Drew led the Crusaders to a 20-11 record and into the NIT in 2002-2003. Valpo earned the Mid-Continent Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 league record last season.

The previous nine seasons, Drew served as an assistant at Valpo under his father Homer Drew. During Drew's decade at Valparaiso, the Crusaders earned six NCAA Tournament berths, including the magical 1997-1998 squad that shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. Valpo made five straight NCAA appearances from 1996-2000. An outstanding recruiter, Drew was responsible for three national Top-20 recruiting classes the last five years. He was named the 1998-99 National Recruiter of the Year by Court Vision and helped produce what HoopScoop named the nation's sixth best recruiting class in 2001, the 13th best in 1999 and the 19th best in 2003 (including four Top-100 national recruits).

OVERACHIEVING BEARS EXCEEDING ALL EXPECTATIONS
A 7-17 overall and 2-9 Big 12 record may not at first glance impress, but considering that many observers nationwide didn't expect Baylor to win any games - let alone games vs. Big 12 opponents - it is safe to say the short-handed Bears have exceeded expectations this season. As a Baylor team that was a consensus pick to finish last in the conference sits two games out of the cellar, head coach Scott Drew continues to garner praise for his efforts and that of his team. [see box, opposite page]

BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER
Baylor's current 2003-2004 roster lists 14 players: six returnees and eight newcomers. Of the eight newcomers (six active), two are scholarship recruits (junior Harvey Thomas, freshman Carl Marshall), two arrived as walk-ons prior to the fall semester (junior Ryan Pryor, freshman Turner Phipps), one earned a spot during open walk-on tryouts in October (junior Robbie McKenzie), one was added in early January from a prep school (freshman Nino Etienne), one is a Division I transfer who joined in early January and will sit out the season (sophomore Tim Bush), and one walked on in mid January and is redshirting (forward Mark Shepherd). Seven of Baylor's 12 active players are on scholarships (five returnees & two newcomers). [note: Ellis Kidd Jr. was dismissed from the team in December for violation of team policy; senior football letterman Joe Simmons played five games before leaving to focus on football]

SHORT-HANDED BEARS FIGHT ON DESPITE DEPLETED ROSTER
The Bears are currently suiting up 12 players, including seven scholarship athletes. Baylor began the season with eight scholarship players (though only seven were eligible*). One player was lost in December (starting guard Ellis Kidd Jr. was dismissed for violation of team policy) and one was injured the last day of January (starting guard Corey Herring, missed last six games). Baylor added LSU-transfer Tim Bush as a scholarship player in January, but he will sit out the season under NCAA transfer rules. *Forward Harvey Thomas became eligible after the first eight games.

THE MISSOURI TIGERS
No. 13 Missouri (12-10, 6-5) is led by head coach Quin Snyder, in his fifth year as a head coach, all at the helm of the Tigers. Snyder has led Missouri to a 96-59 record in his four-plus seasons since taking over for legendary head coach Norm Stewart.

MIZZOU NOTES: Missouri has won three straight games, by an average of 19.3 points... The Tigers are led by senior G/F Ricky Paulding, who averages 15.2 points... Four MU players (Paulding, Arthur Johnson, Linus Kleiza and Travon Bryant) average double-digits in scoring... Kleiza was lost for the season due to an injury earlier this month.

THE MISSOURI SERIES
Baylor trails 7-6 in its short basketball series against Missouri. Baylor has a 3-1 edge in games played in Waco, including an 81-80 nationally televised win over the 22nd-ranked Tigers in the last meeting at the Ferrell Center. The two squads have met seven times since joining the Big 12 with the Tigers holding a 5-2 edge in the conference contests.

DREW vs. MISSOURI
Baylor head coach Scott Drew is 0-1 as a head coach vs. Missouri. His Valparaiso squad was defeated 65-47 last season in Columbia.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
* Matt Sayman is 1 game played shy of 3rd place (Melvin Hunt 114) on BU's career GP list.
* Matt Sayman is 4 steals shy of 8th place (Julius Denton 110) on BU's career list.
* R.T. Guinn is 8 3-pointers shy of 8th place (Kenny Taylor 105) on BU's career list.
* Matt Sayman is 25 minutes played shy of 7th place (Willie Sublett 2,619) on BU's career MP list.
* Harvey Thomas is 3 blocks shy of qualifying (min. 25) for BU's single-season blocks-per-game Top-10 list (current 1.4 average would rank 10th).
* Tommy Swanson is 3 foul-outs shy of 10th place (4 players at 8) on BU's single-season disqualification list.
* Matt Sayman is 38 assists shy of 6th place (Vinnie Johnson 308) on BU's career list.

BEARS SUCCESS vs. BIG 12 NORTH
Baylor is 12-13 over the last three-plus seasons in games against schools from the Big 12 North (10-12 in regular reason, 2-1 in the Big 12 Tournament). The Bears are 7-32 vs. Big 12 South teams during that same span.

THOMAS & THOMAS 1-2 PUNCH
Harvey and Terrance Thomas (no relation) have combined to give Baylor a potent offensive duo. The pair is leading the Bears in scoring and rebounding, Terrance with 16.5 points and 7.2 boards and Harvey with 15.8 and 5.7. The Thomas duo is on pace to become just the second Baylor twosome (joining Terry Black & DeMarcus Minor in 2000-2001) to average better than 15 points per game for a season.

TERRANCE LEADING THE BEARS
Senior F Terrance Thomas leads the Bears in scoring (16.5 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg), 3-pointers (46) and average minutes played (34.5). He also ranks as the fourth-leading scorer and ninth-leading rebounder in the Big 12 Conference and is third the league with an average of 2.2 3-pointers. Thomas has six double-doubles this season and was named to the Hawai'i Surf N' Slam all-tournament team in December.

SAYMAN IMPRESSIVE IN BIG 12 PLAY
Senior co-captain Matt Sayman has stepped up his play since Big 12 Conference action began. In 10 games of league play, Sayman is ranked third in the conference in assists (4.00), 12th in average steals (1.27) and 12th in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.33).

HARVEY DESERVING OF NEWCOMER MENTION
Junior Harvey Thomas is putting together numbers worthy of Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year mention. The transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M missed the first eight games of the season but over the last 16 games has averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. Thomas has not played enough games to qualify for overall conference rankings, but in league games he ranks 10th in scoring, 15th in rebounds and fourth in blocks. The former Georgetown player has recorded three double-doubles on the season.

HERRING SIDELINED
Sophomore F Corey Herring has missed the last six games after fracturing his right hand in a shootaround prior to the game in Colorado Jan. 31. He was expected to be out a total of three-to-five weeks. Herring had started seven straight games prior to the injury.

BAYLOR'S IRON MAN
Matt Sayman is the Bears' most veteran player and a co-captain. The fourth-year senior provides leadership and consistent play as Baylor's most experienced player (113 games played). He is averaging 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 34.5 minutes. Sayman is on pace to break the school's games-played record (currently fourth, three games behind Jamie Kendrick's 116 from 1997-2000) and is currently eighth on the school's career minutes played chart (2,594).

LAST TIME OUT: No. 20 KANSAS 74 - BAYLOR 54
A scrappy Baylor squad hung tough with No. 21 Kansas for 29 minutes before the Jayhawks' depth propelled KU to a 74-54 victory at Allen Fieldhouse. J.R. Giddens hit two crowd-pleasing 3-pointers midway through the second half to start a 17-4 run and break open a close game. Before Gidden's 3-pointers, the Jayhawks were 0-for-8 from behind the arc. Kansas led only 39-37 after Carl Marshall, playing with four fouls, hit a six-footer in the lane with 12:34 remaining. But with several players in foul trouble and only six scholarship athletes available, the Bears finally began to wilt after the Jayhawks' offense got going. The Bears played a slow and deliberate halfcourt offense and stifled the Jayhawks with a tight zone defense through the first nine minutes of the second half. Wayne Simien, who scored the Kansas' first six points of the second half, had a putback to start the decisive run that ended with Giddens' driving layup for a 56-41 lead with 7:33 left. Terrance Thomas had 15 points and Harvey Thomas added 13 for Baylor. Baylor immediately quieted the sellout crowd by hitting five of its first seven shots. Kansas led by as many as six points twice in the first half, but the Bears' Matt Sayman hit a pair of free throws to tie it at 28 with 2:51 left. Kansas then closed the first half with a 5-0 run to take a 33-28 halftime lead.

THE LAST MEETING: No. 13 MISSOURI 77 - BAYLOR 69 [Jan. 11, 2003]
A furious late comeback by a depleted Baylor squad wasn't enough to overcome No. 13 Missouri on the road as the Bears lost 77-69 at the Hearnes Center. Playing without injured R.T. Guinn most of the game, and without Lawrence Roberts for the final five minutes, Baylor erased a double-digit deficit to pull to as close as three points with a minute remaining behind the heroics of Kenny Taylor. Trailing 64-55 with four and a half minutes to play, the Bears went on a 14-8 run behind four Taylor 3-pointers and a jumper by John Lucas to pull to 72-69 with 1:39 to play. Missouri got a dunk and three free throws to complete the scoring. Taylor finished with career-tying totals of 23 points and seven made 3-point field goals. Lucas finished with 18 points, and Terrance Thomas added 10 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. Arthur Johnson had 13 first half points to lead the Tigers to a 35-25 halftime lead. Johnson also put the clamps on Roberts, holding him to six points. Roberts fouled out with five minutes remaining. Baylor played most of the game without starting center Guinn, who suffered a head injury midway through the first half, and watched the remainder of the game in street clothes from the bench. Baylor entered the game as the Big 12's top 3-point shooting team, averaging 9.8 per game on 26.9 attempts, but largely against lesser competition. Against Missouri, the Bears misfired most of the game before getting hot at the end, finishing 10-for-37.

WALK-ON CONTRIBUTIONS
Playing behind a current roster of seven active scholarship players, Baylor's five active walk-ons (juniors Robbie McKenzie and Ryan Pryor, sophomore Will Allen and freshmen Nino Etienne and Turner Phipps) have played an important role, and the quintet has quickly become crowd favorites at home in the Ferrell Center. Though they log minutes individually as reserve subs (typically Allen and McKenzie), the unit has been utilized by head coach Scott Drew as an entire five-man substitution team to both rest and energize the regulars. The entire walk-on "team" has appeared as a group in 12 games and has logged 27 minutes together on the floor and has been outscored 55-37. [note: five of the walk-ons are new this season, Allen is a second-year sophomore]

NATION'S YOUNGEST COACHING STAFF
Baylor's coaching staff is the youngest among the nation's major college conferences (tallied by average age). The Bears' staff averages 34 years of age (head coach Scott Drew [34] and assistants Matthew Driscoll [39], Mark Morefield [27] and Jerome Tang [37]). New Mexico's staff also averages 34 years.

REMEMBERING PATRICK
Baylor's jerseys include a black stripe across the left shoulder in honor of the late Patrick Dennehy, a former teammate who was a redshirt at Baylor during the 2002-2003 season after transferring from New Mexico.

SHEPHERD ADDED TO ROSTER
Baylor added a walk-on to its roster in January, Mark Shepherd, a three-year letterman from St. Michael's Academy in Austin, Texas. The 6-8, 210-pound forward led the Crusaders to a 28-7 record and the 2003 TAPPS 5A state championship as a senior. Shepherd averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks and was named to the TABC All-State Large School second team.

LSU TRANSFER JOINS BEARS
Tim Bush, a freshman F at LSU in 2002-2003, joined the Bears in January and is practicing with the team. The 6-5 forward will be eligible to play after the fall 2004 semester as a sophomore with three years of eligibility. As a true freshman last season at LSU, Bush appeared in 10 games, averaging 0.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest. Coming out of high school, Bush was ranked the No. 137 prospect in the class of 2003 by HoopScoop. Bush averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior at Shaw High School in New Orleans. Bush won MVP honors at the 2001 Michael Jordan camp in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was also a top-10 prospect at the 2001 Great American Shootout in Denton, Texas.

BAYLOR PRAISED FOR PAIR OF EARLY SIGNEES
Baylor has inked two prep athletes to national letters of intent during the early signing period: center Mamadou Diene of Senegal and guard Aaron Bruce of Australia. The pair are ranked as the 39th-best recruiting class to date by HoopScoop.

Diene, a 7-footer, is rated as the top NBA prospect in Africa and the sixth-best international prospect in the world by NBAdraft.net. The analysts at HoopScoop said that if Diene were playing high school basketball in the United States, he would rank among the top 40 players in the nation. HoopScoop also reported that Diene was ranked as the top player in camp when he attended the Babacar Sy Basketball Camp in July.

Bruce spent last summer playing for the Australian junior national team in the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece. The 6-2 guard led Australia with 25 points as the Aussies upset Team USA 106-85. HoopScoop reports that if Bruce were playing high school basketball in the United States, he would rank among the top 50 seniors in the country.

BAYLOR SIGNEES:Name        Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. HometownAaron Bruce G   6-2 190 Fr. Horsham, VictoriaMamadou Diene   C   7-0 210 Fr. Yeumbeul, Senegal

FERRELL CENTER'S 16th YEAR
The Bears are enjoying their 16th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Baylor is 6-7 at home in 2003-2004 and owns a 142-96 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.

NEW STAFF GUIDING BEARS
Head coach Scott Drew is joined on the Baylor coaching staff by new assistants Matthew Driscoll, Mark Morefield and Jerome Tang. Driscoll and Morefield followed Drew from his staff at Valparaiso, and Tang joined Baylor after 10 years as a prep coach at Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas.

BAYLOR GAMES ONLINE - AUDIO AND VIDEO
For the first time, Bear fans can both watch and listen to live video and audio of Baylor basketball online in 2003-2004. The radio broadcast of all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on-line on Baylor's official website, BaylorBears.com, or at www.broadcast.com. Live video is available at baylorbears.nmnathletics.com; all home games that are not scheduled to be televised are included in the package. Subscriptions are available for $6.95 per game, or $49.95 for a season pass that covers both men's and women's games.

BIG 12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2003-2004 edition has been projected to finish last in the Big 12 Conference in virtually every preseason poll. The only preseason publication that didn't pick the Bears 12th in the conference was Athlon Sports, which was published prior to the transfers of three Baylor returnees.

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, College Sports TV and the College Channel (Waco Time Warner cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox Sports Net Southwest. Each show is archived online at BaylorBears.com and BaylorTV.com.

NEXT UP...
Baylor makes its return trip in the Battle of the Brazos Wednesday, Feb. 25, to face Texas A&M. Tipoff at Reed Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.