Men's Hoops GameDay: Baylor vs. Iowa State
2/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BAYLOR (2-11, 2-11) vs. IOWA STATE (15-11, 5-8)
Feb. 25, 2006 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 12:45 p.m. CST
BAYLOR CENTENNIAL WEEKEND.
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RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco & KMKI 620AM Dallas)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN+Plus complete TV listings
INTERNET VIDEO: none
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THE GAME
Baylor hosts Iowa State Saturday, Feb. 25, as part of its Basketball Centennial Weekend. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live via ESPN+Plus (Time-Warner Cable channel 15 in Waco/Temple/Bryan). Baylor (2-11, 2-11) has lost four straight games, the latest a 76-61 decision at No. 16 Kansas Tuesday. Baylor has played just 13 games after an NCAA ban removed all non-conference games. The result is that the young Bears, playing four freshmen among their eight-man rotation, have played the nation's toughest schedule. Iowa State (15-11, 5-8) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 68-52 win over Oklahoma State Wednesday. Baylor, celebrating its 100th season of basketball in 2005-06, welcomes 100-plus lettermen to Saturday's game and will unveil its All-Centennial Team during a halftime ceremony.
BAYLOR TIP-INS
- Baylor's schedule is rated the nation's toughest (by ESPN.com's InsideRPI).
- Over the last 6 seasons Baylor is 15-24 (.385) vs. Big 12 North teams and just 8-43 (.157) vs. Southern teams.
- Curtis Jerrells was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week and Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week last week.
- Senior Tommy Swanson has averaged 9.6 points & 5.6 rebounds the last 5 games.
- Baylor is the Big 12's top 3-point shooting team, hitting on 38.0% of 3s.
- Baylor's "Freshmen Four" account for 49% of the team's scoring, 52% of rebounds, 52% of assists and 51% of minutes played.
- Mamadou Diene leads the Big 12 in blocks per game (2.0 bpg) and 11th in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds (2.5 orpg).
- Over the last 5 games, Curtis Jerrells has averaged 17.6 points and shot 55% (12-of-22) on 3-pointers.
- BU's 4 freshmen are outproducing the Bears' 4 returning starters in scoring (29.1-21.5 average points) and rebounding (14.8-11.0 average boards).
- BU's 8.1 average 3-pointers per game ranks 2nd in the Big 12 and 42nd nationally.
- Aaron Bruce ranks 4th in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (2.7) and 3rd in 3-point percentage (40.7%).
- Freshman Mamadou Diene has made at least block in all 13 career games.
- Curtis Jerrells' 28-point effort in the win over Missouri matched the top scoring total by a freshman in the Big 12 this season.
- For the 3rd straight season BU is playing without its full allotment of scholarships (12 available, 10 filled).
- Underclassmen have led BU in scoring in 37 of its last 41 games (dating to last year) [in 26 of last 41 a freshman has been top scorer].
- Baylor's bench has accounted for 38% of its scoring (291 of 769 points).
- Baylor's 2 Big 12 wins doubles its conference victories from last season (1-15).
- Baylor is 13-2 when scoring 70+ points (in Drew Era; 3 seasons).
- BU is 1-33 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or higher (in 3 years under Drew).
- Over the past five seasons Baylor is 52-4 when totaling an equal or higher shooting percentage than its opponent (1-1 this season).
HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew, in his third season at Baylor in what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history, owns a three-year mark of 19-51 at the school and a career record of 39-62 (four seasons). 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 four national Top-20 recruiting classes over the last seven years (No. 17 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 IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Iowa State (15-11, 5-8) is led by Wayne Morgan, in his third year at ISU and his ninth year as a head coach. Morgan is 54-36 at ISU and owns a career record of 145-120 with a stint at Long Beach State (1996-2002) prior to ISU.
ISU NOTES: The Cyclones are 3-4 in true road games this season... ISU is led by junior G Curtis Stinson, who averages 19.6 points and 5.6 assists... The Cyclones lead the Big 12 in steals (10.1 spg), turnover margin (+6.19) and assist-to-turnover margin (1.22)... ISU's roster includes two Texans, backups Jeff Bergstrom (a junior G from Kingwood) and Chris Ceaser (a junior G from Humble).
THE IOWA STATE SERIES
Saturday marks the 15th meeting between Baylor and Iowa State with the Cyclones holding a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series. The Cyclones have won three of the last four meetings, including a 77-57 win last season in the Big 12 Tournament. Baylor has won four of five games in Waco including two straight.
BAYLOR'S 100-YEAR CELEBRATION
The 2005-06 season marks the 100th season of collegiate basketball at Baylor. Baylor's Centennial, which is presented by H-E-B, has been celebrated by a season-long series of events and culminates this weekend with a lettermen reunion. The highlight of BU's Centennial Weekend is the unveiling of Baylor's All-Centennial Basketball team, which was selected by a combination of fan voting and an expert panel. The All-Centennial team will be announced and introduced at halftime of Saturday's game vs. Iowa State. All former players and coaches in attendance will be recognized in front of the Baylor faithful during a pregame ceremony Saturday on the court. After the game fans will have an opportunity to mingle with the legends on the Ferrell Center floor. The weekend's activities also include a Friday night dinner as well as a Saturday brunch for the 100-plus lettermen expected to return for the reunion. Baylor basketball officially began in 1906-07 with a seven-man squad that won its first two games and finished 5-6. The Bears' storied history includes Final Four appearances in 1948 and 1950, a national runner-up finish in 1948, five conference championships as well as the heroic tragedy of the 1927 Immortal Ten team.
"FRESHMAN FOUR" LEADING THE BEARS
Four of Baylor's six freshmen, the "Freshman Four" (Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells, and Kevin Rogers), are playing significant minutes and have made an immediate impact on this year's team. The freshmen have combined for 49 percent of the team's points, 52 percent of the rebounds, 52 percent of the assists and 51 percent of the minutes played.
JERRELLS MAKING BIG SPLASH AS ROOKIE
Curtis Jerrells has steadily produced for the Bears since assuming a starting position as a true freshman. The lefty from Austin, Texas, has averaged a team-leading 12.7 points and 3.3 assists. Over the last five games Jerrells has averaged 17.6 points and shot 55 percent on 3-pointers (12-of-22) and led the team in scoring four times. Jerrells played big in both BU wins this season; he scored a career-best 28 points on 5-of-6 3-pointers in Baylor's 90-64 win over Missouri (the 28-point effort matched the top scoring game by a Big 12 freshman this season) a hit the game-winning 3-pointer vs. Kansas State.
HOME vs. ROAD SUCCESS
The Bears have played much better basketball at home in the Ferrell Center this season. In addition to a better record at home (2-4) than the road (0-7), the following chart details other significant statistical differences based on location:
Home Road Win-Loss Record: 2-4 0-7 Scoring Margin: -7.2 -19.7 Field Goal %: .413 .350 Rebounding Margin: -3.0 -12.4 Jerrells' 3FG%: 41.7% 34.4% Fields' FG%, PPG: 60.0%, 9.2 32.0%, 3.9
NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
Baylor's lack of non-conference games resulted in a schedule filled solely with Big 12 opponents. The Bears' difficult conference-only slate is rated the nation's toughest strength of schedule (by ESPN.com's InsideRPI).
YOUNG BEARS OVERCOMING CRIPPLING SANCTIONS
Baylor was hamstrung to start its season by a crippling combination of no non-conference games and heavy inexperience. Due to NCAA sanctions Baylor was set back by having to start its season against teams in mid-season form (what Texas Tech Head Coach Bob Knight termed a "tremendous handicap"). At the same time, the Bears had to do so with a roster loaded with freshmen lacking collegiate experience (BU's "Freshmen Four" play an average of 25.7 minutes between them).
SWANSON STEPPING UP HIS PLAY
Senior F Tommy Swanson has stepped up his play over the last five games. In that span he has averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds and shot 54.5% from the field (Swanson's numbers in the season's first eight games: 3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 30.0 FG%).
THE YOUNG "MAYOR" BIG 12's TOP SHOT-BLOCKER
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot redshirt freshman from Senegal, has made his presence felt early in his young career. Diene, referred to as "The Mayor" by the Baylor coaching staff due to his huge popularity across campus, has averaged 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds (16th in the Big 12) and a league-leading 2.0 blocks per game. Diene ranks 11th in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.5 per game. The 18-year-old Diene has gained more than 40 pounds since his arrival in the United States in Jan. 2005 weighing 197 pounds.
BAYLOR FRESHMEN OUTPERFORMING THE VETERANS
Baylor's four returning starters haven't carried the team as much as most Bear fans might have expected heading into the season. The quartet (sophomores Aaron Bruce and Richard Hurd, junior Tim Bush and senior Tommy Swanson) is averaging just 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game combined; by comparison Baylor's four freshmen combine to average 29.1 points and 14.8 rebounds.
BRUCE'S NUMBERS LEVELING OFF DURING SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN
The Bears are once again led by second-year guard Aaron Bruce, though he hasn't had to carry the team's scoring load as he did during his sensational rookie year in which he led the nation's freshmen in scoring (18.2 ppg) and earned All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American accolades. Bruce is averaging 11.5 points per game in his sophomore campaign and ranks fourth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made (2.7 3pg) and third in 3-point percentage (40.7%).
SIGNEE CARTER NAMED McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN
Baylor signee Demond "Tweety" Carter has been selected to the prestigious 2006 McDonald's All-American Team. The 5-10, 170-pound guard will play for the West Team in the 29th Annual McDonald's All-American game March 29 at Cox Arena in San Diego, Calif. The game will be televised live on ESPN at 9 p.m. CST. Carter, a native of LaPlace, La., is the first Baylor player to be selected a McDonald's All-American. The McDonald's game is one of two all-star contests Carter will participate in. He was recently selected to participate in the 2006 Jordan All-American Classic to be played April 22 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The incoming freshman has scored more than 7,200 career points at the prep level and is the second-highest scorer in national high school history. Carter, who has made 246 3-point field goals this season at RCS, recently broke the national record for single-season 3-pointers; shattering the old mark of 215.
JERRELLS EARNS BIG 12 AND NATIONAL HONORS
Baylor true freshman G Curtis Jerrells was selected the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week and the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week last week after averaging 22 points in a win over Missouri and a loss at Oklahoma Feb. 7 and 11. The Big 12 award, selected by a media panel, is the first for a Baylor rookie since then-sophomore transfer Tim Bush was honored in January of last season. Jerrells, a true freshman from Austin, averaged 22 points and hit 6-of-7 3-pointers in Baylor's win over Missouri and loss at Oklahoma. He had a career day in the MU win, shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Jerrells also scored a team-high 16 in the loss at OU.
THE BIG 12's YOUNGEST TEAM
Baylor is playing with a very inexperienced squad of youngsters. The Bears roster includes six freshmen (nine total underclassmen) and only two seniors. Baylor's freshmen average 25.7 minutes played per game - the most in the Big 12. Additionally, Baylor boasts the conference's leading freshman in blocks [Mamadou Diene, 2.0 bpg] and in minutes played [Curtis Jerrells, 32.9 mpg], as well as the No. 2 freshman scorer [Jerrells, 12.7 ppg], rebounder [Diene, 5.6 rpg] and assists [Jerrells, 3.3 apg]. Freshmen have led Baylor in scoring in eight of 13 games this season. Baylor's six freshmen (5 true, 1 redshirt) on the roster is the school's highest total in 28 years (seven frosh on '78-79 squad).
DOUBLED LAST SEASON'S CONFERENCE WINS
Baylor's 90-64 victory over Missouri Feb. 7 doubled the number of Big 12 wins (one) the Bears totaled last season. Baylor, which has been hamstrung by sanctions in each of Scott Drew's three seasons at the helm, has finished 3-13 (`03-04) and 1-15 (`04-05) in Big 12 play the last two years.
MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
- Aaron Bruce ranks 3rd on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.402).
- Tommy Swanson is 4 blocks shy of moving into 8th place on Baylor's Top 10 career blocks list (61 blocks, Jamie Kendrick No. 8 with 65).
- Aaron Bruce is 1 made 3-pointer shy of moving into 8th place on Baylor's career 3-point field goal list (104 made, Kenny Taylor No. 8 with 105) and 2 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 7th place (John Lucas III No. 7 with 106).
- Curtis Jerrells' 12.7 scoring average ranks 9th on Baylor's freshman scoring average list.
- Mamadou Diene ranks 6th on BU's single-season blocks per game list (2.00).
- Curtis Jerrells ranks 5th on the Big 12's all-time freshman minutes played list (32.92 mpg).
- Pat Fields ranks 6th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.379).
- Tommy Swanson is 3 disqualifications shy of moving into 6th place on Baylor's career fouled-out list (13 FOs, Steve Bartels No. 6 with 16).
- Kevis Shipman is 9 made 3-pointers shy of qualifying for BU's career 3-point percentage list (would be 9th at .360).
- Mamadou Diene is 2 blocks shy of moving into 4th place on Baylor's freshman single-season blocks list (26 blocks, Joey Fatta No. 4 with 28).
- Curtis Jerrells is 4 assists shy of entering Baylor's freshman single-season assists list (43 assists, Matt Sayman No. 10 with 47).
THE LAST MEETING: IOWA STATE 77 - BAYLOR 57 [March 10, 2005]
Undermanned Baylor fell behind by 20 points at the start and never recovered in a 77-57 loss to Iowa State in the opening round of the 2005 Big 12 Tournament at Kemper Arena. The fifth-seeded Cyclones opened the game with a 17-0 run and led 21-1 before the 12th-seeded Bears scored their first field goal on Kevis Shipman's 3-pointer with 12:20 left in the first half. Iowa State hit eight of its first 10 shots and 57 percent for the game.
LAST TIME OUT: No. 16 KANSAS 76 - BAYLOR 61
Impressive second-half shooting by the Bears didn't alter the outcome of Baylor's 76-61 loss at No. 16 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The Bears, playing a ranked team on the road for the third time in four games, hit 9-of-14 3-pointers in the second half to avoid a blowout. Baylor shot 40 percent against a Kansas team that came in leading the nation with a 36.1-percent field-goal defense. After hitting their first three shots, the Bears missed 14-of-16 and Kansas went on a 10-0 run that opened a 31-13 lead with 5:42 left in the first half. But then Tommy Swanson hit a 3-pointer and the Bears went on a 10-0 run of their own to pull within 31-23 with 2:49 to go. Kevin Rogers' basket sent the Bears into the break trailing only 33-25. But Julian Wright hit a 15-foot jumper and dunked a pass from Mario Chalmers to help Kansas quickly regain all the momentum. Freshman Curtis Jerrells had 17 points for Baylor while Aaron Bruce and Swanson each had 13. The Jayhawks shot 52 percent and had 32 points in the paint. Kansas was without senior reserve guard Jeff Hawkins, who was suspended for the game following his citation on Sunday morning for leaving the scene of a minor traffic accident. Baylor lost its 22nd straight against a ranked opponent, and 30 of the last 33 away from home.
NORTH vs. SOUTH
Over the last six seasons Baylor has had much more success against Big 12 North schools than those in the South. Baylor is 15-24 (.385) the last six seasons vs. Northern schools and just 8-43 (.157) vs. teams in the South.
HOT PERIMETER SHOOTING
Baylor is shooting a Big 12-best 38.0% on 3-pointers this season (school record is 38.5% by 1986-87 squad). The Bears are averaging 8.1 made 3-pointers per game, the second-most in the Big 12 and No. 42 nationally. That figure currently ranks fourth on the school's single-season 3-point field goals per game list (school record 9.46 3FG/G in 1994-95).
BAYLOR'S THREE TRUE FRESHMEN REMINISCENT OF `01-02 TRIO
Baylor's three true freshmen - Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers - have made an immediate impact this season; an impact that is reminiscent of another trio of Bear cubs that made a big splash in 2001-02. This year's freshmen are putting up numbers comparable to the previous trio of John Lucas III, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor. [Lucas and Roberts were eventual All-Americans and NBA players].
BAYLOR TRUE FRESHMEN MPG PPG RPG APG'05-06 True Freshman (Dugat, Jerrells & Rogers) 79.2 26.3 9.3 4.8'01-02 True Freshman (Lucas, Roberts & Taylor) 69.3 33.7 11.4 5.5
BAPTISM BY FIRE FOR BAYLOR'S CUBS
Rarely have collegiate freshmen been thrust into NCAA Division I play as emphatically as Baylor's cubs. The Bears rookies, without the benefit of non-conference games, jumped right from the high school ranks into Big 12 play (and the nation's toughest schedule). Additionally, Baylor's freshmen have played substantial minutes against experienced opponents in mid-season form.
HALF A SEASON
Due to unprecedented NCAA sanctions brought on by the previous coaching staff, Baylor did not play any regular-season non-conference games this season. Baylor will play a minimum of 17 games this season (16-game Big 12 schedule plus at least one game in Big 12 Championship). The last time the Bears played fewer than 21 games in a season was 1944-45, when Baylor finished 0-17. [NOTE: Baylor is eligible for postseason play]
BAYLOR'S THIRD HANDICAPPED SEASON
For the third straight year, Baylor enters the season without its full allotment of scholarships. The Bears have 12 available scholarships (only 10 filled). During head coach Scott Drew's first two seasons, Baylor dressed seven or fewer scholarship players in every game.
BEARS REACH NEW HEIGHTS... LITERALLY
Unlike last season when Baylor's roster had a noticeable lack of height - with only two players taller than 6-6 (one a walk-on) - the 2005-2006 roster boasts five such players: Kevin Rogers (6-9), Mark Shepherd (6-9), Tommy Swanson (6-10), Jari Vanttaja (6-10) and Mamadou Diene (7-0).
PRESEASON HONORS
Aaron Bruce is rated the eighth-best point guard nationally by CBSSportsline.com and No. 12 in Lindy's preseason publication and is also honored with the league's "Best Instincts" by Street & Smith's magazine. The sophomore was also projected an All-Big 12 honoree by Lindy's and Athlon. Baylor freshman Kevin Rogers was named the Big 12's "No. 1 Signing Coup" by Lindy's and Rivals, as well as being tabbed a "Top 100 College Freshman by Street & Smith's.
SWANSON'S SENIOR EXPERIENCE A RARITY
Fourth-year senior Tommy Swanson entered the season as not only the most experienced member of the Bear squad - he's also a rare veteran in BU's recent basketball history. Swanson was just the second BU player in the last six years to enter his senior season with more than 60 career games played as a Bear (73 prior to season); former teammate Matt Sayman had 89 entering senior year.
INTERNATIONAL ROSTER
Baylor's 13-man 2005-2006 roster boasts 10 Americans and three players from overseas. The three, all signed by Scott Drew in the last two years, include sophomore Aaron Bruce (native of Australia), redshirt freshman Mamadou Diene (native of Senegal) and freshman Jari Vanttaja (native of Finland).
FERRELL CENTER'S 18th YEAR
The Bears are in their 18th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 2-4 at home in 2005-06 and owns a 152-113 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.
BAYLOR'S EARLY SIGNING CLASS RATED 21st NATIONALLY
Baylor's two-man early signing class was rated 21st nationally by Rivals.com, the second-highest national ranking for a class of two or fewer players. The signees include two consensus Top 100 recruits, guard Demond "Tweety" Carter and center Josh Lomers. Carter, a 5-10 point guard for Reserve Christian from LaPlace, La., is one of the most prolific scorers in high school basketball history. His national rankings include No. 45 HoopScoop, No. 47 CSTV.com, No. 61 Rivals.com, No. 82 Hoopmasters and No. 87 Scout.com. Carter is rated a Top-10 point guard recruit nationally by both Rivals.com and Hoopmasters. Carter, whose nickname is "Tweety," has scored more than 6,000 career points and been a varsity starter since the seventh grade. He is a four-time all-state selection and has led Reserve Christian to three state championships, including the school's first-ever title in 2002 as an eighth grader when he was honored as the tournament MVP. Lomers is rated the No. 6 center nationally by Rivals.com. Overall he is rated nationally by CSTV.com (No. 39), Rivals.com (No. 43), Hoopmasters (No. 64), and Scout.com (No. 88). Lomers is also the third-rated recruit in Texas according to Rivals.com. A 7-foot, 1-inch center, Lomers plays for Boerne (Texas) High School and was named to the 2005 TABC 4A All-State team as a junior last season after averaging 22 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7 blocks per game.
BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES:Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Schools)Demond "Tweety" Carter G 5-10 170 Fr. LaPlace, La. (Reserve Christian School)Josh Lomers C 7-1 250 Fr. Boerne, Texas (Boerne HS)
NEXT UP...
The Bears play a second straight home game Wednesday, March 1, when they host Texas Tech. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
