BAYLOR (11-6, 1-3) at OKLAHOMA (10-6, 2-2)
Jan. 20, 2007 • Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Okla.) • 3:00 p.m. CST
PDF of complete Game Notes & Stats

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: ESPN Plus (KWTX & The CW in Waco/Temple) [complete TV listings]
INTERNET VIDEO: none
LIVE STATS: live stats at SoonerSports.com

THE GAME
Baylor plays its second consecutive road game Saturday, Jan. 20, when it faces Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST and the game will be televised live regionally via ESPN Plus syndicated stations (KWTX and The CW in Waco/Temple/Bryan). Baylor is 11-6 (1-3 Big 12) and coming off a 69-60 loss at Kansas State Wednesday. The young Bears, with nine freshmen and sophomores, are playing a full schedule and have a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons. Oklahoma is 10-6 (2-2) and most recently beat Nebraska 70-53 at home Wednesday. Baylor has lost 24 straight games to Oklahoma, a losing streak that dates to 1977.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Baylor's 11 wins is the most in a season in Scott Drew's four seasons at the helm.
• Baylor is 2-31 in its last 33 true road games (dating to '02-03) and has lost 19 straight since a 73-72 win at Purdue 12-30-04.
• BU has lost 19 straight Big 12 road games dating to a 67-61 win over TAMU 2-25-04.
• Baylor is 4-36 in its last 40 away games (dating to '02-03).
• Baylor has lost 24 straight games to Oklahoma (dating back to a 75-67 win Dec. 6, 1977), including all 20 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference.
• BU is 2-14 all-time vs. Oklahoma in Norman.
• Tweety Carter leads Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers made (35) & 3-point percentage (37.6%) and is 2nd in assists-per-game (2.6).
• Due to ankle & knee injuries Mamadou Diene has just 4 blocks over the last 8 games (23 blocks in first 8 games). Diene ranks 4th in Big 12 with 1.9 avg blocks.
• Baylor is scoring 77.3 ppg, 14.1 ppg more than last season (4th in 12 rankings), the school's highest scoring average since the `94-95 squad averaged 81.2 ppg.
• Kevin Rogers' 56.4% field goal shooting ranks 5th in Big 12 & 43rd nationally.
• Baylor is undefeated (15-0) in the Drew Era when scoring 80-plus points.
• Baylor is 9-0 this season when leading at the half.
• Sophomore Kevin Rogers has more than doubled his scoring output from last season - 12.9 ppg up from 6.1 ppg - the 6th biggest increase among Big 12 players.
• BU's quartet of sophomore starters (Diene, Dugat, Jerrells & Rogers; last season's "Freshman Four") accounts for 53% of Baylor's scoring and 59% of its rebounds.
• Underclassmen have led BU in scoring in 53 of its last 62 games (dating to 2004-05) [in 31 of last 62 a freshman has been top scorer].
• BU's 1.04 assist-to-turnover ratio is the 2nd-highest in 29 years of records at school.
• Injury Update: Mamadou Diene (knee tendonitis) is probable for Saturday's game; Penny Thiam (torn ACL) is out for the season.

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew, in his fourth season at Baylor in what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history, owns a four-year mark of 32-59 at the school and a career record of 52-70 (five 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 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 SOONERS
Head Coach: Jeff Capel (Duke, 1997); 89-47, 5 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: OU leads 29-5
Last meeting: OU 80-52, Feb. 11, 2006 at Norman
Streak: OU won 24 straight
Series at Norman: OU leads 14-2
Drew vs. OU: 0-6

OU NOTES: Oklahoma is 10-6, 2-2 under first-year head coach Jeff Capel... The Sooners returned two starters from last season's 20-9 squad... OU is 8-1 this season at home in the Lloyd Noble Center... Oklahoma has won 24 straight games vs. the Bears and is a perfect 20-0 against Baylor since the schools became Big 12 opponents... The Sooners are led by junior C Longar Longar, who is returning from a two-game suspension and averages a team-high 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds... Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in rebounding defense, allowing a league-low 30.0 rebounds against.

BRUINS BOAST TALENTED BACKCOURT
Baylor's strength in 2006-07 lies in its talented pool of guards, including its trio of starters, Curtis Jerrells (12.0 ppg, 31.4 mpg), Aaron Bruce (11.4 ppg, 29.6 mpg) and Henry Dugat (11.7 ppg, 27.5 mpg); and reserve Tweety Carter (9.7 ppg, 23.4 minutes off the bench). The four guards combine to score an average of 44.8 points a game. Bruce (2005) and Jerrells (2006) are former Freshmen All-Americans and true freshman Carter is the school's first-ever McDonald's All-American. Baylor's backcourt was listed among the nation's top 14 backcourts in The Sporting News preseason publication.

ROAD WOES
TRUE ROAD GAMES:
The Bears are 2-31 in their last 33 games played on opponents' home courts and have lost 19 straight (last true road win was 73-72 upset at Purdue Dec. 30, 2004).
BIG 12 ROAD GAMES:
Baylor has dropped 19 straight Big 12 road contests dating back to a 67-61 win at Texas A&M Feb. 25, 2004.
ALL AWAY GAMES:
Baylor owns a 4-36 record in its last 40 games away from home (dating back to the 2002-03 season), including four straight.

BEST START SINCE...
Baylor's 11-6 record marks its best start in five seasons since the 2001-02 squad that began 12-5 ('01-02 team lost 18th game to start 12-6).

FULL ROSTER, FULL SCHEDULE
For the first time in four seasons since head coach Scott Drew was hired, Baylor has both a full allotment of scholarships available and a complete schedule to play. In each of the first three seasons the Bears played through handicaps: all three years the program was playing with scholarship limits; last season, the Bears were stripped of playing a non-conference schedule (all results of sanctions brought on by the previous coaching staff). In 2006-07 Baylor has 13 scholarships available and is playing a full schedule.

MOST WINS IN DREW ERA
This season's 11 wins represent the most for a Baylor (11-6) squad in four seasons under head coach Scott Drew. After taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Drew led the Bears to records of 8-21 (2003-04), 9-19 (2004-05) and 4-13 (2005-06). The 2002-03 Baylor squad finished 14-14 prior to Drew's arrival.

OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION UP
Baylor ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (34th nationally), averaging 77.3 points per game - up 14.1 points from last season and the highest team scoring average since 1994-95 (when the Bears scored an average 81.2 points).

MORE TEAM BALANCE (SCORING/MINUTES PLAYED)
A byproduct of Baylor's increased depth and talent is a more balanced team, evidenced by balanced scoring and fewer minutes played. Four Bears average double-digits in scoring, and five average between 9.7 and 12.9 points. Only one Baylor player averages more than 30 minutes played per game: sophomore G Curtis Jerrells, 31.4 mpg.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR LAST SEASON'S "FRESHMAN FOUR"
Baylor is powered by its nucleus of youth, namely a quartet of sophomore starters which as rookies in 2005-06 was nicknamed the "Freshman Four": Mamadou Diene, Henry Dugat, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers. As freshmen the quartet combined to account for nearly half of the team's points, rebounds and assists. This season the sophomores have increased that production (percentages below).

DIENE, DUGAT, JERRELLS & ROGERS% of Team's:        Pts     Reb.        Asst.Freshmen in 2005-06 46% (496/1,074) 51% (252/493)   49% (92/186)Sophomores in 2006-07   53% (696/1,314) 59% (340/575)   49% (130/265)

MR. ROGERS BECOMING A FORCE
Bears' leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Rogers ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories. The sophomore forward leads Baylor in scoring (12.9 ppg, 17th in Big 12) and rebounding (6.9 rpg, 9th in Big 12) and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in shooting (56.4% FGs), ninth in free throw shooting (78.2%) and 15th in blocks (1.12 bpg). As a frosh in 2005-06, Rogers averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench.

BRUCE ALMIGHTY LEADING THE BEARS
Third-year guard Aaron Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with only 62 career games played, is averaging 11.4 points and 4.0 assists [eighth in Big 12]. His 1.89 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks ninth in the Big 12. Bruce's 82.5 career free throw percentage ranks fifth in school history and his 39.5 career 3-point percentage ranks sixth all-time. The junior, rated the nation's 11th-best point guard by The Sporting News preseason publication, spent the offseason playing for the Australian national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan. Bruce averaged 13.1 points during an injury-riddled sophomore campaign last season and averaged 18.2 points in 2004-05 when he led the nation's freshmen in scoring and was named a freshman All-American.

JERRELLS BUILDING ON STELLAR FRESHMAN SEASON
Curtis Jerrells, who is averaging 12.0 points and 4.0 assists [eighth in Big 12] in a team-high 31.4 minutes, is coming off a rookie season in which he led the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), assists (3.3 apg), steals (1.4 spg) and minutes (33.4 mpg) and was named a Freshman All-American. Jerrells is projected a preseason All-Big 12 selection by Lindy's, USA TODAY and ESPN.com. He has also been named the Big 12's "Most Underrated Player" by both Athlon and The Sporting News preseason publications.

CARTER AMONG BIG 12 FRESHMEN LEADERS
Despite playing just 23.4 minutes per game off the bench, true freshman G Tweety Carter leads all Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers and is second in assists. Carter's 35 3-pointers and 37.6 3-point shooting percentage top all freshmen, and his 2.6 assists-per-game is second. Carter, Baylor's first-ever McDonalds All-America signee, is averaging 9.7 points per game. He was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week Dec. 18 after scoring 31 points in a loss at No. 23 Syracuse (Carter hit seven 3-pointers off the bench). Carter scored a U.S. high school record 7,457 points at Reserve (La.) Christian School.

DUGAT'S NUMBERS UP
Henry Dugat has improved his statistical output in his sophomore season. Through 17 games (his first 17 career starts), the guard is third on the team with 11.7 points per game and shooting 41 percent on 3-pointers. As a freshman in 2005-06, Dugat averaged 7.2 points and 24.3 minutes per game off the bench.

MAYOR DIENE SLOWED BY INJURY
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot sophomore from Senegal, is averaging 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds [18th in Big 12] and 1.9 blocks [4th Big 12] despite playing through ankle and knee injuries the last eight games. Diene has totaled four blocks in his last six games played (averaged 2.9 through first eight games before injury). Diene led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman, averaging 2.21 in 2005-06 and his 2.37 career figure is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Milwaukee Buck Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Diene has recorded 19 multi-block games. The 19-year-old Diene, referred to as "The Mayor" by the Baylor coaching staff due to his huge popularity across campus, has gained more than 55 pounds since his arrival in the United States in Jan. 2005 weighing 197 pounds.

ROGERS & DUGAT AMONG BIG 12's MOST IMPROVED SCORERS
Sophomores Henry Dugat and Kevin Rogers have each nearly doubled their scoring output from their freshman season in 2005-06. Both players are also among the Big 12's most improved scorers from last season: Rogers averages 6.8 more points than last season (sixth in Big 12) and Dugat averages 4.5 more (12th in Big 12).

LAST TIME OUT: KANSAS STATE 69 - BAYLOR 60
Baylor let an 11-point second half lead slip away en route to dropping a 69-60 game to Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum. The Bears played much of the game without leading-scorer Kevin Rogers and Aaron Bruce was injured after being hit in the mouth late in the first half and receiving four stitches during halftime. Rogers was plagued by early fouls and totaled just two points and five rebounds in a season-low 12 minutes. Bruce, who led the Bears with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first half, was 1-for-11 in the second half. Tied at 39 at the half, KSU took a 40-39 lead 13 seconds into the second on a Luis Colon free throw. Baylor's defense then shut down the Cats for nine and a half minutes during an 11-0 run. Bruce, fouled by Colon with an elbow to the head, hit a free throw to give Baylor a 51-40 lead with 12:53 remaining. K-State, which missed its first 15 shots in the second half, hit its first field goal of the period at the 10:14 mark to cut the lead to 51-42. The Wildcats finally took the lead at 59-58 on Cartier Martin's 3-pointer with 5:07 left. KSU hit two layups and six free throws as Baylor missed seven 3-pointers to seal the 69-60 win. Henry Dugat capped Baylor's big run with a follow shot underneath and a breakaway basket after Bruce made a long pass across court on his knees. Fouled by Lance Harris, Dugat made the free throw and the Bears had a double-digit lead with Rogers having spent most of the game on the bench with foul trouble. Rogers fouled out with 3:15 left as the Bears lost for the 31st time in their last 33 true road games, a streak that dates back to Dec. 30, 2004. Baylor has lost 19 straight Big 12 road games. Rogers picked up his third foul with 9:03 left in the first half and went to the bench. He went back to the bench with foul No. 4 early in the second half and did not score until hitting a short jumper with 8:38 to play, putting the Bears on top 53-46.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce ranks 5th on Baylor's career free throw percentage list (.822).
• Henry Dugat ranks 5th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.388).
• Aaron Bruce ranks 6th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.388).
• Pat Fields ranks 7th on Baylor's career 3-point percentage list (.379).
• Mamadou Diene ranks 2nd on Baylor's career blocks-per-game list (2.10).
• Aaron Bruce ranks 8th on Baylor's career assists-per-game list (3.68).
• Mamadou Diene is 3 blocks shy of moving into 7th place (65 blocks, Lawrence Roberts No. 7 with 68) on Baylor's career blocks list.
• Aaron Bruce is 6 assists shy of entering Baylor's career top 10 assists list (228, Roddrick Miller No. 10 with 234).
• Aaron Bruce is 39 points scored shy of entering Baylor's career top 20 scorers list (925, Alex Holcombe No. 20 with 964).
• Aaron Bruce is 75 points shy joining Baylor's 1,000-point scorers club (925 points, would be 19th member).

INJURIES: DIENE PROBABLE, THIAM OUT
Through 17 games five different Baylor players have missed a total of 33 games for medical reasons. Currently nursing injury is sophomore C Mamadou Diene, who is battling a knee (tendonitis) injury and is probable to play Saturday. Freshman F Djibril "Penny" Thiam sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a win over Texas Southern Nov. 20 and is out for the season.

THE LAST MEETING: OKLAHOMA 80 - BAYLOR 52 [Feb. 11, 2006]
A lackluster effort doomed Baylor as the Bears were drilled 80-52 by No. 20 Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners' 24th straight win in the series. Baylor shot 26.5 percent from the floor and never recovered after seven early points by Curtis Jerrells gave the Bears a brief 7-6 lead four minutes into the game. A Kevin Bookout layup gave OU an 8-7 lead. After Patrick Fields made one of two free throws to tie the game at 8-8 at the 13:19 mark, the Sooners went on a 30-9 run the remainder of the half and took a 38-17 lead into halftime. The Sooners extended their lead to 50-19 in the opening minutes of the second half after three straight baskets from Bookout and a pair of 3-pointers by Michael Neal. Down 50-19 early in the second half, head coach Scott Drew made a five-man substitution of his starters and replaced them with the "black squad," Baylor's scout team made up of walk-ons and reserves. Jerrells hit a 3 before the reserves checked in, but the black squad held its own against the OU starters, providing a needed spark and totaling a 6-3 run in three-plus minutes on the floor. The Sooner reserves scored 47 points and OU's defense shut down the Bears' hot 3-point shooting game (8.4 attempts made per contest). Baylor had only four field goals at halftime (4-for-21) and finished 4-for-13 from 3-point range. Aaron Bruce scored just two points on two free throws. He was 0-for-5 shooting. Other than center Mamadou Diene's eight rebounds, Baylor's inside game was a non-factor.

BEARS STILL YOUNG
Despite returning 11 of last season's 13 players, the Bears are still a relatively young squad in 2006-07. Baylor's roster includes just two seniors and three juniors compared to nine freshmen and sophomores. Junior Aaron Bruce is the team's leader in career games played with 62. [Note: Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 53 of its last 62 games (over the last three seasons); in 31 of those 62 a freshman has been top scorer.]

BEARS RETURN PRODUCTION NUMBERS
In 2006-07 Baylor returns four-of-five starters, 11-of-13s roster players and a great majority of its production, statistically speaking. The Bears return 87.6 percent of last season's points, 84.7 percent of rebounds and 93.5 percent of assists.

FRESHMAN CLASS RATED 17th NATIONALLY
Baylor's 2006 signee class was rated the nation's 17th-best class by Rivals.com and is made up of a trio of freshman, all top-100 national recruits. The signees include Demond "Tweety" Carter of Reserve Christian School (Reserve, La.), Josh Lomers of Boerne (Texas) High School and Djibril "Penny" Thiam of Stoneridge Prep (Tarzana, Calif.).

INTERNATIONAL ROSTER
Baylor's 14-man, 2006-07 roster boasts 10 Americans and four players from overseas. The four international student-athletes include junior Aaron Bruce (native of Australia), sophomore Mamadou Diene (native of Senegal), redshirt freshman Jari Vanttaja (native of Finland) and true freshman Djibril "Penny" Thiam (native of Senegal).

EARLY 2007 SIGNEES
Baylor signed two players in the early signing period, LaceDarius Dunn of Monroe, La., and Fred Ellis of Sacramento, Calif. Dunn, a senior at Excelsior Christian School, is the highest-rated Baylor signee in recent memory. Dunn is rated the No. 18 recruit nationally by Scout.com's Dave Telep. Other national ratings include: No. 27 by Hoopmasters.com, No. 29 by HoopScoop.com and No. 33 by Rivals.com. A 6-4 shooting guard, Dunn was rated the No. 5 player at the 2006 Adidas Superstar Camp in Atlanta by USA TODAY. He is rated the nation's fifth-best shooting guard by Scout.com and the No. 7 shooting guard by Rivals.com. Dunn is a two-time, first-team all-state honoree who guided ECS to a 35-4 record as a junior in 2005-06, averaging 27.7 points, 13 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Dunn led Excelsior Christian to the Class C state title and a 47-2 record as a sophomore in 2004-05. Ellis is a senior at Sacramento High School in Sacramento, Calif. He was called the "biggest sleeper" recruit of the summer by Telep at Scout.com. A 6-7 wing, Ellis led SHS to a 29-6 overall record and an 11-1 conference mark as a junior in 2005-06. Sacramento lost in the SJS-Div. III championship game. Ellis averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. Ellis was invited to the Super 100 Basketball Camp in Berkeley last summer.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES:Name        Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Schools)LaceDarius Dunn G   6-4 190 Fr. Monroe, La. (Excelsior Christian School)Fred Ellis  F   6-7 190 Fr. Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento HS)

DEPARTED PLAYERS
Baylor lost just two lettermen from it's 2005-06 roster: four-year forward Tommy Swanson (6.6 ppg) and two-year transfer guard Kevis Shipman (2.1 ppg).

NEXT UP...
Baylor returns home to host No. 5 Kansas in a Wednesday, Jan. 24, matchup. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center and will be televised live regionally on FSN Southwest.