BAYLOR (12-12, 2-9) vs. TEXAS (18-7, 8-3)
Feb. 17, 2007 • Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) • 7:00 p.m. CST
PDF of complete Game Notes & Stats

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco / KVCE 1160AM Dallas / Sirius Satellite ch. 161)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: FSN Southwest (in Texas)
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at BaylorBears.com
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor renews its longest rivalry and attempts to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Texas Saturday, Feb. 17. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center and will be televised live in Texas on FSN Southwest. Baylor is 12-12 (2-9 Big 12) and has dropped three straight games, most recently a 78-71 loss at Missouri Wednesday. The young Bears, with eight freshmen and sophomores, are playing a full schedule and have a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons. Texas is 18-7 (8-3) and coming off an 83-54 win over Oklahoma State Monday in Austin. The old foes meet for the 224th time Saturday - the most-played rivalry for both schools. Texas has defeated Baylor in 18 straight games, including an 84-79 decision Jan. 27, in Austin. Baylor will play Saturday's game without veteran leader Aaron Bruce, who suffered an ankle sprain last week and missed the first game of his career Wednesday.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Saturday marks the 224th meeting between Baylor and Texas, the most-played rivalry for both schools (UT leads 148-75).

• Baylor has lost 17 straight games to Texas dating to an 80-75 win in Waco 2-21-98.
• Baylor's 12 wins is the most in a season in Scott Drew's four years at the helm.
• Kevin Rogers has scored 20-plus points in each of the last two games (23.5 avg.)
• Kevin Rogers has posted dobule-doubles in 4 of the last 9 games.
• 3 Bears boast current streaks of 8+ free throws - Bruce (11), Bush (8) & Rogers (8).
• BU (68.8 team free throw percentage) has hit 79.7% of clutch FTs (last 3 min. & OT).
• Junior G Aaron Bruce will not play Saturday vs. Texas (high ankle sprain).
• Curtis Jerrells has scored in double-digits in each of the last 7 games.
• Kevin Rogers is averaging 16.2 points & 10.8 rebounds the last 6 games.
• Freshman G Tweety Carter boasts a 2.5-to-1 assist to turnover ratio in conf. games.
• Tweety Carter is 2nd among Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers made (44) and 3rd in assists-per-game (2.6).
• Kevin Rogers is averaging 13.9 points & 9.4 rebounds (2nd in Big 12) in Big 12 games and has posted 4 double-doubles.
• Last 3 games: Tweety Carter averaging 2.7 points & shooting 11.8% from the field.
• Kevin Rogers' 4 double-doubles in Big 12 play is the most by a BU player since Lawrence Roberts had 10 in 2002-03.
• Patrick Fields is shooting 18.2% on 3s this season (37.8% in first 2 seasons)
• Sophomore Kevin Rogers has more than doubled his scoring output from last season - 13.3 ppg up from 6.1 ppg - the 4th biggest increase among Big 12 players.
• BU's quartet of sophomore starters (Diene, Dugat, Jerrells & Rogers; last season's "Freshman Four") accounts for 55% of Baylor's scoring and 61% of its rebounds.
• Baylor is shooting just 39.7% in Big 12 games and has shot better than 35% in just 5 of 11 league games. [In 2 conference wins BU shot 48% (Tech) & 58% (Colorado)]
• 65% (132-204) of Tweety Carter's points come from 3-pointers (44).
• Due to ankle & knee injuries Mamadou Diene has just 10 blocks over the last 15 games (23 blocks in first 8 games). Diene ranks 3rd in Big 12 with 1.7 avg blocks.
• Sophomore G Curtis Jerrells (Del Valle HS) and junior F Mark Shepherd (St. Michael's Academy) are Austin natives.

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 33-65 at the school and a career record of 53-76 (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. [Drew underwent an appendectomy Jan. 23 - less than 30 hours later he was on the bench in a limited coaching role for Baylor's home game vs. Kansas]

DREW 10th ON BU COACHING LIST
In his fourth season at Baylor, Scott Drew has coached 33 Bear wins and has climbed to 10th place on the school's all-time coaching wins list. In ninth place on the list is Carroll Dawson with 42 career victories.

THE TEXAS LONGHORNS
Head Coach: Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne, 1977); 411-217, 20 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: UT leads 149-75
Last meeting: UT 84-79, Jan. 27, 2007 at Austin
Streak: UT won 18 straight
Series in Waco: UT leads 60-45
Drew vs. UT: 0-7

UT NOTES: The Longhorns have won 18 straight games vs. Baylor... Texas is 3-3 this season away from Austin... UT is led by rookie sensation Kevin Durant, who leads the Big 12 in scoring (24.9 ppg, 5th nationally) and rebounding (11.4, 4th nationally)... Sophomore G A.J. Abrams leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers made, averaging 3.5 3s per game... Texas leads the Big 12 in scoring (83.4 ppg), rebounding (41.0 ppg) and 3-point field goals (9.1 3fgm).

COLD-SHOOTING BEARS
Baylor has shot poorly during Big 12 Conference play, hitting on just 39.7 percent of field goals [11th in the league rankings]. In five of 11 conference games (2-9 record), Baylor shot below 35 percent from the field. In the Bears' two conference wins, they shot 48.3 percent (Texas Tech) and 57.9 percent (Colorado).

BRUCE OUT (ANKLE INJURY)
Aaron Bruce, Baylor's most veteran player and third-leading scorer, suffered a sprained ankle (left) in a Feb. 10 game vs. Oklahoma and is out indefinitely. The junior guard did not play at Missouri Wednesday, his first missed game after 68 career starts. Bruce is expected to miss Saturday's game vs. Texas.

HOME vs. ROAD SUCCESS
The Bears have played significantly better basketball at home in the Ferrell Center this season than they have on the road. In addition to a better record at home (11-4 vs. 1-8 away), the following chart details other significant statistical differences based on location:

       Home    AwayWin-Loss Record:    11-4    1-8Scoring Margin: +12.1   -11.7Field Goal %:   .496    .388Opp. Field Goal %:  .419    .468Rebounding Margin:  +6.5    -4.7

MR. ROGERS BECOMING A FORCE
The Bears' leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Rogers has become a force on the boards since the start of Big 12 Conference play. In conference games, the sophomore forward is averaging 13.9 points and 9.4 rebounds and has recorded four double-doubles [the most by a Baylor player in Big 12 games since current Memphis Grizzlies forward Lawrence Roberts notched 10 in 2002-03]. His 9.4 rebounds in Big 12 games ranks second in the league (7.8 average in all games ranks fifth). On the season, the southpaw averages 13.3 points (16th in Big 12), 7.8 rebounds (5th in Big 12), shoots 55.0 percent (5th in Big 12) and averages 1.0 blocks. As a frosh in 2005-06, Rogers averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench.

BRUINS BOAST TALENTED BACKCOURT
Baylor's strength in 2006-07 lies in its talented guard foursome; three starters and a reserve who each average 24-plus minutes and combine to score an average of 43.7 points per game. The guard rotation consists of Curtis Jerrells (13.2 ppg, 32.0 mpg), Aaron Bruce (11.6 ppg, 29.7 mpg), Henry Dugat (10.4 ppg, 27.0 mpg) and Tweety Carter (8.5 ppg, 24.3 mpg). 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.

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   55% (979/1,790) 61% (491/809)   49% (169/344)

MOST WINS IN DREW ERA
This season's 12 wins represent the most for a Baylor (12-12) 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.

JERRELLS CONTINUES TO LEAD FROM THE POINT
Sophomore point guard Curtis Jerrells leads the Bears in scoring (13.2 points per game, 18th in Big 12), assists (3.8 apg, seventh in Big 12) and minutes (32.0 mpg), and he averages 1.0 steals. He averages 14.7 points in Big 12 games (15th in Big 12). Jerrells 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
True freshman G Tweety Carter is averaging 24.3 minutes per game and broke into Baylor's starting lineup six games ago after coming off the bench in his first 18 career games. Carter ranks second among all Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers (44) and third in assists (2.6). Carter, Baylor's first-ever McDonalds All-America signee, is averaging 8.5 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.

SHOT-BLOCKING MAYOR DIENE SLOWED BY INJURIES
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot sophomore from Senegal, is averaging 4.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks [3rd Big 12] despite playing through ankle and knee injuries the last 15 games (sat out four games). Diene has totaled 10 blocks in his last 11 games played (averaged 2.9 through first eight games before injuries). Diene led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman, averaging 2.21 in 2005-06 and his 1.97 career figure is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Milwaukee Buck Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Diene has started all 36 career games played and has recorded 21 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.

BRUCE ALMIGHTY POWERS THE BEARS
Third-year guard Aaron Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 68 career games played, is averaging 11.6 points and 3.7 assists [9th in Big 12]. His 1.63 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks eighth in the Big 12. Bruce's 39.4 career 3-point percentage ranks third in school history and his 82.7 career free throw percentage ranks third all-time. Bruce is two points shy of becoming the 19th player in Baylor history to score 1,000 career points. 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.

ROGERS AMONG BIG 12's MOST IMPROVED SCORERS
Sophomore Kevin Rogers has doubled his scoring output from his freshman season in 2005-06. Rogers' 13.3 scoring average is 7.2 points higher than last season's 6.1 and currently ranks fourth among the Big 12's most improved scorers from last season.

LAST TIME OUT: MISSOURI 78 - BAYLOR 71
Baylor erased a 14-point second half deficit but the comeback fell short and the Bears fell 78-71 vs. Missouri in the Mizzou Arena. Missouri took a 60-46 lead with 10:40 remaining before a 17-3 Baylor run over the following five minutes. A turnaround jumper by Kevin Rogers finished 10 straight Bears points at the end of the run and tied the game at 63 at the 5:46 mark. Mizzou pushed the lead back to five on two free throws by Marshall Brown and a 3-pointer by Stefhon Hannah. Tweety Carter hit Rogers for an alley-oop with 3:15 remaining and Rogers tipped in another basket with 2:42 to play to keep Baylor within 70-67. Hannah hit a short jumper to push the lead back to 72-67. The Tigers hit six free throws down the stretch to hold off the Bears. Missouri led 35-32 at the break. Baylor missed its first five shots from the field to start the second half and didn't score a point until the 15:34 mark as Missouri stretched its lead to 11. Rogers scored 18 of his career-high 27 points in the second half and had 12 rebounds. Henry Dugat and Curtis Jerrells each added 14 for the Bears.

THE LAST MEETING: TEXAS 84 - BAYLOR 79 [Jan. 27, 2007]
Baylor's gutsy upset bid fell just short as Texas topped the Bears 84-79 at the Frank Erwin Center. Baylor closed the gap to 80-77 on Henry Dugat's twisting layup over three defenders with 24 seconds remaining before Kevin Durant hit four free throws over the final 12 seconds to seal the win. Aaron Bruce hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 to lead the Bears, who dropped their fourth straight loss. The Bears led for all but 3:37 of the first half and for 13 minutes of the second half, but lost Mamadou Diene to an injured ankle and Josh Lomers to foul trouble and were overtaken down the stretch. Baylor led much of the game and Bruce's consecutive 3-pointers after Texas had rallied to tie put Baylor up 60-54. Durant hit a 3-pointer and Conner Atchley's putback gave Texas its first lead of the second half at 63-62 with just under 7 minutes to play. Baylor dominated Texas in the paint (40-16), in transition (22-3) and won the rebound battle (37-33), leading to an edge in second-chance points (16-14). The Bears, who shot 49.2 percent from the field, shot 54.5 percent in the first half en route to a 42-36 halftime lead. Texas hit 24-of-33 free throws and Baylor 8-of-10.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce is 2 points shy joining Baylor's 1,000-point scorers club (998 points, would be 19th member).
• Mamadou Diene is 1 block shy of moving into 5th place (71 blocks, Greg Davis No. 5 with 72) on Baylor's career blocks list.
• Aaron Bruce is 15 assists shy of moving into 8th place (245, Pat Nunley No. 8 with 260) on Baylor's career assists list.
• Aaron Bruce is 42 points shy of moving into 18th place (998, Don Heathington No. 18 with 1,040) on Baylor's career scoring list.
• Tweety Carter is 4 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 3rd place (44, Roddrick Miller No. 3 with 48) on Baylor's freshman 3-pointers list.
• Tweety Carter is 2 assists shy of moving into 5th place and 3 assists shy of 3rd place (63, Nelson Haggerty No. 5 with 65, Eric Johnson & Micheal Williams No. 3 with 66) on Baylor's freshman assists list.
• Scott Drew is 2 games shy of coaching his 100th game at Baylor (just the 9th BU coach to coach 100 games).

BRUCE ON CUSP OF JOINING BEARS' 1,000-POINT CLUB
In less than two and a half seasons of play, junior G Aaron Bruce is on the verge of becoming just the 19th player in Baylor history to score 1,000 career points. Bruce, who has played in 68 career games, has scored 998 points [Bruce has played 28 games as freshman, only 17 due to a shortened season as sophomore and 23 this season). He has averaged 14.7 points per game in three seasons.

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 eight freshmen and sophomores. Junior Aaron Bruce is the team's leader in career games played with 68. [Note: Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 59 of its last 69 games (over the last three seasons); in 31 of those 69 a freshman has been top scorer.]

INJURIES: BRUCE OUT, THIAM OUT
Through 24 games six different Baylor players have missed a total of 47 games for medical reasons. Currently nursing injury is junior G Aaron Bruce, who sprained an ankle Feb. 10 vs. Oklahoma and will not play Saturday vs. Texas (missed his first career game Wednesday at Missouri). 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.

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.

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.

FERRELL CENTER'S 19th YEAR
The Bears are in their 19th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 11-4 at home in 2006-07 and owns a 165-117 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 TO FACE WAZZU IN BIG 12/PAC-10 SERIES
Baylor will host Washington State on Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, as apart of a a four-year deal announced by the Big 12 and Pacific-10 Conferences. The agreement between the conferences provides a series of 12 annual games, beginning in the 2007-08 season. The series will continue in 2008, with return games of the 2007 match-ups games slated for Dec. 4-7. The games in the series in 2009 will be played Dec. 3-6, 2009, while matchups in 2010 will be played Dec. 2-5, 2010.

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 plays a second straight home game Wednesday, Feb. 21, when it hosts Nebraska at the Ferrell Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. CST and will be televised live in Texas and Nebraska on FSN Southwest.