BAYLOR (13-14, 3-11) at TEXAS TECH (18-11, 7-7)
Feb. 28, 2007 • United Spirit Arena (Lubbock, 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: Texas Tech Television Network (TTTN)
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at TexasTech.com
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor plays its final regular-season road game when it faces Texas Tech Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Lubbock. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CST at the United Spirit Arena and will be televised live in parts of Texas on via the Texas Tech Television Network (not available in Central Texas, will air on KFWD in Dallas and KTBU in Houston). Baylor is 13-14 (3-11 Big 12) and coming off a 97-87 loss at No. 8 Texas A&M Saturday. 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 Tech is 18-11 (7-7) and has won three of four games, most recently a 59-57 victory over Oklahoma State at home Saturday. The Red Raiders are 12-3 at home this season, the Bears have dropped 24 straight true road games. Baylor has won two straight in the series vs. Tech, including a 73-70 decision in the teams' previous meeting this season on Jan. 13.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• BU has won 2 straight games vs. Texas Tech, but has dropped 8 straight in Lubbock.
• Kevin Rogers is averaging 14.2 points & 10.2 rebounds the last 9 games (4 double-doubles).
• Over the last 4 games, Henry Dugat is averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds & shooting 45% (13-29) on 3-pointers.
• Baylor is 2-36 in its last 38 true road games (dating to '02-03) and has lost 24 straight since a 73-72 win at Purdue 12-30-04.
• BU has lost 24 straight Big 12 road games dating to a 67-61 win over TAMU 2-25-04.
• Baylor is 4-41 in its last 45 away games (dating to '02-03).
• Baylor is 11-1 this season when leading at the half and 1-12 when trailing (2 ties).
• Kevin Rogers leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds in conf. games - 3.29 orpg.
• Aaron Bruce became the 19th BU player to score 1,000 points this season (1,020).
• Curtis Jerrells has scored in double-digits in each of the last 10 games.
• Tweety Carter is 2nd among Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers made (51) and 3rd in assists-per-game (2.5).
• Kevin Rogers is averaging 13.1 points & 9.3 rebounds (2nd in Big 12) in Big 12 games and has posted 5 double-doubles.
• Injury Update: Tim Bush (broken foot) is out 3-5 weeks; Penny Thiam (torn ACL) is out for the season. [7 BU players have missed a total of 49 games due to injury]
• Kevin Rogers' 5 double-doubles in Big 12 play is the most by a BU player since Lawrence Roberts had 10 in 2002-03 / 2nd most double-doubles by Big 12 player in conference play behind UT's Kevin Durant.
• Sophomore Kevin Rogers has more than doubled his scoring output from last season - 13.0 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 56% of Baylor's scoring and 61% of its rebounds.
• 65% (153-235) of Tweety Carter's points come from 3-pointers (51).

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 34-67 at the school and a career record of 54-78 (five seasons). Drew's 34 wins rank 10th all-time on Baylor's all-time coaching victories list (in ninth place on the list is Carroll Dawson with 42 career victories). 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 BU's home game vs. Kansas]

BEARS CONTINUE MASSIVE REBUILDING PROCESS
Despite taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Scott Drew has recruited a solid foundation of young players that have earned valuable playing experience and showed steady progress. This season's young Bears posted a 10-3 non-conference record but have only earned a 3-11 record in Big 12 games. Despite that record, Baylor has increased its competitiveness in conference games, evidenced by the fact that eight of its 11 losses were by less than 10 points (last season BU lost nine Big 12 games by 15 points or more). Baylor's 13 wins are the most in Drew's four-year rebuilding project. He has led the Bears to records of 8-21 (2003-04), 9-19 (2004-05) and 4-13 (2005-06).

THE TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Head Coach: Bob Knight (Ohio State, 1962); 887-361, 41 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: Tech leads 72-41
Last meeting: Baylor 73-70, Jan. 13, 2007 in Waco
Streak: Baylor won 2 straight
Series at Lubbock: Tech leads 41-11
Drew vs. Tech: 2-5

TECH NOTES: Texas Tech has won three of four games and is fifth in the Big 12 standings... Head coach Bob Knight is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I history (887 wins)... The Red Raiders have lost two straight to Baylor but have beaten the Bears eight straight times in Lubbock... Tech is 12-3 this season at home... The Red Raiders are led by senior G Jarrius Jackson, who averages 19.9 points (third in Big 12) and 3.3 rebounds per game.

INJURY-FILLED SEASON FOR BEARS
Through 27 games seven Baylor players have missed a total of 49 games due to medical reasons. Senior Tim Bush (missed last two games due to broken foot, out three to five weeks) and freshman Penny Thiam (torn ACL in right knee in season's fourth game in November) are currently out. Previous injuries included Aaron Bruce (missed two games due to ankle injury), Mamadou Diene (missed five games due to various ankle and knee injuries), Patrick Fields (missed nine games due to knee injury), Mark Shepherd (missed five games due to shoulder injury and illness) and Jari Vanttaja (out three games with ankle injury).

ROAD WOES TRUE ROAD GAMES:
The Bears are 2-36 in their last 38 games played on opponents' home courts and have lost 24 straight (last true road win was 73-72 upset at Purdue Dec. 30, 2004).
BIG 12 ROAD GAMES:
Baylor has dropped 24 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 4-41 record in its last 45 games away from home (dating back to the 2002-03 season), including nine straight.

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 (12-5 vs. 1-9 away), the following chart details other significant statistical differences based on location:

       Home    AwayWin-Loss Record:    12-5    1-9Scoring Margin: +10.8   -11.5Field Goal %:   .483    .397Opp. Field Goal %:  .416    .476Rebounding Margin:  +6.8    -4.3

MR. ROGERS CRAFTING A BREAKOUT SEASON
The Bears' second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Kevin Rogers ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories. In Big 12 conference games, the sophomore forward is averaging 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds and has recorded five 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 9.3 rebounds in Big 12 games ranks second in the league (7.9 average in all games ranks sixth). On the season, the southpaw averages 13.0 points (18th in Big 12), 7.9 rebounds (sixth in Big 12), shoots 52.6 percent (third 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.

BAYLOR'S BACKCOURT: "IN GUARDS WE TRUST"
Baylor's strength in 2006-07 lies in its talented guard foursome; three starters and a reserve who each average 25-plus minutes and combine to score an average of 45.3 points per game. The guard rotation consists of Curtis Jerrells (13.9 ppg, 32.4 mpg), Aaron Bruce (11.5 ppg, 29.5 mpg), Henry Dugat (11.2 ppg, 27.4 mpg) and Tweety Carter (8.7 ppg, 25.0 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.

JERRELLS CONTINUES TO LEAD FROM THE POINT
Sophomore point guard Curtis Jerrells leads the Bears in scoring (13.9 points per game, 15th in Big 12), assists (3.8 apg, seventh in Big 12) and minutes (32.4 mpg), and he averages 1.0 steals. He averages 15.6 points in Big 12 games (12th in Big 12) and has scored in double-digits in 10 straight. 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.

NEAR-HEALTHY BRUCE ALMIGHTY BACK TO POWER THE BEARS
Third-year guard Aaron Bruce has played the last two games while recovering from a high ankle injury that kept him out of the previous two games. Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 70 career games played, is averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 assists [10th in Big 12]. His 1.47 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks eighth in the Big 12. Bruce's 39.5 career 3-point percentage ranks third in school history and his 82.4 career free throw percentage ranks fifth all-time. This season Bruce joined Baylor's 1,000-point club and he currently ranks 19th on the school's career scoring list with 1,020 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.

BRUCE JOINS BEARS' 1,000-POINT CLUB
In two and a half seasons of play, junior G Aaron Bruce has become just the 19th player in Baylor history to score 1,000 career points. Bruce, in 70 career games, has scored 1,020 points [Bruce has played 28 games as freshman, only 17 due to a shortened season as sophomore and 25 this season). He has averaged 14.6 points per game in three seasons.

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   56% (1,125/2,007)   61% (554/907)   51% (189/373)

CARTER AMONG BIG 12 FRESHMEN LEADERS
True freshman G Tweety Carter is averaging 25.0 minutes per game and broke into Baylor's starting lineup nine games ago after coming off the bench in his first 18 career games. Carter ranks second among all Big 12 freshmen in 3-pointers (51) and third in assists (2.5). Carter, Baylor's first-ever McDonalds All-America signee, is averaging 8.7 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.

SHOT-BLOCKING MAYOR DIENE SLOWED BY INJURIES
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot sophomore from Senegal, is averaging 4.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks [3rd Big 12] despite playing through ankle and knee injuries throughout the season. Diene has totaled 14 blocks in his last 14 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 1.92 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 39 career games played and has recorded 22 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.

DUGAT PROVIDES PUNCH IN SIXTH-MAN ROLE
Henry Dugat's statistics are up in a sophomore season in which he has gone from a starter to the team's sixth man (started the season's first 18 games and two additional games when Aaron Bruce was injured). The guard is fourth on the team with 11.2 points per game and shooting a team-high 38.3 percent on 3-pointers. Over the last four games Dugat has averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and has shot 45 percent from the 3-point line. As a freshman in 2005-06, Dugat averaged 7.2 points and 24.3 minutes per game off the bench.

BEARS STILL YOUNG
Despite a preseason roster that included 11 returnees, the 2006-07 Bears remain a relatively young squad. Baylor's current seven-man rotation consists of two true freshmen, four sophomores and one junior. The 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 70. [Note: Underclassmen have led Baylor in scoring in 62 of its last 72 games (over the last three seasons); in 32 of those 72 a freshman has been top scorer.]

ROGERS AMONG BIG 12's MOST IMPROVED SCORERS
Sophomore Kevin Rogers has doubled his scoring output from his freshman season in 2005-06. Rogers' 13.0 scoring average is 6.9 points higher than last season's 6.1 and currently ranks fourth among the Big 12's most improved scorers from last season.

BUSH OUT WITH BROKEN FOOT
Senior Tim Bush sustained a broken foot in the Feb. 17 game vs. Texas and will be out three to five weeks, potentially ending the career of the third-year forward. Bush had surgery Feb. 19, on the fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. Bush averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds this season in 25 games. He transferred from LSU in 2004 and played three seasons for Baylor, appearing in 66 games (41 starts) and totaling 527 career points and 280 career rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT: No. 8 TEXAS A&M 97 - BAYLOR 87
No. 8 Texas A&M outlasted Baylor in a hard-fought battle and won a 97-87 shootout at Reed Arena. Baylor, down by 10 points 90 seconds into the second half, cut A&M's lead to 44-42 when Kevin Rogers converted a three-point play with just more than 16 minutes remaining. A&M reeled off a 17-6 run to push the lead to 61-48 at the 12:39 mark. The Bears pulled within 69-65 with 8:18 remaining following an 8-0 run fueled by six points from Henry Dugat. But they wouldn't get any closer and a 3-pointer by Acie Law with just under six minutes left put A&M ahead 77-68. Dugat and Curtis Jerrells' continuous drives and acrobatic baskets kept the Bears close throughout the second half. The two teamed with Aaron Bruce to score a combined 64 points. Baylor trailed 37-31 at halftime, but missed 5-of-8 free throws. It finished 21-of-32. A&M made 35-of-44 in a rough, physical game that had 54 total fouls and a technical called on A&M head coach Billy Gillispie. Baylor shot 48 percent from the field to hang tight against a team that entered the game allowing a nation's-best 36 percent shooting. The Aggies, who entered the game allowing just 56.5 points, gave up their most points of the Gillispie Era to Baylor. Jerrells finished with a season-high 27 points and Dugat 22 as Baylor outscored A&M 36-30 in the paint. But the Bears were hampered by poor shooting from the arc (8-of-25) as well as the line.

THE LAST MEETING: BAYLOR 73 - TEXAS TECH 70 [Jan. 13, 2007]
Aaron Bruce broke out of a shooting slump with a season-high 24 points, and Curtis Jerrells scored the go-ahead basket to lead Baylor past Texas Tech 73-70 at the Ferrell Center. Bruce had just 12 points on 2-of-19 shooting the previous three games before breaking out against Texas Tech. Jerrells scored 23 points and Kevin Rogers had a career-first double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds) in the win. Bruce hit six 3-pointers in the game, including consecutive long-range shots that gave Baylor a 69-66 lead. After Jarrius Jackson tied the game with a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, Jerrells hit a floater in the lane that gave Baylor a 71-69 lead with 1:23 left. Tim Bush hit two free throws that put the Bears ahead 73-70 with 23 seconds left. Jackson missed two potential game-tying 3-pointers in the final seconds. The game was tied seven ties in the second half and neither team led by more than six points in the second half. Texas Tech led 35-32 at halftime and held on to a slim lead until Rogers put Baylor ahead 56-55 with a put-back basket with 8:21 remaining. Henry Dugat followed with a dunk and Bruce hit a 3-pointer to put the Bears ahead by six. But the Red Raiders answered with an 11-2 run that ended with Martin Zeno's layup that gave the Red Raiders a 66-63 advantage with 3:40 to go. Bruce then answered with two 3-pointers.

MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Aaron Bruce is 13 assists shy of moving into 8th place (247, Pat Nunley No. 8 with 260) on Baylor's career assists list.
• Aaron Bruce is 20 points shy of moving into 18th place (1,020, Don Heathington No. 18 with 1,040) on Baylor's career scoring list.
• Tweety Carter is 8 made 3-pointers shy of moving into 2nd place (51, John Lucas III No. 2 with 59) on Baylor's freshman 3-pointers list.

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 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.

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)

NEXT UP...
Baylor concludes its regular season schedule with a home game Saturday, March 3 against Oklahoma State. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center and the game will be televised live regionally via ESPN Plus syndicated stations.