BAYLOR (11-1) vs. ARKANSAS (10-3)
Jan. 5, 2008 • American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) • 7:30 p.m. CST

PDF of complete Game Notes & Stats

RADIO: Baylor-ISP Sports Radio Network (ESPN/KRZI 1660AM Waco / Sirius Satellite ch. 161)
INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast at BaylorBears.com
TELEVISION: FSN Southwest (in state of Texas)
INTERNET VIDEO: none
LIVE STATS:

THE GAME
Baylor renews a longtime rivalry when it hosts former Southwest Conference foe Arkansas Saturday, Jan. 5, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m. CST and will be televised live within the state of Texas on FSN Southwest. The Bears are 11-1 and riding a six-game winning streak, most recently earning an 84-61 win over Florida A&M last Monday. The Razorbacks are 10-3 and coming off an 85-60 win over Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. Saturday's game, dubbed the "Border Battle", is the first matchup between Baylor and Arkansas since 1991. The Hogs lead the longtime rivalry by a 95-45 margin. Saturday's game will follow a 1 p.m. NHL contest between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings.

BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Baylor's 11-1 start is its best since the 2000-01 season (12-0 start). Baylor's last 12-1 start was that same `00-01 season.
• Baylor is 6-1 in its last 7 games away from home (4-41 in previous 45 away games dating to '02-03).
• Baylor is 0-2 in games played at American Airlines Center.
• Baylor trails in its series vs. Arkansas 95-45, BU's sixth most-played rivalry.
• Baylor is 2-7 in its last 9 games vs. non-Big 12 former Southwest Conference foes.
• Baylor has won 6 straight games, its longest winning streak since winning 12 straight to open the 2000-01 season.
• Baylor has lost 4 straight games played in Dallas & is 2-13 in last 15 Dallas games.
• Bears are 73-22 over last 8 seasons in regular-season, non-league play.
• The Bears have made 17 steals in each of last 2 gms (7.2 average thru first 10 gms).
• Baylor's 40.6 team 3-point percentage is on pace to break the school single-season record (38.5% - 1986-87).
• BU has posted a 97-71 assist-to-turnover mark over the last 6 games (6-0 record).
• 4 Baylor guards are shooting better than 40% on 3s: LaceDarius Dunn (48.3%, 3rd in Big 12), Tweety Carter (44.7%), Aaron Bruce (40.7%, 7th) & Curtis Jerrells (40.3%, 8th).
• BU is receiving votes in AP & coaches polls (first season to receive votes since `01).
• Baylor has used the same starting lineup in all 12 games this season.
• 8 current BU players average 15 minutes or more & none average more than 30.
• BU is out-shooting its opponents 48.8-40.1%, including a 40.6-34.9% edge in 3s.
• Aaron Bruce ranks 11th on BU's all-time scoring list (1,194 career points).
• 61% (234-383) of Tweety Carter's career points have come from 3-pointers (78).
• Baylor won the 2007 Paradise Jam, its first non-hosted tourney title since 1971.
• Baylor is 25-1 in the Drew Era when scoring 80-plus points.

HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew, in his fifth season at Baylor in what many have called the most daunting rebuilding project in college basketball history, owns a four-year mark of 47-70 at the school and a career record of 67-81 (six seasons). Drew's 47 wins rank ninth on Baylor's all-time coaching victories list (in eighth place on the list is Frank Bridges with 51 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.

THE ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Head Coach: John Pelphrey (Kentucky, 1992); 10-3, 1 season
Series vs. Baylor: UA leads 95-45
Last meeting: #3 UA 106-74 (2-26-91 at Fayetteville)
Streak: UA won 3 straight
Series in Dallas: UA leads 2-1
Drew vs. UA: 0-0
Baylor vs. SEC: 57-123
UA NOTES: Arkansas (10-3) is located in Fayetteville, Ark., and is a member of the Southeastern Conference... The Razorbacks began the season ranked in both polls and are currently receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll... The Hogs are 2-3 away from home this season... Arkansas is 1-1 this season vs. Big 12 schools, having beaten Missouri 94-91 in Fayetteville and lost 83-72 to Oklahoma in Norman... The Razorback are the preseason pick to win the SEC Western Division... The Hogs are led by senior F/C Darian Townes, who averages 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game... Senior F Sonny Weems (12.4 ppg) and sophomore G Patrick Beverly (11.3 ppg) also average double-digits in scoring.

BEST START SINCE...
Baylor's 11-1 record is its best start under head coach Scott Drew and is the school's best start since the 2000-01 squad started the season 12-0 ('00-01 team lost 13th game).

BEARS IN DALLAS
Baylor has lost each of its last four games played in Dallas (last win was an 81-61 victory over Alcorn State on Nov. 23, 2002 at Dallas Lonestar Classic). The Bears are 2-13 dating back to the 1990-91 season in Dallas games. Baylor has dropped both previous games played at the American Airlines Center, a 65-61 loss to Colorado in the 2006 Big 12 Championship and a 68-65 loss to Texas Tech in the 2003 Big 12 Tournament.

BEARS CONTINUE MASSIVE REBUILDING PROCESS
The 2007-08 season is head coach Scott Drew's fifth at Baylor as he continues the unprecedented overhaul he began in 2003. After taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Drew recruited a solid foundation of high school players that after earning valuable playing experience is showing progress. After posting 15 wins (the highest win total at Baylor in six seasons) last season (the first in the Drew Era without restrictions), this year's squad is 11-1.

RECENT SUCCESS AWAY FROM WACO
Baylor is 6-1 in its last seven games away from home (the Bears were 4-41 in their previous 45 games outside of Waco dating to 2002-03). Baylor is 4-1 in its last five neutral-site games. [Saturday's game will technically be recorded as a Baylor home game under new NCAA policy]

BEARS & HOGS RENEW FORMER SWC RIVALRY
Baylor and Arkansas share a long history, having spent 68 seasons as fellow members of the former Southwest Conference (1923-24 to 1990-91). The Razorbacks own a 95-45 lead in the series between the schools, Baylor's sixth-most played rivalry. In the schools' last meeting, the third-ranked Razorbacks defeated Baylor 106-74 in Fayetteville (2-26-91). The Bears and Hogs have had three previous meetings in Dallas, with Arkansas winning two of the three (UA 115-75 in 1990 SWC Classic, BU 74-73 in 1988 SWC Classic & UA 59-54 in 1952 SWC pre-season tournament).

BEARS & HOGS SHARE COMMON PRESEASON TOUR TO CANCUN
The Bears and Razorbacks both spent Labor Day weekend 2007 on a foreign tour to Cancun, Mexico and faced common opponents. Both American schools notched exhibition wins over the Mexican pro team Quintana Roo (BU 91-57, UA 60-57) and the Tuff E Nuff select squad from Belize (BU 115-47, UA 108-37).

BEAR IMPROVEMENTS
The Bears have significantly improved their win-loss record this season. This success can be tracked statistically through higher shooting percentages, lower opponent shooting percentages, increased points, decreased points allowed and more steals, among others. The following chart details some significant statistical differences from last season to this:

           2006-07 2007-08W/L Record      15-16   11-1Scoring Offense:             75.3   81.7Scoring Defense:             73.0   64.73-Point Field Goal %:   .364    .406Opp. Field Goal %:           .444   .401Steals:         5.9 8.8

BAYLOR'S BACKCOURT: "IN GUARDS WE TRUST"
Baylor's strength in 2007-08 once again lies in its talented backcourt. The Bears utilize a rotation of five guards that each average 20-plus minutes per game. The quintet is made up of four veterans; senior Aaron Bruce (11.2 ppg, 23.6 mpg), juniors Curtis Jerrells (14.3 ppg, 29.2 mpg) and Henry Dugat (10.4 ppg, 24.2 mpg) and sophomore Tweety Carter (9.5 ppg, 22.8 mpg); and heralded true freshman LaceDarius Dunn (12.3 ppg, 20.5 mpg). The fivesome combines for an average 56.6 points and 15.6 rebounds per game and shoots 40.9 percent on 3-pointers.

OUTSIDE ACCURACY
Baylor is shooting 40.6 percent (114-281) as a team from 3-point distance. That figure ranks third in the Big 12 (19th nationally) and is on pace to top the school record of 38.5 percent (90-234) recorded in 1986-87.

"OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES"
Baylor is receiving votes in both the Associated Press (19 votes; 30th) and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls (one vote; tied for 38th). The Bears have received votes in six of nine weekly polls this season, but haven't been ranked since February 1969 (No. 19 ranking in the AP top 20 poll).

COMEBACK WINS OVER QUALITY OPPONENTS
Baylor is a perfect 3-0 this season when trailing at halftime. Included in those three come-from-behind victories is a 14-point rally against Notre Dame and a 20-point comeback win at South Carolina.

BAYLOR vs. FORMER SWC FOES
The Bears are 2-7 in their last nine games against non-Big 12 former Southwest Conference schools since the league disbanded (1-3 SMU, 1-1 Rice, 0-3 TCU). Arkansas is the first former-SWC foe Baylor has faced since 2004.

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
Baylor boasts a 73-22 record over the last eight seasons in regular-season, non-league play (11-1 in non-conference this season).

MARKED DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
One indicator of Baylor's success this season compared with years past appears to be some marked defensive improvements, as evidenced by a look at opponent's shooting percentages and scoring figures. Baylor is holding opponents to a 40.1 shooting percentage from the field (second-lowest figure in school's researchable history), a 34.9 shooting percentage from the 3-point arc and to 64.7 points per game (lowest average since 2000-01).

JERRELLS POWERS BEARS
Curtis Jerrells is leading the Bears in scoring (14.3 ppg, 10th in Big 12), assists (3.8 apg, 7th in Big 12) and minutes (29.2 mpg) for the third straight season. The junior guard has started all 60 career games since arriving at Baylor, was named Big 12 Player of the Week Nov. 19 and took home tournament MVP honors after leading Baylor to the championship of the 2007 Paradise Jam in November. Jerrells is a preseason Cousy Award candidate and projected a preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league coaches, Athlon and Lindy's. His 37.4 percent career 3-point percentage ranks seventh in school history.

VETERAN LEADER BRUCE CONTINUES CLIMB UP RECORD CHARTS
Senior Aaron Bruce is averaging 11.2 points and continues his climb up the school's career scoring list. Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 86 career games played, currently stands 11th all-time with 1,194 career points. He leads the team in free throw percentage (83.9%) and steals (1.4 spg). The guard was selected a preseason All-Rolls Royce (All-American) fourth team selection by ESPN.com's Dick Vitale and was named the Big 12's "Best Leader" by the Sporting News preseason publication prior to his final season in Waco. Bruce's 40.0 career 3-point percentage ranks third in school history and his 81.9 career free throw percentage ranks fifth all-time.

MR. ROGERS BUILDING ON BREAKOUT SOPHOMORE SEASON
Junior forward Kevin Rogers is averaging 12.1 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds (seventh in Big 12) this season. He has recorded four double-doubles, has seven blocks and is shooting 55.9 percent from the field (fourth in Big 12). Rogers was named the Big 12 Player of the Week Dec. 24 after averaging 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds while leading Baylor to road wins at South Carolina and Southern. He was named to the 2007 Big 12 All-Improved team following a sophomore season in which he doubled his scoring average (12.8 from 6.1 ppg) and nearly doubled his rebounding average from his freshman season (7.6 from 4.0 rpg).

HERALDED FRESHMAN DUNN MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
True freshman G LaceDarius Dunn of Monroe, La., is second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and is third in rebounds (4.1 rpg) through 11 games of his collegiate career. Dunn scored a career-high 24 points in Baylor's upset win at South Carolina. Dunn is the highest-rated Baylor signee in recent memory (rated the nation's No. 24 recruit by Scout.com). He was named the "Best Perimeter Scorer" among incoming Big 12 newcomers by Rivals.com. He was a three-time all-state player and two-time class MVP in Louisiana who led Excelsior Christian School to a 118-9 record and one state championship over his final three prep seasons. Dunn was rated the nation's No. 6 shooting guard prospect by Scout.com and the nation's No. 8 wing guard by Hoopmasters.com.

`THE MAYOR' SEEING LIMITED ACTION ON REPAIRED ANKLE
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot junior from Senegal, has averaged 11.8 minutes in five games played since returning from an Oct. 25 procedure to repair a chronic stress fracture in his ankle (had started all 43 games played in his freshman and sophomore seasons). Diene has recorded 83 career blocks and his 1.73 career blocks per game total is second all-time at Baylor behind only current Phoenix Suns Brian Skinner's 3.36 average (1994-98). Diene is referred to as "The Mayor" due to his huge popularity across campus.

PARADISE JAM CHAMPS
Baylor earned the 2007 Paradise Jam championship with an impressive three-game run Nov. 16-19 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Bears defeated Wichita State (64-55), Notre Dame (68-64) and Winthrop (62-54) to earn the title at the eighth annual tournament. Baylor overcame second-half deficits in both the semis (down 10 to N.D) and the final (down six to Winthrop) to earn the title. Curtis Jerrells was named the tournament MVP after leading the Bears with 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and Aaron Bruce also earned a spot on the all-tournament team. The title marked Baylor's first in-season tournament championship (excluding the Baylor-hosted Dr Pepper Invitational) since winning the 1971 Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. (last eight-team tournament title was the 1968 East Carolina Classic in Greenville, N.C.).

BAYLOR'S SUMMER TOUR TO CANCUN
Baylor spent Labor Day weekend 2007 on a basketball tour to Cancun, Mexico. The four-day trip included two exhibition games as well as sun and fun for the Bears. Baylor beat Belize Tuff E Nuff 115-47 Sept. 1, before defeating the hometown Mexican professional team Quintana Roo 91-57 Sept. 2. Both games were played in Cancun's sweltering Kuchil-Baxal Gymnasium. The Bears were led in scoring both games by junior Henry Dugat, who totaled 25 and 20 points over the weekend. Aside from the games, the players and travel party enjoyed swimming, jet skiing, fishing and shopping on the Yucatan Peninsula.

LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 84 - FLORIDA A&M 61
Baylor shot 51.5 percent from the field and grabbed a season-high 17 steals to coast to its sixth straight win with a 84-61 decision over Florida A&M on New Year's Eve at the Ferrell Center. Henry Dugat scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bears and Curtis Jerrells added 19. Up 31-26, Baylor went on an 8-0 run over the final two minutes of the first half. Tweety Carter's missed free throw was rebounded by Kevin Rogers, who kicked the ball out to Carter for a 3-pointer. LaceDarius Dunn then stole the inbounds pass and made an uncontested layup before Jerrells' 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Baylor a 39-26 lead at halftime. Florida A&M opened the second half with four consecutive 3-point baskets, including three by L.C. Robinson. The Bears held a 50-40 lead with 15:07 left in the game before four consecutive dunks sparked a 19-4 run and put the Bears up 69-44 with 10:11 remaining. The game was a quick one, taking just 95 minutes. The two teams were whistled for 16 fouls and combined to shoot just 17 free throws. Florida A&M made three of its four free-throw attempts while Baylor was 8-of-13 from the line.

LOTS OF BIG 12 HONORS
Baylor players have received three weekly Big 12 honors this season (in seven weeks of awards), the matching the school's highest single-season total (also three awards in 2001-02). Baylor has earned two player of the week awards and one rookie of the week award:
Curtis Jerrells, Big 12 Player of the Week, Nov. 19, 2007
Jerrells was honored after leading Baylor to wins over Wichita State and Notre Dame at the Paradise Jam tournament. He averaged 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two victories and shot 54 percent from the 3-point line and 92 percent from the free throw line.
LaceDarius Dunn, Big 12 Rookie of the Week, Nov. 26, 2007
Dunn was honored after leading the Bears to to wins over Winthrop (in the championship game of the Paradise Jam) and Centenary. Dunn set then-career-highs for points with 17 in each game, shooting a combined 13-of-20 (.650) from the floor off the bench. He also shot 5-of-10 on 3-pointers and averaged 5.5 rebounds.
Kevin Rogers, Big 12 Player of the Week, Dec. 24, 2007
Rogers was honored after leading the Bears to two road victories at South Carolina and Southern that snapped a 25-game losing streak in true road games. He averaged 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds and registered two double-doubles. Rogers had a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double vs. USC and scored a game-high 21 points in a win at Southern.

THIAM LEAVES PROGRAM
Redshirt freshman Djibril Thiam left the Baylor basketball program in early December with the intent of transferring to another school. Thiam played in each of the season's first seven games, averaging 2.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game. The second-year wing from Dakar, Senegal, played in four games as a true freshman in 2006-07 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Thiam left Baylor with career totals of 26 points (2.4 ppg) and 34 rebounds (3.1 rpg) in 11 games played.

MOST EXPERIENCED BEAR SQUAD IN YEARS
For the first time in years, Baylor took the court in 2007-08 with a predominantly upperclassman, experienced team. After several seasons of young, inexperienced teams, the Bears returned nine lettermen, including seven lettermen with multiple letters. The roster includes two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Veteran Aaron Bruce is the just the fourth four-year senior to play at BU in the last eight seasons. Baylor's '07-08 returnees entered the season with a combined 246 career starts under their collective belts, the highest such number at the school in over a decade.

BEARS RETURN HIGH PRODUCTION NUMBERS
Baylor in 2007-08 returned all five starters, nine of 12 roster players and nearly all of its statistical production. The Bears return 90.6 percent of last season's points, 86.9 percent of rebounds and 94.5 percent of assists.

EARLY 2009 SIGNEES
Baylor signed two players in the early signing period, Anthony Jones of Houston (Texas) Yates High School and Russian Artem Valov of Three Rivers Community College. Jones, a senior at Yates, is rated 46th nationally by Rivals.com and is a consensus top-70 recruit. He is rated No. 51 by Hoopmasters.com and No. 62 by Scout.com. Jones averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds last season as a junior for a Yates squad that finished 25-8 in 2006-07. A 6-10 forward, Jones is rated No. 8 among the nation's forwards by Rivals.com and ranked as the fourth-best recruit in the state by TexasHoops.com. Valov is a junior college sophomore who was recently named a preseason NJCAA first-team All-American. He is rated the No. 12 junior college recruit nationally by Rivals.com's JucoJunction.com. The 6-9 forward helped lead Three Rivers to a 26-11 record and into the second round of the NJCAA tournament. Valov was named to the 2007 NJCAA All-Tournament team. Valov finished his freshman season with averages of 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds.

DEPARTED PLAYERS
Baylor lost just three lettermen from its 2006-07 roster: three-year forwards Tim Bush (6.3 ppg) and Patrick Fields (3.0 ppg) and one-year forward Jari Vanttaja (0.9 ppg).

NEXT UP...
Baylor concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule by hosting Brown Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Ferrell Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. and will be televised live in the state of Texas on FSN Southwest.