Men's Hoops GameDay: vs. Missouri March 1
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BAYLOR (19-8, 7-6) vs. MISSOURI (15-13, 5-8)
March 1, 2008 • Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) • 3:00 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: ESPN Plus (KWTX & "The CW" in Waco/Temple) [complete TV listings]
INTERNET VIDEO: live video stream at BaylorBears.com
LIVE STATS:
THE GAME
Baylor takes a two-game winning streak into its Saturday, March 1, contest against Missouri at home in the Ferrell Center. The game tips off at 3 p.m. and will be televised live regionally via ESPN Plus syndicated stations (KWTX & "The CW" in Waco/Temple). Baylor is 19-8 overall and 7-6 and tied for fourth place in the Big 12. The Bears defeated Colorado 68-57 Wednesday night in Boulder. Missouri is 15-13, 5-8 in the Big 12 and coming off a 75-73 home loss to Oklahoma State last Tuesday. Baylor is 11-3 at home this season; the Tigers are 3-9 away from home and 2-7 in true road games. The Bears are 4-2 all-time vs. MU in Waco.
BAYLOR TIP-INS
• Of BU's 8 losses, none have been by more than 10 points & all but one have come to teams ranked among the top 50 in RPI (#76 OSU).
• BU is aiming for its first postseason action since 2001 (NIT); last NCAA berth 1988.
• In 3 career games vs. Missouri, Curtis Jerrells has averaged 24.3 points & 5.7 reb.
• Baylor is 7-1 at home vs. Big 12 Northern schools over the last 3 seasons.
• 1 member of BU's staff is having head shaved following each win down the stretch.
• In conference games, BU leads the Big 12 in scoring (81.9), free throw shooting (77.1%), 3-point shooting (37.4%) & 3-pointers made (8.3).
• BU's 7-6 conference record is its best 13-game start ever in the Big 12 (only 1 BU team has reached 8 Big 12 wins: `97-98, 8-8).
• BU is 23-30 (.434) over the last 8 seasons vs. Big 12 North schools. The Bears are just 14-58 (.194) vs. South schools over the same span.
• BU is averaging 81.3 points (2nd in Big 12 & 11th nationally), the school's highest average since `93-94; 2,195 pts on pace to break single-season record of 2,393.
• BU's 19 wins is the most since winning 19 in 2000-01 (last postseason berth; NIT). Last BU team to reach 20 wins: `87-88 (23-8, NCAA berth).
• BU is 17-1 this season when totaling a higher FG% than its opponents and 2-7 when not. In the Drew Era, BU is 49-8 when outshooting its opponents and 6-69 when not.
• BU's 5-guard rotation averages 57.9 points - 71% of teams scoring.
• 4 Baylor players average double-figures in scoring.
• Kevin Rogers is averaging 18.0 points, 12.8 rebounds & had 4 double-doubles the last 4 games.
• Mamadou Diene leads the Big 12 with a 2.0 blocks average in conference games.
• Mamadou Diene is 18-for-21 from FT line the last 13 games (4-11 in first 7 games).
• LaceDarius Dunn's 41.4 3-point % (2nd in Big 12) is top all-time for a BU freshman.
• Aaron Bruce ranks 7th on BU's all-time scoring list (1,316 career points).
• Kevin Rogers has 11 double-doubles this season (3rd most among Big 12 players).
• Mamadou Diene is the Big 12's active leader in career blocks in league games (73).
• Curtis Jerrells ranks 13th on BU's all-time scoring list (1,109 career points).
• Baylor is 14-2 this season when Aaron Bruce scores in double-digits.
BAYLOR STAFF LOSING HAIR WITH WINS
Each Baylor win in the final weeks of the season will result in a member of the Bears' coaching staff getting his head shaved after the game. Thus far two assistant coaches have received haircuts: Matthew Driscoll (Feb. 23 after 92-86 win over No. 24 Kansas State) and Jerome Tang (Feb. 27 after 68-57 win at Colorado).
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 55-77 at the school and a career record of 75-88 (six seasons). Drew's 55 wins rank eighth on Baylor's all-time coaching victories list (in seventh place on the list is Harry Miller with 56 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 MISSOURI TIGERS
Head Coach: Mike Anderson (Tulsa, 1982); 122-66, 6 seasons
Series vs. Baylor: MU leads 10-8
Last meeting: BU 97-83, March 8, 2007 in Oklahoma City
Streak: BU won 1 straight
Series in Waco: BU leads 4-2
Drew vs. MU: 2-3
MU NOTES: Missouri is 15-13 on the season; 5-8 and in 10th place in the Big 12... The Tigers are 3-9 away from home this season, including 2-7 in true road games... Mizzou lost leading scorer Stefhon Hannah, who averaged 14.7 points and 5.3 assists in 20 games, when head coach Mike Anderson dismissed the senior guard Feb. 12... The Tigers' current leading scorer is junior F Leo Lyons, who averages 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds... Lyons leads the Big 12 in field goal shooting, hitting 62.4 percent from the floor... Junior F DeMarre Carroll and sophomore G Keon Lawrence average 12.4 points and 11.0 points, respectively... The Tigers boast the best 3-point field goal percentage defense in the Big 12, allowing opponents to shoot just 30.4 percent... Mizzou has two Texans on its roster, senior F Marshall Brown (Austin) and senior G Jason Horton (Dallas).
BEARS' TURNAROUND SEASON
Baylor burst onto the national basketball scene this winter when, despite being picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 by the league's coaches, the Bears raced off to a 12-2 non-conference record (included a Paradise Jam championship) and opened conference play 4-0. The 16-2 start was Baylor's best since 1946 and resulted in the school's first national ranking since 1969. The Bears, who are in the final stages of one of the most incredible rebuilding projects in college basketball history, are currently 19-8 and vying for a postseason berth.
PUSH FOR POSTSEASON
The Cinderella Bears are making a push for the school's first postseason appearance since 2001 when Baylor played in the postseason NIT (lost at New Mexico in opening round, finished season 19-12). Baylor's last NCAA Tournament appearance was 1988, when Gene Iba's Bears finished second in the Southwest Conference before losing to Memphis in the first round of the NCAAs (23-11 final record).
MOST WINS SINCE...
OVERALL: The Bears' 19 wins in 2007-08 are the most in the Drew Era (surpassing last season's 15) and mark the most at Baylor since the 2000-01 squad finished 19-12 (also last BU team to participate in postseason; first round of NIT). The last Bears team to top the 20-win plateau was Gene Iba's 1987-88 squad that finished 23-8, the last Baylor team to participate in the NCAA Tournament.
BIG 12: Baylor's 7-6 record is its best 13-game start in Big 12 play ever. Only once has a BU squad reached eight wins in the Big 12 (in 11-year history of league), Harry Miller's 1997-98 team that finished 8-8 (14-14).
BEARS CONTINUE MASSIVE REBUILDING PROCESS
The 2007-08 season is head coach Scott Drew's fifth in the unprecedented overhaul that began at Baylor in 2003. After taking over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, depleted rosters and NCAA restrictions, Drew has slowly and methodically turned the program around by recruiting a solid foundation of talented high school players that, after earning valuable playing experience, are posting impressive results. After fighting their way to a 15-16 record last season (the first in the Drew Era without restrictions), the Bears have run off an 19-8 record this season, including a 7-6 mark in the Big 12.
ESPN CLASSIC TO TELEVISE BU'S EPIC 5OT WIN OVER TEXAS A&M
ESPN has announced plans to televise, for the first time, the epic five-overtime marathon game between then-No. 25 Baylor and then-No. 18/16 Texas A&M played Jan. 23 in College Station (BU won 116-110). The game, which had no night-of-game telecast, will be aired on ESPN Classic Wednesday, March 5, at 5 p.m. CST, prior to the telecast of the rematch between the schools to air live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CST from Waco (ESPN has combined Texas A&M's in-house video and radio play-by-play with new graphics). The epic three-and-a-half hour game (the longest in Big 12 Conference and both school's histories) set seven Big 12 Conference records, six Baylor school records and has been referred to by some as this season's game of the year in college basketball. The dramatic game instantly garnered media attention nationwide and helped shine the national spotlight on Baylor's turnaround season.
HIGH-SCORING BEARS
Baylor is averaging 81.3 points per game, second-highest among Big 12 schools and the 11th most nationally. That figure, bolstered by six overtime periods, is the highest total at BU since the `93-94 team finished with an 85.5 scoring average. The 2,195 points total is on pace to break the school's single-season scoring mark of 2,393 points.
BEARS MORE SUCCESSFULL vs. BIG 12 NORTH
Over the last eight seasons Baylor has had much more success against Big 12 North schools than those in the South. Baylor is 23-30 (.434) the last eight seasons vs. Northern schools and just 14-58 (.194) vs. teams in the South.
BAYLOR'S BACKCOURT: "IN GUARDS WE TRUST"
Baylor's strength in 2007-08 once again lies in its talented backcourt full of combo guards. 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 (9.5 ppg, 22.5 mpg), juniors Curtis Jerrells (15.3 ppg, 31.0 mpg) and Henry Dugat (12.0 ppg, 26.4 mpg) and sophomore Tweety Carter (9.0 ppg, 24.7 mpg); and true freshman standout LaceDarius Dunn (12.6 ppg, 21.3 mpg). The fivesome accounts for 71 percent of the team's scoring (average 57.9 points) and shoots 39.0 percent on 3-pointers.
SEASON OF FIRSTS, BROKEN STREAKS & NEW RECORDS
Baylor's turnaround season in 2007-08 has included various program `firsts', snapped streaks and new records. Complete list below:
• Most wins (19) since 2000-01
• First Top-25 ranking since 1969 (BU ranked in Jan. 21 & Jan. 28 AP polls)
• First back-to-back weekly rankings in school history (Jan. 21 & 28)
• First win over ranked opp. since 2003 [broke 29-gm losing streak] (116-110 over #16 TAMU)
• First true road win since 2004 [broke 25-gm losing streak] (92-84 win at USC Dec. 19)
• First road win in Big 12 since 2004 [broke 25-gm losing streak] (72-70 win at NU Jan. 19)
• Most Big 12 road wins (3) ever
• Most wins over ranked teams since 2000-01 (2: beat #16 Texas A&M & #16 Kansas St.)
• Best start (16-2) since 1946
• First 4-0 start in Big 12 since 1998
• Most pre-conference wins in school history (12)
• First 8-team tournament title since 1968 (BU won 2007 Paradise Jam)
• First 5-overtime game in Baylor & Big 12 history (116-110 win over Texas A&M Jan. 23)
• Most Big 12 weekly honorees ever (4: Jerrells 2 POW, Rogers POW, Dunn ROW)
• Largest crowd in school history (overflow 10,521 vs. UT Feb. 16)
• Highest average attendance in Ferrell Center history (6,946 through 14 games)
• on pace to break season attendance record of 109,494 - need avg. 6,123 in final 2 games
• on pace to break season scoring mark of 2,393 points - just 198 points shy (2,195)
BEARS QB JERRELLS BURSTS INTO 1,000-POINT CLUB
Curtis Jerrells recently became the 20th player in Baylor history to reach the 1,000-point plateau and has quickly climbed to 13th on BU's career scoring list. He is leading the Bears in scoring (15.3 ppg, eighth in Big 12), assists (3.6 apg, sixth in Big 12) and minutes (31.0 mpg) for the third straight season. He has twice earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season: Jan. 28 after exploding for 36 points in Baylor's epic five-overtime win at Texas A&M; and Nov. 19 after leading leading Baylor to the championship of the 2007 Paradise Jam (was named tournament MVP). The junior guard has started all 75 career games since arriving at Baylor, was a preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league coaches, Athlon and Lindy's, and a Cousy Award nominee. In conference games, Jerrells ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.0 ppg), seventh in assists (3.5 apg) and sixth in steals (1.5 spg). Jerrells ranks ninth in school history in assists (272) and 13th in scoring (1,109). He recently became the first alum of Del Valle High School in Austin to have his No. 0 jersey retired.
MR. ROGERS PILING UP DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Junior forward Kevin Rogers is averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds (fifth in Big 12) this season. He has recorded 11 double-doubles on the season, including seven in league games - the third-highest total among Big 12 players. In conference games Rogers is averaging 13.8 points (11th in Big 12) and 10.6 rebounds (third in Big 12). He 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. Rogers was named to the 2007 Big 12 All-Improved team after a sophomore season in which he doubled his scoring (12.8 from 6.1 ppg) and nearly doubled his rebounding from his freshman season (7.6 from 4.0 rpg).
TRUE FRESHMAN DUNN PUTTING TOGETHER BREAKOUT SEASON OFF BENCH
True freshman LaceDarius Dunn has made an immediate impact on a Baylor squad stocked with talented guards. The highly recruited rookie from Monroe, La., is third on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and fifth in rebounds (3.9 rpg), despite playing just 21.3 minutes per game off the bench and playing through a knee injury. His 41.4 3-point percentage ranks second in the Big 12 and is on pace to be the top percentage ever recorded by a Baylor freshman (and the fourth-best overall single-season percentage in school history). Dunn is shooting 84.0 percent from the line and is tops in conference games at 87.0 percent. Dunn was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week Nov. 26 after leading BU to wins over Winthrop in the Paradise Jam championship and over Centenary and he has notched four 20-plus scoring games. Dunn is the highest-rated BU 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.
VETERAN BRUCE CLIMBING RECORD LISTS
Senior Aaron Bruce is averaging 9.5 points per game, shooting 38.3 percent on 3-pointers, 79.7 percent from the foul line and continuing his climb up the school's all-time records lists - most notably the career scoring chart. Bruce, Baylor's veteran-most player with 101 career games played, currently stands seventh all-time with 1,316 career points (complete list of his ranking on seven different Baylor career charts below). He recently became the fourth player in Baylor history to top 1,000 points and 300 assists (along with Vinnie Johnson, David Wesley and Micheal Williams). 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 ON BAYLOR'S CAREER RECORD LISTS
• 3-point FGs: No. 3 - 215
• 3-point FG %: No. 4 - 39.6%
• Games Started: No. 4 - 98
• Minutes Played: No. 4 - 2,971
• Assists: No. 5 - 313
• Points scored: No. 7 - 1,316
• Free Throw %: No. 8 - 81.2%
BRUCE JOINS ELITE BAYLOR TRIO IN CAREER POINTS & ASSISTS
Aaron Bruce recently recorded his 300th career assist and became the fourth player in Baylor history to top 1,000 points (1,316) and 300 assists (313), joining greats Vinnie Johnson (1,231/308), David Wesley (1,224/316) and Micheal Williams (1,854/464).
"FLASH" DUGAT USING ENERGY & QUICKNESS TO SPARK BEARS
Since re-entering the starting lineup this season, junior guard Henry Dugat has used his high energy and athleticism to boost Baylor during its turnaround season. In Big 12 Conference games, Dugat is averaging 13.5 points (15th in the Big 12), 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals (eighth in Big 12) and shooting 47.8 percent on 3-pointers. He has started all 27 games this season after finishing his sophomore year in the sixth man role. Dugat earned the nickname "Flash" from former teammate Tim Bush due to his quickness and style of play similarities to Dwyane Wade.
"THE MAYOR" BACK TO SHOT-BLOCKING WAYS
Mamadou Diene, a seven-foot junior from Senegal, has averaged 3.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 17.1 minutes off the bench in 20 games played since returning from an Oct. 25 procedure to repair a chronic stress fracture in his ankle (missed season's first seven games - had started all 43 games played in his freshman and sophomore seasons). He leads the Big 12 in blocks in conference games this season with a 2.0 average. Diene's 73 career blocks in Big 12 play is the most among the league's active players. His 113 career blocks and 1.79 career average are both second all-time at Baylor behind only current Phoenix Suns Brian Skinner's 346 total and 3.36 average (1994-98). Named the Big 12's "Best Shot Blocker" by the Sporting News preseason publication, Diene led the Big 12 in blocks as a freshman (2.3 bpg) and was third (1.6 bpg) in an injury-plagued sophomore season. He is referred to as "The Mayor" due to his huge popularity across campus.
SUCCESS FROM THE LINE
Baylor has been incredibly successful from the foul line this season. The Bears are shooting 74.5 percent from the line (435-584), which is tops in the Big 12 Conference and currently ranks 30th nationally. That percentage is on pace to be the fourth-best figure in school history. Baylor is led individually from the line by freshman G LaceDarius Dunn (84.0%), junior F Kevin Rogers (83.1%, second in Big 12) and senior G Aaron Bruce (79.7%).
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
One significant statistical indicator to Baylor's success in winning games is field goal percentage, offensively and defensively. This season, Baylor is 17-1 when totaling a higher shooting percentage than it opponents, and conversely is 2-7 when its opponents shoot a higher percentage. Further, in five seasons under Scott Drew Baylor has accumulated a 49-8 record when outshooting opponents and a 6-69 record when being outshot by opponents.
ESTABLISHING A HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
The Bears are quietly establishing a winning tradition at home in the Ferrell Center. Baylor is 11-3 at the Ferrell Center this season and is 28-9 in its last 37 games in Waco (dating to 2005-06).
MILESTONES & RECORDS WATCH
• Scott Drew is 1 coaching win shy of moving into 7th place (55, Harry Miller No. 7 with 56) on Baylor's career coaching victories list.
• Aaron Bruce is 1 assist shy of moving into 4th place & 3 shy of 3rd place (313, Jay Shakir No. 4 with 314; David Wesley No. 3 with 316) on Baylor's career assists list.
• Curtis Jerrells is 11 points shy of moving into 12th place (1,109, Larry Gatewood No. 12 with 1,120) on Baylor's career scoring list.
• Aaron Bruce is 44 points shy of moving into 6th place (1,316, Darrell Hardy No. 6 with 1,360) on Baylor's career scoring list.
• Aaron Bruce is 1 3-pointer shy of moving into 6th place (131, Texas A&M's Bernard King No. 6 with 132) on Big 12's career 3-pointers in conference games list.
• Aaron Bruce is 2 3-pointers shy of moving into 2nd place (215, Roddrick Miller No. 2 with 217) on Baylor's career 3-pointers list.
• Curtis Jerrells is 5 3-pointers shy of moving into 6th place (133, Tevis Stukes No. 6 with 138) on Baylor's career 3-pointers list.
• LaceDarius Dunn is 10 3-pointers shy of setting a new record for freshman 3-pointers (60, Aaron Bruce No. 1 with 69 in 2002) at Baylor.
• Baylor is 12,245 fans shy of breaking its season-attendance record of 109,494 (2001-02, 16 games) - with 2 games remaining.
LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 68 - COLORADO 57
Henry Dugat scored 21 points, behind five 3-pointers, to lead Baylor to a 68-57 win over Colorado at the Coors Events Center, the Bears' first win in Boulder in nearly 57 years. Kevin Rogers scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds, giving him his fourth straight double-double, and 11th of the season. Baylor led by as many as 20 points in the second half, but Colorado trimmed it to 63-54 on a basket by Levi Knutson with 1:10 remaining. However, the Bears went 5-for-7 from the free throw line over the final 1:30 to seal their second straight win. The Bears outrebounded the Buffaloes 38-24 and had 13 offensive rebounds. Baylor entered the game 1-7 lifetime against Colorado in Boulder, its lone win coming on Dec. 15, 1951. The Bears were 0-5 in Boulder since the inception of the Big 12 before the win.
THE LAST MEETING: BAYLOR 97 - MISSOURI 83 [March 8, 2007]
Baylor pulled off the major upset of the opening day of the Big 12 Championship with the best shooting performance any team has ever had at the event. Curtis Jerrells scored a career-high 31 points and Henry Dugat added 25, sparking the 11th-seeded Bears to their first Big 12 tournament win since 2001, a 97-83 victory over sixth-seeded Missouri at the Ford Center. Led by Jerrells and Dugat, Baylor set a tournament record by shooting 63 percent. The Bears were 34-for-54 from the field. The backcourt combo broke a 30-30 tie by combining for 15 straight points in a two-minute span late in the opening half, helping Baylor to a 48-35 halftime lead. The pair wound up scoring 28 points in a row for the Bears during the last 5 minutes of the first half and first 5 minutes of the second half. Missouri got three 3-point baskets from Matt Lawrence in the first 4 minutes of the second half to cut the BU lead to 53-50, but Dugat scored back-to-back buckets and Mark Shepherd added a hoop to up the lead to 60-50. MU never challenged after that. Aaron Bruce added 13 points and Kevin Rogers scored 12 for Baylor. The Bears shot 60 percent from three-point range in avenging a 77-71 loss to the Tigers. Jerrells made 12 of his 17 shots and also led Baylor with seven rebounds. Dugat came off the bench to hit 9-of-11 shots.
BIG 12 HONORS
Baylor players have received four weekly Big 12 honors this season, the school's most-ever single-season weekly awards. Baylor has earned three player of the week awards and one rookie of the week award:
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.
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 wins and shot 54 percent from the 3-point line and 92 percent from the free throw line.
Curtis Jerrells, Big 12 Player of the Week, Jan. 28, 2008
Jerrells earned his second honor after averaging 26.5 points as No. 25 Baylor split two games, an epic five-overtime win over No. 16 Texas A&M and a 77-71 loss to Oklahoma. He scored a career-high 36 points and made a Big 12 and school-record 20 free throws in the Bears' 116-110 marathon thriller at A&M, including 11 points in the last overtime period to clinch the win in the longest game in Big 12 history.
Kevin Rogers, Big 12 Player of the Week, Dec. 24, 2007
Rogers was honored after leading the Bears to two road wins 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 had two double-doubles. Rogers had a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double at USC and scored a game-high 21 points in a win at Southern.
RECORD ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
Baylor's on-court success is attracting record numbers of fans to the Ferrell Center and the Bears are on pace to set several attendance records this season. Baylor's average home attendance of 6,946 is currently the top all-time (topping previous best of 6,843 set in 2001-02) and three of the top six attended BU games ever have come this season, including the all-time record crowd of 10,521 vs. Texas (Feb. 16). The all-time single-season attendance mark of 109,494 (2001-02) will likely fall as Baylor needs to average just 6,123 in its final two home games (Missouri March 1; Texas A&M March 5) to top that mark. Top-six crowds also came this season vs. Oklahoma (10,393, No. 4 all-time) and vs. Washington State (10,193, No. 6).
FERRELL CENTER'S 20th YEAR
The Bears are in their 20th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center this year. Baylor is 11-3 at home in 2007-08 and owns a 178-121 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.
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. Baylor was led in scoring both games by junior Henry Dugat, who totaled 25 and 20 points. Aside from the games, the players and travel party enjoyed swimming, jet skiing, fishing and shopping on the Yucatan Peninsula.
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.
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 BU in over a decade.
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.
NEXT UP...
Baylor plays its final regular-season home game and celebrates senior night Wednesday, March 5, when it hosts Texas A&M at the Ferrell Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. CST and will be televised live nationally on ESPN2. The game is a rematch of the epic five-overtime game that then-No. 25 Baylor won 116-110 over then-No. 18/16 Texas A&M in College Station.
