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2001 TiVo NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT
BAYLOR 19-11 (6-10 Big 12) at NEW MEXICO 19-12 (6-8 MWC)
Wednesday, March 14, 2001 - 11:00 p.m. CST - ESPN
The Pit (18,018) - Albuquerque, N.M.
THE GAME
Baylor makes its first postseason appearance in 12 years Wednesday, March 14, when it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to face New Mexico in the first round of the 2001 TiVo National Invitation Tournament. The game, to tipoff at 11 p.m. CST at UNM's University Arena (The Pit), will be televised nationally on ESPN and feature Baylor head coach Dave Bliss against his former team. Bliss is the winningest coach in UNM history. The Bears (19-11, 6-10 Big 12) are coming off a fine performance at last week's Big 12 Tournament in which they upset No. 7 Iowa State and reached the semifinals. The Lobos (19-12, 6-8 Mountain West) made a conference run of their own, losing 69-65 to BYU in the Mountain West championship last Saturday. The winner of the Baylor-New Mexico game will face the Pepperdine at Wyoming winner in the NIT's second round March 19 or 20. Announcing Wednesday's game for ESPN are Bob Carpenter (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (color analysis).
HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss took over the reigns of Baylor basketball on March 23, 1999, and was given the task of rebuilding a program that had finished the 1998-99 season without a Big 12 Conference win. Bliss proceeded to guide the Bears to a 14-15 record in 1999-2000, which was an eight-game turnaround from the previous season - the 10th-best turnaround in Division I basketball last year.
Bliss, in his second season at Baylor, is a 26-year coaching veteran and ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in victories with 498. The former head coach at New Mexico, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma owns a career record of 498-297 (.626). He has led teams to 15 postseason tournament appearances, including 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Five times Bliss has been honored as his conference's coach of the year, and he is one of only 23 Division I coaches ever to have taken three different schools to the NCAA Tournament (UNM, SMU, OU).
CLOSING IN ON 500
Baylor's Dave Bliss is two wins shy of reaching the 500-win plateau, a milestone achieved by 88 collegiate head coaches ever. In 26 years as a head coach, Bliss has averaged more than 19 wins per season.
BLISS CLIMBING BAYLOR'S COACHING LISTS
In two seasons at the helm of the Bear basketball program, Dave Bliss has compiled a 33-26 won-loss record. His 55.9 winning percentage ranks as the fourth-highest career mark at Baylor.
BLISS IN NIT
This is the fifth appearance in the postseason NIT for Dave Bliss, who has compiled a 7-5 record in four previous trips. Bliss made his first NIT appearance in 1986 with SMU, then compiled a 7-4 record in three trips as head coach at New Mexico. Bliss led the Lobos to quarterfinal appearances in 1989 and 1992, but made his deepest run in 1990 when UNM reached the Madison Square Garden and finished fourth.
THE NEW MEXICO SERIES
Baylor lost its only previous game against New Mexico, a 74-64 setback in December 1965 in Albuquerque.
THE NEW MEXICO LOBOS
New Mexico (19-12, 6-8 Mountain West) is led by Fran Fraschilla, in his second season at New Mexico and his eighth year as a head coach. Fraschilla owns a 157-85 career record and is 37-26 at UNM. Previous to New Mexico, Fraschilla coached two years at St. John's (1997-98) and four seasons at Manhattan College (1993-96).
UNM NOTES: The Lobos finished sixth in the Mountain West Conference (6-8), but made the MWC Tournament championship before losing 69-65 to BYU last Saturday... This is UNM's 15th NIT appearance (last 2000, beat South Florida 64-58, lost at champion Wake Forest 72-65)... New Mexico has made 17 postseason trips in the last 18 years (8 NCAA, 9 NIT)... Baylor coach Dave Bliss is the winningest coach in UNM history, he led the Lobos to 246 wins, three WAC championships (1 regular-season, 2 tournament), seven NCAA Tournaments and three NIT trips from 1988-89 to 1998-99... Lobo forward Wayland White is a friend of fellow Milwaukee native Terry Black - the two played high school and junior college ball against one another.
BLISS vs. NEW MEXICO
In stints at Oklahoma (1975-79), SMU (1980-88) and Baylor (1999-2001), Dave Bliss has never coached against New Mexico.
BLISS SUCCESSFUL vs. FORMER TEAMS
Dave Bliss is a perfect 2-0 in games in which he is facing a former team for the first time. Bliss will face former employer New Mexico this Wednesday for the first time since leaving the Lobo program following the 1998-99 season to take the head job at Baylor. Bliss, who coached at Oklahoma from 1975 to 1980, faced the Sooners for the first time as head coach at SMU in Hawai'i in 1984 - a game the Mustangs won 85-76. In 1997 in Bliss' initial game against SMU, where he had coached from 1980 to 1988, as head coach at New Mexico, the Lobos won 75-72.
BAYLOR'S NEW MEXICO CONNECTIONS
Baylor's connections to New Mexico run deep, due to the fact that former Lobo head coach Dave Bliss took over the reigns of the Bear basketball program two years ago. When Bliss came to Baylor in March 1999, he brought with him his entire staff, including assistants Doug Ash (UNM 1988-99), Kevin Lewis (UNM 1998-99) and Brian O'Neill (UNM 1998-99). Baylor video coordinator Matt Vitek is also a graduate of New Mexico. Three Baylor players - junior Greg Davis and redshirts sophomore R.T. Guinn and senior Kevin Henry - are former Lobos. Henry played three seasons at UNM (1997-98 Fr., 1998-99 So., 1999-2000 Jr.), the first two under Bliss. Davis played two seasons at UNM under Bliss (1997-98 Fr., 1998-99 So.). Guinn was recruited by Bliss and staff before playing one season (1999-2000 Fr.) under Fran Fraschilla. Additionally, current New Mexico players Tim Lightfoot (one year) and Brian Smith (two years) were recruited by and played under Bliss' UNM staff.
BEARS IN THE NIT
Baylor is making just its third appearance in the postseason National Invitation Tournament. In two previous tournaments (1987, 1990) the Bears lost in the first round. see box at left for Baylor's previous game-by-game NIT listing
BAYLOR vs. NIT FIELD
The Bears did not play any of the 15 other teams in the NIT this season.
SPARSE POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE
Only two members of Baylor's team have postseason tournament experience, Greg Davis and DeMarcus Minor. Both are former transfers and made postseason trips with previous teams. Davis played in two NCAA tournaments (1998 and 1999) as a freshman and sophomore at New Mexico. Minor played on an NIT team at Marquette as a freshman.
THE LAST TIME OUT - TEXAS
Chris Owens scored 23 points and Texas cooled off Baylor's hottest shooter en route to a 76-62 victory in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.
One day after pulling off the biggest upset in tournament history with a 62-49 victory over No. 7 Iowa State, Baylor shot just 41 percent against the quick Texas defense. The Bears made only 4-of-17 3-point attempts while losing to Texas for the eighth time in a row.
Baylor's DeMarcus Minor, smothered by a relentless Texas defense, was just 3-of-13 and had 12 points after scoring 55 in the first two games of the tournament.
Texas led from start to finish, grabbing a 32-22 halftime advantage and never letting Baylor get closer than 10 until the Bears finally made one futile run in the final three minutes.
Maurice Evans, who totaled 20 points, canned a 3-pointer that put Texas on top 64-48 with 6:17 to go, then Logan Kosmalski and Wendell Greenleaf each hit 3-pointers that shaved the lead to 67-58.
But Owens answered with a short jumper and with 1:23 left, Evans hit two free throws to give the Longhorns a 73-62 advantage.
Baylor's Terry Black, who averaged almost 16 points during the regular season, had 17 points after scoring just one in the upset of Iowa State. (complete box score located in recaps section)
FOURTH-HIGHEST WINS IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Baylor's 19 wins this season ranks as the fourth highest win total in the history of Baylor basketball (95 years). With one more victory, Dave Bliss' Bears (19-11) can become just the fourth team in school history to reach the 20-win plateau. A detailed listing of Baylor's most single-season wins follows:
Wins Year (record) Head Coach Postseason
25 1945-46 (25-5) Bill Henderson NCAA Tournament
24 1947-48 (24-8) Bill Henderson NCAA Tournament (Final Four)
23 1987-88 (23-11) Gene Iba NCAA Tournament
19 2000-01 (19-11) Dave Bliss NIT
BAYLOR'S BIG 12 TOURNAMENT RUN
Baylor made a splash at the 2001 Big 12 Tournament when as the No. 8 seed it pulled off the biggest upset in the young tournament's history by defeating top-seed Iowa State 62-49 in the quarterfinals (the No. 7 ranked Cyclones became the second top-10 team to lose to Baylor this season). The Bears advanced to the semifinals for the first time ever, where they dropped a 76-62 decision to No. 20 Texas. Baylor beat Colorado 86-84 in overtime in the tournament's first round.
MINOR LIGHTS UP KEMPER
Senior DeMarcus Minor led Baylor's improbable Big 12 Tournament run by averaging 22.3 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds last week at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. His 25-point, eight-rebound performance vs. No. 7 Iowa State led the Bears to an upset victory. Minor headed Baylor's charge to the semifinals, and he was honored by being named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team.
2001 PLAYER HONORS
Senior forward Terry Black has been named a consensus first team All-Big 12 player (coaches and associated press), as well as a first team All-District 9 member. Black was also named to the Big 12 All-Improved team. On Feb. 19, Black was named Big 12 Player of the Week. Senior guard DeMarcus Minor was named to the 2001 Big 12 All-Tournament team last week. Minor was also voted an honorable mention All-Big 12 player by the league's coaches, as well as earning a spot on the Big 12's All-Underrated and All-Improved teams.
FEAST AND FAMINE FROM THE LINE
Baylor is shooting 68.1 percent from the free throw line as a team, but that figure belies the fact that three Bears excel from the charity stripe. Baylor's top three free throw shooters (DeMarcus Minor, 85% [2nd in Big 12], Matt Sayman, 85%, and Chad Elsey, 74%) shoot a combined 83.5 percent (212-for-254). The remaining 11 members of the team combine to shoot 58.0 percent (224-for-386).
FREE THROWS FTM FTA Pct.
Elsey, Minor & Sayman: 212 254 .835
Rest of team: 224 386 .580
Team Total: 436 640 .681
BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The Bears finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a perfect 11-0 record. Under head coach Dave Bliss, Baylor has compiled a 20-2 non-conference record in two seasons. BU has won 16 consecutive such contests.
BEARS NEED THE DEEP SHOTS
One telling statistic that correlates with Baylor's wins and losses this season is the Bears' success at hitting 3-pointers. In games in which the Bears have made six or more 3-pointers, they are 17-3. Conversely, when Baylor hits five or fewer 3-pointers it has posted a 2-8 record.
BEARS TOP BIG 12 DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
Baylor's defense ranked among the top three of four separate Big 12 Conference listings this season. The Bears topped the league in scoring defense (63.3) and steals (8.89), and ranked third in field goal percentage defense (40.0%) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.8%).
BEARS ON TV
Wednesday's contest vs. New Mexico on ESPN in the NIT will mark the 19th game this season that Baylor will play in front of a television audience. The Bears are 8-10 in TV games this season, including a 1-0 record in nationally televised games (85-77 win over Kansas on ESPN2). Baylor finished 1-7 last season in televised games.
THE NATION'S BEST DUNKER
America caught a glimpse of Terry Black's dunking prowess on Feb. 12 during Baylor's 85-77 win over No. 6 Kansas on national television. Black's six dunks dominated the highlight reel and led the Bears to the upset. In February Black was selected to participate in the 13th annual College Slam Dunk Championships during the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis. The event will be televised on ESPN Saturday, March 31, at 12:30 p.m. CST, the day of the NCAA semifinals. The Sporting News tabbed Baylor's Terry Black as the "Best Dunker" in college basketball in its Jan. 6 issue.
BLACK THE THIEF
With 74 steals this season (2.48 per game, third in Big 12), senior Terry Black ranks second all-time at Baylor in career steals with 151 thefts in two seasons. He is 131 shy of Baylor's overall steals record of 282 by Michael Williams (1984-88). Black's 74 steals this season is the fourth-highest single-season total in school history (his 77 steals in 1999-2000 ranks No. 3).
BLACK ATOP FINAL BIG 12 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Terry Black ranked among the top 10 of four separate Big 12 stat categories this season. Black led the league in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and ranked in field goal percentage (2nd, 61.6%), steals (3rd, 2.48 spg), scoring (9th, 15.7 ppg) and assists (14th, 3.30 apg).
ATHLETIC BLACK LEADING THE BEARS
Senior forward Terry Black has posted six double-doubles, led the Bears to 19 wins and is an All-Big 12 first team performer. Black ranked ninth in the Big 12 in scoring (15.7 ppg) and led the league in rebounding (8.4). In just his second season at Baylor, Black is a co-captain and one of two seniors on the team. Black has started every game of his Baylor career. In February Black was selected to participate in the 13th annual College Slam Dunk Championships at the Final Four in Minneapolis, Minn. In January Black was named the "Best Dunker" in college basketball by The Sporting News. Black was also tabbed in preseason publications as the Big 12's "Top Defensive Player" (Preview Sports magazine), "Best Leaper" (The Sporting News), and most "Underrated" (Athlon Sports).
LONG TIME FROM LONG RANGE
It has been more than a decade since Baylor last went a game without making a 3-point shot. The Bears have connected from long range at least once in every game since going 0-for-8 Feb. 21, 1990 at home against Texas Tech, that's a span of 300 games.
MINOR THE WORKHORSE
Senior DeMarcus Minor, the Bears' quarterback, was recently named to the 2001 Big 12 All-Tournament team following his 22.3 points-per-game average in Baylor's run to the semifinals. Minor is currently averaging 15.1 points (finished 14th in the Big 12) and 4.5 assists (9th in the Big 12) and leads the team in minutes played with a 37.6 average through 30 games. Minor ranked second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (85.6%) and put together a string of 49 consecutive earlier this season. The second-year player has started every game during his Baylor career, and has twice been named honorable mention all-Big 12. Last season he led the squad with an amazing 38.4 minutes-per-game average. The former transfer played at Marquette and Barton County Community College.
TRUE FRESHMEN MAKE MARK
True freshmen Logan Kosmalski (6-8 forward) and Matt Sayman (6-3 guard) have made an immediate impact this season. Through 30 games, Kosmalski has earned 18 starts and is averaging 6.3 points in 24.3 minutes per game. Sayman has three starts and is averaging 5.0 points in 17.4 minutes. Additionally, Kosmalski (Euless [Texas] HS) is averaging 3.8 rebounds and is shooting 46.0 percent from the field. Sayman (The Colony [Texas] HS) leads the team in 3-point percentage (38.2%) and ranked second in the Big 12 with an assists-to-turnover ratio of 2.28 (41-18).
BEAR FANS SET NEW SEASON ATTENDANCE MARK
More fans attended Baylor's home basketball games in 2000-2001 than in any previous season in the Ferrell Center's 13-year history. This season's home attendance total of 91,421 in 17 games topped the previous mark of 81,983 set in 14 games during the 1992-93 season. Additionally, Baylor's 5,378 average for home games ranks second all-time, behind only the 5,856 average of 1992-93.
BEARS UPSET OF KU DRAWS 9th HIGHEST RATING
Baylor's 85-77 victory over then-No. 6 Kansas on Feb. 12 on ESPN2 was the ninth most-viewed men's college basketball game in the network's history, according to ESPN Research & Information Services. The game, part of the cable network's Big Monday, was aired on ESPN2 due to the telecast of the ESPY Awards on ESPN. The win, what many consider to be the biggest victory in the relatively short Dave Bliss era at Baylor, snapped a 17-game losing streak to ranked opponents - dating back to 1998 - and was the Bears' first over Kansas.
LOTS OF NEW BRUINS
The 2000-2001 Baylor roster includes six new players: three true freshmen (Michael DeGrate, Logan Kosmalski and Matt Sayman), two Division I transfers (R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry) and one junior college transfer (Shon Robinson). Guinn and Henry will sit out the 2000-2001 season to comply with the NCAA transfer policy. Also seeing their first game action in Green and Gold this season are former transfers Greg Davis, Chad Elsey and Andre White. All three sat out last season at Baylor to gain eligibility.
RECRUITING CLASS EARNS NATIONAL PRAISE
Baylor's 2001 recruiting class has garnered some early accolades from various publications. The class is made up of three high school players inked in the early signing period: Dandrick Jones, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor. The Baylor class was rated 25th nationally by Rivals100Hoops.com and No. 32 in the nation by HoopScoop. Rivals noted, "Roberts, Taylor headline outstanding group for Bliss." The Sporting News, which included transfers R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry (who will be eligible for the 2001-2002 season) when judging the recruits, rated Baylor's class as the third-best in the Big 12. (detailed information on November's early signees included later in notes)
GOBAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.GoBaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the FANSonly Network. FANSonly currently hosts sites for more than 80 schools, including six institutions of the Big 12 Conference.
OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The flagship station is KRZI-AM (1660/1580) in Waco. Selected BU games will be broadcast on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WBAP News/Talk 820, which covers 80 percent of the nation during night games. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris. Morris is a veteran broadcaster in his sixth season behind the mic at Baylor. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 19th season as color analyst for Bear broadcasts.
BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
The radio broadcast from all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.
NATION'S LONGEST-STANDING COACHING DUO
Baylor boasts Division I basketball's longest-tenured current coaching tandem. Bear assistant coach Doug Ash has been Dave Bliss' top aide for all 26 years Bliss has been a collegiate head coach. The Bliss and Ash duo began at Indiana University in the early 1970s when both were assistants under Bobby Knight. When Bliss became head coach at Oklahoma in 1975, he took Ash with him. The pair has been together ever since, at SMU, New Mexico, and Baylor.
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and other regional outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox.
BEARS ADD 3 EARLY SIGNEES
Baylor has signed three early signees, all from the state of Texas, to national letters of intent during the early signing period: Dandrick Jones, a guard from Kimball High School in Dallas, Lawrence Roberts, a forward from Lamar High School in Houston, and Kenny Taylor, a guard from Willowridge High School in Sugar Land, Texas.
Jones, a 6-3, 185-pound guard, was an All-District 11-5A selection last year as a junior on a 22-12 Kimball squad that reached the playoffs. He averaged 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 2000. Listed as the 12th best prospect in Texas by TexasHoops, Jones also received High Honorable Mention All-America status in Street & Smith's College Basketball magazine. He was listed among the top seniors nationally by Athlon Sports preseason publication.
Roberts, a 6-8, 220-pound forward, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as a junior at Lamar in 2000. One of the most sought-after forwards in the nation, Roberts is rated the No. 5 prospect in the state of Texas by TexasHoops entering his senior season. Athlon Sports included Roberts on its list of the nation's Top 20 Power Forwards in its preseason publication. He was rated the No. 14 power forward nationally by FastBreak Recruiting.com. Roberts was listed No. 86 on Lindy's magazine's Top 100 Seniors nationally.
The 6-3, 175-pound Taylor averaged 14 points and three assists as a junior for state champion Willowridge last season. Taylor led WHS to a 36-1 record and the Class 5A state title in 2000. TexasHoops rated Taylor the No. 13 prospect in Texas entering his senior season. Taylor was also listed among the High Honorable Mention All-America status in Street & Smith's College Basketball preview and among the nation's top seniors by Athlon Sports magazine.
BIG-12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2000-2001 edition has been projected in preseason polls to finish anywhere from eighth to 11th in the Big 12 Conference. The league's coaches picked the Bears to finish 11th in preseason balloting, as did the conference media. The highest projected finish for Baylor was eighth, by both Preview Sports magazine, and ESPN.com.
