February 13, 1999
GAME #22 Texas A&M Aggies (11-10, 4-7 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (17-7, 8-3 Big 12) Saturday, Feb. 13 12:47 p.m. (Central) Lloyd Noble Center (11,100 cap.) Norman, Okla. Television: ESPN Plus (regional) Bill Doleman, play-by-play Chris Piper, commentary
Radio: Texas A&M Radio Network (regional)
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Tentative Starters
Texas A&M Aggies (11-10, 4-7) G-# 5 Clifton Cook, 6-1, Jr., 15.5ppg G-#13 Mike Schmidt, 6-6, Jr., 7.5ppg F-#52 Jerald Brown, 6-8, Jr., 5.9ppg F-#31 Shanne Jones, 6-5, Sr., 15.5ppg C-#33 Joe White, 6-10, Fr., 5.9ppg Off the Bench G-# 4 Chris Clayton, 6-3, Sr., 8.5ppg F-#10 Jason Boeker, 6-8, Jr., 0.1ppg F-#21 Aaron Jack, 6-8, So., 5.2ppg G-#34 A. Leatherman, 6-3, Fr., 2.2ppg F-#40 Paul Jacobs, 6-9, Jr., 3.9ppg G-#12 Shelton Wise, 6-4, Fr., 1.0ppg
The Texas A&M Aggies (11-10, 4-7 in Big 12 play), winners of four of their last six games, will play the Oklahoma Sooners (17-7, 8-3) on Saturday at 12:47 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center (11,100 cap.) in Norman, Okla.. The game will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus. The Aggies are coming off a 79-74 win against Kansas State at home on Wednesday while Oklahoma is coming off a 64-63 come-from-behind victory against Texas on Wednesday in Austin. The Sooners have won four straight.
About the Sooners
Oklahoma returns six lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 22-1 overall, tied for second in the Big 12 at 11-5 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners' non-conference schedule was highlighted by an 87-57 victory against No. 19-ranked Arkansas on Dec. 5. Oklahoma is led by junior forward Eduardo Najera (6-8), who is averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Eric Martin (6-5) is adding 12.3 points and leads the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.543). Sophomore forward Ryan Humphrey (6-8) averages 11.8 points and 7.5 boards while senior guard Michael Johnson (6-0) adds 10.9 points. OU is in its fifth year under coach Kelvin Sampson, who has a 98-51 record at OU and a 274-199 career mark.
The Series
Oklahoma leads the series, 10-0, with a 4-0 lead in games played in Norman. The last four meetings have each been decided by 10 points or fewer. Last year, the Sooners posted victories of 76-66 in College Station and 80-71 in Norman. In 1997, OU opened league play with a big 78-59 win in College Station, but A&M took the Sooners to overtime in Norman before falling, 62-59. OU posted a 67-58 win over the Aggies in the first round of the 1997 Big 12 Tournament. The schools first met on the basketball court in 1960-61 with OU winning, 69-56, in Houston.
Injury Report
Junior forward Jason Boeker (bruised right elbow/bruised knee caps, probable); junior guard Clifton Cook (bruised left knee, probable); junior forward Paul Jacobs (left ankle sprain, probable); sophomore guard Michael Schmidt (jammed left middle finger, probable); freshman guard Shelton Wise (strained right Achilles' tendon, doubtful).
Coach Watkins
Melvin Watkins (North Carolina Charlotte `77) is in his first season as head coach at Texas A&M, where he is 11-10. He is 53-30 (.639) in his third season as a college head coach. Watkins' 7-1 start was the best by an A&M rookie coach since Tubby Graves started the 1915-16 season 11-0 before finishing 11-2 in his only season as head coach. The 44-year-old Watkins was hired as A&M's 18th head coach on April 1, 1998, after a quarter of a century as a player, assistant coach and head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina Charlotte. In two years as the 49ers' head coach, Watkins built a 42-20 record, posted consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament berths and won two first-round NCAA games. In the second round in 1998, the 49ers pushed top-seeded North Carolina to overtime before falling. Before being named UNCC's head coach in 1996, Watkins served as an assistant there for 18 years. He graduated from UNCC in 1977 with a degree in economics after leading the team to the NCAA Final Four along with teammate Cedric Maxwell. In 1976, the 49ers made the NIT finals. Watkins was a part of all 10 postseason appearances in UNCC history as either a player or coach. Watkins was a prep All-America center at Reidsville (N.C.) High School.
Watkins Says
"Oklahoma may be the hottest team in the league right now and they are coming off a big win at Texas on Wednesday. They have good guards who can really shoot the three and Eduardo Najera is really strong in the paint. It is always tough to play on the road, especially at a place like OU."
Last Year's Games
Oklahoma 76, Texas A&M 66 * Jan. 10, 1998 * College Station
The Sooners used a 15-2 run late in the second half to hold off the Aggies for a 76-66 victory at G. Rollie White Coliseum. After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Aggies rallied to tie the game, 56-56, on a layup by Shanne Jones with 7:49 left to play. Oklahoma led, 61-58, with 5:25 left, then scored 10 unanswered points for a 71-58 lead with 1:30 remaining. The Sooners led 38-27 at halftime. Jones led A&M with 13 points while Brian Barone scored a career-high 12 points with seven assists and three steals. Larry Thompson scored 10 points with eight boards while Aaron Jack added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Corey Brewer led OU with 19 points, Evan Wiley scored 15 and Eric Martin and Michael Johnson each added 12 points. Eduardo Najera scored seven points with a game-high 10 rebounds. The Aggies made just 38.2 percent from the field, including 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from three-point range. The Sooners made 43.1 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from three-point range (5-of-13). The Aggies posted a 44-40 rebounding edge and forced 22 turnovers but were whistled for 27 fouls to only 17 by the Sooners. Oklahoma made 27-of- 38 (71.1 percent) from the line to only 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) by the Aggies.
Oklahoma 80, Texas A&M 71 * Jan. 31, 1998 * Norman, Okla.
The Sooners broke open a close game in the final minutes for an 80-71 victory at the Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma led, 74-69, with 35 seconds left but made 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch to ice the win. Shanne Jones led A&M with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Steve Houston tied his career high with 17 points, including 16 in the first half. Chris Clayton came off the bench to score 12 points. Corey Brewer led Oklahoma with 25 points, while Michael Johnson scored 19 points and Robert Allison added 14. Johnson made 4-of-4 from three-point range. Oklahoma posted a 36-28 rebounding edge, while each team had 17 turnovers and made 47 percent from the field. The Sooners made 31-of-41 from the line to just 16-of-31 by A&M.
Reed Arena
The Aggies had a successful debut in Reed Arena on Nov. 13, posting an 80-59 victory against North Texas. A&M is 8-4 at Reed this season, including three losses in the final minute (96-91 in 3 OT to Arizona State, 64-59 to Oklahoma State and 96-91 to Missouri). The Aggies moved into the 12,500- seat, $36 million facility this year after 44 seasons at G. Rollie White, where they played 493 games and built a record of 345-148 (.700). The overall size of the building is 230,000 square feet with 177,821 square feet of assignable space. The arena floor measures 25,000 square feet. Major events already held at Reed include the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Aggie Muster, graduation ceremonies and concerts by Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Clay Walker and the Dixie Chicks. The arena is named for Houston veterinarian Chester J. Reed, a 1947 graduate of A&M, and his wife, Billie Jean. In 1986, the Reeds contributed 265 acres of undeveloped land west of Houston to the university, forming the endowment used to operate the facility. Ground was broken in September 1995 and the project was completed in April 1998.
Aggies vs. OU
Only five current Aggies have seen action against the Sooners, led by Shanne Jones and Jerald Brown with five games each. Jones has career averages of 14.5 points and 6.2 rebounds against the Sooners and last year scored 28 points with 11 boards in Norman. Jones has scored in double figures in four of five games against OU. He had only seven against the Sooners in 1997, along with seven turnovers, and missed a layup at the regulation buzzer that would have won the game. OU went on to win in overtime, 62-59. Brown has career averages of 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds with a high of 12 points in the 1997 Big 12 Tournament. In his career, Brown is just 3-of-17 (17.7 percent) from three-point range against the Sooners. Last year, Chris Clayton was scoreless against OU in College Station, but had 12 points in Norman, making 2-of-5 three-pointers. Aaron Jack averaged 6.0 points and 5.5 rebounds last year against the Sooners, while Michael Schmidt averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds. Schmidt played just five minutes and did not score last year in Norman, but the game proved to be a catalyst for the freshman, as he averaged 15.0 points and made 48 percent from three-point range in the remaining nine games.
Aggies Improving
Although the Aggies started conference play 0-5, the last-second win against Baylor on Jan. 23 seems to have rejuvenated the team. The Aggies have won four of their last six and almost pulled off a major upset against Oklahoma State on Jan. 30 in Stillwater. The Aggies had possession trailing 62-61 with 20 seconds left. A&M's Clifton Cook missed a 15-foot baseline jumper, but Michael Schmidt was able to tip the offensive rebound toward the basket with three seconds left. Somehow, the shot rimmed out, forcing A&M into a fouling situation and OSU went on to win, 66-61. The Aggies led that game by as many as 14 points in the first half, but committed a season-high 30 turnovers, many unforced. The Cowboys converted 14 A&M second-half turnovers into 17 points, leading to the comeback victory. Then, on Feb. 3 in Austin, the Aggies played league-leader Texas tough before falling, 71-59. The Longhorns led by just four points with under five minutes left to play, but 30 turnovers led to the Aggies' demise. The Longhorns turned those 30 turnovers into 30 points.
BIG 12 HOT STREAKS (record in last six games) Team Last 6 Big 12 Season Nebraska 5-1 8-3 16-8 Missouri 5-1 8-3 17-5 Texas 5-1 9-2 14-10 Texas A&M 4-2 4-7 11-10 Oklahoma 4-2 8-3 17-7 Kansas 3-3 8-3 16-7 Oklahoma St. 3-3 7-4 16-7 Kansas State 3-3 4-7 15-9 Colorado 2-4 3-8 12-12 Iowa State 2-4 4-7 13-11 Texas Tech 1-5 3-8 11-13 Baylor 0-6 0-11 6-18
Better Defense
The main reason for the Aggies' recent surge has been improved defensive play. Through the first five Big 12 games, it was easy to see why the Aggies were 0-5. A&M was allowing 80.2 points and 50.5 percent field goal accuracy through those five games. However, in the last six games, the Aggies have allowed just 62.2 points per game and 41.2 percent field goal accuracy, the third fewest points and fifth best defensive field goal percentage by a Big 12 team in that stretch. The Aggies have held 16 of 21 opponents this season to 48.0 percent or less accuracy from the field, but four of the five teams to make better than 48.0 percent were early in Big 12 play (Kansas at 52.1 percent, Missouri at 56.7 percent, Texas Tech at 50.9 percent in Lubbock and Iowa State at 48.0 percent). Ten opponents have made less than 39 percent from the field, including four of the last six. Overall, A&M's opponents are making just 42.2 percent from the field (lowest allowed by an A&M team since 1964 if the season ended today), but in league play the opponents are making a whopping 45.7 percent (last in the Big 12). In addition, the Aggies are forcing an average of 17.1 turnovers per contest and averaging 8.5 steals. Through the first eight games, A&M built a 7-1 record and was allowing just 66.3 points per game with its opponents were making just 37.0 percent from the field. But in the next seven games, all losses, A&M allowed an average of 84.1 points and 48.6 percent field goal accuracy.
A&M DEFENSIVE TRENDS
First 8 Games (7-1 record) Scoring Defense 66.3 Defensive FG Pct. 37.0 Next Seven Games (0-7 record) Scoring Defense 84.1 Defensive FG Pct. 48.6 Last Five Games (4-2 record) Scoring Defense 62.2 Defensive FG Pct. 41.2
Turnover Woes
The Aggies' primary concern this season has been turnovers. A&M has averaged 18.8 turnovers per game overall (second most in the Big 12 behind Tech's 19.7) and 18.7 in Big 12 play. However, after posting 30 turnovers in back-to-back games against Oklahoma State and Texas (tying for the eighth most in a game in school history and setting a school record for turnovers in consecutive games), the Aggies have averaged just 14.0 in the last two games, including 11 in the win against Kansas State. In the second half of the OSU game, the Cowboys scored 17 points off of 14 A&M turnovers. The Aggies scored just two points off four Cowboys turnovers in the second half and lost, 66-61. Against Texas, the Longhorns scored 17 points off 13 turnovers in the second half while the Aggies scored just eight points off eight Texas second-half miscues.
Home Cookin'
Junior point guard Clifton "Fats" Cook, is the clear frontrunner for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. Cook, a transfer from Howard Junior College, leads the team in scoring (15.5), assists (6.1) and steals (2.9) and ranks second in rebounding (5.4). Cook ranks second in the Big 12 in assists and steals and sixth in scoring. Cook is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 10 and is the top-ranking newcomer in each of those three categories. Nationally, Cook ranks 14th in assists and in steals. He is the top-ranking JUCO transfer in the nation in assists and steals. Cook also leads the Big 12 in average minutes played with 36.1 per game. Cook has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week three times, including earlier this week after he averaged 18.0 points in games against Texas and Baylor. He scored 12 points with 10 assists against North Texas in the opener, the first-ever double-double by an A&M point guard in his first game. Against Lamar, Cook scored a career-high 27 points, tied his career-best with seven rebounds and made 3-of-5 three-pointers. Against Oral Roberts, Cook scored 25 points and made 3-of-4 three-pointers, including one with five seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Cook nailed another trey to tie the game with 19 seconds left in the overtime, but ORU came back to win with a trey of their own with two seconds left. Against Centenary, Cook scored 12 points with 14 assists and six steals. The 14 assists was just one shy of the school single-game record. In the second half of that game, he handed out 10 assists with no turnovers, just one assist short of the Big 12 record for one half. In the triple overtime loss to Arizona State, Cook scored 16 points with six rebounds, 13 assists and five steals. He followed with an impressive 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals against Oklahoma State in College Station, making 5-of-9 three-pointers. Against Missouri, he scored 16 points and tied his career best with 14 assists. Against Baylor in Waco, Cook scored 15 points with six assists and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds. Cook ranks among the Big 12 leaders in double-doubles with six, most among the league's newcomers.
TOP BIG 12 NEWCOMERS
SCORING Player, School Avg. 1. Clifton Cook, Texas A&M 15.5 2. Cortez Groves, Kansas State 11.1 3. Jeff Boschee, Kansas 10.1 4. Tony Kitt, Kansas State 10.3 5. Michael Nurse, Iowa State 9.9 REBOUNDING Player, School Avg. 1. Tony Kitt, Kansas State 8.4 1. Clifton Cook, Texas A&M 5.4 3. Carlton Carter, Colorado 4.5 4. Andy Ellis, Texas Tech 4.4 ASSISTS Player, School Avg. 1. Clifton Cook, Texas A&M 6.1 3. Jeff Boschee, Kansas 4.1 2. Jaquay Walls, Colorado 4.0 4. Jose Winston, Colorado 3.6 5. Michael Nurse, Iowa State 3.3 STEALS Player, School Avg. 1. Clifton Cook, Texas A&M 2.9 2. Jaquay Walls, Colorado 1.5 3. Jeff Boschee, Kansas 1.4
Come Back Shanne
Senior forward Shanne Jones, the top returning scorer in the Big 12, bounced back from the first scoreless game of his A&M career to average 18.5 points in the last two games. Jones was shut out by Texas on Feb. 3 in Austin (0-4 FG in a season-low 18 minutes of action). Jones, who has played in 102 college games (including his freshman year at Stetson), had not gone scoreless in 72 previous games at A&M and in his last 92 games overall. Jones had two scoreless games early in his freshman season at Stetson (Furman and Toledo). Jones is averaging 15.5 points (seventh in the Big 12) and a team- best 5.7 rebounds (19th in the Big 12) per game and leads in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (57.6 percent). Jones has scored 1,117 points in 75 games at A&M, an average of 14.9 per game (tying for 10th in school history). Jones scored 15 points against Texas Tech on Jan. 13 to become the 24th 1,000-point scorer in A&M history and needs 126 points to enter the career top 10 scoring chart. Jones has scored in double figures in 63 of 75 career games at A&M, including 48 of his last 51. Against Sam Houston State, Jones posted his first double-double of the year and the seventh of his career with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. In 102 career college games (including his freshman year at Stetson), Jones has scored a total of 1,280 points.
Jacobs Recovering
Like Clifton Cook, junior forward Paul Jacobs made an early impact on the Aggies but Jacobs has been hampered since mid-December with a nagging ankle sprain that forced him to miss two games and play sparingly in the first nine league games. Jacobs is averaging 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds while making 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the line. Jacobs sprained his left ankle in the shoot-around the day of the Arizona State game and did not play against the Sun Devils or against Southern. He returned to the lineup to average just 9.3 minutes, 1.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in Big 12 play. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Against Stephen F. Austin, Jacobs scored 14 points with six boards and two blocks and made 8-of-10 free throws. In the opener against North Texas, he posted a double-double in his first Division I game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He recorded his second double-double against Oral Roberts with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jacobs scored five points in just eight minutes on Saturday against Baylor, ending a streak of five straight scoreless games.
C.C. Rides It
Senior guard Chris Clayton, who missed much of last season with a broken foot, started his senior season in excellent form before slipping into a mid- season shooting slump. However, Clayton made his second game-winning shot of the season on Jan. 23 against Baylor, nailing a thrilling three-pointer at the buzzer for a 57-56 victory. The play was named Compaq's College Basketball Play of the Week. Including that shot, Clayton has made 11 of his last 21 three-point attempts, 52.4 percent). Clayton has made at least one three-pointer in 18 of 21 games and is averaging 8.5 points and a team-best 1.9 three-pointers per game. In the eight games prior to the Baylor game, Clayton made just 9-of-51 treys (17.7 percent), but in the last six games he has made 12-of-24 (50.0 percent) from three-point range. Clayton also buried the game-winning three-pointer against Sam Houston State (73-70) with eight seconds left and in the win against Alabama, he scored a career-high 24 points and made 6-of-13 three-pointers, including 5-of-7 in the second half. Clayton's six treys tied for the fifth most in school history while his 13 attempts tied the school record. Against Centenary, Clayton scored 18 points and made 3-of-8 treys. He has scored in double figures in five games this season. Clayton was the team's leading scoring on the Aggies' European Tour in August, averaging 20.6 points and making 58.1 percent of his three-pointers (5.0 per game) from the international distance. With 71 career three- pointers, Clayton ranks eighth in A&M history in just 40 games.
What's Up, Jack?
Sophomore forward Aaron Jack has normally been the Aggies' first man off the bench, although he was slowed by a sprained knee at the start of league play. Jack did not play against Kansas in the legaue opener, but has averaged 18.9 minutes per game since. Jack is averaging 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds while making 55.2 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the line. In conference play, Jack is a perfect 13-of-13 from the line and has made 15 straight since the Southern game. Jack scored 14 points with eight rebounds against Stephen F. Austin and tallied 10 points with seven boards against Lamar. In the win against Texas Tech, Jack scored 10 points and made 6-of-6 free throws. Jack also leads the team in three-point plays with seven. Jack's father, Bobby Jack, was an All-Big Eight forward at Oklahoma in 1972. Jack transferred to A&M in 1997 after two injury-plagued years at Penn State. He became eligible last December and averaged 8.3 points and 6.5 boards per game.
Better Boeker
Junior forward Jason Boeker, a 6-8 walk-on from Houston, came off the bench to help spark the Aggies' win against Lamar. Boeker played just 12 minutes but posted a career-high five rebounds and blocked a shot. In his 12 minutes, the Aggies out-scored the Cardinals by 15 points. Against Centenary, Boeker played just four minutes, but shutout the Gents' top scorer, Ed Dotson, who scored a game-high 25 points when Boeker was not in the game. Boeker posted a career-high three steals in 16 minutes against Kansas.
Bigger Lineup
Coach Melvin Watkins has gone with a bigger starting lineup the last six games and the experiment seems to be working as the Aggies are 4-2 in those games, including close road losses to conference contenders Oklahoma State and Texas. For the first time all season, and only the second time in their careers, sophomore Michael Schmidt (6-6) and junior Jerald Brown (6-8) started at the same lineup in the win against Baylor on Jan. 23. The lineup has remained the same since. The pair has combined to average 13.3 points in the last six games.
Schmidt Improves
When sophomore guard Michael Schmidt started for the first time in two months on Jan. 23 against Baylor, he responded with one of his best games of the season. Schmidt scored 12 points, making 2-of-4 three-pointers, with three rebounds and three assists. Schmidt has started in the last six games and in nine games overall this season. Schmidt's last previous start had been against Centenary on Nov. 23. Against Texas, Schmidt scored 11 points with five rebounds and added four steals. For the season, Schmidt is averaging 7.5 points and 2.8 rebounds and is second on the team in assists with a 2.2 average. Last year as a true freshman, he led the Big 12 in three-point accuracy in league play at 42.6 percent. He is making 34.6 percent in league play this season.
JB Makes Strides
Junior forward/guard Jerald Brown, the 1997 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, is averaging 5.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and is making a team-best 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from three-point range in Big 12 play. In the last eight games, he is averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds while making 80.0 percent from the free throw line (16-fo-20) and 40.9 percent from three-point range (9-of-22). Against Baylor in Waco, Brown had the game-winning assist, tipping a full-court pass from Joe White to Chris Clayton, who buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer. For the season, Brown is averaging 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds while making 75.0 percent from the line, 36.4 percent from three-point range and starting in 18 of 21 games. In his career, Brown has started in 60 of 74 games and has averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 rebounds. He also has made 99 career three-pointers, fifth most in school history, and needs eight more treys to move into second place on the list. Chuck Henderson (1990-94) owns the school record with 149.
White Reigns
Center Joe White is a top candidate for the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. White has started in 12 of the last 13 games, including 10 straight, and is averaging 6.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in Big 12 play and 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds overall. Among the league's freshmen, he ranks fourth in scoring, third in rebounding and second in blocked shots (1.0 per game). With a start against Oklahoma, White would have the most starts by an A&M freshman center since Jimmie Gilbert started all 31 games in 1982-83.
Raining Threes
The Aggies are averaging 5.7 three-point field goals per game to rank sixth in the league, but are making just 31.2 percent, 11th in the league. In Big 12 play, the Aggies are connecting on 33.2 percent, seventh in the league. However, the Aggies have improved dramatically in the last six games, making 36.3 percent in that stretch (33-of-91). The trio of Jerald Brown (99), Chris Clayton (71) and Michael Schmidt (48) rank among the top 12 career three-point shooters in A&M history while Clifton Cook (36) is on track to enter the top 10.
On the Line...
The Aggies made 80.0 percent from the line against Alabama (24-30), their best free throw shooting performance since they made 94.7 percent (18- 19) against Texas Tech in 1996. Then against Texas on Feb. 3, A&M made a season-best 84.2 percent (16-of-19). In non-conference play, the Aggies made just under 70.0 percent and ranked among the Big 12 leaders. In conference play, the Aggies have dropped to 67.3 percent (fifth in the league), dropping their overall season percentage to 68.2, third best in the Big 12. The percentage is a remarkable improvement over last season's dismal 57.9 percent, the worst in school history. Head Coach Melvin Watkins' final two teams at UNC Charlotte each led Conference USA in free throw shooting. In the last three games, the Aggies have made 76.7 percent from the line (56-of-73). While starters Clifton Cook (.660), Shanne Jones (.629) and Joe White (.646) have struggled at times, when their numbers are deleted the rest of the team is making 74.7 percent from the charity stripe. Chris Clayton (.760), Michael Schmidt (.775), Jerald Brown (.750) and Aaron Jack (.806) are each making at least 75 percent. In league play, Jack (13-13), Schmidt (14-16), Andy Leatherman (14-18) and Brown (16-20) have combined to make 85.1 percent.
On the Glass
The Aggies out-rebounded each of their first eight opponents this season by an average margin of +4.0, but then were out-rebounded in their next three games (Arizona State, Southern, Kansas) by an average margin of -14.7. Kansas out-rebounded the Aggies, 56-28. The Aggies had a season-best +14 (38-24) margin against Oklahoma State on Jan. 30. The Aggies rank 11th in the Big 12 in rebounding margin at -0.8 per game overall are 10th in conference games at -3.0, despite out-rebounding 13 of 21 foes this season, including 6 of 11 in Big 12 play.
Close Games
Five of A&M's 10 losses have come in games that were decided in the final minute, including two in overtime.
Crunch Time
Last year, the Aggies were 1-11 in games decided by 10 points or fewer. This season, the Aggies are 7-5 in those games with two losses coming in overtime. A big reason for that is the Aggies' free throw percentage late in those games. A&M has made 43-of-55 (76.8 percent) from the line in the last two minutes of games that are within 10 points. Last season, A&M was 18-of-34 (52.9 percent) from the line in such situations.
Productive Subs
The Aggies bench has out-scored the opponents bench in 13 of 21 games this season, but was shutout by Oklahoma State on Jan. 30 (21-0). A&M is averaging 18.2 bench points to 16.8 by its opponents.
Random Notes
The Aggies are 8-3 this season when they commit 18 or fewer turnovers. In the last three games, the Aggies have connected on 48.2 percent from the field (91-189). A&M is 2-1 against Kansas State and 5-2 against Baylor since Big 12 play began in 1997. A&M is 7-2 this season when it leads or is tied at halftime. The Aggies are 8-1 this season when they lead with 5:00 left.
Don't Make It!
A&M has shot better than 50 percent from the field three times this season and have lost all three games (OSU and Oral Roberts on the road, Missouri at home).