Game #23: Texas Tech at Texas A&M
Feb 18, 2000 | Men's Basketball
February 18, 2000
Game #23
Texas A&M Aggies (7-15, 3-8 Big 12)
vs.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-12, 1-10 Big 12)
3 p.m. (Central)
Saturday, Feb. 19, 2000
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
TELEVISION: ESPN Plus (regional)
Chuck Cooperstein, Play-by-play
Chris Piper, commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 2:35 p.m.
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
11/27 NORTH CAROLINA A&T L, 94-77
11/29 at North Texas L, 91-88
12/1 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN W, 70-65
12/5 VA. COMMONWEALTH W, 75-59
12/8 at Tulane L, 64-60 (ot)
12/11 *vs. Rice (KTBU) W, 56-53
12/18 at Lamar (KFDM) L, 76-69 (ot)
12/21 at Dayton (WHIO) L, 81-68
12/29 %at Santa Clara L, 60-48
12/30 %La Salle. W, 70-69
1/5 CENTENARY L, 63-60
1/8 at Oklahoma [19] (ESPN+) L, 78-53
1/12 TEXAS [15] (Fox SN) L, 78-51
1/15 at Texas Tech (Fox SN) W, 88-86
1/17 KANSAS [7] (ESPN) L, 78-57
1/22 OKLA. ST. [12] (ES+) W, 64-59
1/26 at Iowa State (ESPN+) L, 65-58
1/29 at Missouri (ESPN+) L, 93-62
2/2 BAYLOR L, 81-75
2/5 at Oklahoma State L, 87-55
2/12 COLORADO (Fox SN) W, 74-69
2/16 at Baylor L, 63-54
2/19 TEXAS TECH (ESPN+) 3 p.m.
2/23 at Kansas State 7 p.m.
2/26 at Texas (ESPN+) 12:45 p.m.
3/1 OKLAHOMA 7 p.m.
3/4 NEBRASKA (ESPN+) 12:45 p.m.
3/9-12 #Big 12 Tournament TBA
*Compaq Center (Houston, Texas)
%Cable Car Classic (Santa Clara, Calif.)
#Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Mo.)
Listed game times are Central
The Texas A&M Aggies (7-15, 3-8) and the Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-12, 1-10) meet for the 100th time when they play on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. The Aggies defeated Tech, 88-86, on Jan. 15 in Lubbock and are going for their first sweep of the season series against the Red Raiders since the 1989-90 season. Last year, A&M's 68-47 victory against Tech in College Station ended a nine-game Tech winning streak in the series. The Aggies are coming off a 63-54 road loss to Baylor on Wednesday while Tech is coming off an 86-76 loss to Missouri at home on Tuesday. A&M is 4-5 at home this season while the Red Raiders are 3-6 in road games, including 0-5 in conference play. Tech leads the series, 52-47, but A&M has won two straight.
Scouting Report
The Red Raiders led Missouri by seven points late in Tuesday's game, but the Tigers closed the game with 17 unanswered points. Tech is led by senior guard Rayford Young (5-11), who is averaging 16.7 points and ranks second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at .826. Senior forward Brodney Kennard (6-8) is averaging 6.4 points and 6.7 rebounds and ranks third in the league in blocked shots at 2.6 per game. Senior forward Mario Layne (6-7) is adding 13.5 points while senior guard James Ware (6-5) is contributing 11.2. Tech leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage at .706 and is one of the league's top defensive teams.
Tentative Lineup
No. Pos. Player Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG Other
4 G Jamaal Gilchrist 5-10 182 Fr 8.9 4.0 3.8a
10 F/C Jason Boeker 6-8 240 Sr 0.4 1.2 -
14 F Tomas Ress 6-9 222 Fr 4.8 2.2 -
21 C Aaron Jack 6-8 237 Sr 8.6 6.7 64.9% FG
22 G Andy Leatherman 6-2 206 So 3.2 1.5 1.9a
24 F Carlton Brown 6-6 208 Jr 7.3 3.8 -
25 F Larry Scott 6-5 206 Fr 7.4 2.1 1.6 3pt.
32 G Bernard King 6-3 182 Fr 16.5 4.7 3.9a
40 C Paul Jacobs 6-9 220 Sr 1.2 1.8 -
42 F Brian Brookhart 6-9 226 Fr 0.5 0.5 -
44 C Andy Slocum 6-11 255 Fr 4.4 3.1 -
52 F Jerald Brown 6-7 224 Sr 5.8 3.6 -
55 C Larry Jackson 6-10 265 Fr - - -
Head Coach: Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte `77)
Assistants: Tom Billeter (Illinois `83), Lew Hill (Wichita State `87),
Bobby Kummer (UNCC `96)
Injury Report
JASON BOEKER, Senior Forward: Left knee cap tendonitis (probable)
JERALD BROWN, Senior Forward: Broken bone in left hand (probable)
TOMAS RESS, Freshman Forward: Sprained right ankle (probable)
A&M-Texas Tech Series
Tech leads, 52-47
In Lubbock: Tech leads, 31-15
At United Spirit Arena: A&M leads, 1-0
In College Station: A&M leads, 28-17
At Reed Arena: A&M leads, 1-0
At Neutral Sites: Tied, 5-5
At Big 12 Tournament: Never Met
Current Win Streak: A&M, 2 games
Longest A&M Win Streak: 3 games (twice)
Longest Tech Win Streak: 9 games
Largest A&M Win: 89-59 (1959-60)
Largest Tech Win: 85-57, 82-54 (both in 1995-96)
Melvin Watkins vs. Tech: 2-1
James Dickey vs. A&M: 13-6
THE LAST 10 MEETINGS
Year Winner Site
1995-96 Tech, 82-54 Lubbock
Tech, 66-63 College Station
Tech, 85-57 Dallas
1996-97 Tech, 80-65 College Station
Tech, 77-66 Lubbock
1997-98 Tech, 102-75 Lubbock
Tech, 86-83 College Station
1998-99 Tech, 82-68 Lubbock
A&M, 68-47 College Station
1999-00 A&M, 88-86 Lubbock
The Coaches
Melvin Watkins (North Carolina Charlotte `77) is in his second year as head coach at Texas A&M. Watkins's first A&M team finished 12-15 last year with a 5-11 mark in Big 12 play, tying for 10th place. In three years as a college head coach, Watkins has built a 61-50 record (.550). Prior to coming to A&M, Watkins compiled a two-year record of 42-20 at his alma mater, UNC Charlotte, leading the 49ers to consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament berths. Prior to that, Watkins served as an assistant at UNCC from 1978-96. As a player, Watkins led UNCC to the NCAA Final Four in 1977 as the starting point guard. Behind Watkins, UNCC also advanced to the NIT finals in 1976. Watkins was a fourth-round draft pick of the NBA's Buffalo Braves in 1977. Watkins is 45 years old.
James Dickey (Cornell `65) is in his ninth season as a head coach, all at Texas Tech, where he is 155-101. Dickey has guided the Red Raiders to two NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1996. Tech won the Southwest Conference title in 1995 and followed with a co-championship in 1996. Dickey is a two-time SWC coach of the year. Prior to being named head coach at Tech, Dickey served one season as an assistant at Tech under Gerald Myers. Previously, he served as an assistant under Eddie Sutton at Kentucky and Arkansas. Dickey is 45 years old.
Watkins Says...
"They're going to be breathing fire. If we handle that right, it should make for a very exciting afternoon of college basketball here on our campus. Tech will come in here thinking we stole one up there and they will have every intention of getting it back. They have had some bad luck with injuries, but they have continued to play hard every game. Against Baylor, we made too many mental mistakes as we have so many times this season. We've made strides but we are a long way from where we would like to be."
TALE OF THE TAPE
Statistic A&M Texas Tech
W-L Record 7-15 10-12
Big 12 Record 3-8 1-10
Sagarin Rating 184 125
RPI Rating 161 123
Scoring 65.1 70.9
Opp. Scoring 73.3 70.2
Scoring Margin -8.2 +0.7
FG Pct. .413 .446
Opp. FG Pct. .449 .401
3-Pt. Pct. .319 .352
Opp. 3-Pt. Pct. .390 .347
3-Pt. FG 6.4 5.7
Opp. 3-Pt. FG 7.8 6.5
FT Pct. .667 .706
Opp. FT Pct. .676 .673
Off. Reb. 13.3 10.5
Total Reb. 36.6 36.4
Reb. Margin +1.5 -3.0
Assists 13.6 13.6
Turnovers 17.7 14.9
Blocks 2.0 5.0
Steals 7.3 6.6
Fouls 19.1 16.6
Baylor Recap
WACO, Texas (AP) - Senior guard Tevis Stukes scored eight of his 20 points in the last 4:30 to help Baylor to a 63-54 victory over Texas A&M Wednesday night. Stukes, playing with back spasms, hit five of six free throws and a timely 3-pointer down the stretch, leading the Bears (12-10, 3-8 Big 12) on a15-1 run to close out the game. Texas A&M (7-15, 3-8) led the game, 53-48, with 4:29 left after trailing 41-28 three minutes into the second half. Freshman guard Bernard King scored 12 of his 21 points during the run but ran into foul trouble with four minutes left in the game. The Bears led 33-23 at halftime. Baylor embarked on a 13-5 run in the first half to turn a tie game into a 23-15 advantage with 5:17 to go. Terry Black, whose nine-point first half keyed the Bears, completed a 3-point play with just over four minutes remaining to give Baylor its largest lead of the half at 38-17. The Bears scored seven points off turnovers in the first half while the Aggies had none. Jamaal Gilchrist added 13 points and four steals for the Aggies, who were swept by the Bears in a regular-season series for the first time since 1986-87.
Earlier This Season
LUBBOCK, Texas (Jan. 15) - Andy Leatherman's layup at the buzzer handed Texas A&M a controversial 88-86 victory over Texas Tech on Jan. 15 at the United Spirit Arena. Official Charles Range ruled that Leatherman's basket beat the clock, setting off a storm of protest from Texas Tech coach James Dickey and his players. The confusion lasted 39 minutes until officials finally declared A&M the winner. Tech's James Ware nailed a 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds remaining to tie the game, capping a furious comeback by Texas Tech (9-4 overall, 0-2 Big 12). Texas A&M (5-9, 1-2) had built a 77-66 lead with 5:40 to play after a 3-pointer by Bernard King. Tech led, 22-10, midway through the first half, but the Aggies closed strong to take a 47-41 halftime lead, only the third time all season the Aggies have led at intermission. Carlton Brown, who finished with 22 points, scored 18 in the first half to lead the Aggies. A&M took its biggest lead with 15:37 left in the game when King hit a 3-pointer for a 62-50 lead. Rayford Young led Texas Tech with 24 points, while Andy Ellis added 21 points and 11 rebounds. King added 15 points and Andy Slocum scored a career-high 12 for the Aggies. The last time Texas A&M won a game at Lubbock was 1994, when a last-second basket triggered a brawl.
Close Calls
A total of 12 Texas A&M basketball games have been decided by seven points or less or in overtime, the most of any team in the Big 12. The Aggies are 6-6 in those games. The Aggies are 6-4 in games decided by five points or less or in overtime.
Youngest Aggies Ever
With seven freshmen on the roster, not to mention just three returning scholarship players from last season, the 1999-2000 Aggies are the youngest team in school history. The 1978-79 and 1991-92 teams each had six freshmen. The youngest player on the team is guard Bernard King, who turned 18 on July 24.
Quick Notes
The Aggies have made 75 of their last 102 free throw attempts (.735), despite making just 7-of-16 against Oklahoma State on Feb. 5.
The Aggies have out-rebounded or equaled 15 of their last 21 opponents. Only four teams have out-boarded the Aggies by more than four in a game this season.
The Aggies have started four true freshmen in nine games and have started at least three true freshmen in every game. Five A&M freshman have started at least eight games each.
The Aggies have trailed at halftime in 16 games and are 3-14 in those games. The team is 4-1 when it leads at halftime.
The Aggies made a school-record 13 three pointers against Baylor in College Station after tying the previous mark with 12 against Lamar.
The Aggies are 4-1 when they commit 14 or fewer turnovers, but are 3-14 when they have 15 or more miscues.
Aaron Jack ranks fourth nationally, and ranks second in the Big 12, in field goal percentage at .649. Jack has made 30 of his last 40 attempts (.750).
The Bambinos
The Aggies start an all-freshman back court (Bernard King and Jamaal Gilchrist)and a freshman center (Andy Slocum) for the first time in A&M history. The Aggies have started four true freshmen (Bernard King, Jamaal Gilchrist, Larry Scott or Tomas Ress and Andy Slocum) in nine games. The only other time in school history that the Aggies have started four freshmen in a game was in 1991-92, a team that went on to finish 6-22 but came within a game of winning the conference championship two seasons later. That lineup included sophomore point guard David Edwards, a Division I transfer from Georgetown.
King Reigns
Freshman guard Bernard King set a Big 12 freshman scoring record with 34 points against Colorado, earning Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors. King scored 22 points in the last 10 minutes, rallying the Aggies to victory from a 10-point deficit. King's effort also set an A&M freshman record, breaking a 22-year-old standard. Against Baylor on Wednesday, the Aggies trailed by 13 points three minutes into the second half, but came back to take a 53-48 lead with 4:37 left as King scored 12 of his 21 points to lead the run. King has lived up to his early billing as one of the nation's top freshmen as he leads the team in scoring (16.5), three-point field goals (2.7), assists (3.9), minutes played (33.5) and blocked shots (0.4) and is second in rebounds (4.7), free throw percentage (.716) and steals (1.6). The 1999 Louisiana Mr. Basketball, King has scored in double figures in 19 games and has led the team in scoring in 11 games. Against Lamar on Dec. 18, he scored 31 points, becoming only the second freshman in school history to score 30 points in a game. Vernon Smith also had a pair of 30-point games as a freshman in 1977 and went on to become A&M's career scoring and rebounding leader. King made 7-of-15 three-pointers against Lamar, setting a school record for three-point attempts and falling one shy of the record for three pointers made in a game. King's 26 second-half points against Lamar also set a Big 12 Conference record for scoring in a single half. Then, against La Salle in the consolation game of the Cable Car Classic, King scored 21 points with a career-high 10 rebounds (his first double-double) and nailed the game-winning three-pointer as time expired in a thrilling 70-69 victory. In the upset of Tech in Lubbock, King scored 15 points, all in the second half, including a trio of long three-pointers that held the Red Raiders at bay. King was named ESPN.Com's national Freshman of the Week after scoring 17 points with eight rebounds in the Aggies' upset of No. 12-ranked Oklahoma State on Jan. 22. In the last two games, King has averaged 27.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and made 18-of- 32 (.563) from the field and 8-of-16 (.500) from three-point range.
The King "FISH"
Bernard King is the only Division I freshman in the country to average at least 15.0 points (16.5), 4.0 rebounds (4.7) and 3.5 assists (3.9) and 1.5 steals (1.6).
King Chases Records
Freshman guard Bernard King is averaging 16.5 points per game, well ahead of the Big 12 freshman record of 14.7 set by Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (coincidentally, Fizer's and King's hometowns are about eight miles apart in Louisiana). King also is averaging 2.73 three-pointers per game, well ahead of the Big 12 freshman record of 2.43 set by Texas' Luke Axtell in 1997-98. Last year, Kansas' Jeff Boschee made a Big 12 freshman record 79 treys in 33 games, but averaged only 2.39. King's 60 three-pointers this season is an A&M freshman record and is the third most by a freshman in Big 12 history. It already ranks as the third most by any A&M player. King is chasing the overall school record of 74 set by Derrick Hart in 1995-96.
BIG 12 FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGE
Player, Year Pts.-Avg.
Bernard King, A&M, 1999-00 364-16.5
Marcus Fizer, ISU, 1997-98 447-14.7
Luke Axtell, Texas, 1997-98 372-13.3
Chris Mihm, Texas, 1997-98 384-12.4
Jeff Boschee, Kansas, 1998-99 361-10.9
BIG 12 FRESHMAN 3-PT. FG PER GAME
Player, Year 3FG Avg.
Bernard King, A&M, 1999-00 60 2.73
Luke Axtell, Texas, 1997-98 68 2.43
Jeff Boschee, Kansas, 1998-99 79 2.39
Jerald Brown, A&M, 1996-97 54 2.00
BIG 12 FRESHMAN SEASON THREE-POINTERS
Player, Year No.
Jeff Boschee, Kansas, 1998-99 79
Luke Axtell, Texas, 1997-98 68
Bernard King, A&M, 1999-00 60
Jerald Brown, A&M, 1996-97 54
Larry Scott, A&M, 1999-00 35
Jamaal Stands Tall
A primary reason for the Aggies' improved play in recent weeks has been the play of freshman guard Jamaal Gilchrist. In the last nine games, Gilchrist has posted a 1.19 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Through the first 13 games, Gilchrist had committed 20 more turnovers than assists (a 0.70 ratio). Gilchrist is averaging 8.9 points and ranks among the conference leaders in free throw percentage (.740), assists (3.8) and steals (2.2). Gilchrist scored 21 points against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 27, tying the school record for most points by a freshman in his first game. Winston Crite, who went on to one of the greatest careers in school history, also scored 21 in his freshman debut against Texas Lutheran in 1983-84. Gilchrist has started all 21 games, only the third freshman point guard to start in the first 21 games of his A&M career. Against Lamar, Gilchrist nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime (A&M went on to lose, 76-69). Then, against Centenary, he tied the game on a driving lay-up with 11 seconds left, but the Aggies lost on a buzzer-beater. In the upset of Texas Tech in Lubbock, Gilchrist played one of his best overall games, scoring eight points with four rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. Gilchrist had made 17 straight free throws until he missed his last one against Oklahoma State on Jan. 22.
BIG 12 FRESHMAN SEASON STEALS
Player, Year No.
Cookie Belcher, Neb., 1996-97 87
Jose Winston, Colo., 1998-99 53
Jamaal Gilchrist, A&M, 1999-00 47
Jeff Boschee, Kansas, 1998-99 40
Eduardo Najera, OU, 1996-97 38
