January 10, 2003
Game notes for Saturday's Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State at Reed Arena...
Game #12:
Texas A&M AGGIES (8-3, 0-0)
vs.
Oklahoma State COWBOYS (11-1, 0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003
6:06 p.m. (Central)
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 5:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Southwest
Greg Lucas, play-by-play
Jim Haller, commentary
Airtime: 6 p.m. (Central)
Off to their most successful start in 16 years, the Texas A&M Aggies (8-3, 0-0 in Big 12) open Big 12 Conference play against the Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-1, 0-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 6:06 p.m. (Central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. A win would hand A&M an 9-3 record for the first time since the 1986-87 season, when the Aggies started 9-3 en route to a 17-14 finish and the school's last NCAA Tournament berth. A&M has lost seven straight conference openers and also has lost seven straight conference home openers. The last time A&M began conference play with a victory was in 1995, when the Aggies beat Texas Tech, 90-80, at home in the Southwest Conference opener. The Aggies have won two straight, but have been idle since a 90-66 win against Centenary at home on Jan. 2. Oklahoma State is one of the nation's hottest teams, riding a nine-game winning streak, which is the third longest streak in the country. The Cowboys are coming off a 91-58 win against A&M-Corpus Christi at home on Wednesday. A&M is 5-1 at home this season while Oklahoma State is 2-0 in true road games. The Cowboys lead the series, 19-8, and have won five straight, including two straight in College Station.
About the Pokes
Oklahoma State returns four starters from last year's team that finished 23-9, tied for third in the Big 12 at 10-6, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys are in their 13th year under legendary coach Eddie Sutton, who is 31-6 all-time against Texas A&M. OSU boasts a balanced offensive attack, with four players averaging in double figures. Junior guard Tony Allen (6-4) leads the Cowboys with 16.0 points, followed by senior guard Melvin Sanders (6-5) at 13.5, junior forward Ivan McFarlin (6-8) at 12.8 and senior guard Victor Williams (5-10) at 12.3. McFarland leads the team in rebounding with a 7.9 average. Williams leads the Big 12 in steals with 2.4 per game. The Cowboys are arguably the Big 12's top defensive team, leading the league in scoring defense (58.8) and in field goal percentage defense (36.5 percent). Offensively, Oklahoma State is averaging 74.5 points and is making 48.3 percent from the field.
Honoring A&M's Best
Texas A&M will honor its five basketball All-Americans at halftime of Saturday's Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State at Reed Arena. The four surviving players are expected to be in attendance: Walter Davis (1951), Carroll Broussard (1961, 1962), Bennie Lenox (1963) and John Beasley (1966). A&M's first All-American, Jewell McDowell (1950) is deceased. A former Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the high jump, Davis was named the top two-sport track athlete in history by USA Track & Field several years ago. He played five seasons in the NBA. Broussard is A&M's only two-time All-American, while Lenox scored a SWC record 53 points against Wyoming and led the Aggies to the 1964 NCAA Tournament. Beasley owns A&M records for season and career scoring and rebounding averages and played seven seasons in the ABA, earning MVP honors in the 1969 ABA All-Star Game.
The A&M-OSU Series
Oklahoma State leads the series, 19-8, with an 8-5 edge in games played in College Station and a 3-1 mark in games played at Reed Arena. OSU has won five straight in the series, including two straight in College Station, since a 64-59 A&M win against the No. 12-ranked Cowboys in 2000. All four games at Reed Arena have each been decided by six points or fewer. Since Big 12 play began in 1997, five of six games played in College Station have been decided by six points or fewer.
TEXAS A&M vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (OSU leads, 19-8) Big 12 Games Only Year Result Site 2001-02 OSU 66, A&M 51 Stillwater OSU 71, A&M 66 C. Station 2000-01 OSU 82, A&M 76 C. Station OSU 76, A&M 64 Stillwater 1999-00 OSU 87, A&M 55 Stillwater A&M 64, OSU 59 C. Station 1998-99 OSU 66, A&M 61 Stillwater OSU 64, A&M 59 C. Station 1997-98 OSU 94, A&M 62 Stillwater OSU 100, A&M 65 C. Station 1996-97 OSU 72, A&M 55 Stillwater OSU 62, A&M 60 C. Station
The Coaches
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 47-80, 5th year at A&M
- 89-100, 7th year overall
- 1-7 vs. Eddie Sutton
- 1-7 vs. OSU
OKLAHOMA STATE: EDDIE SUTTON (Oklahoma State '58)
- 283-115, 13th year at OSU
- 713-279, 33rd year overall
- 7-1 vs. Melvin Watkins
- 31-6 vs. Texas A&M
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (8-3, 0-0) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean F 6-8 Sr. 6.3 5.2 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 2.9 2.0 21 Antoine Wright G 6-7 Fr. 17.3 7.5 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 15.9 6.1a 10 Leandro Garcia-Morales G 6-2 Jr. 5.6 3.9a OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (11-1, 0-0) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 33 Jason Miller F 6-9 Jr. 3.6 3.6 23 Ivan McFarlin F 6-8 Jr. 12.8 7.9 34 Melvin Sanders G 6-5 Sr. 13.5 4.2 24 Tony Allen G 6-4 Jr. 16.0 4.9 5 Victor Williams G 5-10 Sr. 12.3 3.3a
Watkins Quoteboard
"Oklahoma State is playing some really good basketball. We are hoping that since we are playing at our place, we can somehow get a win. It's been a long time since an A&M team was 8-3 and that shows how tough it has been to get it back to this point. We can be a decent team if we continue to improve. Our perimeter play has been pretty consistent, but we are still concerned about our inside game. Andy Slocum is still not 100 percent and we need to bring him around. Last year proved that the Big 12 is one of the best conferences in the country. This year, you see a lot more balance. Kansas went undefeated last year, but that will be very difficult for anyone to do this year."
TALE OF THE TAPE (2002-03 STAT COMPARISON) A&M OSU Record 8-3 11-1 Conference 0-0 0-0 Sagarin Rtg. 106 26 RPI 115 14 W-L Streak W2 W9 FG Pct. .470 .483 Opp. FG Pct. .408 .365 3-Pt. FG Pct. .395 .373 Opp. 3-Pt. Pct. .313 .356 3-Pt. FG Avg. 7.6 4.7 3-Pt. Att. Avg. 19.1 12.5 FT Pct. .653 .676 Opp. FT Pct. .607 .691 Rebound Avg. 38.6 37.1 Off. Reb. Avg. 10.8 13.3 Reb. Margin -0.4 +4.4 Turnovers Avg. 15.6 15.6 Opp. Turnovers 16.9 19.2 Assists Avg. 19.1 14.5 Blocks Avg. 1.8 6.0 Steals Avg. 6.8 10.4 Scoring Avg. 77.9 74.5 Opp. Scoring 69.4 58.8 Scoring Margin +8.5 +15.7
Who's Hot?
- Leandro Garcia-Morales has averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 assists in the last two games, making 8-of-10 (.800) from the field and 4-of-5 (.800) from three-point range. He scored a career-high 16 points against Centenary.
- Antoine Wright has had four double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 10 straight games.
- Bernard King had 17 points and 10 assists against Centenary and has scored in double figures in 9 of 10 games.
- Andy Slocum has averaged 7.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in the last two games, including a double-double (10 pts./11 reb.) against Mississippi Valley State.
Quick Notes
- An early candidate for National Freshman of the Year, forward Antoine Wright twice has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week. Wright leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, three-point field goals and minutes played. He's on pace to break Big 12 and A&M freshman records for each of those categories.
- A&M has made 62.9 percent from the field in its last two home games.
- After leading at halftime just four times last season (with a 2-2 record when they did), the Aggies have led at halftime in eight games this season (with an 8-0 record).
- Bernard King needs 89 points to become A&M's career scoring leader and needs 141 to break the Big 12 mark. King is playing in is 99th career game on Saturday.
- The Aggies are 8-1 when shooting at least 43.2 percent from the field.
- A&M is 8-1 when it controls the opening tip.
- The Aggies have averaged 29.6 bench points this season, including a school-record 67 against Louisiana-Monroe. The old record was 59 against Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1997-98.
- The Aggies lead the Big 12, and rank seventh nationally, with an average of 19.1 assists per game.
- OSU is 5-1 against A&M in College Station since the Big 12 began in 1997, but five of those games, including all four at Reed Arena, were decided by six points or fewer.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in eight of 11 games, something the Aggies accomplished just 12 times in 31 games last season.
- While A&M returns five starters and 10 lettermen from last season, three of the team's top six scorers are newcomers.
- The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and 29th nationally, in three-point accuracy at 39.5 percent.
Last Year's Game at Reed
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP/Feb. 16, 2002)- Victor Williams scored 10 of his 19 points in the second half, including a decisive driving layup with 22 seconds left, helping No. 16 Oklahoma State hold off Texas A&M 71-66. The Cowboys (20-6, 7-5 in Big 12) had lost four straight road games and led the Aggies (9-17, 3-9) by only 67-66 when Williams charged through the lane for his basket. Melvin Sanders added a fast break layup with 12 seconds left as the Cowboys sent the Aggies to their fifth straight loss. Cheyne Gadson scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half to balance out Oklahoma State's offense. Oklahoma State led most of the game but the Aggies tied it at 60 with 5:22 to play on a tip-in by Keith Bean off of a miss by Bernard King, who led the Aggies with 18 points. Oklahoma State took advantage of a 5:08 scoreless stretch by the Aggies to break from a 13-13 deadlock to a 35-27 halftime lead. Williams broke the tie with a 3-point basket, starting a 7-0 run. During the scoreless streak, the Aggies had an air ball by Andy Leatherman, an offensive foul by King and a shot clock violation.
Last Year's Game in Stillwater
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP/March 2, 2002)- The 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys outscored Texas A&M 16-1 in the final 7:01 of the game to top the Aggies 66-51 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. After leading by 16 in the first half and by 10 in the second, OSU struggled to hand the Aggies their ninth straight loss. Melvin Sanders tied his career high with 18 points, and Victor Williams scored 17 for Oklahoma State (23-7, 10-6 Big 12). Jesse King had a career-high 17 for A&M (9-21, 3-13). Bernard King, defended by Sanders most of the night, had 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Two free throws by Williams gave Oklahoma State a 41-31 lead with 13:02 remaining. But Jesse King made two 3-pointers and had a three-point play, and Bernard King hit a 3 that tied it at 43 with 10:57 to play. Another 3-pointer by Jesse King gave the Aggies their only lead, 48-47, with 8:14 left, and a driving shot by Bernard King tied it at 50 with 7:22 to play, but that proved to be A&M's final field goal.
Dynamic Duo
The scoring combination of senior Bernard King and freshman Antoine Wright is shaping up to be one of the most prolific in school history. Through eight games, King is averaging 15.9 points and Wright is adding 17.3. "King and Wright are great players," Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson said after the Aggies' 83-66 victory. The only other time in school history that two players have each averaged more than 16.0 points for a season was in 1975-76, when Sonny Parker (20.7) and Barry Davis (16.2) turned the trick. That team won the Southwest Conference title.
A&M'S BEST 1-2 PUNCHES (Two players averaging min. 15.0 ppg) Rk. (Combined PPG), Player (PPG), Year 1. (38.1), Joe Wilbert (22.9), Tony McGinnis (15.2), 1993-94 2. (36.9), Sonny Parker (20.7), Barry Davis (16.2), 1975-76 3. (33.2), Antoine Wright (17.3), Bernard King (15.9), 2002-03 4. (33.1), Billy Bob Barnett (17.4), Ronnie Peret (15.7), 1968-69
Scoring King?
Senior guard Bernard King, a preseason candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, is on track to become the career scoring leader in Big 12 and Texas A&M history. King now has 1,690 points (17.2 average), ranking third in Big 12 annals and second on the A&M chart (see page 9 of this packet). King needs 89 points to pass Vernon Smith (1977-81) as A&M's leader and needs 141 to pass Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997-00) as the Big 12 leader. King also has compiled 461 assists and 427 rebounds and is attempting to become only the eighth Division I player to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a career. King's 461 assists rank sixth all-time in the Big 12 and fourth at A&M. Last season, he was the only player in the country to average at least 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. King is rated as the 21st best NBA prospect in the Class of 2003 by NBADraft.net. Against Tennessee, he scored 19 points with a career-high 11 assists, and he scored a season-high 26 in the win against LSU. He had his second double-double of the season (eighth of his career) with 17 points and 10 assists against Centenary. King ranks fourth in the Big 12, and 24th nationally, in assists this season with 6.1 per game and is second on the team in scoring with a 15.9 average. He is one of only four players in the country this season to average at least 15.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds. The OSU game will be King's 99th at A&M and could be his 91st career start.
THE PRODUCERS (Combined min. 16.0 ppg, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds) Player, School PPG RPG APG Edward Scott, Clemson 19.4 4.0 6.5 Luke Ridnour, Oregon 19.2 3.5 6.8 Antwan Dobie, Long Island 17.2 5.0 7.4 Bernard King, Texas A&M 15.9 3.6 6.1 Blake Stepp, Gonzaga 15.4 4.1 6.1 Stats through games of Wednesday, Jan. 8
Diaper Dandy
Freshman forward Antoine Wright, the consensus pick as the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year and an early candidate for National Freshman of the Year honors, is also a member of Dick Vitale's prestigious "Diaper Dandies," a list of the nation's top 16 freshmen as selected by the ESPN analyst. Wright last year was rated as the top shooting guard and the No. 4 overall prospect in the country by ESPN.com. Wright, rated as the 10th best NBA prospect in the Class of 2006 by NBA Draft.net, also was a member of the USA Junior World Championship Team last summer. He is averaging a team-best 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 30-of-67 (.448) from three-point range. Wright has posted five 20-point efforts, scoring a career high 25 against Miami, adding 22 in wins against LSU and Centenary, and finishing with 21 against Oakland and Prairie View A&M. Wright has twice been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week . He is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 15 in the league in six different statistical categories. Wright is one of just three freshmen in the nation this season to average at least 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, but he has arguably had the biggest impact of any freshman in the country as the other two play for teams that won at least 20 games last year.
DIAPER DANDY PRODUCTION INDEX (Index = combined scoring, rebounding and assists averages) '02 '03 Rk Index Player, School PPG RPG APG W-L W-L 1. 36.4 Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 24.2 9.5 2.7 23-13 9-1 2. 30.2 Craig Smith, Boston College 20.6 8.8 0.8 20-12 6-5 3. 27.2 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 17.3 7.5 2.4 9-22 8-3 4. 26.9 Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech 15.2 9.8 1.9 15-16 5-5 5. 26.9 Bracey Wright, Indiana 19.2 5.4 2.3 25-12 10-2
DOMINANT FRESHMEN (Freshmen with min. 16.0 ppg and 7.0 reb. per game) Player, School PPG RPG Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 24.2 9.5 Craig Smith, Boston College 20.6 8.8 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 17.3 7.5 Stats and records through games of Wednesday, Jan. 8
Helping Hand
The Aggies lead the Big 12 and rank seventh nationally with an average of 19.1 assists per game, which would tie for the second most in Big 12 history if the season ended today (Kansas set the record at 20.7 last season, breaking their own record of 19.1 set in 1997-98). The A&M record is 18.1 set in 1993-94, when David Edwards ranked second nationally with a school-record 8.8 average. A&M is tied for fifth in the league in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.22. Senior Bernard King ranks fourth in the league in assists at 6.1 while Leandro Garcia-Morales ranks 10th at 3.9. A&M is the only team in the conference with two players in the top 10. Senior Bradley Jackson adds 3.2 assists per contest and ranks second in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 3.18, while King ranks 11th at 1.85.
On the Line
The Aggies were making a cozy 72.0 percent from the line through the first five games, a marked improvement over last season's 65.2 percent. The last time A&M made better than 70.0 percent from the line for a season was in 1988-89, when the Aggies connected on 70.9 percent. The last time A&M made better than 72.0 percent was in 1975-76 (72.8). But in the next five games, the Aggies made just 58.9 percent (76-129). A&M bounced back to make 73.0 percent (27-37) in its last outing against Centenary on Jan. 2. For the season, A&M has made 65.3 percent. Senior Bradley Jackson, who has made 6-of-6 from the line in "crunch time" this season (see below), ranks fifth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 86.7 percent, which is on pace to challenge Mike Floyd's school record of 86.5 percent set in 1974-75.
Close Ones
A&M has been involved in six games this season which were decided by 10 points or fewer, tied for the second most in the league with Texas. Nebraska has had eight "close games." A&M is 4-2 in those games and is 3-0 in games decided by five poinrs or fewer. Last season, A&M played 15 games that were decided by 10 or fewer points and were 6-9 in those games, including a 2-6 mark at home.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks third in the Big 12, and 29th nationally, in three-point field goal percentage at 39.5 percent after ranking last in the league last season at 32.5 percent. The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 with an average of 7.6 three-pointers made per game, well ahead of last year's school record of 5.8. Antoine Wright (2.7), Bernard King (1.3) and Kevin Turner (2.2) are each averaging at least one trey per game. Leandro-Garcia-Morales has made just 7-of-18 (.389) for the season, but has emerged as yet another long-range threat recently, making 4-of-5 (.800) in the last two games. A&M has been consistent, making at least 35.0 percent in eight of 11 games. The Aggies made a season-best 11-of-19 (.579), tying for the sixth most in school history, in the win against LSU, and added 12-of-27 (.444), tying for the second most in school annals, against Tennessee.
Home Cookin'
The Aggies are 5-1 at home this season, their best start since Melvin Watkins' first A&M team started the 1998-99 season at 5-1 in the Aggies' first season at Reed Arena. A win against OSU would make the Aggies 6-1 at home for the first time since a 6-1 start in 1997-98. Statistically (see page 27), the Aggies have posted an average scoring margin of +16.4 at home (82.7 to 66.3) while connecting on 50.4 percent from the field (allowing 39.7 percent) and 40.6 percent from three-point range (allowing 28.5 percent). The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in every home game, posting an whopping average of 23.3 assists to only 13.0 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 18.8 turnovers per contest. No A&M player has fouled out at home this season.
More Home Matters
The Aggies have been dominant in their last two home games, posting an average scoring margin of +32.5 points and averaging 98.5 points per game while making 62.9 percent from the field (better than 60.0 percent in each game). In those two games, A&M made 46.4 percent from three-point range, 71.2 percent from the line and averaged 25.5 assists to only 12.5 turnovers.
Impact Class
Three of the Aggies' top six scorers are newcomers (Antoine Wright, Kevin Turner and Leandro Garcia-Morales), despite the fact that A&M returned all five starters and 10 lettermen from last year. Another newcomer, freshman Marcus Watkins, ranks ninth on the team in scoring. Newcomers have accounted for 48.2 percent of the Aggies' points and 75.3 percent of the team's three-pointers.
Board Stiff
After out-rebounding five of its first six opponents, A&M has been out-boarded in five of its last seven games. The Aggies have out-rebounded six of 11 opponents overall, but have posted an average rebounding margin of -0.4, tied for 11th in the Big 12 with Baylor. The Aggies out-rebounded their opponents in 20 of 31 games last season.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.6 turnovers per game, tied for the most in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State, and rank eighth in turnover margin at +1.27. But the Aggies had just eight turnovers against Tennessee, their fewest since they had just five against Princeton on Dec. 27, 1996 in El Paso, and have averaged just 14.0 turnovers since that game.
Efficient Offense
The Aggies handed out 24 assists with just eight turnovers against Tennessee, a 3-to-1 assists to turnovers ratio. That's the best ratio in Melvin Watkins' five years at A&M and the best by an A&M team since it had a school-record 34 assists with just 11 turnovers in a 102-61 win against Missouri-Kansas City in the second game of the 1997-98 season, a span of 145 games. A&M has had more assists than turnovers in eight of 11 games, something they accomplished just 12 times in 31 games last year. The Aggies had 28 assists (13 turnovers) against Louisiana-Monroe, their most assists since they had 28 against Missouri in 1998-99. In the last seven games, A&M has averaged 20.5 assists with only 14.5 turnovers.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 40.8 percent from the field, which if the season ended today would be its best since it allowed 40.1 percent in 1963-64. In addition, the Aggies are limiting their opponents to just 31.3 percent from three-point range, which is on pace to break the school record of 31.5 set in 1996-97. The Aggies are forcing an average of 16.9 turnovers per game, the fifth most in the Big 12.
Watkins' Grads
Since becoming Texas A&M's head basketball coach in 1998, Melvin Watkins has posted an enviable graduation rate, with 11 of his 13 players have completed their eligibility at A&M receiving their degrees (84.6 percent). The two non-graduates are playing professional basketball overseas. Among current players, Brian Brookhart graduated in August and is now in graduate school, while Keith Bean is on track for a May graduation and Bradley Jackson, Tomas Ress and Andy Slocum are expected to graduate in August.