January 14, 2003
Game notes for Wednesday's Big 12 contest against Nebraska at the Devaney Center...
Game #13:
Texas A&M AGGIES (8-4, 0-1)
vs.
Nebraska CORNHUSKERS (8-6, 0-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003
7:05 p.m. (Central)
Devaney Center (13,500 cap.)
Lincoln, Neb.
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Colin Killian, commentary
Airtime: 6:50 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION:
None
The Texas A&M Aggies (8-4, 0-1 in Big 12) play their first Big 12 Conference road game of the season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-6, 0-1 Big 12) on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. (Central) at the Devaney Center (13,500 cap.) in Lincoln, Neb. A&M has lost eight straight conference road openers since a 67-64 win at Rice to open Southwest Conference play in 1994, the last time A&M advnaced to postseason play (NIT). The Aggies are coming off a disappointing 93-76 loss to Oklahoma State at home on Saturday, while the Cornhuskers are coming off a 92-59 loss at No. 14-ranked Kansas on Saturday. A&M is 1-1 in true road games this season while Nebraska is 6-1 at home. The Cornhuskers lead the series, 8-2, including a 5-0 mark in Lincoln. Nebraska has won two straight against the Aggies since an 83-76 A&M victory in College Station in 2000. The Cornhuskers won last year in College Station, 82-72.
About Nebraska
Nebraska returns four starters and nine lettermen from last year's team that finished 13-15 overall and tied for seventh in the Big 12 at 6-10. The Cornhuskers are in their third year under head coach Barry Collier. Nebraska is led byfreshman forward Andrew Drevo (6-8), who is averaging 12.7 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds. junior guard Nate Johnson (6-1) is adding 12.6 points, while sophomore guard Corey Simms (6-5) is contributing 8.2 points. The Cornhuskers suffered a major blow in the loss to Kansas, losing starting point guard Jake Muhleisen for the season with a broken hip. He was averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 3.4 assists. As a team, Nebraska leads the Big 12 in three-point percentage defense, allowing just 28.6 percent. The Cornhuskers are allowing their opponents to make just 37.9 percent overall. Nebraska has struggled on the offensive end, making just 42.8 percenrt from the field, including 28.1 percent from three-point range, and are averaging 66.6 points per contest, fewest in the Big 12. The Cornhuskers rank last in the Big 12 in assists (12.6), turnover margin (-1.14) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (0.86). Nebraska posted an 80-60 upset of Minnesota on Dec. 8 in Lincoln to highlight its non-conference schedule.
Who's Hot?
- Antoine Wright has had four double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 11 straight games.
- Bernard King had a season-high 27 points and 7 assists against Oklahoma State. In the last four games, King has made 60.0 percent from the field (21-35) and 74.3 percent from the line (26-35). He has scored in double figures in 10 of 11 games.
- Kevin Turner had 13 points against Oklahoma State and has made at least one three-pointer in all 12 games.
- Tomas Ress, after averaging 1.7 points in his first six games, has averaged 7.0 points and made 57.1 percent from the field (8-14) in the last three games.
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.
- Bernard King needs 62 points to become A&M's career scoring leader and needs 114 to break the Big 12 mark. King is playing in is 100th career game on Wednesday.
- The Aggies lead the Big 12, and rank sixth nationally, with an average of 19.0 assists per game.
- After leading at halftime just four times last season (with a 2-2 record when they did), the Aggies have led at halftime in nine games this season (with an 8-1 record).
- The Aggies are 8-2 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 28.8 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 have never won in Lincoln, going 0-5 at the Devaney Sports Center.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in nine of 12 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 in three-point accuracy at 39.5 percent after ranking last in the league last season.
- A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.9 percent from the field, which would be the school's best since the 1963-64 season if the season ended today.
A&M-Nebraska Series
Nebraska leads the series, 8-2, with a 5-0 edge in games played in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers have won two straight in the series since an 83-76 overtime win by A&M in College Station in 2000. Nebraska leads the series, 5-1, since Big 12 play began in 1997, including a 3-0 mark in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers escaped with a 74-72 win in Lincoln in the first Big 12 game between the schools in 1997, but have won the last two at the Devaney Center by margins of 19 (87-68 in 1999) and 28 (97-69 in 2001) points. The Huskers won last year in College Station by a score of 82-72.
TEXAS A&M vs. NEBRASKA (NU leads, 8-2) Year Result Site 2001-02 NU 82, A&M 72 C. Station 2000-01 NU 97, A&M 69 Lincoln 1999-00 A&M 83, NU 76 (ot) C. Station 1998-99 NU 87, A&M 68 Lincoln 1997-98 NU 75, A&M 58 C. Station 1996-97 NU 74, A&M 72 Lincoln 1991-92 NU 91, A&M 68 Lincoln 1987-88 NU 92, A&M 60 Lincoln 1986-87 A&M 66, NU 64 C. Station 1969-70 NU 78, A&M 69 Houston
The Coaches
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 47-81, 5th year at A&M
- 89-101, 7th year overall
- 1-3 vs. Nebraska
- 0-2 vs. Barry Collier
NEBRASKA: BARRY COLLIER (Oklahoma State '58)
- 35-37, 3rd year at NU
- 231-169, 14th year overall
- 2-0 vs. Texas A&M
- 2-0 vs. Melvin Watkins
Probable Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (8-4, 0-1) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean F 6-8 Sr. 6.2 4.9 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 3.4 2.0 21 Antoine Wright G 6-7 Fr. 17.1 7.5 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 16.9 6.2a 10 Leandro Garcia-Morales G 6-2 Jr. 5.3 3.9a NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (8-6, 0-1) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 50 Andrew Drevo C 6-8 Jr. 12.7 8.1 44 John Turek F 6-9 So. 7.4 6.3 21 Corey Simms G 6-5 So. 8.2 5.6 1 Jason Dourisseau G 6-5 Fr. 5.6 1.4 4 Nate Johnson G 6-2 Jr. 12.6 2.8
TALE OF THE TAPE (2002-03 STAT COMPARISON) A&M NU Record 8-4 8-6 Conference 0-1 0-1 Sagarin Rtg. 115 102 RPI 102 100 W-L Streak L1 L1 FG Pct. .468 .428 Opp. FG Pct. .419 .378 3-Pt. FG Pct. .390 .281 Opp. 3-Pt. Pct. .323 .285 3-Pt. FG Avg. 7.5 4.7 3-Pt. Att. Avg. 19.3 16.8 FT Pct. .656 .663 Opp. FT Pct. .630 .736 Rebound Avg. 37.9 39.5 Off. Reb. Avg. 10.9 13.0 Reb. Margin -0.9 +3.4 Turnovers Avg. 15.7 14.7 Opp. Turnovers 16.9 13.6 Assists Avg. 19.0 12.6 Blocks Avg. 1.9 3.2 Steals Avg. 6.8 5.8 Scoring Avg. 77.8 66.6 Opp. Scoring 71.3 64.7 Scoring Margin +6.5 +1.9
Watkins Quoteboard
"Nebraska is 6-1 at home, so they obviously play very well at home. I think you can throw that game out at Kansas and not get much from that. We know we have to go back and right some of the things that we did wrong in our last game to go up there and win that ball game. We know it will be a tough game. Any time you are on the road in the Big 12, it is going to be tough. They execute very well and they are a balanced-type team. There isn't one player who is necessarily going to score 20 points on you -- they have three or four different players who could have a big night. I think they rebound the ball well and they do a good job defensively. They can make it very tough, especially if you play their tempo. They want to kind of slow it down and keep the scores in the low sixties."
Oklahoma State Recap
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Oklahoma State isn't expecting Tony Allen to score 29 points in every Big 12 game, but OSU coach Eddie Sutton is optimistic after the junior college transfer's conference debut in Saturday's 93-76 victory over Texas A&M: 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. Oklahoma State (12-1, 1-0) got double-digit scoring from five players in winning its 10th straight game. A&M (8-4, 0-1) hit just 1-of-14 from 3-point range in the second half as the Cowboys broke open a close game. Bernard King led the Aggies with a season-high 27 points and seven assists. The Aggies led 41-40 at the half, keyed by 59 percent shooting from the field. Melvin Sanders, who scored 12 points, hit a jumper at 13:14 of the second half to give the Cowboys a 53-51 lead they would not relinquish. Victor Williams, who finished with 14 points, hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final 2:11 to extend the Oklahoma State lead. Antoine Wright finished with 15 points for the Aggies, and Kevin Turner scored 13.
Last Year at Reed
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Feb. 20, 2002) - Junior Brennon Clemmons scored a career-high 23 points and Nebraska held off a second-half Texas A&M rally to defeat the Aggies, 82-72, at Reed Arena. The Huskers took an early 20-6 lead on the cold-shooting Aggies, but A&M warmed up to trim the lead to 37-34 at halftime by scoring eight unanswered points to close the half. The teams traded the lead throughout the second half, with A&M taking a 56-55 lead on Keith Bean's free throw with 6:47 to play. Then, A&M's Bernard King, who finished with 21 points, was forced to the bench with a sprained ankle after making a twisting bank shot. Nebraska responded with an 11-0 run and A&M never recovered. Bean finished with 16 points and eight rebounds while Andy Slocum posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Last Time in Lincoln
LINCOLN, Neb.(AP, Feb. 28, 2001) - Cookie Belcher scored all 16 of his points in the second half, including six in an 11-2 second-half run, as Nebraska improved to 14-14 on the season with a 97-69 victory against Texas A&M. Belcher was one of four Nebraska players to finish in double figures. After A&M closed to within 11 at 61-50, Belcher triggered the Husker spurt with consecutive three-pointers from the corner. Kimani Ffriend finished with a career-high 28 points for the Cornhuskers, including 10-of-15 from the foul line, and added 12 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season, while Steffon Bradford added 22 points and nine rebounds. Nick Anderson led A&M with 19 points and five blocked shots, while Bernard King added 17 with seven assists.
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 12 games, King is averaging 16.9 points and Wright is adding 17.1. "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. (34.0), Antoine Wright (17.1), Bernard King (16.9), 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 1,717 points (17.3 average), ranking second in Big 12 annals and second on the A&M chart (see page 9 of this packet). King needs 62 points to pass Vernon Smith (1977-81) as A&M's leader and needs 114 to pass Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997-00) as the Big 12 leader. King also has compiled 468 assists and 428 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 468 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. H scored a season-high 27 points against Oklahoma State and added 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 third in the Big 12, and 23rd nationally, in assists this season with 6.2 per game and is second on the team, and ninth in the Big 12, in scoring with a 16.9 average. He is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 10 in scoring and assists and is one of only four players in the country this season to average at least 16.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds. The Nebraska game will be King's 100th at A&M and could be his 92nd career start.
THE PRODUCERS (Combined min. 16.0 ppg, 6.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds) Player, School PPG RPG APG Luke Ridnour, Oregon 18.9 3.4 6.1 Edward Scott, Clemson 18.4 3.6 6.5 Antwan Dobie, Long Island 17.2 5.0 7.4 Bernard King, Texas A&M 16.9 3.4 6.2 Stats through games of Sunday, Jan. 12
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 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 32-of-72 (.444) 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 17.0 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. 36.3 Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 24.2 9.5 2.6 23-13 10-1 2. 30.8 Craig Smith, Boston College 21.1 8.9 0.8 20-12 6-6 3. 27.0 Bracey Wright, Indiana 19.1 5.5 2.4 25-12 11-3 4. 26.9 Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech 15.2 9.8 1.9 15-16 7-5 5. 26.8 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 17.1 7.5 2.2 9-22 8-4 DOMINANT FRESHMEN (Freshmen with min. 17.0 ppg and 7.0 reb. per game) Player, School PPG RPG Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 24.2 9.5 Craig Smith, Boston College 21.1 8.9 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 17.1 7.5 Stats and records through games of Sunday, Jan. 12
Helping Hand
The Aggies lead the Big 12 and rank sixth nationally with an average of 19.0 assists per game, which would be the third 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 1.21. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 6.2 while Leandro Garcia-Morales ranks ninth at 3.9. A&M is the only team in the conference with two players in the top 10. Senior Bradley Jackson adds 3.4 assists per contest and ranks second in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 3.42, while King ranks 12th at 1.94.
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). But the Aggies have bounced back to make 70.6 percent (48-48) in their last two games. For the season, A&M has made 65.6 percent, 10th in the Big 12. Senior Bradley Jackson, who has made 6-of-6 from the line in "crunch time" this season (see below), ranks fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 87.5 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 and Baylor. Nebraska has had eight "close games." A&M is 4-2 in those games and is 3-0 in games decided by five points 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 38th nationally, in three-point field goal percentage at 39.0 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 7.5 three-pointers made per game, well ahead of last year's school record of 5.8. Antoine Wright (2.7), Bernard King (1.4) and Kevin Turner (2.2) are each averaging at least one trey per game. Leandro-Garcia-Morales has made just 7-of-19 (.368) for the season, but has emerged as yet another long-range threat recently, making 4-of-6 (.667) in the last three games. A&M has been consistent, making at least 35.0 percent in eight of 12 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 5-2 at home this season, their best start since Melvin Watkins' first A&M team started the 1998-99 season at 5-2 in the Aggies' first season at Reed Arena. Statistically (see page 27), the Aggies have posted an average scoring margin of +12.6 at home (81.7 to 70.1) while connecting on 49.6 percent from the field (allowing 41.7 percent) and 39.3 percent from three-point range (allowing 30.7 percent). The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in every home game, posting an whopping average of 22.6 assists to only 13.4 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 18.6 turnovers per contest.
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 eighth on the team in scoring. Newcomers have accounted for 47.7 percent of the Aggies' points and 72.2 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 six of its last eight games. The Aggies have out-rebounded six of 12 opponents overall, but have posted an average rebounding margin of -0.9, 11th in the Big 12. The Aggies out-rebounded their opponents in 20 of 31 games last season. Antoine Wright is ranked 11th in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.5), but no other A&M player ranks in the top 20.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.7 turnovers per game, tied for the most in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State, and rank seventh in turnover margin at +1.25. 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 14.3 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 nine of 12 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 eight games, A&M has averaged 19.8 assists with only 14.3 turnovers.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.9 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 32.3 percent from three-point range, which is on pace to challenge 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.
Big 12 King
Bernard King is is the top active Big 12 player in career points (1,717), career scoring average (17.3), career three-point field goals (209) and career minutes played. He is second among active players in assists (468) and is fourth in steals (131).
Fish Records
Antoine Wright is looking to break a number of Big 12 and Texas A&M freshman records:
Texas A&M Freshman Records Scoring Average 16.9, Bernard King, 1999-00 3-Pt. Field Goals 79, Bernard King, 1999-00 3-Pt. FG Pct. .379, Freddie Ricks, 1987-88 Big 12 Freshman Records Scoring Average: 16.9, Bernard King, (Wright: 17.1) Texas A&M, 1999-00 3-Pt. Field Goals 79, Bernard King, (Wright: 32) Texas A&M, 1999-00 79, Jeff Boschee, Kansas, 1998-99 3-Pt. FG Pct. .356, Brian Grawer, (Wright: .444) Missouri, 1997-98 Rebounds 7.8, Arthur Johnson (Wright: 7.5) Missouri, 2000-01