January 17, 2003
Game notes for Saturday's Big 12 battle with Texas at the Frank Erwin Center...
Game #14:
Texas A&M AGGIES (9-4, 1-1)
vs.
#4 Texas LONGHORNS (11-2, 2-0)
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003
7:06 p.m. (Central)
Erwin Center (16,079 cap.)
Austin, Texas
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 6:50 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Southwest (in Texas only)
Bill Land, play-by-play
Jim Haller, commentary
Airtime: 7 p.m. (Central)
The Texas A&M Aggies (9-4, 1-1 in Big 12) play the No. 4-ranked (AP & USA Today/ESPN) Texas Longhorns (11-2, 2-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 7:06 p.m. (Central) at the Frank Erwin Center (16,079 cap.) in Austin, Texas. The game will be televised (Texas only) by Fox Sports Southwest. The Aggies are coming off a 53-52 victory at Nebraska on Wednesday, while the Longhorns are coming off an 82-71 win at Baylor on Wednesday. A&M is 2-1 in true road games this season while Texas is 7-0 at home. The Longhorns lead the series, 121-79, including a 69-26 edge in Austin and an 18-8 advantage at the Erwin Center. The Aggies upset the No. 24-ranked Longhorns last year in Austin, 80-74, the Aggies' first win at the Erwin Center since 1987. The win ended a 16-game Texas winning streak in the series. Texas came back to post a 66-52 victory when the teams met in College Station. The highest-ranked team A&M has defeated was then-No. 5-ranked Texas in Austin in 1982 (71-69 in overtime).
About the Longhorns
Texas returns all five starters and nine lettermen from last year's team that finished 22-12 overall and tied for third in the Big 12 at 10-6. The Longhorns went on to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. Texas is in its fifth season under head coach Rick Barnes. The Longhorns are led by sophomore guard T.J. Ford (5-10), a preseason All-America pick who leads the team in scoring at 13.0 per game and leads the Big 12 in assists at 7.7. Junior guard Brandon Mouton (6-4) adds 12.9 points, while junior center James Thomas (6-8) averaged 10.5 points and leads the Big 12 in rebounding at 10.9 per game. Junior forward Brian Boddicker (6-8) comes off the bench to contribute 8.4 points and leads the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at .541. Texas leads the conference in offensive rebounding with an average of 17.3 per game and ranks third in rebounding margin at +8.1. The Longhorns are averaging 78.3 points per game while allowing 64.8 and are connecting on 44.7 percent from the field. Texas' opponents are making just 39.5 percent from the field. The Longhorns' losses have been to Notre Dame (98-92) and then-top-ranked Arizona (73-70). Texas opened the season with a 77-71 win against No. 16-ranked Georgia at the AT&T Wireless Classic.
The A&M-Texas Series
Texas leads the series, 121-79, with a 69-26 edge in games played in Austin and an 18-8 mark in the Erwin Center. The team split last season, with A&M posting an 80-74 win in Austin and Texas coming back for a 66-52 win in College Station. The win in Austin was A&M's first since 1987, ending a 14-game losing streak at the Erwin Center, and was the Aggies first against the Longhorns at any site since 1994, ending a 16-game losing skid. A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 1-7 against Texas while Longhorns coach Rick Barnes is 8-1 against the Aggies.
TEXAS A&M vs. TEXAS Last 10 Games Year Result Site 2001-02 UT 66, A&M 52 C. Station A&M 80, UT 74 Austin 2000-01 UT 81, A&M 61 Austin UT 76, A&M 58 C. Station 1999-00 UT 85, A&M 58 Austin UT 78, A&M 51 C. Station 1998-99 UT 63, A&M 54 C. Station UT 71, A&M 59 Austin 1997-98 UT 87, A&M 74 Austin UT 81, A&M 80 C. Station
The Coaches
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 48-81, 5th year at A&M
- 90-101, 7th year overall
- 1-7 vs. Texas
- 1-7 vs. Rick Barnes
TEXAS: RICK BARNES (Lenoir-Rhyne '77)
- 101-45, 5th year at UT
- 303-179, 16th year overall
- 8-1 vs. Texas A&M
- 7-1 vs. Melvin Watkins
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (9-4, 1-1) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean C 6-8 Sr. 6.0 4.6 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 4.0 2.3 21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 16.8 7.3 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 17.0 6.0a 24 Bradley Jackson G 5-11 Sr. 3.8 3.4a TEXAS LONGHORNS (11-2, 2-0) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 0 James Thomas C 6-8 Jr. 10.5 10.9 22 Brad Buckman F 6-8 Fr. 7.1 5.2 3 Brandon Mouton G 6-4 Jr. 12.9 4.0 24 Royal Ivey G 6-3 Jr. 7.2 2.5 11 T.J. Ford G 5-10 So. 13.0 7.7a
Watkins Quoteboard
"Anytime you go on the road in the Big 12, it is a challenge, but it is especially challenging when you play the No. 4 team in the country. We won there last year, so we know they will be more than motivated. It will take a team effort and us playing our best basketball to go in there and get a win this year, but we are looking forward to that challenge. As always, Texas is one of the most physical teams in the Big 12. We have to manage their pressure and run and execute our half-court offense. They are playing like one of the top teams in the country right now. It was important for us to come out with the win at Nebraska. You need to win your home games and we felt like we let the Oklahoma State game slip away. We were able to get one back on the road at Nebraska and we hope that gives us more confidence when we go on the road."
TALE OF THE TAPE (2002-03 STAT COMPARISON) A&M UT Record 9-4 11-2 Conference 1-1 2-0 Sagarin Rtg. 98 11 RPI 101 7 W-L Streak W1 W6 FG Pct. .457 .447 Opp. FG Pct. .413 .395 3-Pt. FG Pct. .387 .346 Opp. 3-Pt. Pct. .316 .330 3-Pt. FG Avg. 7.4 6.5 3-Pt. Att. Avg. 19.1 18.9 FT Pct. .669 .722 Opp. FT Pct. .631 .697 Rebound Avg. 37.8 42.1 Off. Reb. Avg. 10.5 17.3 Reb. Margin -1.4 +8.1 Turnovers Avg. 15.3 14.5 Opp. Turnovers 16.5 16.5 Assists Avg. 18.3 15.8 Blocks Avg. 1.9 3.7 Steals Avg. 6.5 7.9 Scoring Avg. 75.8 78.3 Opp. Scoring 69.8 64.8 Scoring Margin +6.0 +13.5
Who's Hot?
- Antoine Wright has had four double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 12 straight games.
- Bernard King has averaged 22.5 points in the last two games while making 82.6 percent from the free throw line (19-23). King has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 games, including eight straight.
- Andy Slocum had nine rebounds against Nebraska.
- Tomas Ress, after averaging 1.7 points in his first six games, has averaged 7.5 points and made 57.9 percent from the field (11-19) and 57.1 percent from three-point range (4-7) in the last four 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 rebounding, steals, blocks, three-point field goals, three-point percentage and minutes played and is second in scoring. He's on pace to break Big 12 and A&M freshman records for each category.
- Bernard King needs 44 points to become A&M's career scoring leader and needs 96 to break the Big 12 mark. King is playing in is 101st career game on Saturday.
- The Aggies rank second in the Big 12, and rank 11th nationally, with an average of 18.3 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 10 games this season (with an 9-1 record).
- The Aggies are 8-2 when shooting at least 43.2 percent from the field.
- A&M is 9-1 when it controls the opening tip.
- The highest ranked team ever beaten by A&M was No. 5 Texas in Austin in 1982 (71-69 in overtime).
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in nine of 13 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 39.7 percent after ranking last in the league last season.
- A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.3 percent from the field, which would be the school's best since the 1963-64 season if the season ended today.
- After out-rebounding four of its first five opponents this season, A&M has been beaten on the boards in seven of its last nine games, including both Big 12 games.
Last Year in Austin
AUSTIN (AP/Jan. 23, 2002) - Bernard King scored a season-high 30 points to lead Texas A&M to an 80-74 upset of No. 24 Texas, the Aggies' first win in Austin since 1987. The victory snapped a 16-game losing streak in the series since 1994. A&M made a blazing 59.5 percent from the field, including a 7-of-12 (.583) effort from three-point range, which off-set a season-high 25 turnovers. Trailing by four at the break, A&M used a 20-3 run to start the second half to open a 52-39 lead with 15:20 to play. Texas pulled within 60-57 with 8:41 to play. King hit a jumper with 2:22 left, and followed that with two free throws at the 1:42 mark to ice the game. Texas led 36-32 at halftime. Nick Anderson scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for A&M, while Bradley Jackson poured in 12 and Larry Scott 11. Texas was led by James Thomas' double-double effort of 15 points and 10 boards. Deginald Erskin scored 14 and Brian Boddicker added 13.
Last Time They Played
COLLEGE STATION (AP/Feb. 6, 2002) - Brandon Mouton scored 23 points, 16 in the second half, to lead Texas to a 66-52 victory over Texas A&M. Mouton led the Longhorns on a 19-7 run to close the game. The Longhorns took the lead at 46-40 on two Mouton free throws and then hit all 12 of its free throws the rest of the game to eliminate the A&M's comeback hopes. Texas shot 87 percent from the free-throw line. T.J. Ford had 14 points for the Longhorns. Bernard King and Nick Anderson scored 13 points each for A&M. Both teams were cold to start the game. Texas was 2-of-9 in the first five minutes while A&M missed its first five shots from the floor. Andy Leatherman scored six unanswered points for the Aggies in the final minute of the first half to hand A&M a 30-25 halftime lead.
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 13 games, King is averaging 17.0 points and Wright is adding 16.8. "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. (33.8), Antoine Wright (16.8), Bernard King (17.0), 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 1,735 points (17.4 average), ranking second in Big 12 annals and second on the A&M chart (see page 9 of this packet). King needs 44 points to pass Vernon Smith (1977-81) as A&M's leader and needs 96 to pass Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997-00) as the Big 12 leader. King also has compiled 472 assists and 435 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 472 assists rank fifth 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. He 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 in assists this season with 6.0 per game and leads the team in scoring with a 17.0 average. In Big 12 play, King ranks second in the league in scoring with a 22.5 average. He is one of only two players in the country this season to average at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds. The Nebraska game was King's 100th at A&M and was his 93rd career start.
THE PRODUCERS (Combined min. 17.0 ppg, 6.0 assists) Player, School PPG RPG APG Antwan Dobie, Long Island 17.2 5.0 7.4 Bernard King, Texas A&M 17.0 3.7 6.0 Stats through games of Thursday, Jan. 16
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 16.8 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 35-of-78 (.449) 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. 35.7 Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 23.5 9.7 2.5 23-13 11-1 2. 30.8 Craig Smith, Boston College 21.1 8.9 0.8 20-12 6-6 3. 27.3 Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech 15.5 10.0 1.8 15-16 8-5 4. 27.0 Bracey Wright, Indiana 19.1 5.5 2.4 25-12 12-3 5. 26.8 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 17.1 7.5 2.2 9-22 9-4 DOMINANT FRESHMEN (Freshmen with min. 16.0 ppg and 7.0 reb. per game) Player, School PPG RPG Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 23.5 9.7 Craig Smith, Boston College 21.1 8.9 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 16.8 7.3 Stats and records through games of Thursday, Jan. 16
Helping Hand
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12, and 11th nationally, with an average of 18.3 assists per game. The Aggies led the Big 12 and ranked sixth nationally before ahving just 10 assits (and making just 31.5 percent from the field) against Nebraska. 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 1.20. Senior Bernard King ranks fourth in the league in assists at 6.0 while Leandro Garcia-Morales ranks 12th at 3.6. A&M and Kansas are the only teams in the conference with two players in the top 12. Senior Bradley Jackson adds 3.4 assists per contest and leads the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 3.38, while King ranks 12th at 1.95.
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 74.4 percent (61-82) in their last three games. For the season, A&M has made 66.9 percent, seventh 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 88.2 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 seven games this season which were decided by 10 points or fewer, second most in the league behind Nebraska (8). A&M is 5-2 in those games and is 4-1 in games decided by five points or fewer, leading the Big 12 in "close game" wins. Last season, A&M played 15 games that were decided by 10 or fewer points and were 6-9 in those games, including a 4-5 mark in games decided by five points or fewer.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks third in the Big 12, and 40th nationally, in three-point field goal percentage at 38.7 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 7.4 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 (2.0) are each averaging at least one trey per game. Two other players -- juniors Tomas Ress and Leandro Garcia-Morales -- have also shown the ability to shoot the trey. ress made 3-of-4 against Nebraska and Garcia-Morales made 3-of-3 against Mississippi Valley State. A&M has been consistent, making at least 35.0 percent in nine of 13 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 ninth on the team in scoring. Newcomers have accounted for 46.7 percent of the Aggies' points and 70.8 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 seven of its last nine games. The Aggies have out-rebounded just six of 13 opponents overall, and have posted an average rebounding margin of -1.5, 11th in the Big 12. The Aggies out-rebounded their opponents in 20 of 31 games last season. Antoine Wright is ranked 12th in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.3), but no other A&M player ranks in the top 20.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.3 turnovers per game, the most in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State, and rank seventh in turnover margin at +1.23. 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 13.9 turnovers in the nine games since.
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 13 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 nine games, A&M has averaged 18.7 assists with only 13.9 turnovers.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.3 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 31.6 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, tied for 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.