January 27, 2003
Game notes for Tuesday's nationally-televised game at 7th-ranked Oklahoma...
Game #16:
Texas A&M AGGIES (10-5, 2-2)
vs.
#7 Oklahoma SOONERS (13-3, 4-1)
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003
6 p.m. (Central)
Lloyd Noble Center (12,000 cap.)
Norman, Okla.
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: ESPN2 (national)
Ron Franklin, play-by-play
Jon Sundvold, commentary
The Texas A&M Aggies (10-5, 2-2 in Big 12) play the No. 7-ranked (AP & USA Today/ESPN) Oklahoma Sooners (13-3, 4-1 in Big 12) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. (central) at the Lloyd Noble Center (12,000 cap.) in Norman, Okla. The Aggies are coming off a 79-66 victory against Kansas State at home on Saturday, while the Sooners are coming off a 67-54 victory against Baylor on Saturday in Waco. A win would make A&M 11-5 for the first time since a 14-5 start in the 1993-94 season, which also was the last year A&M advanced to postseason play (NIT). A win would make A&M 3-2 for the first time in Big 12 play and would be their best conference start since 1994, when they bolted out to a 7-0 start in Southwest Conference play. A&M is 2-2 in true road games this season and 4-3 in all games away from home. Oklahoma is a perfect 10-0 at home. The Sooners lead the series against A&M, 17-1, and has won six straight since a 74-72 A&M win in College Station in 1999. A&M is 0-7 in Norman. The Sooners won easily last year in Norman, 89-63, but escaped College Station with a 68-64 victory.
About Oklahoma
Oklahoma returns four starters and eight lettermen from last year's team that finished 31-5 overall and tied for second in the Big 12 at 13-3. The Sooners advanced to the Final Four. Oklahoma is in its ninth year under coach Kelvin Sampson. The Sooners are led by senior guard Hollis Price (6-1), who is averaging 18.7 points and leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 92.9 percent. Senior guard Ebi Ere (6-5) adds 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, while freshman forward Kevin Bookout (6-8) is averaging 10.0 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds. Bookout has come on strong in Big 12 play, averaging 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in league action. Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing just 58.7 points per game, and rank second in the league in free throw percentage (.728) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.46). The Sooners have won three straight since a 48-46 loss to No. 24 Oklahoma State on Jan. 13. On Jan. 7, Oklahoma posted a 73-63 upset of No. 3-ranked Connecticut.
A&M-OU Series
Oklahoma leads the series, 17-1, and has won six straight since a 74-72 A&M win in College Station in 1999 in Melvin Watkins' first season. The Sooners lead the series, 7-0, in games played in Norman. Oklahoma has beaten the Aggies by double-digit margins the last three years in Norman, but the first three Big 12 meetings in Norman were each decided by fewer than 10 points, including a 62-59 overtime win by OU in 1997. Four of the last five games in College Station have been close. Last season, Oklahoma held off the Aggies for a tough 68-64 victory at Reed Arena.
A&M-OU Connection
Texas A&M guard Bernard King and Oklahoma guard Hollis Price are both from Louisiana and were teammates on the team that won the 1999 AAU National Championship.
Watkins Quoteboard
"We are coming off a big win in which our whole team played well. We hope that gives us some momentum going into Oklahoma, which is one of the toughest places to play in the Big 12. Oklahoma just wins. Hollis Price is the heart and soul of that team. They just find ways to win. It's not always pretty, but it's effective. They are a very good defensive team. We will have to score out of our half-court offense and handle their pressure. Defensively, we have to handle Price and Ebi Ere on the perimeter and Kevin Bookout and Jabahri Brown down low."
Last Year in Norman
NORMAN, Okla. (AP/Jan. 5, 2002) - Aaron McGhee scored 22 points and Hollis Price had 14 in his return to the lineup, leading Oklahoma to a 89-63 victory over Texas A&M. The Sooners held A&M to 34.5 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers. Price, Oklahoma's leading scorer with a 17-point average, missed the previous game after being poked in the eye during a practice. The score was 14-7 when Oklahoma went on a 15-1 run. Price ended the spurt with two baskets, the second a 3-pointer that made it 29-8 with 6:55 left in the first half. Oklahoma led 42-26 at halftime, then started the second half by outscoring the Aggies 14-4. Andy Slocum had 22 points and 14 rebounds for A&M. The Aggies' leading scorer, Bernard King, didn't get on the board until making two free throws with 3:40 remaining in the first half. He wound up with 8 points, nine below his average.
Last Time They Played
COLLEGE STATION (AP/Feb. 9, 2002) - Aaron McGhee scored 21 points and No. 4 Oklahoma took advantage of Texas A&M's sub-par free throw shooting for a 68-64 victory. The Sooners took a 64-55 lead with 2:30 to play on a jumper by McGhee, what turned out to be Oklahoma's final field goal. A&M made three free throws and Larry Scott hit a 3-pointer with just under a minute left to make it 64-61. Oklahoma made three free throws, but Bradley Jackson closed the Aggies within 67-64 with a three-point play. Hollis Price, the Sooners' leading scorer who was held to 12 points, made one of two foul shots with 9.3 seconds remaining and Oklahoma held on. The Aggies shot just 61 percent from the foul line, going 17-for-28. Conversely, Oklahoma was 19-for-23. Nick Anderson led the Aggies with 19 points and Bernard King had 16. Quannas White had 12 points for the Sooners.
Who's Hot?
- Antoine Wright has had five double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 14 straight games.
- Bernard King ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring in league play (19.8) while leading the league in assists (6.2) and assists-to-turnovers ratio. King has scored in double figures in 13 of his 14 games, including 10 straight.
- Keith Bean scored a season-high 12 points against KSU, making 5-of-5 from the field. For the season, his is making 67.9 percent, which would lead the Big 12 if he had enough attempts to qualify.
Quick Notes
- Bernard King needs 10 points to become A&M's career scoring leader and needs 62 to break the Big 12 mark. King needs just 22 points to break the Big 12 mark for career scoring in conference games.
- 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.
- The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and seventh nationally, with 17.9 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 11 games this season (with an 10-1 record).
- The Aggies are 9-2 when shooting at least 43.2 percent from the field.
- A&M is 9-1 when it controls the opening tip.
- The Aggies average 15.5 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in 10 of 15 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 five scorers are newcomers.
- The Aggies are 8-0 when their opponents score fewer than 70 points.
- 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.
- The Aggies are 9-3 when making at least 43.0 percent from the field.
- The Aggies are 9-2 when making at least .430 percent from the field and 8-0 when their opponents make less than .430.
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 1,769 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 10 points to pass Vernon Smith (1977-81) as A&M's leader and needs 62 to pass Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997-00) as the Big 12 leader. King also has compiled 486 assists and 442 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 486 assists rank fourth 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 third double-double of the season (ninth of his career) with 18 points and 11 assists against Kansas State. In Big 12 play, King has put up incredible numbers, leading the league in assists (6.3) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.78) while ranking second in scoring (19.8). He leads the team in scoring with a 17.0 average and is one of just The Oklahoma game will be King's 103rd at A&M and will be his 96th career start. He ranks 22nd nationally in assists (6.1) and is one of just two players nationally to average at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
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 15 games, King is averaging 17.0 points and Wright is adding 16.9. "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. No duo in school annals have each averaged 17.0 points in a single season.
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 16.9 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 41-of-92 (.446) from three-point range. Wright has posted six 20-point efforts, scoring a career-high 25 against Miami, 24 against Kansas State, adding 22 in wins against LSU and Centenary, and finishing with 21 against Oakland and Prairie View A&M. Wright twice has 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, while the Aggies were 9-22.
Helping Hand
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and seventh nationally, with an average of 17.9 assists per game. A&M is 10-2 when it has at least 10 assists. 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 fifth in the league in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.16. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 6.2 while Leandro Garcia-Morales ranks 12th at 3.5. A&M and Kansas are the only teams in the conference with two players in the top 12. Senior Bradley Jackson adds 3.3 assists per contest and ranks fourth in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 2.33, while King ranks seventh at 2.05.
On the Line
The Aggies made a cozy 72.0 percent from the line through the first five games, a marked improvement over last season's 65.2 percent. However, in the next five games, the Aggies made just 58.9 percent (76-129). But the Aggies have bounced back to make an impressive 74.0 percent (94-127) in their last five games. For the season, A&M has made 67.8 percent, sixth in the Big 12. 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. 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. A&M is 5-2 in those games. The Aggies are 4-1 in games decided by five points or fewer, leading the Big 12 in "close game" winning percentage (.800). 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 fourth in the Big 12, and 32nd 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 7.5 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 (1.8) 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 and 3-of-4 against Kansas State. A&M has been consistent, making at least 35.0 percent in 10 of 15 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 6-2 at home this season, their best start ever at Reed Arena and their best overall since a 7-1 home start in the 1994-95 season at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Statistically (see page 28), the Aggies have posted an average scoring margin of +11.8 at home (81.4 to 69.6) while connecting on 49.5 percent from the field (allowing 41.5 percent) and 41.1 percent from three-point range (allowing 30.3 percent). The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in every home game, posting an whopping average of 22.6 assists to only 13.5 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 17.6 turnovers at home.
Impact Class
Three of the Aggies' top five 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 10th on the team in scoring. Newcomers have accounted for 46.3 percent of the Aggies' points and 70.8 percent of the team's treys.
Board Stiff
A&M outrebounded Kansas State, 40-37, after being out-boarded in eight of its previous 10 games, including four straight. A&M out-rebounded five of its first six opponents this season. The Aggies have out-rebounded just seven of 15 opponents overall, and have posted an average rebounding margin of -2.4, 11th in the Big 12. 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 15.5 turnovers per game, the most in the Big 12, but rank seventh in turnover margin at +0.47. 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 14.4 turnovers in the 10 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 10 of 15 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 11 games, A&M has averaged 18.0 assists with 14.4 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 30.6 percent from three-point range, which is on pace to break the school record of 31.5 set in 1996-97 and ranks third best in the Big 12. The Aggies are forcing an average of 15.9 turnovers per game, sixth 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.