February 03, 2003
Game notes for Tuesday's contest with Baylor in Waco...
Game #18:
Texas A&M AGGIES (11-6, 3-3)
vs.
Baylor BEARS (9-8, 0-6)
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003
7:05 p.m. (Central)
Ferrell Center (10,284 cap.)
Waco, 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 (Regional)
Bill Land, play-by-play
Jim Haller, commentary
The Texas A&M Aggies (11-6, 3-3 in Big 12) will challenge the Baylor Bears (9-8, 0-6 in Big 12) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. (central) at the Ferrell Center (10,284 cap.) in Waco. The game will be televised regionally by Fox Sports Southwest. The Aggies are coming off a 64-59 win against Texas Tech at home on Saturday, while the Bears lost to Iowa State, 74-70, on Saturday in Ames, Iowa. The Bears have lost six straight games, but have played arguably the toughest schedule in the league top open Big 12 play. A&M, which has not lost consecutive games all season, has not won back-to-back games since beating Mississippi Valley State and Centenary to close out its non-conference schedule. A&M is 2-3 in true road games this season and is 4-4 in all games away from home, while Baylor is 7-4 at home. The teams have met 185 previous times, A&M's second-longest series behind Texas (201 games). A&M leads the series, 117-68, including a 46-40 edge in games played in Waco. The series is tied, 7-7, in games played at the Ferrell Center. The teams split the two games last year, with A&M winning by a score of 63-60 in College Station and Baylor posting a 97-45 win in Waco.
About Baylor
The Bears return four starters and eight lettermen from last year's team that finished 14-16 overall and tied for 10th in the Big 12 at 4-12. Baylor is in its fourth season under coach Dave Bliss. The Bears are led by sophomore forward Lawrence Roberts (6-8), who leads the team in scoring (14.6) and ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding (9.4). Sophomore guard John Lucas (5-10) adds 13.9 points and leads the team with 4.5 assists per game. Sophomore guard Kenny Taylor (6-3) averages 13.4 points and leads the Big 12 with an average of 3.5 three-pointers per game, making 41.0 percent. As a team, baylor leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.745) and three-pointers made per game (9.5) and ranks second in three-point percentage defense (.305). The Bears went 9-2 in non-conference play, but in league play has fallen at home to Texas (82-71), Oklahoma State (67-64 in overtime), and Oklahoma (67-54), while dropping road games at Missouri (77-69), Texas Tech (80-64) and Iowa State (74-70).
A&M-Baylor Series
A&M and Baylor are playing for the 186th time, the Aggies' second longest series behind Texas (201). A&M leads the series, 117-68, its most wins against any opponent, but Baylor leads, 7-6, since Big 12 play began in 1997. A&M had a 46-40 advantage is games played in Waco, with a 7-7 record at the Ferrell Center. The Bears have won six of the last eight games in Waco, including three straight. A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 4-4 against Baylor while Baylor coach Dave Bliss is 15-11 against A&M, including his stints at SMU andNew Mexico. Bliss is 4-2 against A&M since arriving at Baylor.
THE COACHES
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 50-83, 5th year at A&M
- 92-103, 7th year overall
- 4-4 vs. Baylor
- 2-4 vs. Dave Bliss
BAYLOR: DAVE BLISS (Cornell '65)
- 56-51, 4th year at Baylor
- 521-322, 28th year overall
- 15-11 vs. Texas A&M
- 4-2 vs. Melvin Watkins
Sidebars
Baylor's NCAA Faculty Representative, Michael Rogers, is the son of former A&M basketball coach Bob Rogers (1957-63)...Fox Sports Southwest TV commentator Jim Haller served as head coach at Baylor from 1977-85 and was a graduate assistant coach at A&M under Shelby Metcalf in 1967-68.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (11-6, 3-3) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean C 6-8 Sr. 5.9 4.4 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 4.5 2.9 21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 16.5 7.7 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 17.3 6.2a 24 Bradley Jackson G 5-11 Sr. 3.7 3.1a BAYLOR BEARS (9-8, 0-6) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 34 R.T. Guinn C 6-10 Jr. 9.2 4.8 44 Lawrence Roberts F 6-9 So. 14.6 9.4 11 Corey Herring F 6-4 Fr. 0.3 1.3 3 Kenny Taylor G 6-3 So. 13.4 2.4 15 John Lucas G 5-11 So. 13.9 4.5a
Watkins Quoteboard
"We have to put the Texas Tech game behind us and move on. We know that anytime you go on the road in the Big 12 is a challenge and Baylor is no exception. They have played a tough schedule to start out league play and have played teams like Texas and Oklahoma very close at home. We know they are anxious to start winning some games and break out of their slump and we have to make sure it doesn't start with us. We have to defend the perimeter because we know they can shoot the three, but they also have a big inside presence with Lawrence Roberts. We have to stay focused. We had some letdown against Tech. We let them back in the game because we didn't value the basketball, but that's an area where we feel like we'll continue to improve."
Last Year in Waco
WACO (AP/Feb. 3, 2003) -- Baylor shot 52 percent from the field and capitalized on 22 Texas A&M turnovers to hand the Aggies a 97-45 loss at the Ferrell Center. The loss snapped a two-game road win streak for A&M. The Aggies shot less than 30 percent from the field. A 15-point halftime deficit ballooned to the final 52-point difference as the Bears outscored A&M 52-17 after the break. The loss was the second-worst in school history, ranking behind a 64-point loss at No. 1 UCLA in 1971. Baylor used a 12-3 run late in the first half to squelch the Aggies' last real threat. A Bernard King 3-pointer cut the Bear lead to eight with five minutes to play until halftime, but Baylor used free throws and hot shooting from behind the arc to lead by 17 with just over two minutes to go. A&M got no closer than 13 points the rest of the game. King led A&M with 18 points. Lawrence Roberts led the Bears with game highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Last Year at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (AP/Jan. 19, 2003) -- Keith Bean scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds to lead Texas A&M to a 63-60 win over Baylor. The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Aggies. The Bears jumped out to an early 17-7 lead as A&M made just one of its first 10 shots. The Aggies used a late first-half rally to cut the Baylor lead to two before back-to-back 3-pointers by John Lucas and Wendell Greenleaf gave the Bears a 34-28 halftime advantage. A 3-pointer by Dylan Leal with 13:55 to play in the game gave A&M the lead for good at 44-41, but the Aggies' lead never led by more than six points. Baylor used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 57-57 with just more than four minutes left, but A&M scored the next four points. The Bears' Matt Sayman missed a game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds left. Bernard King scored 12 points for A&M, while Jesse King added 11 and Bradley Jackson tallied 10. Greenleaf led all scorers with 23 for Baylor.
Who's Hot?
- Antoine Wright has had six double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 16 straight games.
- Bernard King ranks is second in the Big 12 in scoring in league play (19.7) while ranking second in assists (6.1), sixth in assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.0) and seventh in free throw percentage (.792). King has scored in double figures in 15 of his 16 games, including 12 straight.
- Jesse King has averaged 8.0 points and made 8-of-13 (.615) in the last two games.
- Bradley Jackson scored eight points with three assists and a season-high six rebounds against Texas Tech.
Quick Notes
- Bernard King, a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors, needs 23 points to become the Big 12's career scoring leader. He already has become A&M's career leader and is the Big 12 leader in career points in league games. King is tied for second in career assists in Big 12 play.
- An early candidate for National Freshman of the Year, forward Antoine Wright on Monday was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the third time. 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 in several categories.
- The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and 14th nationally, with 17.5 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 12 games this season (with an 11-1 record).
- The Aggies are 10-2 when shooting at least 43.2 percent from the field.
- A&M is 9-2 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 17 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 9-0 when their opponents score fewer than 70 points.
- A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.2 percent from the field, which would be the school's best since the 1963-64 season if the season ended today.
- The Aggies are 10-3 when making at least 43.0 percent from the field.
- The Aggies are 9-1 when their opponents make less than .430.
The Scoring King
Senior guard Bernard King, a preseason candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year and A&M's career scoring leader, is rapidly approaching the Big 12 record. In Big 12 play, King is second in the league in scoring (19.7), ranks second in assists (6.3), seventh in free throw percentage (.792) and is sixth in assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.0). He ranks 19th nationally in assists (6.1) and is one of just three players in the countrey to average at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds. King has scored 1,808 points (17.4 average), eclipsing the old school record held by the late Vernon Smith (1,778 in 1977-81). King needs 23 points to pass Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1,830 in 1997-00) as the Big 12 leader. King also has compiled 499 assists, third most in A&M history, and 458 rebounds. He 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 961 points in Big 12 play is a conference record while his 277 assists in league play are second behind Oklahoma State's Doug Gottlieb (354 in 1998-00). King also is approaching several other A&M and Big 12 milestones (see page 9). 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.
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 16 games, King is averaging 17.3 points and Wright is adding 16.5. "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 has 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 16.5 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 46-of-106 (.434) 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. On Monday, Wright was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the three times. 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 second in the Big 12, and 14th nationally, with an average of 17.5 assists per game. A&M is 10-2 when it has at least 13 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 1.12. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 6.2 while Leandro Garcia-Morales ranks 14th at 3.3. Senior Bradley Jackson adds 3.1 assists per contest and ranks ninth in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.86, while King ranks seventh at 1.90.
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 76.0 percent (130-171) in their last seven games. For the season, A&M has made 69.4 percent (fourth in the Big 12), but in Big 12 play they've made a league-best 76.9 percent, on pace to challenge the school record of .745 set in 1968. 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 88.1 percent, which is on pace to break Mike Floyd's school record of 86.5 percent set in 1974-75.
Close Ones
A&M has been involved in nine games this season that were decided by 10 points or fewer. A&M is 6-3 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 in three-point field goal percentage at 38.1 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 (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 11 of 17 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 7-2 at home this season, their best start ever at Reed Arena and their best overall since a 7-2 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 +11.0 at home (79.4 to 68.4) while connecting on 49.2 percent from the field (allowing 40.3 percent) and 40.9 percent from three-point range (allowing 30.4 percent). The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in eight of nine home games, posting an whopping average of 22.0 assists to only 14.0 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 16.7 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 45.4 percent of the Aggies' points, 71.2 percent of the three-pointers, 45.1 percent of the steals and 36.7 percent of the assists and 34.1 percent of the rebounds.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have been out-rebounded in nine of its last 13 games. A&M out-rebounded five of its first six opponents this season. The Aggies have out-rebounded just eight of 17 opponents overall, and have posted an average rebounding margin of -2.1, 11th in the Big 12. Antoine Wright is ranked 10th in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.7), 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 fifth in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.12. 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 14.6 turnovers in the 13 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 17 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 13 games, A&M has averaged 17.5 assists with 14.6 turnovers.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.2 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.
Perimeter Game
The Aggies' frontcourt is averaging just 19.9 points per game, while the backcourt is averaging a whopping 54.1 points. The front court has scored more than 29 points just once this season (36 vs. Louisiana-Monroe) while the backcourt has scored fewer than 44 only once (37 vs. Nebraska).
Attendance Up
A&M attracted a school-record crowd of 12,611 to the Texas Tech game, the first sellout at five-year-old Reed Arena. For the season, A&M is averaging 5,778 per game, which would rank third in school history if the season ended today. Last year's average of 6,061 was the second best in school annals behind the record of 6,141 set in in 1980-81. To break that mark, A&M needs to average 8,026 in its remaining five home games. For conference-only attendance, the Aggies are averging 8,910, well ahead of the record of 7,145 set in 1974-75. To break that mark, the Aggies need to average 6,022 in its remaining five Big 12 home games.