February 11, 2003
Game notes for Wednesday's Big 12 game against No. 21 Missouri at Reed Arena...
Game #20:
Texas A&M AGGIES (11-8, 3-5)
vs.
# 21 Missouri TIGERS (14-5, 5-3)
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003
7:05 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: 6:50 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION: Dodge Ram Lone Star Series (Texas only)
Dave Armstrong, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
Tiger Television Network (Missouri only)
Chris Gervino, play-by-play
Norm Stewart, commentary
Riding a two-game losing streak for the first time this season, the Texas A&M Aggies (11-8, 3-5 in Big 12) will face their second straight ranked team when they play host to the No. 21-ranked (both polls) Missouri Tigers (14-5, 5-3 in Big 12) on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. (central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. The game will be televised in Texas by the Lone Star Series (see page 3). Tickets are $15 (courtside), $12 (mezzanine), $10 (balcony) and $6 (gallery) and can be purchased at Reed Arena, the Athletic Ticket Office or through TickerMaster. The Aggies are coming off a hard-fought 95-87 loss to then-No. 3-ranked Texas at home on Saturday, while the Tigers are coming off an 82-73 win at home against Texas Tech on Saturday. The Aggies are 7-3 at home this season (2-2 in Big 12 play), while Missouri is 2-4 in true road games (1-3 in Big 12). Missouri leads the series, 9-1, and has won six straight since a 61-57 A&M win in the teams' first Big 12 meeting in 1997 at A&M's old G. Rollie White Coliseum. The Tigers own a 3-1 edge in games played in College Station, with a 2-0 mark at Reed Arena. The Tigers defeated the Aggies, 74-50, last season in Columbia and won two years ago in College Station by a score of 97-90.
About Missouri
The Tigers return three starters and eight lettermen from last year's team that finished 24-12 overall, finished sixth in the Big 12 at 9-7 and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Missouri is in its fourth season under coach Quin Snyder. The Tigers are led by junior guard Ricky Clemons (5-11), who leads the team in scoring (16.9), assists (4.7), steals (1.8) and leads the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (3.4). Junior center Arthur Johnson (6-9) adds 16.7 points and leads the Big 12 in rebounding in league games with a 10./9 average, while junior forward Rickey Paulding (6-5) averages 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. As a team, the Tigers ranks second in the Big 12 in offensive rebounding with a 14.8 average and are also second in three-pointers per game with a 7.8 average. Missouri opened the season 10-1, with its only loss being to Illinois (85-70) at a neutral site, but has gone 4-4 in its last eight games, losing road games at Syracuse (76-69), Oklahoma State (76-56), Texas (76-55) and Kansas (76-70). In Big 12 play, Missouri has beaten Iowa State (64-59), Nebraska (63-56), Colorado (73-70) and Texas Tech (82-73).
A&M-Missouri Series
Missouri leads the series, 9-1, with a 3-1 edge in games played in College Station and a 2-0 mark at Reed Arena. The Tigers have won six straight in the series since A&M's only win, a 61-57 victory in the teams' first Big 12 game in 1997 at old G. Rollie White Coliseum. Missouri's two wins at Reed Arena were high-scoring and close (96-91 in 1999 and 97-90 in 2001). A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 0-5 against Missouri while Tigers coach Quin Snyder is 4-0 against the Aggies. The teams met only three times prior to the formation of the Big 12 Conference.
Coaches
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 50-85, 5th year at A&M
- 92-105, 7th year overall
- 0-5 vs. Missouri
- 0-4 vs. Quin Snyder
MISSOURI: QUIN SNYDER (Duke '89)
- 76-43, 4th year at Missouri
- 76-43, 4th year overall
- 4-0 vs. Texas A&M
- 4-0 vs. Melvin Watkins
A&M-Missouri Sidebars
Missouri's Ricky Clemons and Texas A&M's Bradley Jackson were teammates two years ago at the College of Southern Idaho, where they led the team to a 29-4 record...the Tigers' Arthur Johnson and the Aggies' Jesse King were teammates at Pershing High School in Detroit, leading the team to a 22-3 record when King was a senior and Johnson was a juniorÅ the Missouri game will mark the 599th straight game worked by longtime A&M trainer Mike "Radar" Ricke.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (11-8, 3-5) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean C 6-8 Sr. 6.2 4.7 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 5.1 3.1 21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 16.7 7.6 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 16.9 6.0a 24 Bradley Jackson G 5-11 Sr. 3.6 3.1a MISSOURI TIGERS (14-5, 5-3) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 50 Arthur Johnson C 6-9 Jr. 16.7 9.8 5 Travon Bryant F 6-9 Jr. 8.1 5.8 23 Rickey Paulding G 6-5 Jr. 16.7 5.3 1 Jimmy McKinney G 6-3 Fr. 9.2 2.9a 00 Ricky Clemons G 5-11 Jr. 16.9 4.7a
Watkins Quoteboard
"We did a lot of positive things in the Texas game. Texas did a lot of things well and did enough to get the win. But I was really pleased with our effort. Missouri will be similar to Texas in the sense that they've got four or five good offensive players who can really hurt you and have big nights. We've got to focus on those players. Their depth is not as good as Texas', and hopefully that plays to our advantage. Still, we've got to play some of our best basketball to get a win against Missouri. Ricky Clemons has made a fairly smooth transition from junior college and is making plays for them. He doesn't have a range on his jump shot -- he can shoot it from anywhere. You can think that you've taken him out of the game, but then he may hit two or three quick threes on you. We've just got to be aware of him. In some ways, this game will be the biggest challenge for our inside guys because Arthur Johnson surely demands a lot of attention and he can put the ball in the basket down low. We may have to even double team him times."
Last Year at Mizzou
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP/Jan. 16, 2002)- It took some time before Kareem Rush showed that he was the best player on the floor. Rush scored eight of his 16 points in a decisive second-half run as 19th-ranked Missouri pulled away for a 74-50 Big 12 Conference victory over Texas A&M. Tabbed as the preseason Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Rush took just three shots in the first half before he came alive over the final 20 minutes. Sparked by Rush, the Tigers (13-4, 3-1 Big 12) reeled off 11 straight points at one point in the second half to turn a tight game into a 61-42 bulge with under five minutes remaining. Wesley Stokes added 12 points for Missouri, which won its third straight game and improved to 9-1 all-time against the Aggies. Nick Anderson netted 13 points to lead the Aggies (6-11, 0-3), who played without three players, including starting center Andy Slocum, as they suffered their sixth straight loss.
Last Time at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (AP/Feb. 17, 2001) -- Clarence Gilbert scored 24 points for Missouri, which held on to beat Texas A&M 97-90. Gilbert made 6-of-13 shots from 3-point range before fouling out. The Tigers shot 40-percent from the 3-point line. Missouri captured its first road win in more than a month while ending A&M's three-game winning streak. Bernard King scored six unanswered points to pull the Aggies within four with 70 seconds remaining. A&M trailed by as much as 18 points. King scored a season-high 31 points with five assists. Nick Anderson added 22 points for A&M. An 81-percent performance from the free throw line sealed the victory for the Tigers. Missouri scored 25 points from the line on 31 attempts as A&M committed 30 fouls. Missouri's Wesley Stokes, who made a pair of key free throws with 6 seconds left, scored seven of his 12-points from the line. Missouri finished with 36 of their 97 points from 3-point range, while shooting 51 percent from the field.
Who's Hot?
- Antoine Wright has had six double-doubles, has scored in double figures in 18 straight games and has been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week the last two weeks.
- Bernard King is the only player in the country to average at least 16.5 (16.9) points, 6.0 assists (6.0) and 4.5 rebounds (4.5). He has scored in double figures in 17 of his 18 games, including 14 straight.
- Keith Bean scored a season-high 17 points with 10 rebounds against Texas, his second double-double of the year.
- Leandro Garcia-Morales scored 15 points, making a career-best 4-of-9 from three-point range against Texas.
Quick Notes
- Bernard King, a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors, needs 21 points to become A&M's career leader for conference games. He already has become the A&M and Big 12 career leader in overall points and is the Big 12 leader for league games. King is 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 fourth 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 the Big 12 freshman records in scoring and rebounding.
- The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and 17th nationally, with 17.2 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 14 games this season (with an 11-3 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 15.3 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in 11 of 19 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 41.7 percent from the field, which would be the school's best since the 1963-64 season if the season ended today.
- The Aggies are 9-1 when their opponents make less than .430 from the field.
Scoring King
Senior guard Bernard King, a midseason first-team All-Big 12 pick (AP) and a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, is the all-time scoring leader in Big 12 and A&M history with 1,835 points (17.3 average). He also owns the conference record for points in league play with 988 and needs just 20 to break the A&M mark of 1,007 set by John Beasley in 1964-66. In Big 12 play, King is sixth in the league in scoring (18.1), third in assists (6.0), seventh in free throw percentage (.790) and is sixth in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.9). He ranks 26th nationally in assists (6.0) and is the only player in the country to average at least 16.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds. King also has compiled 508 assists, third most in A&M and Big 12 history, and 472 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. He is on course to be the only player from any Big 12 school to lead his team in both scoring and assists for four years. King's 286 assists in league play are second behind Oklahoma State's Doug Gottlieb (354 in 1998-00). King also has shot and made more free throws than any player in school or Big 12 annals. 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 18 games, King is averaging 16.9 points and Wright is adding 16.7. "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 16.7 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 53-of-121 (.438) from three-point range. Wright has posted seven 20-point efforts, including a career-high 25 against Miami and Texas. On Monday, Wright was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the fourth time, tying Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997) for the league high for a freshman. Wright is one of just three freshmen in the nation this season to average at least 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, but 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. Wright is threatening Big 12 freshman records for both scoring (16.9 by A&M's Bernard King in 1999-00) and rebounding (7.8 by Missouri's Arthur Johnson in 2000-01).
Helping Hand
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and 17th nationally, with an average of 17.2 assists per game. A&M is 10-3 when it has at least 13 assists, but is 1-5 when it has 12 or fewer. 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 1.13. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 6.0 while Leandro Garcia-Morales (12th in Big 12 at 3.2) and senior Bradley Jackson (3.1) each average more than 3.0 per game. Jackson ranks seventh in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 2.00, while King ranks ninth at 1.86.
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 74.9 percent (158-211) in their last nine games, despite making just 6-of-15 (.400) in the second half against Texas. For the season, A&M has made 69.4 percent (fourth in the Big 12), but in Big 12 play it has made a league-best 75.3 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 third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 86.4 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 11 games this season that were decided by 10 points or fewer, second most in the Big 12 behind Nebraska (12). A&M is 6-5 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 1-5 points.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks third in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 37.7 percent after ranking last in the league last season at 32.5 percent. The Aggies also 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 (2.8), Bernard King (1.3) and Kevin Turner (1.6) each are averaging at least one trey per game. Three other players -- juniors Tomas Ress, Jesse King and Leandro Garcia-Morales -- have also shown the ability to shoot the trey. Ress made 3-of-4 against Nebraska, King made 3-of-4 against Baylor and Garcia-Morales has made at least three against three opponents, including a 4-of-9 showing against Texas. A&M has been consistent, making at least 35.0 percent in 13 of 19 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 7-3 at home this season, their best start ever at Reed Arena and their best overall since an 8-2 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 +9.1 at home (80.2 to 71.1) while connecting on 48.4 percent from the field (allowing 40.7 percent) and 40.3 percent from three-point range (allowing 31.0 percent). The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in nine of 10 home games, posting an whopping average of 21.6 assists to only 13.9 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 16.4 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 44.9 percent of the Aggies' points, 70.6 percent of the three-pointers, 45.1 percent of the steals, 36.4 percent of the assists and 36.8 percent of the rebounds.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded just nine of 19 opponents overall, and have posted an average rebounding margin of -2.4, 11th in the Big 12. The Aggies have been out-boarded in five of eight Big 12 games. The Aggies rank last in the Big 12 in offensive rebounding at 10.4 per game.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.3 turnovers per game, the most in the Big 12, but rank fifth in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.13. 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 15 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 11 of 19 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 15 games, A&M has averaged 17.2 assists with 14.4 turnovers.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 41.7 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 30.7 percent from three-point range, which is on pace to break the school record of 31.5 set in 1996-97 and ranks second best in the Big 12. The Aggies are forcing an average of 14.8 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 20.9 points per game, while the backcourt is averaging a whopping 53.5 points. The front court has scored more than 29 points just twice this season (36 vs. Louisiana-Monroe and 34 vs. Texas) while the backcourt has scored fewer than 43 only once (37 vs. Nebraska).
Attendance Up
A&M has sold out its last two home games, the first sellouts at five-year-old Reed Arena and the first back-to-back sellouts at A&M since 1983. A record crowd of 12,633 attended the Texas game, breaking the mark of 12,611 set the previous home game against Texas Tech. For the season, A&M is averaging 6,463 per game, which is on pace to break the record of 6,141 set in 1980-81. For conference-only attendance, the Aggies are averging 9,841, well ahead of the record of 7,145 set in 1974-75.
2000-500-500 CLUB
In basketball, three statistics stand above all the rest when it comes to measuring production -- points, rebounds and assists. This season, Bernard King could become only the eighth player in NCAA history to score 2,000 career points with 500 rebounds and 500 assists, joining the likes of Duke's Johnny Dawkins and Danny Ferry, BYU's Danny Ainge and Oklahoma's Tim McCalister.