February 24, 2003
Game notes for Wednesday's Big 12 matchup with Kansas in Lawrence...
Game #23:
Texas A&M AGGIES (13-10, 5-7)
vs.
#7 Kansas JAYHAWKS (20-6, 10-2)
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2003
6:37 p.m. (Central)
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300 cap.)
Lawrence, Kan.
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 6:20 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION: Dodge Ram Lone Star Series (Texas only)
Dave Armstrong, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
The Texas A&M Aggies (13-10, 5-7 in Big 12) play the No. 7-ranked (AP & USA Today/ESPN) Kansas Jayhawks (20-6, 10-2 in Big 12) on Wednesday at 6:37 p.m. (central) at Allen Fieldhouse (16,300 cap.) in Lawrence, Kan. The game will be televised in Texas by the Lodge Ram Lone Star Series (see page 3). The Aggies are coming off a heartbreaking 70-69 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock, while the Jayhawks are coming off a tough 77-70 loss to No. 5-ranked Oklahoma on Sunday in Norman, Okla. Kansas is tied for the Big 12 lead with the Sooners with a 10-2 league record. The Aggies are 2-6 in true road games this season (1-5 in Big 12 play), while Kansas is 13-1 at home (6-0 in Big 12 action). The Jayhawks' loss to Oklahoma halted a seven-game winning streak. A&M is 0-7 against Kansas, including a 0-3 mark in Lawrence. The Jayhawks won last year in College Station, 86-74, and posted a 100-70 victory two years ago in Lawrence. One more regular-season victory will assure A&M of its first .500 season since 1994-95.
About Kansas
The Jayhawks return three starters and seven lettermen from last year's team that finished 33-4 overall, won the Big 12 title with a 16-0 mark and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Kansas is in its 15th year under head coach Roy Williams. The Jayhawks are led by senior forward Nick Collison (6-9), who is averaging 18.7 points and 91. rebounds, and senior guard Kirk Hinrich (6-3), who is adding 17.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Sophomore forward Wayne Simien (6-9) missed the first nine Big 12 games with an injury but is averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the three games since his return. For the season, Simien is averaging 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. Sophomore forward/guard Keith Langford (6-4) is contributing 15.3 points while sophomore guard Aaron Miles (6-1) adds 8.8 points, leads the Big 12 in steals at 2.5 and ranks second in the league in assists at 7.1. As a team, Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring (84.2), scoring margin (+17.2), field goal percentage (.494), rebounding margin (+7.7), assists (18.2) and steals (10.5) while ranking second in turnover margin (+3.4) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.25).
A&M-Kansas Series
Kansas leads the series, 7-0, including a 3-0 mark in Lawrence. The teams met just once prior to the start of Bikg 12 play in 1997, with the Jayhawks posting a 78-52 victory in the 1967 Sunflower Classic in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas has won the three games in Lawrence by an average of 32.3 points, posting margins of 29 points (89-60 in 1997), 38 points (95-57 in 1999) and 30 points (100-70 in 2001). Kansas won last year's game in College Station, 86-74, the closest game in the history of the series. A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 0-4 against Kansas while Jayhawks coach Roy Williams is 6-0 against the Aggies.
THE COACHES
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 52-87, 5th year at A&M
- 94-107, 7th year overall
- 0-4 vs. Kansas
- 0-4 vs. Roy Williams
KANSAS: ROY WILLIAMS (North Carolina '72)
- 408-99, 15th year at Kansas
- 408-99, 15th year overall
- 6-0 vs. Texas A&M
- 4-0 vs. Melvin Watkins
SIDEBARS
Kansas coach Roy Williams was an assistant to Dean Smith at North Carolina when the Tarheels were eliminated in the second round of the 1980 NCAA Tournament by Shelby Metcalf's Aggies, 78-61, in double overtime...Williams was an assistant at UNC from 1978-88, while A&M coach Melvin Watkins was an assistant at UNC Charlotte from 1978-96.
TENTATIVE STARTERS
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-9, 5-6) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean C 6-8 Sr. 6.5 5.2 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 5.5 3.5 21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 15.7 7.0 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 18.0 5.7a 24 Bradley Jackson G 5-11 Sr. 4.6 3.0a Off the Bench No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 22 Kevin Turner G 6-2 Jr. 8.1 1.7 10 Leandro G.-Morales G 6-1 Jr. 5.2 2.9a 3 Jesse King F 6-7 Jr. 4.8 2.9 50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Jr. 3.4 5.0 23 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 Fr. 2.8 1.0 12 Dylan Leal G 6-5 Jr. 1.3 0.3 44 Nolan Butterfras C 6-10 Jr. 1.1 0.9 20 Brian Brookhart F 6-10 Sr. 0.7 1.3
WATKINS QUOTEBOARD
"Kansas likes to score a lot of points and they do it with their transition game. Our challenge is to try to slow them down in transition. They are one of the best teams in the country so we know we'll have to play our best basketball. They have an excellent inside game and they are equally good on the perimeter. We have to be able to handle their pressure and limit our turnovers, which has been a problem for us at times this season. We need to finish the season as strong as we can to get some momentum going for the conference tournament."
Last Year at Reed
COLLEGE STATION (AP/Jan. 26/2002)- Drew Gooden had 22 points and 13 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season and No. 2 Kansas defeated determined Texas A&M 86-74. The Aggies stayed with the more talented Jayhawks through much of the first half. Then the Aggies went cold and Kansas, No. 2 in the nation in scoring, used a 10-1 run over the final 3:29 of the first half for a 43-31 lead. The Jayhawks stretched the run to 16-1 with the first three baskets of the second half to keep control of the game. Kansas pulled ahead 74-51 with 7:47 to go but the Aggies used an 11-2 run to pull within 76-62 and kept up the battle until the end. Nick Collison added 19 points for the Jayhawks and Aaron Miles added 18. Bernard King led A&M with 22 points, the most ever scored by an Aggie against a Kansas team. The Jayhawks broke from a 33-30 lead with eight straight points starting with a layup by Collison and a 3-pointer by Kick Hinrich. A&M's only point in the run came on a free throw by Bradley Jackson with 53 seconds left in the half.
Last Time in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan (AP/Jan. 20/2001) -- Kirk Hinrich had 10 assists and No. 5-ranked Kansas shot 52 percent from the field in a 100-70 victory over Texas A&M. Sophomore Drew Gooden had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Nick Collison, Kansas' other standout sophomore, also had 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field. Gooden shot 7-for-11 as the Jayhawks went over 50 percent for the 12th time in 16 games. They shot percent (36-for-69) overall and had five players score in double figures. Jeff Boschee went 4-for-6 from 3-point range and scored 14 points for Kansas, off to its sixth straight 4-0 conference start and its first 15-1 opening to a season since 1997-98. Kenny Gregory added 12 points, and Luke Axtell had 10. Bernard King led the Aggies with 18 points and six assists.
Who's Hot?
- Kevin Turner scored 14 points, a career-best for Big 12 play, against Texas Tech, making 4-of-5 three-pointers.
- Bernard King is the only player in the country to average at least 18.0 (18.0) points, 5.5 assists (5.7) and 4.3 rebounds (4.3). He has scored in double figures in 18 straight games and averaged 22.8 the last 4 games.
- Keith Bean has averaged 9.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in the last five games.
- Bradley Jackson has averaged 9.3 points and made 5-of-8 three-pointers in the last 4 games. In the first 19 games, he was 0-of-7 on three-pointers.
Quick Notes
- Bernard King, a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors, has become the A&M and Big 12 career leader in overall points and 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 has been 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.
- The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and 33rd nationally, with 16.4 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 12-2 when shooting at least 43.2 percent from the field.
- Seven different Aggies have made at least three three-point field goals in a game this season.
- A&M has made 175 three-pointers and needs five to break the school record of 179 set in 1999-00 and tied last season.
- The Aggies average 14.8 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12, but have averaged just 12.8 in the last six games.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in 14 of 23 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 11-1 when their opponents score fewer than 72 points.
- The Aggies are 10-1 when their opponents make less than .430 from the field.
- The Aggies are 9-1 when they take 18 or fewer three-point field goal attempts, but are just 2-7 when they take 20 or more.
Scoring King
Senior guard Bernard King, a midseason first-team All-Big 12 pick (AP), a first-team all-district pick (NABC) and a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, is the all-time scoring leader in Big 12 and A&M history with 1,926 points (17.5 ppg). He also owns the school and conference records for points in league play with 1,079 (18.0 ppg). In Big 12 play, King is third in the league in scoring (19.7), third in assists (5.3), 14th in steals (1.3), ninth in free throw percentage (.800) and is 10th in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.7). He ranks 28th nationally in assists (5.7) and is the only player in the country to average at least 18.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds. 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 also has compiled 525 assists, third most in A&M and Big 12 history, and 486 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 would be only the fifth guard from a Big 12 school to reach 2,000 points. King also 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 303 assists in league play are second behind Oklahoma State's Doug Gottlieb (354 in 1998-00) and is an A&M record for conference play. King has shot and made more free throws than any player in school or Big 12 annals and leads the Big 12 attempts and makes this year. King was rated as the 21st best NBA prospect in the Class of 2003 by NBADraft.net going into the season. He scored a season-high 29 points in the win against No. 21-ranked Missouri, adding seven assists and four steals. King has scored in double figures in 97 games, breaking the school record of 96 by the late Vernon Smith (1977-81). King's 38 20-point games are a school record.
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, also is 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 prior to the season, was a member of the USA Junior World Championship Team last summer. He is averaging 15.7 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 59-of-145 (.407) from three-point range. Wright has posted eight 20-point efforts, including a career-high 25 against Miami and Texas. Wright has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week four times, tying Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997) for the league freshman record. Wright is one of just five freshmen in the nation this season to average at least 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, but has arguably had the biggest impact of any freshman in the country as the Aggies were 9-22 last year and are 13-10 this season. Wright already has been named second-team all-district by the NABC, the first A&M freshman honored since Rudy Woods in 1978-79. Wright was The Associated Press pick as the Midseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Helping Hand
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12, and 33rd nationally, with an average of 16.4 assists per game. A&M is 12-3 when it has at least 13 assists, but is 1-7 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 1.11. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 5.7 while Leandro Garcia-Morales (2.9) and senior Bradley Jackson (3.0) each have more than 60 this season. Jackson ranks eighth in the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.89, while King ranks 10th at 1.76.
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 (209-279) in their last 13 games. For the season, A&M has made 70.2 percent (fourth in the Big 12), and in Big 12 play it has made a league-best 75.2 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 86.8 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 that were decided by five points or fewer and are 5-2 in those games, the most wins of any team in the Big 12 in "close games". A&M is 7-6 in games decided by 10 or fewer points, tied for the most games in that category (13) with Nebraska. 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 or fewer points.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 37.9 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 7.6. The Aggies 175 total treys are just four shy of the school record of 179 set in 1999-00 and tied last season. Antoine Wright (2.6), Bernard King (1.5) and Kevin Turner (1.6) each are averaging at least one trey per game. Four other players -- juniors Tomas Ress, Jesse King and Leandro Garcia-Morales and senior Bradley Jackson -- have also shown the ability to shoot the trey. Ress made 3-of-4 against Nebraska, Jesse King made 3-of-4 against Baylor, Garcia-Morales has made at least three against three opponents (including a 4-of-9 showing against Texas) while Jackson made 3-of-3 at Colorado. Ten of A&M's 14 players have made a three-pointer this seasion. A&M has been consistent, making at least 35.0 percent in 16 of 23 games. The Aggies made 12 treys in the win against LSU and again in the loss at Colorado, tying for the second most in school annals. A&M has made 10 or more treys in five games.
Home Cookin'
The Aggies are 9-3 at home this season, their best start ever at Reed Arena and their best overall since an 8-3 home record in the 1994-95 season at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Statistically (see page 28), the Aggies have posted an average scoring margin of +8.7 at home (78.4 to 69.7) while connecting on 48.2 percent from the field (allowing 41.1 percent) and 39.8 percent from three-point range (allowing 32.6 percent). The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in 11 of 12 home games, posting an whopping average of 20.4 assists to only 13.8 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 16.2 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 42.5 percent of the Aggies' points, 65.1 percent of the three-pointers, 44.1 percent of the steals, 34.4 percent of the assists and 34.5 percent of the rebounds.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded just 10 of 23 opponents overall, and rank last in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (-2.5). The Aggies have been out-boarded in eight of 12 Big 12 games and rank last in the league in offensive rebounding (10.4). However, A&M has out-rebounded its last two opponents by an average margin of +8.5 with 13.0 offensive boards.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 14.8 turnovers per game, the most in the Big 12, but rank eighth in Big 12 play at 14.1. 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 in the 17 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 14 of 23 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 19 games, A&M has averaged 15.8 assists with 14.0 turnovers.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 42.8 percent from the field, which if the season ended today would be the sixth best in school history. In addition, the Aggies are limiting their opponents to just 32.2 percent from three-point range, which is on pace to challenge 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 14.9 turnovers per game, sixth best 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 20.6 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 home games against Texas Tech and Texas, 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 6,286 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 8,360, well ahead of the record of 7,145 set in 1974-75.