February 28, 2003
Game notes for Saturday's contest with No. 3 Oklahoma at Reed Arena...
GAME #25:
Texas A&M AGGIES (13-11, 5-8)
vs.
#3 Oklahoma SOONERS (19-5, 10-3)
Saturday, March 1, 2003
3:01 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: 2:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION: ESPN Regional (Regional/KCEN Ch. 6 in B/CS)
Dave Armstrong, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
The Texas A&M Aggies (13-11, 5-8 in Big 12) play host to the No. 3-ranked (AP & USA Today/CNN) Oklahoma Sooners (19-5, 10-3 in Big 12) on Saturday at 3:01 p.m. (central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. The game will be televised regionally by ESPN Regional (KCEN Ch. 6 in Bryan/College Station). Tickets are $15 (courtside), $12 (mezzanine), $10 (balcony) and $6 (gallery) and can be purchased at the door. A&M has lost two straight for only the second time this season and is hoping to avoid its longest losing streak of the season. The Aggies are coming off an 85-45 loss at No. 7 Kansas on Wednesday in Lawrence, Kan., while the Sooners are coming off a 67-52 loss at Missouri on Wednesday in Columbia, Mo., which ended a three-game winning streak. A&M is 9-3 at home this season (4-2 in Big 12 play) while Oklahoma is 4-3 in true road games, all in Big 12 play. The Sooners beat the Aggies, 75-68, on Jan. 28 in Norman, Okla., and posted a 68-64 victory last year in College Station. The Sooners lead the series, 17-1, and have won six straight since a 74-72 A&M victory in 1999. Oklahoma is 3-1 at Reed Arena and 6-1 in all games in College Station.
About Oklahoma
The Sooners return four starters and eight lettermen from last year's team that finished 31-5 overall, finished second in the Big 12 with a 13-3 mark and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Oklahoma is in its ninth year under head coach Kelvin Sampson. The Sooners are led by senior guard Hollis Price (6-1), who ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (19.2) and leads the league in free throw percentage (.932). Senior guard Ebi Ere (6-5) is averaging 14.2 points, while freshman forward Kevin Bookout (6-8) averages 9.6 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds. Bookout leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .579. Senior guard Quannas White (6-1) is adding 8.7 points and a team-leading 3.7 assists and leads the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.93). The Sooners lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing just 60.3 points per game, and rank second in scoring margin (+11.7), free throw percentage (.722), and three-point field goal percentage (.384).
A&M-OU Series
Oklahoma leads the series, 17-1, including a 5-1 mark in College Station and a 3-1 record at Reed Arena. The Sooners have won six straight since a 74-72 A&M victory in 1999, the first time the teams played at Reed Arena. The last two games each have been decided by seven points or fewer, with the Sooners posting a 75-68 win in Norman on Jan. 28 and a 68-64 win last year in College Station. Four of the last five meetings in College Station were decided by 10 points or fewer. A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 1-7 against Oklahoma while OU coach Kelvin Sampson is 12-1 against Texas A&M.
COACHES:
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 52-88, 5th year at A&M
- 94-108, 7th year overall
- 1-7 vs. Oklahoma
- 1-7 vs. Kelvin Sampson
OKLAHOMA: KELVIN SAMPSON (Pembroke State '78)
- 206-79, ninth year at OU
- 382-227, 20th year overall
- 12-1 vs. Texas A&M
- 7-1 vs. Melvin Watkins
SIDEBARS
Oklahoma senior guard Hollis Price and A&M senior guard Bernard King were teammates on the Louisiana team that won the 1999 AAU National Championship...Big 12 Assistant Commissioner for Basketball John Underwood played at A&M for coach Shelby Metcalf from 1966-68, earning All-Southwest Conference honors as a senior. Underwood went on to serve as an assistant under current Baylor coach Dave Bliss at Oklahoma (1976-80) and SMU (1980-87). He served as an associate athletics director at Oklahoma from 1987-97.
TENTATIVE STARTERS
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-10, 5-7) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean C 6-8 Sr. 6.3 5.1 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 5.6 3.7 21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 15.3 6.8 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 17.5 5.5a 24 Bradley Jackson G 5-11 Sr. 4.5 3.0a Off the Bench No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 22 Kevin Turner G 6-2 Jr. 7.9 1.6 10 Leandro G.-Morales G 6-1 Jr. 5.4 2.8a 3 Jesse King F 6-7 Jr. 4.8 2.9 50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Jr. 3.3 5.2 23 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 Fr. 2.7 1.0 12 Dylan Leal G 6-5 Jr. 1.5 0.6 44 Nolan Butterfras C 6-10 Jr. 1.1 0.8 20 Brian Brookhart F 6-10 Sr. 0.7 1.2
WATKINS QUOTEBOARD
"We played Oklahoma earlier this year so we already know they are one of the top teams in the country. They play hard and are really good on both ends of the court. They are coming off a loss so I know they'll come to Reed Arena ready to play. We didn't play well against Kansas, but I think we'll bounce back. We know what's at stake as we head into this final stretch of games. Once again, it's important for us to win our home games. Our crowds at Reed Arena have helped us this year and we'll need their help again on Saturday."
On Jan. 28 on Norman
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Bernard King became Texas A&M's all-time leading scorer and the Aggies fought back from a 19-point second-half deficit but fell just short in a 75-68 loss at No. 6 Oklahoma. Hollis Price scored 24 points and Ebi Ere had 18 for the Sooners, who extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 33 games. Oklahoma put together a 14-0 run in the first half to get control after a listless start in which it committed six of its 11 turnovers. The Aggies led 13-9 before Price made a 3-pointer and followed with a short bank shot. The Aggies, meanwhile, went scoreless for nearly seven minutes, missing nine shots and turning it over twice. Oklahoma scored the first seven points of the second half to build a 48-29 lead. Texas A&M gradually chipped away and got within 68-61 with 3:44 left. The Aggies nearly cut the margin to four, but a 3-point try by Kevin Turner with 2:55 remaining rimmed out. King led A&M with 21 points and Antoine Wright added 13 points while Tomas Ress grabbed a season-high 8 rebounds.
Last Year at Reed
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. Texas 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 for the win. The Aggies shot just 61 percent from the foul line, going 17-for-28. Conversely, Oklahoma was 19-for-23, though two of the misses were in the hectic final 20 seconds. Nick Anderson led the Aggies with 19 points and Bernard King had 16. Quannas White had 12 points for the Sooners.
Did You Know?
The Aggies are 9-3 at home this season, tying for their most wins in a season in the five-year history of Reed Arena...A&M was 9-5 in Reed's inaugural season in 1998-99...the last time A&M won more than nine home games was in 1993-94, when they went 10-4 at G. Rollie White Coliseum en route to a NIT bid...the highest-ranked team A&M's beaten was No. 5 Texas by a score of 71-69 in overtime in Austin in 1982...the highest-ranked team A&M's beaten in College Station was No. 11 Arkansas by a score of 74-69 in overtime in 1979.
Who's Hot?
- Tomas Ress has averaged 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in the last three games and has made 41.7 percent from three-point range in Big 12 play.
- Bernard King is the only player in the country to average at least 17.5 (18.5) points, 5.5 assists (5.5) and 4.3 rebounds (4.3). He has scored in double figures in 21 of 23 games.
- Keith Bean has averaged 8.5 points and 7.2 rebounds and made 66.7 percent from the field in the last six games.
- Antoine Wright had just seven points against Kansas, but set a career high with three blocks and tied a career-best with four steals.
Quick Notes
- Bernard King, a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors, is the A&M and Big 12 career leader in total 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 four times.
- The Aggies' schedule is ranked as the 23rd toughest in the nation this season by CBS Sportsline.com.
- 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 179 three-pointers, tying the school record set in 1999-00 and tied last season.
- One more regular-season win would assure the Aggies of their first .500 or better season in nine years.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in 14 of 24 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 9-2 when they take 18 or fewer three-point field goal attempts, but are just 2-7 when they take 20 or more.
- A&M ranked seventh nationally and led the Big 12 in assists in non-conference play, but have averaged just 13.6 in Big 12 play.
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 1,933 points (17.4 ppg). He also owns the school and conference records for points in league play with 1,086 (17.8 ppg). In Big 12 play, King is fifth in the league in scoring (18.7), fourth in assists (5.0), 15th in steals (1.3), sixth in free throw percentage (.798) and is 11th in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.51). He ranks 33rd nationally in assists (5.5) and is the only player in the country to average at least 17.5 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 526 assists, third most in A&M and Big 12 history, and 489 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 304 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 15.3 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 61-of-149 (.409) 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 6.5 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 13-11 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 42nd nationally, with an average of 16.1 assists per game. A&M is 12-3 when it has at least 13 assists, but is 1-8 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. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 5.5 while Leandro Garcia-Morales (2.8) and senior Bradley Jackson (3.0) each have more than 60 this season.
On the Line
The Aggies made a cozy 72.0 percent from the line through the first five games, but in the next five games, the Aggies made just 58.9 percent (76-129). However, the Aggies have bounced back to make an impressive 74.2 percent (216-291) in their last 14 games. For the season, A&M has made 69.9 percent (fourth in the Big 12), and in Big 12 play it has made a league-best 74.4 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.
Impact Class
The Aggies have played seven games that were decided by five points or fewer and are 5-2 in those games, tying Oklahoma for 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 second most games in that category (13) with Oklahoma State (Nebraska leads at 14). 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.
Tough Schedule
According to CBS Sportsline.com, the Aggies have played the 23rd toughest schedule in the country this season. The Oklahoma game will mark the sixth game in which A&M has played a top-25 ranked opponent and its 14th against a team rated in the top 100 of the RPI.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 37.4 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. The Aggies 179 total treys equal the school record of 179 set in 1999-00 and tied last season. Antoine Wright (2.5), Bernard King (1.5) and Kevin Turner (1.5) 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 24 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.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded just 10 of 24 opponents overall, and rank last in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (-3.0) and offensive rebounds (10.6). The Aggies have been out-boarded in nine of 13 Big 12 games and rank 10th in the league in margin (-5.2) and 10th in offensive rebounds (10.4).
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.2 turnovers per game, the most in the Big 12, and rank 11th in Big 12 play at 14.8. The Aggies had just eight turnovers against Tennessee, their fewest since they had just five against Princeton on Dec. 27, 1996 in El Paso. The Aggies tied their season high with 24 turnovers vs. Kansas.
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 24 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 non-conference play, A&M ranksed seventh nationally and led the Big 12 with an average of 19.1 assists per game. But in Big 12 play, A&M has slipped to 13.6 assists per game, fifth in the league.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 43.2 percent from the field, 11th in the Big 12. In non-conference play, A&M allowed just 40.8 percent. The Aggies are limiting their opponents to just 32.5 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, tied for 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.
One More Win
One more regular-season victory would assure A&M of its first .500 or better season since 1993-94, a span of nine years. The 1993-94 team finished 19-11 and advanced to the NIT. That also was A&M's last postseason appearance. A&M's last NCAA appearance was in 1987, when it fell to Duke in the first round, 58-51.
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.