March 04, 2003
Game notes for Wednesday's home finale against the Baylor Bears at Reed Arena...
GAME #26:
Texas A&M AGGIES (13-12, 5-9)
vs.
Baylor BEARS (13-12, 4-10)
Wednesday, March 5, 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/Cox Cable Ch. 15 in B/CS)
Will Johnson, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
In the final home game for their seniors, the Texas A&M Aggies (13-12, 5-9 in Big 12) play host to the Baylor Bears (13-12, 4-10 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 Dodge Ram Lone Star Series (Cox Cable Ch. 15 in Bryan/College Station). Tickets are $15 (courtside), $12 (mezzanine), $10 (balcony) and $6 (gallery) and can be purchased at the door. A&M's four seniors -- Keith Bean, Brian Brookhart, Bradley Jackson and Bernard King -- will be honored in "Senior Night" festivities prior to the game. A&M has lost three straight games for the first time this season, while the Bears have lost two straight. The Aggies are coming off a 69-64 loss to No. 3-ranked Oklahoma at home on Saturday and the Bears are coming off a 72-59 loss to Colorado on Saturday in Waco. A&M is 9-4 at home this season (4-3 in Big 12 play) while Baylor is 2-6 in true road games (2-5 in Big 12 play). The Bears rallied to beat the Aggies, 77-69, on Feb. 4 in Waco, their second straight win against the Aggies. A&M won last year in College Station, 63-60. The Aggies lead the series, 117-69 with a 68-26 edge in games played in College Station, including a 3-1 mark at Reed Arena. A&M has won six of the last seven meetings in College Station.
About Baylor
The Bears went 9-2 in their non-conference schedule before starting league play with six straight losses, including five to top-25-ranked teams. Baylor ended the streak with a 77-69 win against A&M in Waco, and after losing to powers Oklahoma and Kansas, went on a three-game winning streak which included impressive road wins at Oklahoma State (74-72) and Kansas State (66-57). The Bears have lost their last two games at Texas (82-64) and at home against Colorado (72-59). Baylor is in its fourth season under coach Dave Bliss. The Bears are led by sophomore forward Lawrence Roberts (6-8), who is averaging 15.2 points and ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounding (10.2). Sophomore guard John Lucas (5-10) is averaging 14.2 points and 4.4 assists, while sophomore guard Kenny Taylor (6-3) adds 12.3 points and leads the Big 12 with an average of 3.2 three-point field goals per game (making .397).
DID YOU KNOW?
A&M's schedule to date is rated as the 16th toughest in the nation by CBS Sportsline...going into the Baylor game, A&M's average home attendance is a school-record 6,506 (old mark: 6,141 at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1980-81)...A&M is averaging a record 8,473 in Big 12 play, breaking the mark of 7,790 set last season...the Aggies are 9-4 at home, tying for their most wins 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.
A&M-BAYLOR SERIES
A&M and Baylor are playing for the 187th time, the Aggies' second longest series behind Texas (202). A&M leads the series, 117-69, its most wins against any opponent, but Baylor leads, 8-6, since Big 12 play began in 1997. A&M has a 68-26 advantage in games played in College Station, with a 3-1 record at Reed Arena. The Aggies have won six of the last seven against the Bears in College Station, including two straight. A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 4-5 against Baylor while Baylor coach Dave Bliss is 16-11 against A&M, including his stints at SMU and New Mexico. Bliss is 5-2 against A&M since arriving at Baylor.
COACHES
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 52-89, 5th year at A&M
- 94-109, 7th year overall
- 4-5 vs. Baylor
- 2-5 vs. Dave Bliss
BAYLOR: DAVE BLISS (Cornell '65)
- 50-45, fourth year at Baylor
- 525-326, 28th year overall
- 16-11 vs. Texas A&M
- 5-2 vs. Melvin Watkins
SIDEBARS
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)...Baylor NCAA Faculty Representative Michael Rogers is the son of Bob Rogers, Metcalf's predecessor at head coach at A&M from 1957-63.
TENTATIVE STARTERS
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-12, 5-9) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean C 6-8 Sr. 6.1 4.9 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 5.8 3.8 21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 15.1 6.7 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 17.5 5.6a 24 Bradley Jackson G 5-11 Sr. 4.4 3.0a Off the Bench No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 22 Kevin Turner G 6-2 Jr. 8.0 1.7 10 Leandro G.-Morales G 6-1 Jr. 5.2 2.7a 3 Jesse King F 6-7 Jr. 4.6 2.8 50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Jr. 3.4 5.1 23 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 Fr. 2.7 1.0 12 Dylan Leal G 6-5 Jr. 1.6 0.5 44 Nolan Butterfras C 6-10 Jr. 1.1 0.8 20 Brian Brookhart F 6-10 Sr. 0.6 1.2
WATKINS QUOTEBOARD
"Baylor has a very good inside game and they can also score from the outside, which makes them a very difficult team to play. Lawrence Roberts really hurt us down low in the second half of our game in Waco. We need to find a way to slow him down. But at the same time, we can't focus too much on him because they will take it outside and hit the three-pointer. We need to close out our home schedule in a positive way. Our seniors are playing their final game and I know their emotions will be strong. They have meant an awful lot to our program. "
On Feb. 4 in Waco
WACO, Texas (AP/Feb. 4)- John Lucas scored 24 points and Lawrence Roberts added 23 points to lead Baylor to a 77-69 win over Texas A&M for its first Big 12 conference win of the season. A&M took a 61-59 lead with 3:35 left on a three-point play by Bernard King, who finished with 17 points. Baylor tied the game on its next possession with a layup by Lucas and built a lead of 66-61 with just more than two minutes remaining. The Aggies narrowed the gap to 66-63, but Baylor converted 8-of-10 free throws in the final minute and a half to win. Roberts had 10 rebounds for Baylor. Baylor tied the score at 41-41 with just 13 minutes remaining in the second half. Lucas put the Bears ahead for the first time 43-41 seconds later with a steal followed by his uncontested layup. The Aggies took a 15-7 lead midway through the first half. Baylor struggled from the field, hitting only three of its first 13 field goal attempts and just one of eight from three-point range. The Aggies led by as many as 11 points three times in the first half before settling for a 32-27 lead at intermission.
Last Year at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (AP/Jan. 19, 2002) -- Keith Bean scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds to lead Texas A&M to a 63-60 win over Baylor at Reed Arena. The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Aggies. The Bears jumped out to an early 10-point lead at 17-7 to start the game as A&M hit 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, although the Aggies' lead was never more than six points the rest of the way. Baylor used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 57-57 with just more than four minutes left, but A&M would score the next four points to clinch the victory. Three other Aggies were in double figures on the night. Bernard King scored 12 points off the bench, while Jesse King added 11 and Bradley Jackson tallied 10. Greenleaf led all scorers with 23 for Baylor.
Who's Hot?
- Tomas Ress has averaged 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in the last four games and has made 42.1 percent from three-point range in Big 12 play.
- Bernard King has scored in double figures in 22 of his 24 games this season and needs 50 to become only the fifth guard from a Big 12 school to reach 2,000 in a career.
- Kevin Turner scored 11 points and made 3-of-3 from three-point range against Oklahoma before leaving the game with an ankle sprain. Turner ranks second in scoring among all Big 12 reserves.
- Antoine Wright scored 10 points with five rebounds against Oklahoma and has scored in double figures in 20 of his 25 games this season.
Quick Notes
- Bernard King, a candidate for firsdt-team All-Big 12 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 Freshman All-America honors, forward Antoine Wright has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week four times.
- A&M leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage in conference games (.743).
- The Aggies' schedule is ranked as the 16th toughest in the nation so far 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 a school-record 186 three-pointers, breaking the previous mark 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 15 games, something the Aggies accomplished just 12 times 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 11-2 when their opponents score fewer than 72 points, but have lost two straight.
- 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 2-8 when they take 20 or more.
Record Crowds
A&M has broken its records for average attendance in all games and in conference games. Earlier this season, A&M sold out 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 a record 6,506 per game (previous: 6,141, 1980-81). For conference-only attendance, the Aggies are averging 8,473, breaking the old record of 7,145 set in 1974-75.
TOP SEASON AVERAGES 1. 6,506 2002-03 (13 games) 2. 6,141 1980-81 (10 games) 3. 6,061 2001-02 (14 games) TOP CONFERENCE AVERAGES 1. 8,473 2002-03 (7 games) Big 12 2. 7,145 1974-75 (7 games) SWC 3. 7,104 2001-02 (8 games) Big 12
HONORS CANDIDATES
Big 12 All-Bench Team Candidate
Kevin TURNER, G, 6-2, Jr., Diamond Bar, Calif.
- Ranks third on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game, second best among Big 12 non-starters behind Texas' Brian Boddicker (8.1). Turner has made 40 three-pointers, most among Big 12 non-starters
- Has been the Aggies' top scorer off the bench in 13 games/Has started in two games
- Has scored in double figures in eight games
- Scored a career-high 16 points in win against Tennessee, making four straight three-pointers in an 81-second stretch that broke the game open for the Aggies
- Scored 14 points, making 4-of-5 treys, against Texas Tech in Lubbock
- Scored 14 points in win against Prairie View A&M, including a pair of key treys in overtime
- Scored 15 points with three assists and a career-high seven rebounds against Louisiana-Monroe
- Scored 11 points and made 3-of-3 from three-point range against Oklahoma (2)
- Made at least one three-pointer in first 12 games before ending the streak vs. Nebraska
- Leads team in three-point percentage (.404), ranking ninth in the Big 12/Ranks second on team in three-pointers made (40), 14th most in conference
- Made a pair of three pointers and scored 10 points in just 13 minutes of play at Colorado
- Making 87.5 percent from the free throw line (14-16), including 90.0 percent (9-10) in Big 12 play
Big 12 Freshman of the Year Candidate
All-Big 12 Candidate
Antoine WRIGHT, F/G, 6-7, Fr., San Bernardino, Calif.
- 2002-03 HIGHLIGHTS
- Second-Team All-District 9 pick by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
- Four-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week who is the favorite for Big 12 Freshman of the Year and is a leading candidate for Freshman All-America honors
- Has had six double-doubles, most by any freshman in the Big 12, three shy of A&M freshman record of nine set by Rudy Woods in 1978-79
- Leads team rebounding (6.7), blocks (0.7), steals (1.3), three-pointers made (2.5) and three-point percentage (.399)/Second on team in scoring (15.1)
- Ranks 15th in the Big 12 in scoring and 12th in rebounding, 12th in three-point percentage and sixth in three-pointers per game/The only freshmen to rank in the top 30 in scoring, top 13 in rebounding ot top 15 in three-point categories
- Scored in double figures in 18 straight games, an A&M freshman record, before ending the streak against Missouri/Has posted eight 20-point games, one shy of A&M freshman record shared by Bernard King (1999-00) and Rudy Woods (1978-79).
- Has started in 24 of 25 games
- One of only six freshmen in the country to average at least 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds
- Scored a career-high 25 points against Miami (Fla.), making 6-of-11 three-pointers, converting one into a four-point play to give A&M the lead late in game
- Equalled career-best with 25 points against Texas in College Station, making 5-of-9 treys
- Scored 22 points in win against LSU and added 24 in win against Kansas State
- Had a career-high 12 rebounds against Prairie View A&M
- Struggled from free throw line in first 14 games, making 56.0 percent, but has made 25-of-35 (.714) in last 11 games
- Scored 11 points (finishing with 15) to lead second-half come-from-behind win against Texas Tech in College Station, including a signature slam dunk, and added 10 rebounds
All-Big 12 Candidate
Bernard KING, G, 6-5, Sr., Gibsland, La.
- 2002-03 HIGHLIGHTS
- First-team All-District 9 pick by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
- Big 12 and A&M career scoring leader (1,950)/Also A&M and Big 12's top career scorer (1,103) and No. 2 assists man (312) in Big 12 games (school career assists record for league games)
- Named Midseason First-Team All-Big 12 by The AP/Named Big 12's most underrated player by CBSportsline.com
- In Big 12 play, ranks fifth in league in scoring (18.6), third in assists (5.2) and sixth in free throw percentage (.800)
- Candidate for All-America, earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Dec. 2
- Scored a season-high 29 points with seven assists and made 3-of-3 treys vs. Missouri
- Scored 27 points with seven assists against Oklahoma State on Jan. 11
- Has played in 112 games at A&M, starting in 104/Has scored in double figures a school-record 98 times in his career
- Has made 229 career three-pointers and handed out 534 assists, second most in school history
- Leads team in scoring (17.5) and assists (5.6) for fourth straight year/No player in the history of any Big 12 school, and very few in NCAA annals, have led team in both categories all four years
- Scored 26 points with six assists and six rebounds in win against LSU
- Scored a team-high 19 points with a career-best 11 assists in win against Tennessee
- Scored 18 points with 11 assists (and just two turnovers) in win against Kansas State
- Has scored in double figures in 21 of his 23 games this season, including 18 straight before scoring just seven against Kansas
- Leads team in three-point plays with nine
- Has made more (469) and attempted more (657) free throws than any player in A&M or Big 12 history/Has made (120)and attempted (159) more free throws than any Big 12 player this season
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 All-America honors, is the all-time scoring leader in Big 12 and A&M history with 1,950 points (17.3 ppg). He also owns the school and conference records for points in league play with 1,103 (17.8 ppg). In Big 12 play, King is fifth in the league in scoring (18.6), third in assists (5.2), 13th in steals (1.4), sixth in free throw percentage (.800) and is 10th in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.55). He ranks 31st nationally in assists (5.6) and is one of only two players in the country to average at least 17.0 points (17.5), 5.5 assists (5.6) and 4.0 rebounds (4.1). 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 534 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 312 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 98 games, breaking the school record of 96 by the late Vernon Smith (1977-81). King's 38 20-point games also are a school record.
Dynamic Duo
The scoring combination of senior Bernard King and freshman Antoine Wright is one of the most prolific in school history. Through 25 games, King is averaging 17.5 points and Wright is adding 15.1. "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.
Diaper Dandy
Freshman forward Antoine Wright, the consensus pick as the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a candidate for freshman All-America honors, 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 and 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 15.1 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 61-of-153 (.399) 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 6.0 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 13-12 this season.
Helping Hand
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 with an average of 16.2 assists per game. A&M is 12-4 when it has at least 13 assists, but is 1-8 when it has 12 or fewer. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 5.6 while Leandro Garcia-Morales (2.7) 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 74.1 percent (229-309) in their last 15 games. For the season, A&M has made 70.0 percent (fourth in the Big 12), and in Big 12 play it has made a league-best 74.3 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 fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 84.7 percent, and could challenge Mike Floyd's school record of 86.5 percent set in 1974-75.
Close Calls
The Aggies have played seven games that were decided by five points or fewer and are 5-3 in those games, the second most wins of any team in the Big 12 in "close games". A&M is 7-7 in games decided by 10 or fewer points, tied for the second most games in that category (14) behind Nebraska (15). 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.
Postseason?
The Aggies haven't been to postseason play in nine years since they went to the NIT in 1994 and lost in the first round to New Orleans, 79-73, in overtime.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 37.2 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 treys per game. The Aggies 186 total treys break the school record of 179 set in 1999-00 and tied last season. Antoine Wright (2.4), 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 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 9-4 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 +7.7 at home (77.3 to 69.6) while connecting on 47.6 percent from the field (allowing 41.6 percent) and 39.3 percent from three-point range. The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in 12 of 13 home games, posting an whopping average of 20.1 assists to only 13.7 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 25 opponents overall, and rank last in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (-3.2) and offensive rebounds (10.5). The Aggies have been out-boarded in 10 of 14 Big 12 games and rank last in the league in margin (-5.4) and in offensive rebounds (10.3).
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.1 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12, and rank 10th in Big 12 play at 14.6. 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 but bounced back with just 12 against Oklahoma.
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 15 games, something they accomplished just 12 times 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 ranked 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 13.9 assists per game to rank fourth in the league.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make just 43.4 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 33.2 percent from three-point range, which ranks third in the Big 12. The Aggies are forcing an average of 15.1 turnovers per game, tied for fifth 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.