March 11, 2003
With postseason possibilities still looming, the No. 8-seeded Texas A&M Aggies (14-13, 6-10 in Big 12) play the No. 9-seeded Iowa State Cyclones (15-12, 5-11 in Big 12) in the opening game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament on Thursday at noon (central) at the American Airlines Center (19,200 cap.) in Dallas. The game will be televised on a regional basis by ESPN Regional (Cox Cable Ch. 4/over-the-air Ch. 15 in Bryan/College Station). The winner will play the top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (24-6, 14-2) on Friday at noon. A&M defeated Iowa State, 66-54, on Feb. 19 in College Station, but lost to Kansas, 85-45, on Feb. 26 in Lawrence. The Aggies have won two straight against the Cyclones but are 0-8 all-time against the Jayhawks. A&M has not won a Big 12 Tournament game, going 0-6 since the event started in 1997. In fact, A&M's last postseason conference tournament win came in the semifinals of the 1994 Southwest Conference Classic at Reunion Arena in Dallas, when the Aggies defeated Texas Tech, 89-85. Since then, A&M has lost nine straight tournament games, starting with the 1994 title game (an 87-62 loss to Texas), followed by first-round losses in the SWC Classic in 1995 and 1996. The Aggies are 2-1 on neutral courts this season, beating LSU at the Space City Hoops Classic in Houston (79-77), falling to Princeton in the first round of the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara, Calif. (76-62) and beating Mississippi Valley State (65-56) in the consolation game of the Cable Car Classic. A&M has not played Iowa State or Kansas at the Big 12 Tournament, which is being played in Dallas for the first time after six seasons at Kansas City's Kemper Arena.
2003 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Texas A&M AGGIES
14-13 overall, 6-10 Big 12 (T 7th)
Thursday-Sunday
(March 13-16)
American Airlines Center (19,200 cap.)
Dallas, Texas
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 13
Game 1: Iowa State (#9) vs. Texas A&M (#8), Noon
Game 2: Nebraska (#12) vs. Missouri (#5), 2:20 p.m.
Game 3: Baylor (#10) vs. Texas Tech (#7), 6 p.m.
Game 4: Kansas St. (#11) vs. Colorado (#6), 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 14
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Kansas (#1), Noon
Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. Okla. St. (#4), 2:20 p.m.
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Texas (#2), 6 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Oklahoma (#3), 8:20 p.m.
Saturday, March 15
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 3:20 p.m.
Sunday, March 16
Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 2 p.m.
Big 12 Standings
Going into Big 12 Tournament)
Team Season Big 12
Kansas 24-6 14-2
Texas 22-5 13-3
Oklahoma 21-6 12-4
Oklahoma State 21-8 10-6
Missouri 18-9 9-7
Colorado 19-10 9-7
Texas Tech 16-11 6-10
Texas A&M 14-13 6-10
Iowa State 15-12 5-11
Baylor 14-13 5-11
Kansas State 13-16 4-12
Nebraska 11-18 3-13
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 15 min. prior to game
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION
Game 4 is on ESPN2
Game 11 is on ESPN
All others on ESPN Regional (check local listings)
A&M's Thursday game will be aired locally in Bryan/College Station on Cox Cable Ch. 4 and over the air on Ch. 15 (KAMU).
TRAVEL PLANS
The Aggies will travel to Dallas on Tuesday and will stay at the Marriott Suites Market Center (214-905-0050). The team's return will depend on the outcome of the tournament. Associate SID Colin Killian will accompany the team to Dallas and can be reached via cell phone at 979-229-4706.
A&M's Tournament History
In the old Southwest Conference, A&M won tournament titles in 1980 and 1987 and was runner-up in 1976, 1986 and 1994. A&M had an all-time record of 16-19 at the SWC Classic, but is 0-6 in the Big 12 Tournament, making the Aggies 16-25 overall in conference postseason tournaments. The 1987 Aggies won the SWC Classic as the No. 8 seed in the eight-team event to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Before this year, A&M had not been seeded higher than 10th at the Big 12 Conference Tournament. Iowa State will be the seventh different opponent A&M has played in seven Big 12 Tournament appearances. The 2003 Big 12 Tournament marks the first time A&M has been seeded higher than its opponent. In six previous Big 12 Tournament games, the Aggies have played three North Division schools and three from the South Division.
TEXAS A&M at BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
(0-6 record)
Year Result
2002 #5 Texas Tech 80, #12 A&M 71
2001 #6 Missouri 77, #11 A&M 62
2000 #7 Colorado 79, #10 A&M 53
1999 #7 Kansas St. 87, #10 A&M 76
1998 #5 Baylor 66, #12 A&M 63
1997 #6 Oklahoma 67, #11 A&M 58
A&M vs. THE FIELD
vs. Baylor
Overall: A&M leads, 118-69
Neutral: A&M leads, 3-2
vs. Colorado
Overall: Colorado leads, 8-1
Neutral: Colorado leads, 2-0
vs. Iowa State
Overall: Iowa State leads, 5-2
Neutral: None
vs. Kansas
Overall: Kansas leads, 8-0
Neutral: Kansas leads, 1-0
vs. Kansas State
Overall: Kansas St. leads, 9-3
Neutral: Kansas St. leads, 3-0
vs. Missouri
Overall: Missouri leads, 9-2
Neutral: Missouri leads, 2-0
vs. Nebraska
Overall: Nebraska leads, 8-3
Neutral: Nebraska leads, 1-0
vs. Oklahoma
Overall: Oklahoma leads, 18-1
Neutral: Oklahoma leads, 3-0
vs. Oklahoma State
Overall: Okla. St. leads, 21-8
Neutral: Okla. St. leads, 4-2
vs. Texas
Overall: Texas leads, 123-79
Neutral: Tied, 4-4
vs. Texas Tech
Overall: Tech leads, 57-50
Neutral: Tied, 5-5
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (14-13, 6-10)
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. 5.9 4.0
21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 Fr. 14.6 6.7
32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 16.9 5.7a
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. 7.7 1.8
10 Leandro G.-Morales G 6-1 Jr. 5.2 2.7a
3 Jesse King F 6-7 Jr. 4.8 2.8
50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Jr. 5.0 5.2
23 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 Fr. 2.6 1.0
12 Dylan Leal G 6-5 Jr. 1.4 0.5
44 Nolan Butterfras C 6-10 Jr. 1.1 0.9
20 Brian Brookhart F 6-10 Sr. 0.8 1.2
Head Coach Melvin Watkins
(UNC Charlotte '77)
Record at A&M: 53-90 (5th year)
Big 12 Record: 21-59 (5 years)
Overall Record: 95-110 (7th year)
NCAA Record: 2-2
NIT Record: 0-0
Big 12 Tournament: 0-4
vs. Baylor: 5-5
vs. Colorado: 1-5
vs. Iowa State: 2-3
vs. Kansas: 0-5
vs. Kansas State: 2-4
vs. Missouri: 1-5
vs. Nebraska: 2-3
vs. Oklahoma: 1-9
vs. Oklahoma State: 1-9
vs. Texas: 1-9
vs. Texas Tech: 5-6
Did you Know?
A&M's schedule to date is rated as the 16th toughest in the nation by CBS Sportsline...A&M set school attendance records this season for overall season average (6,466), conference season average (8,157) and single game (12,633 vs. Texas)...the Aggies finished the regular season 10-4 at home, their most wins in the five-year history of Reed Arena...The last time A&M beat a ranked team on the road was last season's 80-74 win against No. 24-ranked Texas in Austin...the last time A&M beat a higher-ranked team on the road was in 1981-82, when the Aggies posted a 71-69 overtime win against the No. 5-ranked Longhorns in Austin...the last time the Aggies beat a ranked team on a neutral floor was in 1987, when A&M upset No. 15-ranked TCU, 81-70, in the first-round of the SWC Classic...TCU was the tournament's top seed.
STRONGEST SCHEDULES
(by CBS Sportsline)
1 Georgia
2 Arkansas
3 Texas
4 Cincinnati
5 Notre Dame
6 Oklahoma
7 Kansas
8 Missouri
9 Seton Hall
10 BYU
11 Saint Louis
12 Vanderbilt
13 Oklahoma St.
14 North Carolina
15 Michigan St.
16 Texas A&M
17 Stanford
18 South Carolina
19 Arizona St.
20 Arizona
21 Alabama
22 Villanova
23 Providence
24 Purdue
25 Utah
Postseason Play?
If the Aggies advance to postseason play (NCAA Tournament or NIT), its would be their first since an NIT bid in 1994. A&M's last NCAA appearance was in 1987, when they won the SWC Classic as the No. 8 seed. A&M has not won a postseason game since beating Washington, 69-65, in the second round of the 1982 NIT. A&M has not won an NCAA Tournament game since beating North Carolina, 78-61 (2 overtimes) in the second round in 1980. Overall, A&M is 3-7 in six previous NCAA appearances (1951, 1964, 1969, 1975, 1980, 1987) and is 4-5 in five previous NIT appearances (1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1994).
Who's Hot?
*Tomas Ress has averaged 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in the last six games and has drawn an incredible 26 charges this season. As a team, Kansas had drawn 26 this season.
*Bernard King needs 30 points to become only the fifth guard from a Big 12 school to reach 2,000 in a career.
*Andy Slocum has scored in double figures in two straight games. In the last two games, he's averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while making .571 from the field.
*Jesse King has scored seven points in each of the last two games, making 6-of-12 from the field (.500). In the four games before that span, King averaged just 0.3 points.
Quick Notes
*Bernard King 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.
*Forward Antoine Wright has been named Big 12 Freshman of the Year. This season he was named the league's Rookie of the Week four times.
*A&M led the Big 12 in free throw percentage in conference games (.726).
*A&M set home attendance records this season for overall and conference averages as well as the single game mark.
*Since Melvin Watkins became A&M's coach in 1998, home attendance has increased 88 percent overall and 106 percent for Big 12 games.
*After leading at halftime just four times last season (with a 2-2 record when they did), the Aggies have led at halftime in 15 games this season (with an 12-3 record).
*The Aggies are 13-2 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 192 three-pointers, breaking the previous mark set in 1999-00 and tied last season.
*A&M's next victory will be the 1,100th in the program's history.
*A&M has had more assists than turnovers in 16 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 six scorers are newcomers.
*The Aggies are 12-2 when their opponents score fewer than 72 points.
*The Aggies are 11-1 when their opponents make less than .430 from the field.
*The Aggies are 10-3 when they take 18 or fewer three-point field goal attempts, but are just 2-8 when they take 20 or more.
Ress Taking Charge
Junior forward Tomas Ress has drawn 26 charges this season, equaling the number top-seeded Kansas has compiled AS A TEAM. Ress may be one of the most improved players in the Big 12. Two years ago, Ress almost died of a severe staph infection. He missed the 2000-01 season and struggled last season with his strength and stamina.After a slow start this season, Ress came on strong in Big 12 play, averaging 7.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, leading the team with 15 blocked shots and earning starts in 15 of 16 games. He's making .462 from the field, .381 from three-point range and .794 from the free throw line. Last year, Ress averaged just 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds while making .250 from the field, .167 from three-point range and .333 from the free throw line. Ress has tied his career-high of eight rebounds in four Big 12 games this season and has scored at least eight points in 10 league games. Ress has been nominated for the 2003 Jimmy V Foundation Comeback of the Year Award.
Turner Among Top Reserves
Junior guard Kevin Turner has been named to the Big 12 All-Reserve Team by the league's media. Turner ranks second among all Big 12 reserves in scoring with 7.7 per game (see page 9) and leads all the non-starters in three-pointers with 41 for the season. He has made three or more three-pointers in seven games. In A&M's win against Tennessee in December, Turner made four treys in an 81 second span to break the game open in the second half.
Slocum Coming on Strong
Junior center Andy Slocum has posted two straight double-figure scoring games, averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in that span while making 12-of-21 from the field (.571). The big 7-footer missed the first seven games while recovering from an October back surgery. After playing in seven games, he was suspended on Jan. 20 for an off-campus incident. Slocum missed another seven games before returning to action against Iowa State on Feb. 19. After missing the 2000-01 season with a shoulder injury, Slocum was developing into a dominating big man early last season. In the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma last year, he scored a career-high 22 points with 14 rebounds. But in the next game against Texas Tech, Slocum broken his left hand and missed the next eight games. He has not played more than eight consecutive games since before the broken hand.
Mr. Bean is Mr. Accurate
Senior forward Keith Bean has made 65.3 percent from the field this season, tying him for 20th best nationally. The A&M record is .645 set by Paul Crfawford in 1987-88. Bean's career percentage of .579 ranks second in A&M history (Woods made .584 in 1978-82) and sixth in Big 12 annals.
Going for 2,000 Points...
Senior guard Bernard King needs 30 points to become the first Big 12 player to reach 2,000 points in a career. Before the Big 12 was born in 1997, 24 players from Big 12 schools reached the 2,000-point milestone, but that list includes just four guards.
2,000-Point Guards From Big 12 Schools
Terrence Rencher, Texas (1992-95) 2,306
Travis Mays, Texas (1987-90) 2,279
Tim McCallister, Oklahoma (1983-87) 2,275
Mike Evans, Kansas State (1975-78) 2,115
Closing:
Bernard King, Texas A&M (1999-03) 1,970
And 500 Rebounds...
Bernard King needs just five rebounds to become the 18th A&M player to reach 500 in a career. King would be the first guard in school history to reach that milestone. Including his freshman season at North Carolina State in 1998-99, senior forward Keith Bean has compiled 532 career rebounds. Bean has grabbed 474 at A&M and needs 26 to enter the 500 Club.
With 547 assists!
Bernard King has compiled 547 career assists, second most in A&M history and third most in Big 12 annals. If King can reach 2,000 points and 500 rebounds, he would become only the eighth Div. I player in history to reach 2,000 points with 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career (see page 8 for the full list).
Radar's Streak
Longtime A&M trainer Mike "Radar" Ricke, in his 20th year with the program, has worked 606 straight games since the 1983-84 season.
Scoring King
Senior guard Bernard King, a first-team all-district pick (NABC) and a second-team All-Big 12 selection (AP), is the all-time scoring leader in Big 12 and A&M history with 1,970 points (17.3 ppg). He also owns the school and conference records for points in league play with 1,123 (17.5 ppg). In Big 12 play, King finished sixth in the league in scoring (17.5), third in assists (5.4), 15th in steals (1.4), sixth in free throw percentage (.804) and eighth in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.56). He ranks 29th nationally in assists (5.7) and is one of only two players in the country to average at least 16.5 points (16.9), 5.5 assists (5.7) and 4.0 rebounds (4.0). 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 has compiled 547 assists, second most at A&M and third in Big 12 history, and 495 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 and would be the first A&M guard to reach 500 rebounds. King 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 314 assists in league play are second behind Oklahoma State's Doug Gottlieb (354 in 1998-00) and is an A&M record. 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 99 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.
BIG 12'S TOP SCORERS
(conference games only)
Player, School (Years) Points
Bernard King, Texas A&M (2000-03) 1,123
Nick Collison, Kansas (2000-03) 955
Marcus Fizer, Iowa State (1998-00) 943
Diaper Dandy
Freshman forward Antoine Wright, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, is a candidate for freshman All-America honors and 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 14.6 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 62-of-160 (.388) 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 14.0 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 14-13 this season.
Helping Hand
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 with an average of 16.2 assists per game, ranking them 37th nationally. A&M is 13-4 when it has at least 13 assists, but is 1-9 when it has 12 or fewer. Senior Bernard King ranks third in the league in assists at 5.7 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 72.9 percent (253-347) in their last 17 games. For the season, A&M has made 69.4 percent (fourth in the Big 12), and in Big 12 play it has made a league-best 72.6 percent, the fourth best in school history and the best since 1975-76. 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 8-of-8 from the line in "crunch time" this season (see below), ranks fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 82.1 percent, the eighth best in school history and the best by an Aggie since Kenny Brown's .846 in 1984-85.
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.
Impact Class
Three of the Aggies' top six 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 11 opponents overall, and rank 11th in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (-2.7) and last in offensive rebounds (10.7). The Aggies were out-boarded in 10 of 16 Big 12 games to rank ninth in the league in margin (-4.4) and in offensive rebounds (10.7). However, A&M has out-rebounded three of its last six opponents, and have an even 0.0 margin in that span. Although the Aggies lost at Oklahoma State in the regular season finale, they posted a season-high 18 offensive rebounds against the Cowboys
Bombs Away
A&M ranks fifth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 36.2 percent after ranking last in the league last season at 32.5 percent. The Aggies rank fourth in the Big 12 with an average of 7.1 treys per game. The Aggies 192 total treys break the school record of 179 set in 1999-00 and tied last season. Antoine Wright (2.3), Bernard King (1.4) 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 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 10-4 at home this season, their best ever at Reed Arena and their best overall since a 10-4 home record in the 1994-95 season at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Statistically (see page 29), the Aggies have posted an average scoring margin of +8.5 at home (77.4 to 68.9) while connecting on 48.0 percent from the field (allowing 40.9 percent) and 38.6 percent from three-point range. The Aggies have had more assists than turnovers in 13 of 14 home games, posting an whopping average of 20.5 assists to only 13.5 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have forced an average of 15.8 turnovers at home.
Cold Shooting
The Aggies are 1-11 this season when making less that 43.0 percent from the field, but are 13-2 when making better than 43.0 percent. A&M has made less than 32 percent from the field in four games this season (at Nebraska, at Texas, at Kansas and at Oklahoma State).
Keep it Low
A&M is 12-2 when its opponents score 72 points or fewer. However, the Aggies are 0-6 when they surrender at least 80 points.
At His Best
Senior guard Bernard King has averaged 18.6 points this season against opponents ranked in the top 100 of CBS Sportsline's RPI ratings at tipoff. King has averaged 16.7 points against teams ranked in the top 25.
Player Honors
Bernard King
First-Team All-District 9 (NABC)
Second-Team All-Big 12 (AP)
Midseason First-Team All-Big 12 (AP)
Most Underrated Big 12 Player (CBSSportsline.com)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 2)
7-Time A&M Player of the Week
No. 11 Shooting guard in nation (CBS)
Kevin Turner
Big 12 All-Reserve Team
Tomas Ress
1-Time A&M Player of the Week
Nominee, Jimmy V Comeback of the Year Award
Andy Slocum
1-Time A&M Player of the Week
Antoine Wright
Big 12 Freshman of Year (AP)
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
Second-Team All-District 9 (NABC)
Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 2)
Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 9)
Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Feb. 3)
Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Feb. 10)
7-Time A&M Player of the Week
No. 23 small forward in nation (CBS)
No. 2 freshman small forward in nation (CBS)
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 15.0 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12, and rank 11th 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.
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 16 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. In Big 12 play, A&M has slipped to 14.3 assists per game and rank fourth in the league. The Aggies' 25 assists against Baylor on March 5 were their most in a Big 12 game since they had 28 against Missouri in 1999.
Defensively
A&M is allowing its opponents to make 43.3 percent from the field, 10th in the Big 12, and rank 11th in league play, allowing .451. 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 ranks fourth in the Big 12. The Aggies are forcing an average of 15.0 turnovers per game, 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.
Clinching .500
The Aggies have locked up their first .500 season since 1993-94, a span of nine years. The 1993-94 team finished 19-11 and advanced to the NIT, which coincidentally was A&M's last postseason appearance.
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 averaged a record 6,466 per game (previous: 6,141, 1980-81). For conference-only attendance, the Aggies averged 8,157, breaking the old record of 7,145 set in 1974-75.
TOP SEASON AVERAGES
1. 6,466 2002-03 (14 games)
2. 6,141 1980-81 (10 games)
3. 6,061 2001-02 (14 games)
TOP CONFERENCE AVERAGES
1. 8,157 2002-03 (8 games) Big 12 2. 7,145 1974-75 (7 games) SWC
3. 7,104 2001-02 (8 games) Big 12