January 23, 2004
GAME#15
Texas A&M Aggies
(7-7, 0-3 Big 12)
vs.
#18 Texas Tech Red Raiders
(15-2, 3-0 Big 12)
5:06 p.m. (CST)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2004
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 4:45 p.m. (CST)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION:
Fox Sports Southwest (regional)
Greg Lucas, play-by-play
Jim Haller, commentary
The Texas A&M Aggies (7-7, 0-3) will be looking for their first Big 12 Conference win of the season when they play the No. 18-ranked (AP/ESPN-USA Today) Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-2, 0-3) on Saturday at 5:06 p.m. (CST) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. The game will be televised regionally by Fox Sports Net Southwest. The Aggies have lost three straight to open Big 12 play and are coming off a disappointing 70-61 loss at Kansas State on Wednesday. Texas Tech has won 11 straight games, including three straight in league play, and are coming off an impressive 67-47 win against Oklahoma at home on Monday. The Aggies are 5-2 at home this season while the Red Raiders are 3-1 in true road games. Tech leads the series, 57-50, but the Aggies have a 30-19 edge in games played in College Station and a 3-2 lead at Reed Arena. A&M won last year in College Station, 64-59, while Tech won in Lubbock, 70-69.
About the Red Raiders
The Red Raiders return three starters and nine lettermen from last year's team, which finished 22-13 overall and tied the Aggies for seventh in the Big 12 with a 6-10 mark. Tech went on a late-season run and finished third in the postseason NIT. The Red Raiders are in their third season under head coach Bob Knight. Tech opened the season with four straight wins in the preseason NIT, then lost consecutive games to Georgia Tech (85-65) in New York and at SMU (62-59). Since then, the Red Raiders have won 11 straight games. Tech is led by senior guard Andre Emmett (6'5"), who leads the Big 12 in scoring with a 22.1 average while making 55.9 percent from the field. Emmett also leads Tech in rebounding with a 6.8 average. Freshman guard Jarrius Jackson (6'1") is adding 10.2 points and ranks third in the league in steals (2.1), while junior guard Ronald Ross (6'2") is averaging 10.0 points and senior forward Robert Tomaszek (6'9") contributes 9.0 points and 5.6 rebounds.Tech ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the Big 12. They lead the league in steals with 10.0 per game and rank second in turnover margin at +4.7. Tech is second in the Big 12 in free throw accuracy (.718).
THE SERIES
Texas Tech leads the series, 57-50, but A&M leads in games played in College Station, 30-19, including a 3-2 edge in games played at Reed Arena. Tech took the series lead with nine straight wins in the late 1990s, but the series is tied, 5-5, in the last 10 games, with seven of those games decided by 10 points per fewer and five decided by five points or fewer. A&M won last year in College Station, 64-59, while Tech won in Lubbock, 70-69.
TEXAS A&M vs. Texas Tech
(Tech leads, 57-50)
Last 10 Games
Year Winner Site
1998-99 A&M, 68-47 College Station
1999-00 A&M, 88-86 Lubbock
Tech, 76-64 College Station
2000-01 A&M, 72-70 Lubbock
A&M, 62-52 College Station
2001-02 Tech, 72-70 College Station
Tech, 74-53 Lubbock
Tech, 80-71 Kansas City
2002-03 A&M, 64-59 College Station
Tech, 70-69 Lubbock
THE COACHES
TEXAS A&M
Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte '77)
60-98 at A&M (6th year)
102-118 overall (8th year)
5-6 vs. Texas Tech
1-4 vs. Bob Knight
TEXAS TECH
Bob Knight (Ohio State '62)
60-24 at Texas Tech (3rd year)
824-310 overall (39th year)
7-2 vs. Texas A&M
4-1 vs. Melvin Watkins
SIDEBARS
A&M senior center Andy Slocum is from West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS) while Tech freshman guard Jarrius Jackson (Ouachita HS) is from neighboring Monroe, La....Tech basketball trainer Jon Murray is a 1997 graduate of Texas A&M...the series is tied, 5-5, in the last 10 games with Tech outscoring A&M by a combined 686-681 in that span, an average margin of +0.5 per game....A&M senior center Andy Slocum suffered a broken hand five minutes into the game against Tech two years ago in a 72-70 loss at Reed and missed the next eight games...last year's game against Tech at Reed Arena attracted an A&M-record crowd of 12,611, the first sellout at the five-year-old facility ...the record was broken when the Aggies sold out their next game against Texas (12,633)...A&M Associate SID Colin Killian is a 1984 graduate of Texas Tech.
TENTATIVE STARTERS
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-7, 0-3)
No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Sr. 10.1 9.7
3 Jesse King III F 6-7 Sr. 12.8 5.5
21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 So. 14.8 4.5
10 Leandro Garcia-Morales G 6-1 Sr. 6.6 2.6a
30 Bobby Leach G 6-0 Jr. 4.5 4.0a
Off the Bench
No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
22 Kevin Turner G 6-2 Sr. 7.2 2.0
1 Acie Law IV G 6-3 Fr. 7.1 4.0a
5 Nick Anderson F 6-6 Sr. 4.8 3.7
23 Keith Blanks F 6-5 Fr. 4.2 1.3
11 Luis Clemente F 6-8 So. 4.0 2.3
32 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 So. 3.4 2.0
42 Marlon Pompey F 6-8 Fr. 2.8 1.0
12 Dylan Leal G 6-4 Sr. 0.8 0.1
33 Justin Loewe G 6-4 Fr. 0.5 0.3
WATKINS QUOTEBOARD
"We have been playing better. We've been playing hard and we've also been playing more physical. The Kansas State game was especially frustrating because we were in position to win the game. The last few minutes, we just did not make plays. We had a few opportunities where we didn't take advantage of offensive boards. We passed up some open looks and they forced a couple of turnovers and got the momentum going their way. We've just got to bounce back. We carry out game plans, now we just have to learn how to win. We have to learn to make plays and finish down the stretch. Tech probably is playing the best basketball of anyone in the Big 12 right now. They are a tremendous defensive team and they have one of the best offensive players in the country in Andre Emmett. We hope we can get another big crowd out to Reed Arena to give us the boost we need."
TALE OF THE TAPE
A&M Tech
Record 7-7 15-2
Conference 0-3 3-0
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 237 13
Streak L3 W11
Field Goal Pct. .434 .473
Opponent FG Pct. .461 .399
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .346 .322
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .377 .320
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.5 3.4
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 18.8 12.9
Free Throw Pct. .689 .718
Opponent FT Pct. .678 .621
Rebound Avg. 39.9 36.6
Offensive Reb. Avg. 15.6 12.0
Rebounding Margin +5.0 +0.4
Turnovers Avg. 14.7 13.3
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 15.4 18.8
Assists Avg. 17.7 14.9
Blocks Avg. 1.5 4.4
Steals Avg. 6.9 10.0
Scoring Avg. 77.5 74.8
Opponent Scoring 75.0 61.6
Scoring Margin +2.5 +13.2
Kansas State Recap
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -- Tim Ellis scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:12 left, as Kansas State came from behind to beat Texas A&M 70-61 on Wednesday night. A&M had the ball an trailed by one with less than two minutes to go, but Ellis, who also had 7 rebounds, stole a pass, then hit a three-pointer to put the Wildcats up for good. Ellis added a layup on Kansas State's next possession for good measure. The Wildcats followed with 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to win their first Big 12 game of the season. Jarrett Hart also had 19 points for Kansas State, which beat the Aggies in Manhattan for the sixth straight time. A&M has lost nine straight conference road games since beating Nebraska in its first conference road game last season. Jesse King scored with 7:58 left to give the Aggies a 53-47 lead, but it wouldn't hold. A&M led the entire second half until KSU took the lead with less than five minutes left. Dramane Diarra scored five points, including a three point play, to ignite an 8-0 run that put the Wildcats up 60-57 with 3:56 remaining. King hit two free throws with 3:32 left, before the Aggies offense went stagnant with just one field goal in the final six minutes. Leandro Garcia-Morales had 17 points for the Aggies, and Andy Slocum had 16 points and 16 rebounds. King added 10 points for A&M and Nick Anderson had 10 rebounds.
Last Year vs. Tech at Reed
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Feb. 1, 2003) -- Bob Knight was denied his 800th career victory, and Bernard King was happy to be responsible. King scored 18 points, including two critical free throws with 13 seconds left, to help the Aggies hold off Texas Tech 64-59. Antoine Wright slammed home a dunk with 2:41 that gave the Aggies a 60-53 lead. After hitting only four of their first 20 shots and falling behind 25-9, the Red Raiders fought back in the second half and almost gave Knight his big victory. But King sealed it with the late free throws. The first sellout crowd in the five-year history of Reed Arena, 12,611, turned out to see A&M keep Knight from his milestone. The Aggies gave Knight a rude welcome to begin the game, using a 17-2 run to take a 25-9 lead with 7:41 to go in the first half. Emmett led the Red Raiders with 17 points, and Doudney added 14 as Texas Tech lost for the fourth time in seven games. Wright added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Aggies, who held Texas Tech to 31.9 percent shooting and has a 41-35 rebounding edge.
Last Year in Lubbock
LUBBOCK (AP, Feb. 22, 2003) -- Andre Emmett, coming back from a one-game suspension, scored 26 points as Texas Tech beat Texas A&M 70-69. Tech led most of the game but the Aggies crept back and Will Chavis hit the first of two free throws with 4.9 seconds remaining to win it for Tech. Aggie Bernard King just missed a last second shot from midcourt. Tech built its biggest lead of 10 points at 47-37 with 14:47 remaining in the game. But the Aggies clawed their way back, using a 19-7 run to take a 56-54 lead with 6:50 remaining in the game. The run included three 3-pointers -- one by Antoine Wright and two by Kevin Turner. Tech answered with a layup and a slam dunk by Emmett off an lob pass from Mickey Marshall to regain the lead 61-60 with 3:32 remaining in the game. The score was tied four times in the last three minutes at 61, 63, 67 and 69 and the lead changed hands three times in the final two minutes. Robert Tomaszak scored 17 points and Kasib Powell added 10 for the Red Raiders. King scored 23 points and Turner added 14 for the Aggies. Tech led 35-29 at halftime. The Aggies then used a 9-4 run to lead 21-20 but Tech answered with a 8-3 run to give the Red Raiders a 28-24 lead with 3:47 remaining in the half.
Quick Notes
*Senior center Andy Slocum has had six double-doubles, tied for the Big 12 lead, and is averaging 11.9 points and 11.6 rebounds in the last seven games. Slocum ranks second in the league in rebounding (9.7) and leads the Big 12 in conference play (13.3). Slocum's 16 boards at Kansas State were an A&M record for a Big 12 game.
*Jesse King, A&M's second leading scorer and rebounder, missed the Kansas game with a bruised toe but bounced back to score 10 points in just 16 minutes at Kansas State.
*Leandro Garcia-Morales has averaged 10.2 points and made 60 percent from the field and 56 percent from three-point range (10-of-18) in the last five games. Garcia-Morales scored a career-high 17 points at Kansas State.
*The Aggies rank 16th nationally and second in the Big 12 in offensive rebounding (15.6).
*The Aggies lead the Big 12 and rank 20th nationally in assists (17.7) and also lead the league in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.20).
*After committing a season-high 28 turnovers against Louisiana-Monroe, the Aggies have averaged just 13.5 in the last four games.
*After making 11-of-27 (.407) three-pointers against Missouri, the Aggies have made just 9-of-38 (.237) in the last two games.
*Kevin Turner's career three-point percentage of .429 ranks as the best in school history and is the fifth best in Big 12 annals.Turner ranks third in the league, and 16th nationally, in three-point percentage (.489).
*A&M ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense (75.0) and field goal percentage defense (.461), and is 11th in three-point percentage defense (.377), but has allowed 70.5 points and 43.9 percent shooting in the last six games.
*The Aggies have posted a rebounding margin of +11.4 in the last five games. The Aggies have outrebounded 11 of 14 opponents, including six straight, and have outrebounded their opponents on the offensive boards in every game.