January 11, 2005
The Texas A&M Aggies (11-1, 0-1 in Big 12) face the No. 9/No. 10-ranked (ESPN/USA Today and The AP) Texas Longhorns (12-2, 1-0 in Big 12) in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (Central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station.
The Aggies are off to their best start since the 1959-60 team started 13-1. The 1915-16 team also started 11-1, while the 1919-20 team went 19-0. The Aggies have won 10 straight home games, their longest streak since they won 16 straight over three seasons from 1978-81.
The Aggies have been idle since a tough 65-60 road loss to No. 2 Kansas last Wednesday, while the Longhorns are coming off a 79-60 win against Baylor at home on Sunday.
First-year coach Billy Gillispie is off to one of the best coaching starts in A&M history, tying Tubby Graves, who began his career with an 11-1 mark in 1915-16. A win against Texas would hand Gillispie the best start in school history.
The Longhorns lead the series, 125-79, with a narrow 50-49 edge in games played in College Station. Texas has won 10 straight in College Station since an 85-84 A&M win in 1994, including a perfect 6-0 mark at Reed Arena.
The Longhorns are 1-1 in road games this season while A&M is 10-0 at home. Texas won last year at Reed Arena, 69-59, and posted a 77-57 win in Austin.
GAME #13
Texas A&M AGGIES
(11-1, 0-1 Big 12)
vs.
#9 Texas LONGHORNS
(12-2, 1-0 Big 12)
7:07 p.m. (Central)
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2005
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 6:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE: Ch. 122 (A&M feed)
TELEVISION:
Fox Sports Southwest
Greg Lucas, play-by-play
Jim Haller, commentary
Lee Friday, producer
TICKETS:
Available
$15, $12, $8
About Texas
The Longhorns return six lettermen and three starters from last year's team
that finished 25-8 overall and tied for second in the Big 12 with a 12-4
record. Texas advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament for the
third straight year. The Longhorns are in their seventh year under head
coach Rick Barnes. Texas has five players averaging in double figures in
scoring, led by sophomore forward P.J. Tucker (6'5"), who is averaging 13.9
points and ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.4) and field goal
percentage (.556). Freshman guard Daniel Gibson (6'2") averages 12.7 points
and ranks fourth in the league in assists (4.5), while junior forward Brad
Buckman (6'8") adds 12.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and ranks second in the
conference in blocked shots (1.8). Senior guard Kenny Taylor (6'2")
contributes 11.5 points, while senior center Jason Klotz averages 11.3
points. The Longhorns lead the Big 12 in scoring with 86.3 points per game
and also lead in three-point field goals, averaging 8.9 per contest. Texas
is second in three-point percentage (.426). The Longhorns also lead the
conference in offensive rebounding (14.6) and are second in rebounding
margin (+10.3). Texas allows 67.7 points per game, second most in the
league.
The Series
Texas leads the series, 125-79, including a 50-49 record in games played in
College Station and a 6-0 mark at Reed Arena. The Longhorns have won five
straight since an 80-74 A&M win in Austin in 2002, and have won 10 straight
in College Station since an 85-84 Aggie victory in 1994. The last two games
in College Station were each decided by 10 points or fewer.
TEXAS A&M vs. Texas
(UT leads, 125-79)
Last 10 Meetings
Year Winner Site
1999-00 UT, 78-51 College Station
UT, 85-58 Austin
2000-01 UT, 76-58 College Station
UT, 81-61 Austin
2001-02 A&M, 80-74 Austin
UT, 66-52 College Station
2002-03 UT, 89-61 Austin
UT, 95-87 College Station
2003-04 UT, 69-59 College Station
UT, 77-57 Austin
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
11-1 at A&M (1st year)
41-33 overall (3rd year)
0-0 vs. Texas
0-0 vs. Rick Barnes
Texas
Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne '77)
153-60 at UT (7th year)
355-194 overall (18th year)
13-1 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
The "State Farm Lone Star Showdown" features all men's and women's
intercollegiate competition between A&M and Texas. Wednesday's game is worth 0.5 point. The competition is tied at 2.5 going into the game...Billy
Gillispie is 35-9 as a head coach over the last two seasons, tied for the
third best among Big 12 coaches, trailing only Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton
(41-5 prior to Tuesday night's game vs. Missouri) and Texas Rick Barnes
(37-10), and tied with Kansas' Bill Self (35-9)...two of the five largest
crowds in Reed Arena have been against Texas, including a record crowd of
12,633 two years ago...the Aggies received seven votes in this week's
ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and got two votes in the AP poll, the first
time A&M has received votes in either poll in January since 1993-94.
Gillispie Quoteboard
"Texas is a totally-balanced team. They have great three-point shooters and
are shooting about 43 percent as a team. They shoot a lot of threes and they
make them. Their balance is good and that's why they are a Final Four
contender. If they get going at the right time and get the right draw in the
tournament, they have the experience and the talent, along with the young
players, to get them there. Kansas played without Simien and they had a good
inside game, but not as good as the one we'll be facing on Wednesday. I know we're going to play hard, but that may not be good enough. We'll play hard and try to play well together and we'll see if we're good enough to win, not only on Wednesday but throughout the season. I just want us to play hard, play smart and play together. We'll see what happens at the end."
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (11-1, 0-1)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.4 7.4 1.3 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.6 2.8 63% FG
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.7 6.2 52% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 9.3 2.5 3.3 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 13.5 4.2 5.6 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 5.7 4.7 66% FG
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 4.7 2.3 3.4 ast
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.8 4.4 56% FG
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 2.6 2.0 --
2 Marcus McIntosh 6'0" So. 2.6 0.8 --
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 2.4 0.8 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 2.0 0.5 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M UT
Record 11-1 12-2
Conference 0-1 1-0
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 80 45
Sagarin Rating 36 19
Current Streak L1 W5
Field Goal Pct. .510 .498
Opponent FG Pct. .345 .392
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .393 .426
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .291 .313
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.0 8.9
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.3 20.8
Free Throw Pct. .636 .669
Opponent FT Pct. .642 .672
Rebound Avg. 41.3 42.1
Offensive Reb. Avg. 14.0 14.6
Rebounding Margin +10.8 +10.3
Turnovers Avg. 16.5 14.6
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 19.1 15.4
Assists Avg. 20.1 15.3
Blocks Avg. 4.0 5.4
Steals Avg. 7.9 7.9
Scoring Avg. 80.7 86.3
Opponent Scoring 57.3 67.7
Scoring Margin +23.3 +18.6
Who's Hot?
*Sophomore Acie Law has scored in double figures in seven straight games,
including a career-high 25 against Houston. Law has averaged 15.7 points in
that span, making 52.5 percent from the field. Law is 7-of-14 on
three-pointers (.500) in the last four games.
*Junior Antoine Wright has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 games. In
the last six games, he's averaged 19.3 points. In the last four games, he's
made 11-of-22 three-pointers (.500). He needs three points to become the
26th A&M player to reach 1,000 in his career.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has scored in double figures in four of the last five
games and had a game-high 16 points against Kansas. Jones has averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in the last five games while making 75.6 percent from the field (34-of-45).
Quick Notes
*The Aggies 11-1 start is their best since the 1959-60 team started the
season 13-1.
*Billy Gillispie's 11-1 start ties Tubby Graves (1915-16) for the best by a
first-year coach in A&M history. A win against Texas would hand him the
record.
*A&M's 10-game home winning streak is its longest since it won 10 straight
in 1984-86. The last time A&M had a longer streak was when it won 16
straight over three seasons at G. Rollie White Coliseum from 1978-81.
*Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, has posted three
double-doubles. He ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring (17.7) and is the
only Big 12 player to rank in the top 15 in the league in six categories.
Wright needs three points to reach 1,000 in his career.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had three double-doubles and ranks fifth in the
Big 12 in rebounding (7.4). He's the only Big 12 freshman to average at
least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
*Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists (5.6) and with
Oklahoma State's John Lucas is one of just two players to rank among the
league's top 10 in assists, field goal percentage and assist/turnover ratio.
*A&M leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+23.3), scoring defense (57.3) and
field goal percentage defense (.345).
*The Aggies are tied for second nationally in assists (20.1) and are 10th in
field goal percentage (.510).
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 11 of 12 opponents and lead the Big 12 in
rebounding margin (+10.8), ranking among the national leaders.
*A&M is forcing an average of 19.1 turnovers per game, second most in the
Big 12.
*A&M is averaging 26.8 free throw attempts per game, most in the Big 12.
*A&M is averaging just 13.8 turnovers in the last five games.
Kansas Recap
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Bill Self had no idea how right he was when he said
going against close friend Billy Gillispie wouldn't be any fun. Texas A&M --
17-point underdogs despite an 11-0 record -- tied Self's second-ranked
Kansas Jayhawks at 58 when Antoine Wright hit a jumper with less than a
minute to play. Then, Kansas' Alex Galindo hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer, and
Christian Moody and Aaron Miles each made two free throws in the final
seconds for a hard-fought 65-60 victory in the first Big 12 game of the
season.Kansas struggled all night against the Aggies' aggressive, pressing
defense. Texas A&M held the Jayhawks to 41 percent shooting and outrebounded them 33-27. Galindo's 3-pointer put Kansas on top 61-58 with 40 seconds left. Acie Law drove the lane and scored to bring the Aggies within a point. Moody was then fouled immediately and made both of his free throws for a 63-60 lead. Miles added a pair of foul shots just before the buzzer to make it 65-60. Wright, the Aggies' 6-foot-7 junior and the second-leading scorer in the Big 12 with 18 points per game, had only one point in the first half but wound up with 14. Freshman Joseph Jones had 16 for the Aggies. Miles had 15 for Kansas, and Michael Lee had 10. Keith Langford and Moody each had nine.
Last Year at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Jan. 31, 2004)- Texas didn't allow a field goal in the
final 12:41 and beat Texas A&M on the road for the 10th straight time,
69-59. The Longhorns shot just 28.2 percent from the floor in the first
half, but were able to overcome it thanks to their late defensive
performance. Brian Boddicker and Kenton Paulino led Texas with 11 points,
while Jason Klotz added 10. Guard Royal Ivey had 10 rebounds. Nick Anderson had 14 points and six rebounds for A&M. Andy Slocum led all players with 18 rebounds. Marcus Watkins hit a jumper with 12:41 left to give the Aggies a 46-43 lead. Texas then went on a 16-0 run to take a 59-43 lead with 8:11 to play. Texas hit 48.1 percent of its field goals in the second half, while A&M managed just 29.2 percent. Despite being outrebounded for just the fifth time this season, the Longhorns pulled down 20 offensive rebounds and dominated the Aggies in the paint. The Longhorns also forced 17 turnovers, while committing only six.
Last Year in Austin
AUSTIN (AP, Feb. 18, 2004) -- Brandon Mouton scored 20 points and Kenny
Taylor hit four 3-pointers in a key second-half run to lead No. 11 Texas
past Texas A&M, 77-57. Texas hit just one 3-pointer before Taylor's shots,
and the Longhorns turned a tight game with the Aggies into an easy win.
Jesse King had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead A&M. P.J. Tucker added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Longhorns. Tucker was 5-of-5 in the first half with 10 points and Texas hit 12 of its first 16 shots to take a 29-19
lead. It would have been more if not for eight turnovers. The miscues kept
A&M close and the Aggies held Texas scoreless over the final 3:31 as the
Longhorns missed their final seven shots before the half ended with Texas
leading 29-24. Texas turned it over on its first two possessions of the
second -- once when Kenton Paulino wasn't looking for an inbounds pass from Tucker-- and Acie Law scored eight straight points as the Aggies pulled
within 33-32 but couldn't take the lead. Texas finally started to take
better care of the ball and the shots started falling again. James Thomas
hit a layup, Ivey scored twice and Taylor hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 17-6
run that opened up a 52-38 Texas lead.
Historic Debut
Billy Gillispie's 11-1 start matches the best by a first-year coach in A&M
history. Tubby Graves also started his career 11-1 in 1915-16. A win against
Texas would hand Gillispie the first 12-1 coaching start in school annals.
A&M's Best Coaching Debuts
Coach Start
1. Billy Gillispie (2004-05) 11-1
Tubby Graves (1915-16) 11-1
3. Dana X. Bible (1920-21) 8-4
F.D. Steger (1912-15) 8-4
W.H.H. Morris (1916-17) 8-4
Bill Driver (1917-18) 8-4
Shelby Metcalf (1963-64) 8-4
Quick Start
The Aggies' 11-1 start is their best since the 1959-60 team started 13-1.
The only better start in school history was the 1919-20 team, which went on
to finish 19-0. The 1915-16 team also started 11-1. A&M started the season
with an 11-game winning streak, the third longest in school history and the
longest since A&M won a record 25 straight over two seasons from 1919-21.
A&M's Best Starts
Year Start
1. 1919-20 19-0
2. 2004-05 11-1
1915-16 11-1
1959-60 11-1
A&M WINNING STREAKS
Year (s) Wins
1. 1919-20/1920-21 25
2. 1914-15/1915-16 20
3. 2004-05 11
1921-22 11
5. 1918-19 10
1959-60 10
Basketball Jones
Freshman Joseph Jones has had an impressive start to his college career.
Jones leads the Aggies in rebounding (7.4), ranking fifth in the Big 12, and
is third in scoring (12.2). After Jones scored a game-high 16 points against
Kansas, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, "Joseph Jones was the best player in
the game tonight." Jones also had seven rebounds against KU, including five
offensive bards, and has a trio of three-point plays. He had an impressive
college debut against North Carolina A&T, scoring 10 points with 10
rebounds, only the second time in A&M history that a freshman posted a
double-double in his first game. The other was Winston Crite, who had a
24-point, 15-rebound performance against Texas Lutheran in 1983-84. Jones has scored in double figures in nine games and added his third double-double against Houston, scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds. He also had a double-double against UT-Permian Basin, scoring 12 points with 13 rebounds. Jones is the only freshman in the Big 12 to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. He played a season-low 12 minutes against
Louisiana-Monroe because of an injury, scoring just two points with one
rebound, but in the five games since has averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds
and made 75.6 percent from the field (34-of-45).
Law and Order
Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 5.6 per game
and is second on the team in scoring (13.5), 18th in the Big 12. Law also
ranks eighth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .525. Law and
Oklahoma State's John Lucas are the only Big 12 players to rank among the
league's top 20 in scoring and top 10 in assists, field goal percentage and
assists-to-turnover ratio (10th, 2.03). Law scored a career-high 25 points
in the win against Houston while adding nine assists and making 12-of-12
free throws, the best free throw performance by an A&M player since 1987. He added 19 (with a career-high eight rebounds) against Penn State, making the winning free throws with 11 seconds left. Law scored 14 points with seven rebounds against Kansas. He scored 18 points with a career-high 11 assists against UTPB, his first career double-double. He has scored in double
figures in 10 games, including seven straight. In the last seven games, he's
averaged 15.7 points and while making 52.5 percent from the field. He's made 7-of-14 (.500) three-pointers in the last four games. Law is related to
former Chicago Cubs' great Ernie Banks, his mother's uncle.
The Wright Stuff
Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches
and media, is off to a spectacular start. He leads the team in scoring with
an 17.7 average, ranking third in the Big 12. Wright earned Midseason
First-Team All-Big 12 honors by the Rocky Mountain News in early January.
He's the only Big 12 player to rank among the league's top 15 in rebounding
(15th, 6.2), field goal percentage (9th, .517), free throw percentage (10th,
.720), three-point percentage (4th, .444) and three-point field goals (9th,
2.00). Wright has had three double-doubles, fourth most in the Big 12, and
missed two more by just a single rebound. After being held to one point in
the first half at Kansas, Wright helped the Aggies pull off a near-upset
with 13 second-half points, including a trio of three-pointers. Wright
scored 21 points with nine rebounds against Trinity and followed with a
17-point, 10-rebound effort against UT-Permian Basin. He then added another double-double with identical numbers against Oakland. After an eight-point outing against Alabama A&M, he has scored at least 19 points in five straight games, including a season-high 23 points against Grambling. In the last six games, he's averaged 19.3 points and is the last four games has
made 11-of-22 (.500) three-pointers. He has scored in double figures in all
but one game this season. Wright also has come up big defensively. In last
season's loss to Houston, Wright allowed the Cougars' Andre Owens to score
41 points -- the most against the Aggies since 1977. This year, Wright held
Owens to just four points in an impressive 93-80 victory. After earning Big
12 Freshman of the Year honors and being named third-team All-Big 12 in
2002-03, Wright was named honorable mention All-Big 12 last season. If he
were named All-Big 12 this year, he would become only the 10th player in
school history to earn an all-conference designation three times. Wright is
on pace to become only the third A&M player to earn all-conference honors
four times, joining Bernard King (1999-03) and Vernon Smith (1977-81), who
are the top two scorers in school history. Wright needs three points to
become the 26th A&M player to reach 1,000 in his career. In addition to his
obvious statistical improvements, Wright has been taking the ball to the
basket more aggressively this season, reflected in part by his team-high 11
dunks. Wright had 11 dunks in 56 career games entering the season.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 17.7
RPG 4.1 6.2
Steals 0.9 1.2
Assists 2.3 2.2
Blocks 0.3 0.8
FG Pct. .368 .517
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .444
FT Pct. .626 .720
Dunks 5 11
Pompey Pays
Sophomore Marlon Pompey played sparingly last year as a freshman because of a nagging leg injury, but he still managed to make 9-of-11 (.818) shots from the field. Against North Carolina A&T in the opener, he scored a career-high 12 points with five boards while making 6-of-6 from the field. He scored six points and posted a career-high eight rebounds in the win against Houston, then followed with five points and six boards against Penn State. Pompey has scored at least five points in all but four games this season and ranks fourth on the team in rebounds (4.1). He is second on the team in blocks (0.8).
Record Crowds
The crowd of 11,200 that attended the Houston game on Dec. 29 was the sixth largest in school history and the largest for a non-conference opponent. It also was a school record for a game played during the Christmas break. The last time A&M had a bigger crowd was when a record 12,633 attended the Texas game in 2003. The North Carolina A&T game attracted an attendance of 6,929, the best for a home opener in school history. The previous best was 6,511 against North Texas in the first game played at Reed Arena in 1998-99. The crowd also was the third best for a non-conference home game in school annals behind the record of 7,192 against LSU in 1981-82 (G. Rollie White Coliseum) and 7,075 against Long Beach State in 2001-02 (Reed Arena). A&M averaged 5,338 for the 10 non-conference home games, a school record for non-conference attendance. Last year under Billy Gillispie, UTEP enjoyed the largest attendance increase in college basketball, averaging 10,282 per game. The fans didn't wait until the team started winning big, either. Coming off a 6-24 season, the Miners attracted at least 7,000 for each of their first four home games, despite playing lesser-known opponents. After a 5-1 start, UTEP sold out (12,000) its Dec. 17 game against New Mexico State and went on to seven more sellouts, including four straight to end the season. "The fans felt like they were a part of our group," Gillispie said. "Everyone felt like they were a part of one family. The fans felt like they
had more invested than just watching their team play. Winning has a lot to
do with it, but the fans started coming before they really knew what was
going to happen at the end. What we have to do here is get people to come to
the games. The fans have to be here physically and can't just wait around.
If people start showing up to the games, then the basketball program will be
built. People have to get into Reed Arena and they have to come even if we
get beat. That is a priority and if it happens, then I guarantee we'll be
successful. They have to understand that when the season starts is when they
need to get in there and fill the building up.If people dedicate themselves
to showing up every time, they will be amazed of how fast positive results
can be shown."
A&M HOME WINNING STREAKS
Year (s) Wins
1. 1959-63 30
2. 1974-77 18
3. 1963-65 17
4. 1978-81 16
5. 1919-21 15
6. 1972-74 13
7. 2004-05 10
1984-86 10
1964-66 10
Stout Defense
A&M leads the Big 12, and ranks among the national leaders, in scoring
margin (+23.3), field goal percentage defense (.345) and scoring defense
(57.3). A&M ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage
defense (.291) and has forced an average of 19.1 turnovers per game, second
most in the league. UTPB scored just 36 points, the fewest by an opponent
since the Aggies beat Texas, 73-29, in 1958-59. UTPB also made just 20.8
percent from the field, the lowest by an opponent in A&M history. Prairie
View scored just 15 second-half points, making just 4-of-26 (.154) from the
field as A&M broke away from a six-point halftime lead to a 42-point win,
allowing just 40 points. The Aggies matched their season-best by allowing 36
points against Louisiana-Monroe, the third lowest total in that school's
history. Penn State made a whopping 64 percent in the first half, but just
26 percent in the second as A&M overcame a 17-point deficit to win, 62-60.
Last season, A&M held just six opponents to under 40 percent field goal
accuracy in 28 games. This year, eight of 12 opponents have shot under 40
percent and only one has shot better than 45 percent.
Taking the Lead
A&M has trailed by more than seven points just once this season, falling
behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60. Through the first
10 games, the Aggies faced just two second-half deficits, briefly trailing
Alabama A&M, 47-46, at the 14:04 mark, and trailing Penn State, 45-28, at
the 18:11 mark. A&M has led wire-to-wire in five games. The Aggies have led
at halftime in 10 of 12 games, but have trailed in each of the last two at
Penn State and Kansas. Of 24 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored
just four times, but three of those have been in the last two games.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in field goal
percentage (.510). A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 (19th nationally) in
scoring (80.7). Last year, A&M shot better than 50 percent from the field
just three times. This season, A&M has shot better than 50 percent in eight
of 12 games. A&M has scored 80 or more points in seven games, including four games with more than 90. Last season, Billy Gillispie's UTEP team scored at least 80 points in 15 of its 32 games. A&M scored 80 or more points in just eight games in each of the previous two years. The Miners ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage,
three-point percentage and free throw percentage. Meanwhile, A&M ranked last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage and three-point percentage and was near the bottom in scoring offense and scoring margin. "Our philosophy is to play as fast as possible," Gillispie said. "Not just for the sake of playing
fast, but for playing the right way. We want to attack the other team
offensively and defensively."
Unselfish Aggies
The Aggies lead the Big 12 and are tied for second nationally in assists
with an average of 20.1 per game. North Carolina leads at 22.1, while
top-ranked Illinois also averages 20.1. In the last eight games, 189 of
A&M's 259 field goals have been assisted (.730). For the season, 241 of the
Aggies' 346 field goals (.696) have been assisted, the best rate in the Big
12.
Breaking Away
Despite having a relatively small team, the Aggies have dominated inside,
averaging 40.5 points in the paint after averaging 25.6 last season. A&M
also has done a good job converting turnovers, averaging 23.6 points off
turnovers after averaging just 15.3 last year. And after averaging just 7.8
fast break points a year ago, the Aggies are averaging 17.0 this season.
Turnovers Down
The Aggies are committing an average of 16.5 turnovers per game, tied for
most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies had a season-low nine turnovers
against Chicago State and Penn State and have averaged just 13.8 turnovers
in the last five games. A&M ranks fourth in the league in turnover margin
(+2.58) and is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.22).
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average 21.8 personal fouls per game, but had a season-low 16
against Penn State. The Aggies committed at least 19 personal fouls in each
of the first 10 games. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's
opponents averaging 21.3 fouls per contest. Consequently, the Aggies are
averaging a whopping 26.8 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big
12. A&M is averaging 4.0 more attempts per game than its opponents.
Captain Kirk
After scoring just three points in the opener, freshman Dominique Kirk has
scored in double figures in six games. For the season, Kirk is fourth on the
team in scoring with 9.3 per game and is second with 15 three-point field
goals, making 40.5 percent. Against Alabama A&M, Kirk scored a career-high 18 points and also posted personal bests in rebounds (7) and steals (4).
Kirk handed out a career-high 8 assists against Chicago State, and added 15
points in the win against Houston. Kirk and Joseph Jones -- both true
freshmen -- are the only Aggies to start in every game.
Steady Leach
The Aggies' only scholarship senior, Bobby Leach ranks fourth in the Big 12
in assist/turnover ratio (2.73) and also ranks 14th in assists (3.42) and
12th in steals (1.50). Leach has made 7-of-16 (.438) from three-point range
after making just 5-of-16 (.313) all of last season. Leach has handed out at
least three assists in six straight games, including highs of five against
Louisiana-Monroe and Penn State. He's scored in all but two games this
season and had a career-high 10 points against Chicago State.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 11 of 12 opponents this season and lead the
Big 12 in rebounding margin at +10.8, ranking among the leaders nationally.
The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in six games. A&M
out-rebounded Kansas, 33-37. The only team to out-board the Aggies has been Penn State, 39-35. The Nittany Lions are the top rebounding team in the Big 10.
Green Machine
Junior Edjuan Green scored a career-high 17 points with nine rebounds
against Prairie View A&M, and scored 14 points and added a career-high 11
rebounds against Grambling for his first career double-double. He ranks
fifth on the team in scoring (5.7) and is third in rebounding (4.7) while
making 65.8 percent (25-of-38) from the field. Green has six rebounds in
just eight minutes at Kansas, including four offensive boards. As a senior
at Spring High School in 2002, Green ranked second in rebounding in the
Greater Houston area, just behind Emeka Okafor (formerly of Connecticut)
and just ahead of Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State). Green ranked second
nationally in rebounding in the JUCO ranks last season at Temple College,
averaging 14.2 per game.
Walker, Texas Ranger
Junior Chris Walker, a walk-on from Dallas, has played in all 12 games and
started in the last seven. After going scoreless in the first two games,
Walker has averaged 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the last 10
games while making 63.0 percent (17-of-27) from the field and nailing 2-of-4 three-pointers, including one to open the game at Kansas, where he finished with seven points. He scored 12 points against UTPB and added nine points and a team-high four assists against Alabama A&M. He posted a career-high nine rebounds against Houston. Prior to this season, Walker had not played organized basketball since 2001-02, when he earned freshman All-America honors at UT-Dallas, an NCAA Div. III school. Walker transferred to A&M for academic reasons and is an academic All-America candidate. His high school coach, Darryn Shearmire, is an old friend of Billy Gillispie's and contacted the new coach about Walker during the summer.
On the Line
A&M has been highly inconsistent from the free throw line. the Aggies made
76.0 percent from the free throw line in the first three games, but made
just 56.0 percent (94-of-168) in the next six games. The Aggies made 72.3
percent against Houston, making 34-of-47, the fourth most makes and attempts in school history, but then made just 7-of-14 at Penn State. A&M ranks 10th in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.636), which is off-set somewhat by the Aggies averaging a league-best 26.8 attempts per game.
Lone Star Roster
When he began looking for a head basketball coach last March, Texas A&M
Director of Athletics Bill Byrne said he wanted someone with Texas ties to
help the Aggies attract some of the state's homegrown talent. Last year,
only four players on the roster were from Texas, including a pair of
non-scholarship players. This season, 13 of the 18 players on Billy
Gillispie's roster are products of Texas High Schools, the most in school
history. Only twice in the previous 26 seasons has A&M had as many as 11
Texas players - in 1996-97 under Tony Barone, and in 1978-79 under Shelby
Metcalf. Billy Gillipsie is the first native Texan (Graford) to serve as
A&M's head basketball coach since J.B. Reid (1929-35), not including John
Thornton (San Antonio), who was interim head coach for just 12 games in
1989-90. In addition, Gillispie hired two Texas natives as assistant coaches
- Alvin Brooks (Houston) and Buzz Williams (Van Alystyne). The last Texan to
be an assistant at A&M was Thornton (1981-90). The last time A&M has two
full-time assistant coaches from Texas was in 1981-82, when Thornton joined Barry Davis (Galveston) on Shelby Metcalf's staff. Thornton is now the
senior associate athletic director at A&M.
What Positions?
Billy Gillispie has chosen not to list player positions on the roster. "Our
players play so many positions that it's really not accurate to designate
someone as a guard or forward anymore, so we decided not to do it,"
Gillispie said.
Travel Light
The Aggies will play a school-record 18 home games this season, including a
record 10 straight to open the season. The previous record was 15 home games at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1991-92.