January 14, 2005
Off to one of the best starts in school history, the Texas A&M Aggies (12-1, 1-1 in Big 12) play the Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-4, 1-1 in Big 12) on Saturday at 6 p.m. (Central) at the United Spirit Arena (15,098 cap.) in Lubbock.
The Aggies are off to their best start since the 1959-60 team started 13-1. The best start was by the 1919-20 team, which finished 19-0. The Aggies have won 11 straight home games, their longest streak since they won 16 straight over three seasons from 1978-81.
The Aggies are coming off an impressive 74-63 win against No. 9-ranked Texas on Wednesday in College Station, the first top 10 team A&M has beaten since 1982. The Red Raiders are coming off a come-from-behind 79-76 win at Kansas State on Wednesday and have won four of their last five games.
First-year coach Billy Gillispie has the best coaching start in A&M history, surpassing Tubby Graves, who began his career with an 11-2 mark in 1915-16.
Tech leads the series, 59-50, with a 33-14 advantage in games played in Lubbock. The Red Raiders have won three straight in Lubbock after A&M won the first two games played at United Spirit Arena.
A&M is 1-1 in road games this season while Tech is 7-1 at home. The Red Raiders won last year in Lubbock, 76-60, and posted a, 80-78 win in College Station.
GAME #14
Texas A&M AGGIES
(12-1, 1-1 Big 12)
vs.
Texas Tech RED RAIDERS
(9-4, 1-1 Big 12)
6 p.m. (Central)
Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005
United Spirit Arena (15,098 cap.)
Lubbock, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Colin Killian, commentary
Airtime: 5:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE: Ch. 122 (Tech feed)
TELEVISION:
Texas Tech Television Network
(Lubbock, Dallas-Fort Worth only)
Brian Jensen, play-by-play
Andy Hipsher, commentary
About Tech
The Red Raiders return eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 23-11 overall and tied for fifth in the Big 12 with a 9-7 record. Tech advanced to the second round in the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders are in their fourth year under legendary head coach Bob Knight. Tech has five players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by senior guard Ronald Ross (6'2"), who is averaging 14.2 points and leads the Big 12 in steals (2.54). Sophomore guard Jarrius Jackson (6'1") averages 13.8 points and has made 44.8 percent from three-point range, while senior forward Devonne Giles (6'8") adds 12.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.863) and blocked shots (2.38). Freshman guard Martin Zeno (6'5") contributes 12.4 points, while senior forward Curtis Marshall (6'5") averages 11.7 points and has made 47.2 percent from three-point range. The Red Raiders are one of the top offensive teams in the Big 12, ranking second in the league in scoring (83.8) and leading the league in three-point accuracy (.442), free throw percentage (.761) and assists (20.2). Tech also leads the league in turnover margin (+6.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.51) while ranking second in blocked shots (5.7).
The Series
Texas Tech leads the series, 59-50, including a 33-14 record in games played in Lubbock and a 3-2 mark at United Spirit Arena. The Red Raiders have won three straight since a 64-59 A&M win in College Station in 2003, and have won three straight in Lubbock since a 72-70 Aggie victory in 2001. Two of the last three games have been decided by two points or fewer.
TEXAS A&M vs. Texas Tech
(TTU leads, 59-50)
Last 12 Meetings
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
2003-04 Tech, 80-78 College Station
Tech, 76-60 Lubbock
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
12-1 at A&M (1st year)
42-33 overall (3rd year)
0-2 vs. Texas Tech
0-2 vs. Bob Knight
TEXAS TECH
Bob Knight (Ohio State '62)
77-37 at Tech (4th year)
841-326 overall (40th year)
9-2 vs. Texas A&M
2-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
Bob Knight is 9-2 against Texas A&M, including a 6-1 mark since coming to Texas Tech...A&M defeated Knight's No. 10-ranked Indiana team, 54-49, in the 1978 Great Alaska Shootout...Knight twice defeated Billy Gillispie's UTEP squads, posting an 83-60 win in El Paso in 2002 and a 70-57 victory last season in Lubbock...Gillispie is 36-9 as a head coach over the last two seasons, tied for the second-best percentage best among Big 12 coaches, trailing only Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton (42-5) and tied with Kansas' Bill Self (36-9)...A&M assistant coach Alvin Brooks served as an assistant under James Dickey at Tech from 1999-01...Gillispie was an assistant at South Plains Junior College in Levelland in 1993-94...Gillispie was born in the West Texas town of Abilene on Nov. 7, 1959.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (12-1, 1-1)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.5 7.6 1.4 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.9 3.1 64% FG
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.0 5.8 50% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 9.1 2.4 3.1 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 14.3 4.2 5.6 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 5.3 4.3 64% FG
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 5.1 2.2 3.6 ast
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.2 4.0 53% FG
2 Marcus McIntosh 6'0" So. 2.6 0.8 --
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 2.3 1.8 --
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 2.2 0.7 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 1.8 0.4 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Gillispie Quoteboard
"Texas Tech is a really good team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes on either end of the court. They are an extremely well-coached team and Lubbock is always a tough place to play. I was proud of our guys against Texas and they deserved to win. We beat a team that has a chance to play for all the marbles. We may never be great but we're going to play hard. Texas wanted to post up and they were able to do so whenever they wanted. Our post defense wasn't as good as it could have been. They missed shots and we were lucky. Our guys are maturing. Joseph was a great post presence and Acie was composed and not out of control and ran our offense. The Texas had nothing to do with me. It was all our guys. We want them to play smart, play hard, and play together and they've all bought into that. But we know where we are and it's a start, not an end."
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M TTU
Record 12-1 9-4
Conference 1-1 1-1
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 63 72
Sagarin Rating 28 23
Current Streak W1 W1
Field Goal Pct. .508 .488
Opponent FG Pct. .343 .405
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .404 .439
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .295 .368
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.2 5.2
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.2 11.9
Free Throw Pct. .644 .761
Opponent FT Pct. .642 .650
Rebound Avg. 40.7 38.2
Offensive Reb. Avg. 13.4 13.2
Rebounding Margin +9.5 +3.1
Turnovers Avg. 16.4 13.2
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 18.8 19.4
Assists Avg. 19.7 20.2
Blocks Avg. 4.0 5.7
Steals Avg. 7.8 8.5
Scoring Avg. 80.2 83.8
Opponent Scoring 57.8 65.9
Scoring Margin +22.4 +17.9
Kansas Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP) -- Acie Law had 24 points and six assists, freshman Joseph Jones added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Texas A&M ended an 18-game Big 12 losing streak with a 74-63 upset of No. 10 Texas on Wednesday night. The Aggies (12-1, 1-1) are off to their best start since 1959-60, and first-year coach Billy Gillispie has made the best debut in school history. Before a school-record crowd of 12,811, Law helped A&M end the Longhorns' 10-game winning streak in College Station and improve its record at Reed Arena to 11-0 this season. The Aggies also knocked off their first Top 10 foe, and third overall, since beating Texas in 1982. P.J. Tucker led the Longhorns with 18 points and eight rebounds. A&M seized control early and never let the Longhorns back into it. The Aggies' lead reached 21 points early in the second half. Law effortlessly sliced his way through defenders and repeatedly found open shooters. A&M's aggressive pressure defense forced the Longhorns into dozens of off-balance jumpers and 3s from way behind the arc. Law's final 3-pointer, a rainbow over Tucker as the shot clock expired, gave A&M a 63-50 lead with 3:39 to go and all but ended any Texas comeback hopes.
Last Year in Lubbock
LUBBOCK (AP, Feb. 21, 2004)- Andre Emmett became the Big 12's all-time leading scorer, getting 18 points to lead No. 22 Texas Tech to a 76-60 victory over Texas A&M. Texas Tech went up by double digits early in the first half and built the margin to 50-29 on a layup and free throw by Jarrius Jackson with 15:09 remaining in the game. The Aggies answered with a 19-8 run and whittled the deficit to 60-50 on a rebound by Antoine Wright with 5:20 remaining but they couldn't get any closer. Jackson added 19 points for the Red Raiders, while Devonne Giles got 14, Robert Tomaszek 13 and Ronald Ross 10. Emmett got his 2,098th point on a one-handed dunk in full stride with 7:54 remaining in the first half. Wright scored 17 points and Kevin Turner added 13 to lead the Aggies.Tech led 38-24 at halftime. The Red Raiders used a 11-3 run early in the first half to take an 18-8 lead. Tech maintained a double-digit margin for the rest of the half.
Last Year in College Station
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Jan. 24, 2004) -- Andre Emmett scored 23 points, including the go-ahead basket with 6 seconds to play, and No. 18 Texas Tech won its 12th consecutive game with an 80-78 victory over Texas A&M. The Red Raiders led by 12 points late in the first half, but scrapped to a 40-37 halftime lead. The Aggies stayed in it in the second half. A&M's Jesse King tied it 78-78 on a putback with 20 seconds to play. Emmett then fought his way to the basket for the winning layup. The Aggies got one more chance to tie it but Leandro Garcia-Morales missed a long shot at the buzzer. Jarrius Jackson added 16 points and Mikey Marshall had 14 for the Red Raiders, who shot 61 percent from the field. Acie Law had 14 points for the Aggies, who shot 50 percent. The Aggies took a 49-46 lead with 16:11 left in the game on a three-point play by Antoine Wright. That was A&M's first lead since the opening minutes of the game and set the tone for a tight battle down to the finish. The Red Raiders kept pulling away, but the Aggies kept rallying in a back-and-forth first half. The Red Raiders used an 11-0 run to take a 20-9 lead midway in the first half. The Aggies cut the lead to 24-21 before Jackson hit consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 35-23 with 4:36 to play. Then, Wright hit a 3-pointer and Andy Slocum's three-point play got the Aggies back in the game. Acie Law had two late baskets to cut Tech's lead to three at the half.
Who's Hot?
*Sophomore Acie Law has scored in double figures in eight straight games, including a career-high 25 against Houston and 24 against Texas. Law has averaged 16.8 points in that span, making 55.9 percent from the field. Law is 10-of-19 on three-pointers (.526) in the last five games.
*Junior Antoine Wright has made 9-of-17 three-pointers (.529) in the last three games. His 1,006 career points ranks 26th in A&M history.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while making 75.0 percent from the field in the first two conference games against No. 2-ranked Kansas and No. 9 Texas.
*Senior Bobby Leach tied his career-high with 10 points and had a season-high six assists. Leach has averaged 4.5 assists and 1.0 turnover in Big 12 play.
Quick Notes
*The Aggies 12-1 start is their best since the 1959-60 team started the season 13-1.
*Billy Gillispie's 12-1 start is the best by a first-year coach in A&M history.
*A&M's 11-game home winning streak is its longest since 1978-81, when it won 16 straight over three seasons at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
*Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, has posted three double-doubles. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.0) and is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 16 in the league in six categories.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had four double-doubles, most by a league freshman, and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.6). 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 nation in field goal percentage defense (.343) and leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+22.4) and scoring defense (57.8)
*The Aggies are second in the Big 12 fifth nationally in assists (19.7) and second in the league in FG percentage (.508).
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 11 of 13 opponents and rank second in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+9.5).
*A&M is forcing an average of 18.8 turnovers per game, third most in the Big 12.
*A&M is averaging 27.5 free throw attempts per game, most in the Big 12.
*A&M is averaging just 14.0 turnovers in the last six games.
*No. 9 Texas was just the third top 10 team A&M's ever beaten and was the first since 1982.
Historic Debut
Billy Gillispie's 12-1 start is the best by a first-year coach in A&M history. The previous record was set by Tubby Graves, who started his career 11-2 in 1915-16.
A&M's BEST COACHING DEBUTS
Coach Start
1. Billy Gillispie (2004-05) 12-1
2. Tubby Graves (1915-16) 11-2
3. Dana X. Bible (1920-21) 9-4
F.D. Steger (1912-14) 9-4
W.H.H. Morris (1916-17) 9-4
Quick Start
The Aggies' 12-1 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. 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. 1959-60 13-1
3. 2004-05 12-1
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 (7.6), ranking fifth in the Big 12, and is third in scoring (12.5). Jones has had four double-doubles, most by a Big 12 freshman this season. He scored 13 points with 10 boards in the Aggies upset of No. 9-ranked Texas. 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 boards, 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 10 games and added another 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 six games since has averaged 15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and made 75.5 percent from the field (37-of-49).
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 (14.3), 18th in the Big 12. Law also ranks third in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .550, the best by a Big 12 guard. 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 24 points with six assists in the upset of No. 9 Texas, making 10-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 three-pointers. 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 11 games, including eight straight. In the last four games, he's averaged 20.5 points and while making 50.9 percent from the field and 52.6 from three-point range (.526). 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 17.0 average, ranking fourth 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 16 in scoring, rebounding (16th, 5.8), field goal percentage (10th, .500), free throw percentage (11th, .712), three-point percentage (4th, .441) and three-point field goals (9th, 2.00). Wright has had three double-doubles 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 of the lasty six games, including a season-high 23 points against Grambling. In the last seven games, he's averaged 17.9 points and in the last five games has made 13-of-27 (.482) three-pointers. He has scored in double figures in all but two games 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 has scored 1,006 career points, ranking him 26th on the A&M chart. 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 17.0
RPG 4.1 5.8
Steals 0.9 1.1
Assists 2.3 2.1
Blocks 0.3 0.7
FG Pct. .368 .500
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .441
FT Pct. .626 .712
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 eight games this season and ranks fifth on the team in rebounds (4.0). He is second on the team in blocks (0.8).
Record Crowds
A crowd of 12,811 attended the Texas game, the largest crowd in school history. A&M already has drawn two of the seven largest crowds in A&M annals. The crowd of 11,200 that attended the Houston game on Dec. 29 was the seventh 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 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 11
Stout Defense
A&M leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (.343) and leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+22.4) and scoring defense (57.8). A&M ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.295) and has forced an average of 18.8 turnovers per game, third 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, nine of 13 opponents have shot under 40 percent and only one has shot better than 45 percent. No. 9-ranked Texas shot a season low 32.3 percent against the Aggies.
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 11 of 13 games, but trailed at intermission in both road games at Penn State and Kansas. Of 26 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just five times.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally in field goal percentage (.508). A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (80.2, 29th nationally). 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 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 rank second in the Big 12 and are fifth nationally in assists with an average of 19.7 per game. In the last nine games, 204 of A&M's 279 field goals have been assisted (.731). For the season, 256 of the Aggies' 366 field goals (.700) have been assisted, the best rate in the Big 12.
Random Notes
No. 9-ranked Texas was only the third top 10 team A&M's ever beaten and the first since 1982 (No. 5 Texas in Austin, 71-69)...the only other top 10 A&M's beaten was Bob Knight's No. 10 Indiana team, 54-49, at the 1978 Great Alaska Shootout...despite having a relatively small team, the Aggies have dominated inside, averaging 38.6 points in the paint after averaging 25.6 last season. A&M also has done a good job converting turnovers, averaging 22.7 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 16.6 this season.
Turnovers Down
The Aggies are committing an average of 16.4 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies had a season-low nine turnovers against Chicago State and Penn State and have averaged just 14.0 turnovers in the last six games. A&M ranks fifth in the league in turnover margin (+2.46) and is also fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.20).
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average 22.1 personal fouls per game. The Aggies have committed at least 19 personal fouls in 12 games. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's opponents averaging 21.9 fouls per contest. Consequently, the Aggies are averaging a whopping 27.8 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big 12. A&M is averaging 4.5 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 9.1 per game and is second with 16 three-point field goals, making 41.0 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 (2.94) and also ranks 14th in assists (3.62) and 14th in steals (1.46). Leach has made 8-of-17 (.471) from three-point range after making just 5-of-16 (.313) all of last season. Leach has handed out at least three assists in seven straight games, including a season high of six against No. 9-ranked Texas with only one turnover. He's scored in all but two games this season and had a career-high 10 points against Chicago State and Texas.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 11 of 13 opponents this season and rank second in the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +9.5, 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 teams to out-board the Aggies have been Penn State (39-35) and Texas (39-33).
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 (537) and is third in rebounding (4.3) while making 64.1 percent (25-of-39) from the field. Green had 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 13 games and started in the last eight. After going scoreless in the first two games, Walker has averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in the last 10 games while making 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the field and nailing 3-of-5 three-pointers, including one to open the game at Kansas, where he finished with seven points. He leads the team in free throw percentage at 73.5 percent (25-of-34). Walker is averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in Big 12 play and made 6-of-6 free throws in the win against Texas. 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 16-of-27 in the next two games. A&M made 26-of-36 (.722) in the win against Texas. A&M ranks 10th in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.644), off-set somewhat by averaging a league-best 27.5 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, 12 of the 17 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.