January 17, 2005
Note: A complete PDF version of this release is available at www.AggieAthletics.com.
AGGIES PUT HOME STREAK ON LINE AGAINST NO. 18 SOONERS
Riding an 11-game home winning streak, the Texas A&M Aggies (12-2, 1-2 in Big 12) play host to the No. 18-ranked (AP/No. 21 by USA Today/ESPN) Oklahoma Sooners (13-2, 2-0 in Big 12) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (Central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station.
The Aggies' home winning streak is their longest streak since they won 16 straight over three seasons from 1978-81 and is tied for the 17th longest active streak in the nation.
The Aggies are coming off a 70-56 loss at Texas Tech on Saturday, while the Sooners have won seven straight and are coming off a 65-61 win at Baylor on Saturday in Waco.
Oklahoma leads the series, 21-1, with an 8-1 advantage in games played in College Station and a 5-1 mark at Reed Arena. The Sooners have won 10 straight in the series, including five straight in College Station.
A&M is 11-0 at home this season while Oklahoma is 2-0 in true road games.
The Sooners won last year in College Station, 78-72, and posted an 86-60 win in Norman.
GAME #15
Texas A&M AGGIES
(12-2, 1-2 Big 12)
vs.
#18 Oklahoma SOONERS
(13-2, 2-0 Big 12)
8 p.m. (Central)
Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2005
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 7:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE: Ch. 138 (A&M feed)
TELEVISION:
ESPN Regional
(ESPN Full Court/Check Local Listings)
Doug Bell, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
TICKETS:
Available
$12, $10, $8
About Oklahoma
The Sooners return seven lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 20-11 overall and finished seventh in the Big 12 with an 8-8 record. Oklahoma advanced to the second round in the NIT. The Sooners are in their 11th year under head coach Kelvin Sampson. Oklahoma has six players averaging at least 8.5 points per game, including four in double figures. Junior forward Taj Gray (6'8") is averaging a team-high 15.4 points along with a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game, second most in the Big 12. Junior forward Kevin Bookout (6'8") averages 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds and leads the Big 12 in field goal accuracy, making 64.8 percent. Junior guard Terrell Everett (6'4") adds 12.6 points and ranks third in the league in assists at 4.8, while sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie (6'2") contributes 10.1 points and ranks second in the Big 12 in three-point accuracy at 46.7 percent. The Sooners average 77.9 points per game to rank third in the league in scoring defense and scoring margin (+18.1). Oklahoma has made 48.9 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range. The Sooners led the conference in three-point defense, allowing just 27.5 percent. Oklahoma's losses have been to No. 14 Washington (96-91) and No. 5 Duke (78-67) at neutral sites. They won their first two conference games at home against Colorado (85-55) and on the road at Baylor (65-61), sandwiched around an impressive 77-65 win against No. 11 Connecticut on Jan. 10 in Norman.
Who's Hot?
*Sophomore Acie Law has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, including a career-high 25 against Houston and 24 last Wednesday against Texas.
*Junior Antoine Wright had 18 points and tied his career high with 12 rebounds against Texas Tech, his fourth double double of the season. Wright has missed two more double-doubles by one rebound. His 1,024 career points ranks 25th in A&M history.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has averaged 14.0 points and 9.3 rebounds while making 72.2 percent from the field in the first three conference games and has had two straight double-doubles. His five double doubles for the season is the most by a Big 12 freshman
*Senior Bobby Leach has averaged 9.5 points and 4.0 assists in the last two games.
Quick Notes
*The Aggies 12-2 start is their best after 14 games since the 1978-79 team started the season 13-2.
*Billy Gillispie's 12-2 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 (17.1) and is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 12 in the league in six categories.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had five double-doubles, most by a league freshman, and ranks fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.9). 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 (.352) and leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (58.6)
*The Aggies are second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in assists (18.9). A&M is second in the league in FG percentage (.500).
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 12 of 14 opponents and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+9.4).
*A&M is averaging 26.8 free throw attempts per game, most in the Big 12.
*A&M is averaging just 14.1 turnovers in the last seven games.
*No. 9 Texas was just the third top 10 team A&M's ever beaten and was the first since 1982.
*A&M received 37 votes in this week's USA Today/ESPN coaches poll.
The Series
Oklahoma leads the series, 21-1, including an 8-1 mark in College Station and a 5-1 record at Reed Arena. The Sooners have won 10 straight overall and five consecutive in College Station since a 74-72 A&M win in 1999. The last three games in College Station have all been decided by six points or fewer. Four of the last five meetings overall have been decided by seven points or fewer.
TEXAS A&M vs. Oklahoma
(OU leads, 21-1)
Last 12 Meetings
Year Winner Site
1998-99 OU, 64-59 Norman
A&M, 74-72 College Station
1999-00 OU, 78-53 Norman
OU, 77-59 College Station
2000-01 OU, 78-65 Norman
OU 72-63 College Station
2001-02 OU, 89-63 Norman
OU, 68-64 College Station
2002-03 OU, 75-68 Norman
OU, 69-64 College Station
2003-04 OU, 78-72 College Station
OU, 86-60 Norman
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
12-2 at A&M (1st year)
42-34 overall (3rd year)
0-0 vs. Oklahoma
0-0 vs. Kelvin Sampson
OKLAHOMA
Kelvin Sampson (Pembroke State '78)
247-94 at OU (11th year)
423-242 overall (22nd year)
16-1 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
The A&M coaching staff has many ties to the state of Oklahoma...head coach Billy Gillipsie served as an assistant at Tulsa under Bill Self from 1997-00...assistant coach Buzz Williams is a 1994 graduate of Oklahoma City University, where he served as a student assistant...video coordinator Albert Johnson played college basketball at Langston University and before coming to A&M was an assistant at Bartlesville High School (1993-94), Northeastern Oklahoma (2002-03), John Marshall High School (2001-02) and Douglass High School (1998-99) in Oklahoma City...Johnson also served from 2000-02 as coach of Athletes First, a highly-successful AAU team in Oklahoma, where he coached the Sooners' David Godbold.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (12-2, 1-2)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.5 7.9 1.4 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.7 2.9 66% FG
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.1 6.3 49% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 8.7 2.4 2.9 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 13.3 4.0 5.3 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 5.4 2.2 3.5 ast
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 5.0 4.2 58% FG
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.5 3.9 0.7 blk
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
"We got whipped on Saturday by a very good team on their home court. I thought our effort was great, we just got whipped and hopefully we'll learn some things from it. Tech was fantastic. I thought we showed as much grit as we've shown all year. We just missed too many shots and made too many mental errors. We're still a young team and that's only the third time we've been on the road. There's a lot of hall of fame coaches in our league and Kelvin Sampson is on that path. He's been great every year. They are as well-coached and as tough a team as anybody you'll ever see. I love watching his teams. They play tough, they play great defense and they don't turn the ball over. You've got to guard all five positions or they are going to beat the dog out of you."
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M OU
Record 12-2 13-2
Conference 1-2 2-0
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 72 23
Sagarin Rating 32 10
Current Streak L1 W6
Field Goal Pct. .500 .489
Opponent FG Pct. .352 .411
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .389 .383
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .295 .275
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 5.9 6.8
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.1 17.7
Free Throw Pct. .645 .681
Opponent FT Pct. .651 .688
Rebound Avg. 40.0 36.1
Offensive Reb. Avg. 13.5 12.7
Rebounding Margin +9.4 +4.5
Turnovers Avg. 16.3 14.3
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 18.1 18.3
Assists Avg. 18.9 16.5
Blocks Avg. 3.9 4.3
Steals Avg. 7.3 9.6
Scoring Avg. 78.4 77.9
Opponent Scoring 58.6 59.9
Scoring Margin +19.8 +18.1
Texas Tech Recap
LUBBOCK (AP) -- Ronald Ross scored 27 points as Texas Tech beat Texas A&M 70-56 on Saturday night. Tech never trailed and the Red Raiders were aided by a cold-shooting Aggie team. A&M made just 22 percent from the field in the first half and didn't climb into double digits until nearly 14 minutes into the game. The Aggies came into the game second in the conference in field goal percentage at 50 percent. Against Tech, they shot just 40 percent on 21-of-53 from the field for the game. They were no better when it came to 3-pointers. The Aggies hit on only 2-of-13, well below their 40 percent season average. Despite the poor shooting, the Aggies crept back in the second half and pulled within 46-41 on a pull-up jumper in the lane by Dominique Kirk with 9:52 remaining in the game. Tech countered with a 14-4 run, including six points by Darryl Dora to go up 60-45 with 5:19 to go. Ross made 11-of-15 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. Martin Zeno added 18 points for Texas Tech, and Dora had a season-high 11. Antoine Wright scored 18 points and had 12 rebounds for Texas A&M, while Joseph Jones added 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Red Raiders took a 31-21 lead into halftime.
Last Year in Norman
NORMAN, Okla. (AP, March 3, 2004)- De'Angelo Alexander scored 17 points and freshman Drew Lavender had 14 points and eight assists to help Oklahoma post an 86-60 victory over Texas A&M. Jaison Williams, Jason Detrick and Johnnie Gilbert each had 12 points for the Sooners, who opened the game with a 21-2 run. The Aggies missed 10 of their first 11 shots and committed seven turnovers in the first 9 minutes, falling behind by 19 points. Oklahoma led 35-20 at halftime, holding the Aggies to 5-for-29 shooting (17 percent) with 13 turnovers. A&M's starters combined for four points in the first half. The Aggies never got any closer than 13 points in the second half, and trailed by as many as 30. Jesse King led Texas A&M with 13 points and Antoine Wright added 12. The Sooners managed to shoot a season-best 59 percent from the field -- not so surprising since the effort came against the Big 12's worst defense.
Last Year in College Station
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Feb. 14, 2004) -- Drew Lavender scored a career high 31 points, including nine in the final two minutes, to lead Oklahoma to a 78-72 victory over Texas A&M. With 1:50 remaining in the game and the Sooners trailing, Lavender missed the second of two free throws, but Oklahoma got three straight offensive rebounds followed by misses before Jabahri Brown took a fourth straight rebound and found Lavender outside the arc. The freshman point guard drained the 3-pointer to give Oklahoma a 72-70 lead. A&M was led by Kevin Turner with 16 points. Lavender scored all but four of OU's points in the final five minutes and eventually regained the lead for good with his 3-pointer. The Sooners were out-rebounded 40-27, but in the final two minutes, the Sooners controlled the boards to a 7-1 advantage.
Historic Debut
Billy Gillispie's 12-1 start was 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
(through 13 games)
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' 11-0 start was the third best in A&M history and was was the best since the 1919-20 team went undefeated (19-0). The 1915-16 team also started 11-0. A&M's 12-2 record is its best after 14 games since the 1978-79 team started 13-2. 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 12-2
1918-19 12-2
1978-79 12-2
1928-29 12-2
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 (7.9), ranking fourth in the Big 12, and is third in scoring (12.5). Jones has had five double-doubles, including two straight, most by a Big 12 freshman this season. He leads all Big 12 freshmen in rebounding. He scored 13 points with 10 boards in the Aggies upset of No. 9-ranked Texas and followed with 13 points and 11 boards at Texas Tech. 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 had 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 11 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 seven games since has averaged 15.3 points, 8.1rebounds and made 74.6 percent from the field (41-of-56).
Law and Order
Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 5.4 per game and is second on the team in scoring (13.3), 20th in the Big 12. Law also ranks sixth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .545, second 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 (9th, 2.08). 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. 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 17.1 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 12 in scoring, rebounding (12th, 6.3), field goal percentage (10th, .489), free throw percentage (12th, .714), three-point percentage (4th, .415) and three-point field goals (9th, 1.93). Wright has had four 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. He scored 18 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds at Texas Tech. 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 eight games, he's averaged 17.9 points. 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 1,024 career points, ranking him 25th 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 12 dunks. Wright had 11 dunks in 56 career games entering the season.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 17.1
RPG 4.1 6.3
Steals 0.9 1.1
Assists 2.3 2.1
Blocks 0.3 0.6
FG Pct. .368 .489
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .415
FT Pct. .626 .714
Dunks 5 12
A&M CAREER SCORING
Player Years Points
1. Bernard King 1999-03 1,990
2. Vernon Smith 1977-81 1,778
3. John Beasley 1963-66 1,594
4. Winston Crite 1983-87 1,576
5. Rynn Wright 1977-81 1,495
6. Claude Riley 1979-83 1,383
7. Carroll Broussard 1959-62 1,382
8. Bennie Lenox 1961-64 1,344
9. Todd Holloway 1983-87 1,331
10. Rudy Woods 1978-82 1,272
Closing in:
25. Antoine Wright 2002-05 1,024
Pompey Pays Off
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. He scored eight points at Texas Tech. Pompey has scored at least five points in nine games this season and ranks fifth on the team in rebounds (3.9). He is second on the team in blocks (0.7).
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 (.352) and leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (58.6), ranking 13th nationally. The Aggies rank seventh nationally, and second in the Big 12, in scoring margin (+19.8). A&M ranks second in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.295) and has forced an average of 18.1 turnovers per game, fourth 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 opponents have shot under 40 percent and none has shot better than 48 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 twice this season, falling behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60, and falling behind by 16 at Texas Tech before losing, 70-56. 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 14 games, but has trailed at intermission in all three road games at Penn State, Kansas and Texas Tech. Of 28 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just seven times.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and 18th nationally in field goal percentage (.500). A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (78.4, 26th 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 sixth nationally in assists with an average of 18.9 per game. For the season, 264 of the Aggies' 387 field goals (.682) 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 team 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 38.0 points in the paint after averaging 25.6 last season. A&M also has done a good job converting turnovers, averaging 21.4 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 15.4 this season.
Turnovers Down
The Aggies are committing an average of 16.3 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 14.1 turnovers in the last seven games. A&M ranks sixth in the league in turnover margin (+1.79) and is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.16).
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average 22.2 personal fouls per game. The Aggies have committed at least 19 personal fouls in 13 games. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's opponents averaging 21.6 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 3.6 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 8.7 per game and is second with 16 three-point field goals, making 38.1 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 (2.58) and ranks 15th in assists (3.50). Leach has made 9-of-18 (.500) 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 of the last eight 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.He had nine points at Texas Tech and is averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in the last two games.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 12 of 14 opponents this season and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +9.4, ranking among the leaders nationally. The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in six games. A&M out-rebounded Kansas, 33-27. 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 sixth on the team in scoring (5.0) and is third in rebounding (4.2) while making 57.8 percent (26-of-45) 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 14 games and started in the last nine. After going scoreless in the first two games, Walker has averaged 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in the last 11 games while making 65.5 percent (19-of-29) 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 6.0 points 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 38-of-54 (.704) in the last two games. A&M ranks 10th in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.645), off-set somewhat by 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, 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.