February 10, 2005
The Texas A&M Aggies (15-5, 4-5 in Big 12) play host to the No. 10-ranked (AP and ESPN/USA Today) Oklahoma State Cowboys (18-3, 8-2 in Big 12) on Saturday at 5:06 p.m. (Central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. The game will be televised regionally by Fox Sports Net Southwest.
A&M already has won eight more games than last season (7-21), making it one of the most improved teams in the country. The Aggies have been idle since an impressive 91-63 win against Missouri last Saturday. The Cowboys have won four straight and are coming off a 79-67 win against No. 16-ranked Oklahoma at home on Monday.
A&M is 14-1 at Reed Arena this season, the most home victories in school history. Oklahoma State is 6-2 in true road games.
The Cowboys lead the series, 23-8, with a 10-5 edge in games played in College Station and a 5-1 record at Reed Arena. Oklahoma State has won nine straight against the Aggies since a 64-59 A&M win at Reed Arena in 1999. The Cowboys swept last year's games, posting a 70-41 win in Stillwater and a 91-79 victory in College Station.
GAME #21
Texas A&M AGGIES
(15-5 4-5 Big 12)
vs.
#10 Oklahoma State COWBOYS
(18-3, 8-2 Big 12)
5:06 p.m. (Central)
Saturday, Feb. 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: 4:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE: TBA (A&M feed)
TELEVISION:
Fox Sports Net Southwest
Greg Lucas, play-by-play
Jim Haller, commentary
Wave Robinson, producer
TICKETS:
Available
$12, $10, $6
About The Cowboys
The Cowboys return eight lettermen and four starters from last year's team that finished 31-4 overall, won the Big 12 with a 14-2 record and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Oklahoma State is in its 15th year under head coach Eddie Sutton. The Cowboys non-conference schedule was highlighted by a 74-60 win against No. 8-ranked Syracuse, while their most impressive Big 12 wins have been at Texas Tech (76-66) and at home against Oklahoma (79-67). Their Big 12 losses were on the road to Texas (75-61) and Oklahoma (67-57). Oklahoma State is led by senior forward Joey Graham (6'7"), who leads the Big 12 in scoring (18.6) and adds 6.9 rebounds. Senior guard John Lucas (5'11") averages 17.6 points and a team-best 4.6 assists, while senior forward Ivan McFarlin (6'8") contributes 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. The Cowboys lead the nation in three-point accuracy, making 42.8 percent.
Who's Hot?
*Junior Antoine Wright has has scored in double figures in seven straight games, averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in that span. He has made 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from 3-point range in the last four games.
*Sophomore Acie Law has averaged 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the last five games while making 26-of-47 (.553) from the field, 8-of-16 (.500) from 3-point range and 14-of-16 (.875) from the free throw line. Law had a career-high 14 assists against Missouri.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has averaged 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in the last three games, making 21-of-34 (.618) from the field.
*Senior Bobby Leach has averaged 14.3 points in the last three games, including a career-high 20 against Missouri, making 5-of-6 three-pointers (.833) in that span.
Quick Notes
*A&M is 4-1 when junior Antoine Wright, an All-Big 12 candidate, has a double-double. Wright ranks second in the Big 12 three-point percentage (.429) and also has emerged as one of the league's premier defenders.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had six double-doubles, most by a league freshman, and is the only Big 12 freshman to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. A&M is 6-1 when Jones has a double-double.
*Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists (5.4) and is sixth in field goal percentage (.532). Law is the only Big 12 player to average at least 10.0 points and 5.0 assists per game.
*Senior Bobby Leach ranks third in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio (2.29) and has emerged as one of the league's top reserves and one of the most improved players. A&M is 9-0 when Leach has four or more assists and is 5-0 when he scores in double figures.
*A&M leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (60.7) and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.379), eighth best nationally.
*The Aggies are second in the league in field goal percentage (.495) and third in assists (17.6), ranking among the top 15 nationally in both areas.
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 16 of 20 opponents and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+7.9).
*A&M is averaging just 13.1 turnovers in the last 10 games.
*A&M has attracted six of the 14 largest home crowds in school history in the last six games.
*A&M is the only Big 12 team to start two freshmen in every game this season (Joseph Jones and Dominique Kirk).
*A&M is 13-1 when its opponents score 68 or fewer points and is 14-1 when its opponents make less than 45.0 percent from the field.
The Series
Oklahoma State leads the series, 23-8, with a 10-5 edge in games played in College Station and a 5-1 mark at Reed Arena. The Cowboys have won nine straight overall, and four straight at Reed, since a 64-59 A&M win in 1998-99.
TEXAS A&M vs. Oklahoma St.
(OSU leads, 23-8)
Last 10 Games
Year Winner Site
1999-00 A&M, 64-59 College Station
OSU, 87-55 Stillwater
2000-01 OSU, 76-64 Stillwater
OSU, 82-76 College Station
2001-02 OSU, 71-66 College Station
OSU, 66-51 Stillwater
2002-03 OSU, 93-76 College Station
OSU, 77-52 Stillwater
2003-04 OSU, 91-79 College Station
OSU, 70-41 Stillwater
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
15-5 at A&M (1st year)
45-37 overall (3rd year)
0-0 vs. Oklahoma State
0-0 vs. Eddie Sutton
OKLAHOMA STATE
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State '58)
343-131 at OSU (15th year)
773-295 overall (35th year)
35-6 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
Former A&M head coach John Floyd, who led the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament in 1951, played at Oklahoma State and then served as an assistant coach under legendary OSU coach Henry Iba before coming to A&M......A&M coach Billy Gillispie is 39-13 in his last two seasons as a head coach...OSU standouts John Lucas and Ivan McFarlin are seniors from Houston...associate AD Mike Caruso, A&M's game manager, played for OSU coach Eddie Sutton at Creighton in the early 1970s...Gillispie served as an assistant to former Sutton assistant Bill Self at Tulsa from 1997-00 and Illinois from 2000-02...A&M assistant Alvin Brooks was an assistant to OSU's James Dickey in 1999-01 when the latter was head coach at Texas Tech...A&M assistant Buzz Williams is a 1994 graduate of Oklahoma City University...A&M video coordinator Albert Johnson is a native Oklahoman and graduated from Langston University in 1998.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (15-5, 4-5)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.5 7.4 1.5 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.2 2.9 75% FT
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.2 6.4 48% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 7.8 2.2 2.5 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 13.4 4.2 5.4 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 7.3 2.7 3.2 ast
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 4.3 3.7 55% FG
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.0 3.5 55% FG
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 2.1 1.6 --
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 1.7 0.7 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 1.2 0.3 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Gillispie Quoteboard
"When you play Oklahoma State, you have to play your absolute best. They're playing great right now. They are a great team. They're as good a defensive team as I've ever seen. They average twenty-three and a half years of age and they have six seniors. They went to the Final Four last year and they're very talented. What more can you say about them? They're great. It's not any fun at all to coach against all these Hall of Fame coaches in the Big 12. It's an honor to play against those guys, but it's not any fun because they don't have any weaknesses and their teams play without weakness. You have to be so good and so lucky just to win a game. It was a good win for us last Saturday. It was about as good of a half as I've been a part of. I've never seen a team make nine threes in a row and I doubt if we'll ever see that again. I would like to as long as it's our team."
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M OSU
Record 15-5 18-3
Conference 4-5 8-2
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 97 5
Sagarin Rating 39 8
Current Streak W1 W4
Field Goal Pct. .495 .509
Opponent FG Pct. .379 .421
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .397 .428
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .314 .348
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.0 7.2
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.1 16.9
Free Throw Pct. .659 .762
Opponent FT Pct. .659 .681
Rebound Avg. 38.3 35.6
Offensive Reb. Avg. 12.7 11.7
Rebounding Margin +7.9 +6.6
Turnovers Avg. 15.3 14.6
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 16.7 16.3
Assists Avg. 17.6 17.7
Blocks Avg. 3.9 2.9
Steals Avg. 7.1 8.0
Scoring Avg. 75.7 80.0
Opponent Scoring 60.7 62.4
Scoring Margin +15.1 +17.7
Missouri Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP) -- Antoine Wright and Bobby Leach scored 20 points apiece and Texas A&M used sizzling long-range shooting to beat Missouri 91-63 on Saturday night. A&M shot 75 percent from 3-point range in the second half, making 9-of-12 to erase a one-point halftime deficit and coast to the lopsided win. It was a turnaround from the first half when the Aggies made just 2-of-7 3-point shots. The win is Texas A&M's 15th of the season, which ensures the Aggies their best finish since going 19-11 in the 1993-1994 season. Leach's 20 points was a career high for the senior. He made 4-of-5 3-pointers, with three coming in the second half. Joseph Jones added 17 points and had four blocked shots for A&M and Acie Law scored 11 points and had a career-best 14 assists. A&M (15-5, 4-5 Big 12) trailed 43-39 with 17:15 left before going on a 13-0 run fueled by hot 3-point shooting to take a 52-43 lead. In that span of under three minutes, A&M made three 3-point goals, including two by freshman Dominique Kirk. The Aggies hit four more from beyond the arc and Wright made his second three-point play of the night to put A&M ahead 73-55 with just more than six minutes remaining. Missouri (10-12, 2-7) managed only eight more points the rest of the game, while A&M piled on 18, six of which were from 3-pointers.
Texas A&M took advantage of 19 Missouri turnovers that led to 24 points. Missouri led 7-4 early, but Texas A&M outscored the Tigers 11-0 to take a 15-7 lead with 13:27 left in first half. Missouri made two 3-pointers late in the first half to lead 35-34 at halftime.
Last Year at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (Feb. 3, 2004) -- John Lucas scored 27 points and Tony Allen had 13 of his 21 in the second half for No. 13 Oklahoma State, which held off Texas A&M 91-79 for its sixth straight victory. The Cowboys never trailed after the opening minutes of the game but the Aggies got within 73-68 with 5:51 to play before going on to their seventh straight loss. The Cowboys took a 53-39 lead early in the second half on a 3-pointer by Lucas. The Aggies went on an 11-2 run to get within 55-51, but Oklahoma State answered with a run that included consecutive baskets by Janavo Weatherspoon to make it 64-53. Lucas scored the Cowboys' final six points. Jesse King led the Aggies with 19 points and Antoine Wright had 13. Andy Slocum got his seventh double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Cowboys closed out a tight first half with an 11-2 run that ended with a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Lucas that made it 43-34. The Cowboys beat the Aggies for the eighth straight time.
Last Year in Stillwater
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP)- John Lucas scored 20 points and Joey Graham had 14, helping No. 7 Oklahoma State claim sole possession of the Big 12 title with a 70-41 victory over Texas A&M. The Cowboys clinched their first outright conference championship since 1964-65 in the former Big Eight. This matchup between the Big 12's best team and its worst was ugly from the start. A&M missed eight of its first nine shots, while Oklahoma State also got off to a sluggish start. The Cowboys went on a 15-3 run midway through the first half, though, and essentially turned the game into a coronation ceremony from there. The Cowboys seemed to snap out of their funk late in the first half when Lucas lofted a ball high to Tony Allen for a monstrous one-handed alley oop, giving Oklahoma State a 17-9 lead. Texas A&M never got any closer the rest of the game. Nick Anderson and Acie Law led the Aggies with 10 points each.
Big Turnaround
The Aggies are 15-5 this season after finishing 7-21 last season, one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the country this season. A&M also is 4-5 in Big 12 play after going 0-16 last year. The eight-win improvement to this point is the second best in the country behind San Diego, which is 13-10 after finishing 4-26 last season. A&M's turnaround already ties as the third best in A&M history and also ties for the third best in Big 12 annals.
NATION'S MOST IMPROVED TEAMS
(Increase in total victories through Feb. 9)
Team 2003-04 2004-05 +/-
San Diego 4-26 13-10 +9
Texas A&M 7-21 15-5 +8
Arizona State 10-17 16-7 +6
Illinois State 10-19 16-6 +6
The Citadel 6-22 12-9 +6
Albany 5-23 11-11 +6
IMPROVED AGGIES
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
Overall Record 7-21 15-5
Big 12 Record 0-16 5-5
Scoring Offense 71.9 75.7
Scoring Defense 76.4 60.7
Scoring Margin -4.5 +15.1
FG Percentage .415 .495
FG Pct. Defense .488 .379
3-Pt. FG Pct. .325 .397
3-Pt. FG Pct. Defense .390 .314
Rebounding Margin +4.7 +7.9
Blocked Shots 1.3 3.9
Points in the Paint 25.6 34.2
Points off Turnovers 15.3 20.0
Fast Break Points 7.8 13.1
Historic Start
Billy Gillispie's 15-5 start is the best by a first-year coach in A&M history. The previous record was 14-6 by A&M's first coach, F.D. Steger, in 1912-15, D.X. Bible in 1920-21 and Shelby Metcalf in 1963-64. Gillispie already has posted the fourth most wins by a first-year Aggie coach and is chasing the record of 18 (18-7) by Shelby Metcalf in 1963-64. The Aggies' 11-0 start was the third best in A&M history and was the best since the 1919-20 team went undefeated (19-0). The 1915-16 team also started 11-0. A&M's 15-5 record is its best after 20 games since the 1979-80 team also started 15-5. A&M began 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. After beating No. 9-ranked Texas on Jan. 12, the Aggies received 37 votes in the next AP poll (28th), its most in more than 20 years.
FIRST-YEAR COACHING WINS
Coach (Year) Record
1. Shelby Metcalf (1963-64) 18-7
2. John Floyd (1950-51) 17-12
3. Dana X. Bible (1920-21) 16-6
4. Billy Gillispie (2004-05) 15-5
Basketball Jones
A top candidate for Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Joseph Jones has had an impressive start to his college career. Jones leads the Aggies in rebounding (7.4), ranking seventh in the Big 12, and is third in scoring (12.5). Jones has had six double-doubles, including three in Big 12 play, most by a Big 12 freshman this season. A&M is 6-1 when Jones has a double-double. He leads all league freshmen in rebounding and blocked shots (1.5). Jones leads the Aggies in three-point plays with 10. 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 scored 21 points and tied his career-best with 13 boards against Baylor, and scored 17 points with four blocks against Missouri. 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 12 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 Big 12 freshman to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Law and Order
A top candidate for All-Big 12 honors, Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 5.4 per game and is second on the team in scoring (13.4). He is the only Big 12 player to average at least 10.0 points and 5.0 assists. Law also ranks sixth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .532, second best by a guard. A&M is 6-0 when Law leads the team in scoring. 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, and scored 17 in the victory over Kansas State, making 3-of-4 three-pointers. He 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 points (with a career-high eight rebounds) against Penn State, making the winning free throws with 11 seconds left. Law added 22 points against Baylor, then handed out a career-high 14 assists against Missouri to go along with 11 points, his second double-double of the year. He scored 18 points with a career-high 11 assists against UTPB, his first career double-double. He has scored in double figures in 14 games. In the last five games, Law has averaged 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists while making 55 percent from the field, 50 percent of his three-pointers and 88 percent from the line.
The Wright Stuff
A top candidate for first-team All-Big 12 honors, junior Antoine Wright leads the team in scoring with a 17.2 average, ranking seventh 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 player in the league to average at least 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Perhaps the Big 12's most versatile player, Wright also is the only player to rank among the league's top 15 in scoring, rebounding (13th, 6.4), field goal percentage (10th, .484), three-point percentage (2nd, .429) and three-point field goals (10th, 1.95). Wright has had five double-doubles and missed three more by just a single rebound. A&M is 4-1 when Wright has a double-double. 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, one that tied the game in the final minute. He scored 18 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds at Texas Tech. Wright scored a season-high 24 points against Oklahoma and added 23 points against Grambling. He scored 20 points with eight rebounds and six assists against Missouri. Wright also has emerged as one of the Big 12's top defensive players, generally guarding the opponents' top offensive player. 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 1,128 career points, ranking him 20th 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 17 dunks. Wright had 11 dunks in 56 career games entering the season. Wright's 149 three-point field goals are tied for second on A&M's career list.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 17.2
RPG 4.1 6.4
FG Pct. .368 .484
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .429
FT Pct. .626 .689
Dunks 5 17
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:
22. Antoine Wright 2002-05 1,128
Three Amigos
The trio of Antoine Wright, Acie Law and Joseph Jones have combined to average 43.1 points and 18.0 rebounds per game. That's 56.9 percent of the Aggies' scoring and 51.1 percent of the rebounding. A&M is 9-1 when all three score in double figures, with the only loss coming by a narrow 65-60 margin at Kansas.
Leach's Reach
Perhaps the most improved player in the Big 12, Bobby Leach has emerged as one of the top reserves in the league this season. The Aggies' lone senior, he ranks third in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.29) and is fifth on the team in scoring (7.3). In Big 12 play, he's averaging 10.0 points, fourth on the team and third among Big 12 reserves. Leach is second on the team in assists (3.2) and has made 18-of-33 (.545) from three-point range after making just 5-of-16 (.313) all of last season. Leach has handed out at least three assists in nine of the last 14 games, including a season high of six in wins against No. 9-ranked Texas and Kansas State. A&M is 9-0 when Leach has at least four assists. He's scored in all but two games this season and had 14 points against Baylor and a career-high 20 against Missouri, making 4-of-5 three-pointers. He is averaging 14.3 points in the last three games, while making 5-of-6 (.833) from three-point range. Leach has scored at least nine points in eight straight games.
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 7.8 per game and is tied for second with 21 three-point field goals, making 34 percent. Against Alabama A&M, Kirk scored a career-high 18 points and also posted personal bests in rebounds (7) and steals (4). Kirk added 15 points in the win against Houston and scored nine against Missouri, making his final three three-pointers after an 0-4 start.
Fresh Look
A&M is the only Big 12 team to start two freshmen in every game. Dominique Kirk and Joseph Jones also are the only Aggies to start in every game. The only other season in A&M history when two freshmen started in every game was in 1998-99 with Bernard King and Jamaal Gilchrist.
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, and has a seven-point, seven-rebound performance at Oklahoma. A defensive stopper, Pompey has scored at least five points in 11 games this season and has seven games with five or more rebounds. He ranks fifth on the team in rebounds (3.5) and is tied for second in blocks (12).
Green Machine
Junior Edjuan Green scored a career-high 17 points with nine rebounds against Prairie View A&M, and scored 14 points with a career-high 11 rebounds against Grambling for his first career double-double. He ranks sixth on the team in scoring (4.3) and is fourth in rebounding (3.7) while making 55.4 percent (31-of-56) 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.
Stout Defense
A&M leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (60.7), ranking 21st nationally, and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.379), ranking eighth nationally. The Aggies led the nation in field goal percentage defense before Oklahoma made a 53.2 percent on Jan. 18, the only time this season an opponent has shot better than 48 percent. The Aggies rank 12th nationally in scoring margin (+15.0), third in the Big 12. A&M is 13-1 when its opponent scores 68 points or fewer and is 14-1 when its opponent shoots under 45 percent. 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. Last season, A&M held just six opponents to under 40 percent field goal accuracy in 28 games. This year, 11 opponents have shot 40 percent or under.
Taking the Lead
A&M has trailed by more than seven points in just four games this season, falling behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60, trailing by 16 at Texas Tech (70-56 loss) and at home against No. 18 Oklahoma (a 70-54 loss), and falling behind by 14 at Nebraska (a 77-67 loss). In non-conference play, 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 14 games. Of 40 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just 12 times.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally in field goal percentage (.495). Last year, A&M shot better than 45 percent just six times, including only one game in Big 12 play. This season, the Aggies have shot at least 44.9 percent 15 times, including six Big 12 games. A&M has scored 80 or more points in eight games, including five games with more than 90. Last season, Billy Gillispie's UTEP team scored at least 80 points in 15 of its 32 games. 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 margin.
Unselfish Aggies
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 and are 11th nationally in assists with an average of 17.6 per game. For the season, 352 of the Aggies' 532 field goals (.661) have been assisted, the best rate in the Big 12 and among the best nationally. Against Missouri, A&M had 28 assists and only 11 turnovers, including an astounding 19 assists and two turnovers in a 57-point second half.
Turnovers Down
The Aggies are committing an average of 15.3 turnovers per game, second most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies have averaged just 13.1 turnovers in the last 10 games. A&M ranks fifth in the league in turnover margin (+1.45) and is also fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.15). A&M is averaging just 13.4 turnovers in Big 12 play, fifth fewest in the league.
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average a whopping 22.2 personal fouls per game, most in the Big 12. The Aggies have committed at least 18 personal fouls in 17 games, including a season-high 34 in the loss at Nebraska. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's opponents averaging 21.2 fouls per contest, second most in the league (Texas, 21.4). Consequently, the Aggies are averaging 25.1 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big 12. A&M is averaging 2.1 more attempts per game than its opponents.
Walking the Walk
Junior Chris Walker, a walk-on from Dallas, has played in all 20 games and started in the last 15. Walker has made 52.3 percent (23-of-44) from the field and nailed 4-of-10 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 75.0 percent (33-of-44). Walker has made 16-of-18 free throws (.889) in Big 12 play, including all six 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 improved considerably from the free throw line since Big 12 play began. The Aggies made just 63.3 percent in non-conference play, but have made 69.9 percent in Big 12 games, sixth best in the league. A&M ranks 10th overall in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.659), off-set somewhat by averaging a league-best 25.1 attempts per game.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 16 of 20 opponents this season and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +7.9, ranking ninth nationally. The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in seven games, including a whopping 43-22 margin against Baylor. The only teams to out-board the Aggies have been Penn State (39-35), Texas (39-33), Oklahoma at home (31-25) and Nebraska (38-27). A&M bounced back to beat the Sooners on the boards, 38-31, in Norman. Kansas State out-boarded the Aggies, 20-12, in the first half, but A&M posted a dominating 24-9 margin in the second half.
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 Gillispie 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," Gillispie said.
On the Block
The Aggies already have posted 77 blocked shots this season after having just 35 all of last year. The Aggies had 10 blocks against Grambling, tying for third most in school history.
Steady Lineup
The Aggies used five different starting lineups in the first eight games, but have started the same group in the last 13 contests (Acie Law, Dominique Kirk, Antoine Wright, Chris Walker and Joseph Jones). A&M is the only Big 12 team to have started two true freshmen in every game (Jones and Kirk).
Record Crowds
A crowd of 12,811 attended the Texas game, the largest crowd in school history, followed by the seventh largest crowd of 11,971 against Oklahoma. A&M has drawn six of the 14 largest crowds in A&M annals in the last six home games. A&M has attracted at least 9,000 for six straight games, a streak matched in the Big 12 only by Kansas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The crowd of 11,200 that attended the Houston game on Dec. 29 was the school's 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. 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.
TEXAS A&M SEASON ATTENDANCE
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 6,466
2. 1980-81 6,141
3. 2003-04 6,100
Closing:
2004-05 7,181
(a 17.7% increase over last season)
TEXAS A&M CONFERENCE GAME ATTENDANCE
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 8,157
3. 2003-04 7,333
3. 1974-75 7,145
Closing:
2004-05 10,868
(a 52.1% increase over last year)