March 01, 2005
Riding their longest conference winning streak in 10 years, the Texas A&M Aggies (18-7, 7-7 in Big 12) play the No. 8-ranked (AP and ESPN/USA Today) Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-5, 10-4 in Big 12) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (Central) at Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611 cap.).
The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Aggies have won three straight and are coming off an impressive 85-63 win at home on Saturday against No. 25-ranked Texas Tech. A&M already has won 11 more games than last season (7-21), tying with San Diego as the most improved team in the country.
The Cowboys have lost two straight and are coming off an 81-79 loss on Sunday at No. 7 Kansas.
A&M is 2-5 in road games while Oklahoma State has the nation's longest home winning streak at 28 straight, including a perfect 12-0 mark this season.
The Cowboys lead the series, 24-8, with a 9-1 record in games played in Stillwater. A&M's lone victory in Stillwater came in the 1922-23 season by a score of 24-17.
GAME #26
Texas A&M AGGIES
(18-7 7-7 Big 12)
vs.
#8 Oklahoma State COWBOYS
(20-5, 10-4 Big 12)
6 p.m. (Central)
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611 cap.)
Stillwater, Okla.
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Colin Killian, commentary
Airtime: 6 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION
ESPN2
(National)
Dave Pasch, play-by-play
Jimmy Dykes, commentary
A&M Quick Notes
*Junior Antoine Wright on Monday was named National Player of the Week by The Sporting News. Wright, one of the league's premier defenders, has averaged 27.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in A&M's three-game winning streak.
*Head Coach Billy Gillipsie on Monday was named National Coach of the Week by ESPN analyst Dick Vitale.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had six double-doubles, most by a league freshman, and is the top-ranked freshman center in the country by CBS SportsLine.com, which ranks him fourth overall. A&M is 6-1 when Jones has a double-double.
*Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists (5.1) and is the only Big 12 player to average at least 10.0 points and 5.0 assists.
*Senior Bobby Leach has emerged as one of the league's top reserves and one of the most improved players, averaging 9.5 points in conference play, second among Big 12 reserves. A&M is 12-0 when Leach has four or more assists. Leach also ranks seventh nationally (second in the Big 12) in three-point percentage (.511) among players who have at least 45 attempts.
*A&M leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (62.1) and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.387), 11th best nationally.
*The Aggies are third in the league and 19th nationally in field goal percentage (.490). A&M is third in assists (17.0), ranking 27th nationally.
*A&M is 17-0 when any player besides Wright, Jones or Law scores in double figures.
*A&M is the only Big 12 team to start two freshmen in every game this season (Jones/Kirk).
*A&M is 13-0 when its opponents score 64 or fewer points and is 17-1 when its opponents make less than 45.8 percent from the field.
*A&M is 13-1 when its has 32 or more points in the paint.
Who's Hot?
*Junior Antoine Wright has averaged 27.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in the last three games, making 28-of-41 (.683) from the field, 12-of-19 (.631) from 3-point range and 14-of-16 (.875) from the free throw line.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the last three games, making 18-of-25 (.720) from the field.
*Senior Bobby Leach has averaged 10.7 points and 5.3 assists in the last three games, making 4-of-9 three-pointers (.444) . Leach has made 22-of-24 (.917) free throws in the last six games.
*Sophomore Marlon Pompey has made 20-of-28 (.714) from the field in the last 10 games.
*Sophomore Acie Law scored 12 points with 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals against Texas Tech.
*Junior Chris Walker has averaged 7.5 points in the last two games and has made 16 straight free throws.
About Oklahoma State
The Cowboys return eight lettermen and four starters from last year's team that finished 31-4 overall, won the Big 12 title at 14-2 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Oklahoma State is in its 15th year under head coach Eddie Sutton. The Cowboys are led by senior guard John Lucas (5'11"), who ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (18.2), and senior forward Joey Graham (6'7"), who ranks fourth in the league (17.8). Lucas leads the Big 12 in three-point accuracy (.435). Senior forward Ivan McFarlin (6'8") contributes 11.8 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds, while freshman guard JamesOn Curry (6'3") adds 8.3 points. The Cowboys lead the nation in three-point accuracy, making 43.2 percent, and also lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent. In addition, the Cowboys are second in the league in rebounding margin (+6.1), assists (17.6) and scoring offense (79.1).
The Series
Oklahoma State leads the series, 24-8, with a 9-1 edge in games played in Stillwater. The Cowboys have won 10 straight overall since a 64-59 A&M win in College Station in 1998-99, including a 66-59 win in College Station on Feb. 12. That was the Cowboys only win this season by a single-digit margin. OSU has won nine straight in Stillwater since a 24-17 A&M win in 1922-23.
TEXAS A&M vs. Oklahoma State
(OSU leads, 24-8)
LAST 11 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
2004-05 OSU, 66-59 College Station
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
18-7 at A&M (1st year)
48-39 overall (3rd year)
0-1 vs. Oklahoma State
0-1 vs. Eddie Sutton
OKLAHOMA STATE
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State '58)
345-133 at OSU (15th year)
775-297 overall (35th year)
36-6 vs. Texas A&M
1-0 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 42-15 in his last two seasons as a head coach...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...Johnson coached Athletes First, a highly-successful Oklahoma AAU team that included Kansas players J.R. Giddens, Jeremy Case and Darnell Jackson, Oklahoma's David Godbold, Colorado's Keith Smith and Kansas State's Clent Stewart, as well as Oklahoma football player Quentin Chaney.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (18-7, 7-7)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.6 7.1 61% FG
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.3 3.0 79% FT
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.7 6.4 49% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 7.4 2.4 2.3 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 12.5 3.8 5.1 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 7.6 3.1 3.3 ast
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.4 3.1 59% FG
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 3.7 3.4 51% FG
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 1.9 0.6 --
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 1.8 1.4 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 1.1 0.2 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Gillispie Quoteboard
"Last week was a good week for us, but as everyone knows it becomes an even more difficult challenge for us this week. Our major challenge this week is to keep playing well and try to get better. Gallagher-Iba Arena is probably one of the toughest places in the world to play. Joey Graham is a great player and they've got some other guys, too. Last time we played them we were playing really well defensively and then Graham had a four or five-minute spurt. They're a Final Four team and they don't make mistakes. You have to beat them. Coach Sutton is as good a coach as there ever has been. When you watch his teams play and you study his teams, you just gain respect for what they do. They recruit well they coach really well and they play the game they way they're supposed to. It's an honor to play against his teams and we look forward to the challenge. We're playing against a great team and a home court tradition that's unmatched. Then on Saturday, we have to go play a team that's totally under-appreciated (Baylor) and a lot better than anyone wants to give them credit for. We've definitely got a challenging week ahead."
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M OSU
Record 18-7 20-5
Conference 7-7 10-4
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 73 3
Sagarin Rating 31 8
Current Streak W3 L2
Field Goal Pct. .490 .509
Opponent FG Pct. .387 .430
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .393 .432
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .323 .344
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.2 7.5
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.9 17.4
Free Throw Pct. .676 .761
Opponent FT Pct. .674 .684
Rebound Avg. 36.8 33.2
Offensive Reb. Avg. 11.6 11.3
Rebounding Margin +5.6 +6.1
Turnovers Avg. 14.8 14.5
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 15.8 15.7
Assists Avg. 17.0 17.6
Blocks Avg. 3.6 3.0
Steals Avg. 6.7 7.5
Scoring Avg. 74.6 79.1
Opponent Scoring 62.1 63.2
Scoring Margin +12.5 +15.9
Texas Tech Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP)- Antoine Wright scored 29 points, Joseph Jones had 16 in the second half and Texas A&M used a late 31-6 run to beat Texas Tech 85-63 on Saturday. A&M led 52-51 before outscoring Tech 19-2 over the next seven minutes capped by Wright's putback layup with 6:20 remaining. The record A&M crowd of 13,136 taunted Tech coach Bobby Knight throughout the timeout that followed. The win is A&M's third victory in a row. Tech led by one at halftime and neither team got ahead by more than a basket until Chris Walker's 3 with 13:30 left put the Aggies ahead 50-47. A basket by Martin Zeno just seconds later cut the lead back to one before a bucket by Wright started the run. Wright hit six 3-pointers in the first half. He made his seventh 3-pointer of the night during the run, but the inside play of Jones sparked the Aggies offense during that stretch. The 6-foot-9 freshman, who was scoreless in the first half, had 14 points in the game's final 12 minutes and put an exclamation point on his performance with a two-handed dunk that drew a foul with 1:53 left. Texas Tech didn't score a field goal for an eight minute span late in the second half. The A&M defense, led by Wright, stifled the Red Raiders' usually potent offense in the second half. Entering the game, Texas Tech was averaging a Big 12-best 80.7 points per game. Wright kept the Aggies in it early, scoring 14 of A&M's first 17 points. He was 7-of-8 from 3-point range.
Last Month at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (AP) -- John Lucas scored 18 points, Joey Graham added 17 and No. 10 Oklahoma State recovered from poor first-half shooting to beat Texas A&M 66-59. After the Aggies pulled to 62-59, Ivan McFarlin scored three points in the final minute to ensure the Cowboys' fifth straight win. Oklahoma State led by as many as 15 in the second half before A&M went on a 9-2 run that ended with two free throws by Bobby Leach with 1:25 remaining. McFarlin made a layup with 51 seconds left to extend Oklahoma State's lead and quiet the raucous crowd. He also hit the front end of a one-and-one after a missed 3-point attempt by A&M, putting the game out of reach. Oklahoma State shot just 37 percent in the first half, but the Cowboys improved in the second half to finish at 47 percent. A&M got 16 points from Acie Law, and Antoine Wright scored 13. Graham rebounded from first-half shooting woes to score 11 points, including three 3s, in the first five minutes of the second half.
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 18-7 this season after finishing 7-21 last season, one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the country. The 11-win improvement to this point is tied for best in the country with San Diego, which is 15-12 after finishing 4-26 last season. A&M's turnaround already is the second best in A&M history and also is third best in Big 12 annals. A&M also is 7-7 in Big 12 play after going 0-16 last year, its most wins in nine years of Big 12 play. According to research by the Big 12 Office, Only three other teams in NCAA history have won seven or more conference games after going winless the previous year -- Miami (Fla), 0-18 to 9-9 in Big East in 1994-95; Louisiana Tech, 0-18 to 9-9 in Sun Belt in 1994-95; and Southern Illinois, 0-16 to 7-9 in Missouri Valley in 1981-82. One more win would tie A&M with Iowa State (6-10 to 14-2 in 2000) for the best turnaround in conference play in Big 12 history. A&M also has defeated two nationally ranked teams (No. 9 Texas and No. 25 Texas Tech) in a season for only the third time in school history (1968-69 and 1978-79).
NATION'S MOST IMPROVED TEAMS
(Increase in total victories through Sunday)
Team 2003-04 2004-05 +/-
Texas A&M 7-21 18-7 +11
San Diego 4-26 15-12 +11
Houston 9-18 18-10 +9
Holy Cross 13-15 22-5 +9
IMPROVED STATISTICS
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
Overall Record 7-21 18-7
Big 12 Record 0-16 7-7
RPI 246 73
Scoring Offense 71.9 74.6
Scoring Defense 76.4 62.1
Scoring Margin -4.5 +12.5
FG Percentage .415 .490
FG Pct. Defense .488 .387
3-Pt. FG Pct. .325 .393
3-Pt. FG Pct. Defense .390 .323
Rebounding Margin +4.7 +5.6
Blocked Shots 1.3 3.6
Points in the Paint 25.6 32.4
Points off Turnovers 15.3 18.4
Fast Break Points 7.8 11.8
Historic Debut
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale named Billy Gillispie his national coach of the week on Monday. Gillispie's 18-7 record ties Shelby Metcalf (1963-64) for the best by a first-year coach in A&M history. 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 17-7 record is its best after 24 games since the 1993-94 team also started 17-7. 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.
Basketball Jones
The top rated freshman center in the country by CBS SportsLine.com (fourth best overall) and a top candidate for Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Joseph Jones leads the Aggies in rebounding (7.1), ranking seventh in the Big 12, and is second in scoring (12.6). 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 (1.28). He also ranks seventh nationally among freshmen in rebounding and is third in field goal percentage (.613), the best among freshman centers. Jones leads the Aggies in three-point plays with 13. 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. After getting into early foul trouble and scoring just two points in the first half, Jones finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in the win against Iowa State, then followed with 16 points and seven boards in the victory against Texas Tech. 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 18 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 and is one of only eight freshmen in the country to average at least 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
NATION'S BEST FRESHMEN CENTERS
(Rated by CBS SportsLine.com)
Rk Player, School PPG RPG
1. Joseph Jones, Texas A&M (4) 12.6 7.1
2. Darian Townes, Arkansas (11) 9.8 4.4
3. Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley (13) 9.7 7.3
4. Kirk Archibeque, N. Colo. (26) 11.6 5.8
*overall position rank in parentheses
Law and Order
A top candidate for All-Big 12 honors and Most-Improved Team status, sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 5.1 per game and is third on the team in scoring (12.5). 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 .517, second best by a guard. He ranks sixth in assists among the nation's sophomores. A&M is 6-2 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 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 17 games.
The Wright Stuff
A top candidate for first-team All-Big 12 honors, junior Antoine Wright was named National Player of the Week on Monday by The Sporting News. He scored 21 points against Iowa State early last week, then added 29 against Texas Tech, making 7-of-8 three-pointers (.875) and tying the school record for three-point percentage in a game. Wright already has been named first-team all-district by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Wright leads the team in scoring with a 17.7 average, ranking fifth in the Big 12. He and Oklahoma State's Joey Graham are the only players in the league to average at least 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Wright also is the only player to rank among the league's top 16 in scoring, rebounding (11th, 6.4), field goal percentage (6th, .486), free throw percentage (16th, .708), three-point percentage (3rd, .423) and three-point field goals (8th, 2.08). 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 tied his career high with 32 points at Colorado. He had 24 points against Oklahoma, 23 points against Grambling and 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 1,227 career points, ranking him 13th on the A&M chart, and is on track to enter the top 10 by season's end. 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 20 dunks. Wright had 11 dunks in 56 career games entering the season. Wright's 162 three-point field goals are the second most on A&M's career list.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 17.7
RPG 4.1 6.4
FG Pct. .368 .486
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .423
FT Pct. .626 .708
Dunks 5 20
Three Amigos
The trio of Antoine Wright, Acie Law and Joseph Jones have combined to average 42.8 points and 17.3 rebounds per game. That's 57.4 percent of the Aggies' scoring and 50.9 percent of the rebounding. A&M is 10-2 when all three score in double figures, with the only losses coming by a narrow 65-60 margin at Kansas and a close 66-59 loss to Oklahoma State at home.
Super Sub
Senior Bobby Leach, A&M's lone senior, is one of the Big 12's most improved players and has emerged as one of the top reserves in the league. Among all Big 12 players who have made at least 20 three-pointers, Leach has been among the league's best shooters, making 51.1 percent (23-45, ranking him seventh nationally (20 FGM min.). He ranks fourth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.24) and is fourth on the team in scoring (7.6). In Big 12 play, he's averaging 9.5 points, fourth on the team and second among Big 12 reserves. Leach is second on the team in assists (3.1) -- tops among Big 12 reserves. Leach has handed out at least three assists in 12 of the last 19 games, including six in wins against No. 9-ranked Texas and Kansas State, and a season-high seven in the win against Texas Tech. A&M is 12-0 when Leach has at least four assists and is 7-0 when he scores in double figures (including 6-0 in Big 12 play). He's scored in all but two games this season and had 14 points against Baylor and Colorado, and a career-high 20 against Missouri, making 4-of-5 three-pointers. He is averaging 10.8 points in the last eight games, while making 10-of-18 (.556) from three-point range. Leach has been A&M's top scorer off the bench in 13 straight games.
Captain Kirk
Freshman Dominique Kirk has scored in double figures in seven games, including a Big 12 career-high 15 against Iowa State. A&M is 7-0 when Kirk scores in double digits. Kirk is fifth on the team in scoring with 7.4 per game and is second with 28 three-point field goals. 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. Kirk scored eight points at Colorado, including a late three to thwart at CU comeback attempt and ice the victory. Kirk's brother, Ed Kirk, was a third-team Div. II All-American at Alaska-Anchorage in 2001.
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. He's making 58.8 percent from the field this season and has connected on 61.1 percent in Big 12 play. 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. Pompey scored a Big 12 career high of 11 points at Colorado, making 5-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 had a seven-point, seven-rebound performance at Oklahoma. A defensive stopper, Pompey has scored at least five points in 14 games this season and has had seven games with five or more rebounds.
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 eighth on the team in scoring (3.7) and is fourth in rebounding (3.4) while making 50.8 percent 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 (62.1) and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.387), 11th best 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 14th nationally in scoring margin (+12.5), third in the Big 12. A&M is 13-0 when its opponent scores 64 points or fewer and is 17-1 when its opponent shoots under 45.8 percent, with the only loss coming at Kansas. 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, 13 opponents have shot 40 percent or under, including four under 30 percent, the most in school history.
Taking the Lead
A&M has trailed by more than seven points in just six games this season, including falling behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60. The only game A&M has trailed more in was the 75-40 loss at Texas. In the last three games, A&M has trailed by no more than five points. 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 six games. The Aggies have led at halftime in 15 games, although they've won the last two contests after trailing at intermission. Of 50 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just 19 times.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 and 18th nationally in field goal percentage (.490) and is 23rd nationally in three-point percentage (.393). 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 45 percent 18 times, including nine Big 12 games. A&M has scored 80 or more points in 10 games, including six games with more than 90. Last season, Billy Gillispie's UTEP 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 and three-point percentage and was near the bottom in scoring offense and margin.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 18 of 25 opponents this season and rank fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +5.6. The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in eight games, including a whopping 43-22 margin against Baylor. K- State out-boarded A&M, 20-12, in the first half, but A&M posted a 24-9 margin in the second half. A&M trailed Tech by 12 boards early in the second half but came back to out-rebounded the Red Raiders, 32-29.
Unselfish Aggies
The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 and are 17th nationally in assists with an average of 17.0 per game, despite having just two at Texas. For the season, 65.3 percent of A&M's field goals 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 14.8 turnovers per game, second most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies have averaged just 13.0 turnovers in the last 15 games. A&M ranks fifth in the league in turnover margin (+1.04) and in assist/turnover ratio (1.15). A&M is averaging just 13.3 turnovers in Big 12 play, fourth fewest in the league.
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average a whopping 22.4 personal fouls per game, most in the Big 12. The Aggies have committed at least 18 personal fouls in 22 games, including a season-high 34 in the loss at Nebraska. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's opponents averaging 20.8 fouls per contest, second most in the league (Texas, 21.6). Consequently, the Aggies are averaging 24.3 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big 12.
Walking the Walk
A nominee for the Big 12 All-Academic Team, junior Chris Walker, a walk-on from Dallas, has played in all 25 games and started in the last 20. Walker has made 46.7 percent from the field and nailed 9-of-21 three-pointers (.429), including one to open the game at Kansas. He made a pair of treys in the win against Texas Tech. Walker leads the team in free throw percentage at 78.8 percent (41-of-52). Walker has made 24-of-26 free throws (.923) in Big 12 play, including all six in the win against Texas, and has made 16 straight. 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 72.0 percent in Big 12 games, fourth best in the league. A&M ranks seventh overall in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.676), improved somewhat by averaging a league-best 24.3 attempts per game. A&M has made 74.8 percent in the last five games (95-of-127).
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).
Random Notes
A&M is 17-0 when any player besides Wright, Jones and Law scores in double figures...the Aggies are 13-0 when any reserve scores in double figures...A&M is 11-0 when it has four players score in double figures...the Aggies are 13-1 when it scores at least 32 points in the paint...in the last three games, the Aggies have made 56.4 percent from the field (to .384 by the opponent), 49.1 percent from three-point range (.298 by the opponent) and 77.0 percent from the line, posting a +17.7 scoring margin...A&M posted a +10.1 scoring margin in Big 12 home games...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...the Aggies already have posted 91 blocked shots this season --10th most in school history -- after having just 35 all of last year.A&M's 92 points at Colorado were its most in any Big 12 game and were its most in a conference road game in 15 years...the Aggies have started the same lineup in 18 straight games.
Record Crowds
A crowd of 13,136 attended the Texas Tech game, the third time this season A&M broke its attendance record. The Oklahoma State game on Feb. 12 drew 13,016, breaking the previous record of 12,811 set against Texas on Jan. 12. A&M has drawn eight of the 16 largest crowds in A&M annals since Dec. 29. 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. 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.
Season Attendance
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 6,466
2004-05 7,849 (+28.7% from 2003-04)
Conference Attendance
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 8,157
2004-05 10,988 (+49.8% from 2004)
Young & Restless
With an average age of 19.8, A&M's starting lineup is the youngest in the Big 12 while Oklahoma State's is the oldest at 22.0, an average of more than full years per player. A&M's overall average of 20.4 is the second youngest in the league behind Baylor's 20.2.
BIG 12 AVERAGE AGES
Team Starters Roster
Texas A&M 19.8 20.4
Texas Tech 20.0 20.4
Colorado 20.0 20.5
Kansas State 20.2 20.5
Baylor 20.6 20.2
Oklahoma 20.6 20.4
Missouri 20.8 20.4
Kansas 21.0 20.5
Nebraska 21.4 21.1
Texas 21.6 20.4
Iowa State 21.8 20.9
Oklahoma State 22.0 22.3
Source: Big 12 team media guides and websites.