Aggies Face Stiff Test on Thursday Against Auburn
Dec 21, 2005 | Men's Basketball
December 21, 2005
Games Notes for Thursday's game against Auburn at Reed Arena:
Game #8
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-0)
vs.
AUBURN TIGERS (5-2)
Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005
8:30 p.m. (Central)
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
TELEVISION
No Live TV
Postgame Highlights Feed
9:45-10 p.m. (Central)
Coordinates: SBS 6, TR 9 (KU-Band)
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: Channel 181
MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS
Auburn: Chuck Gallina
334-750-1386 (cell)
Texas A&M: Colin Killian
979-229-4706 (cell)
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 7-0
Ranking: Receiving Votes (coaches poll)
Last Game: Beat Savannah State (67-34) on Saturday
Coach: Billy Gillispie (Texas State ?'83)
Record: 58-42 (4th year)
at A&M: 28-10 (2nd year)
vs. Auburn: 0-0
AUBURN TIGERS
Record: 5-2
Ranking: Unranked
Last Game: Beat Temple (73-42) on Saturday
Coach: Jeff Lebo (North Carolina ?'89)
Record: 134-82 (8th year)
at Auburn: 19-19 (2nd year)
vs. Texas A&M : 0-0
Game Notes
*Half-price tickets for all men?™s and women?™s home games through Jan. 4 are available.
*A&M has won 20 straight regular-season non-conference games and also has won 20 straight at home.
*A&M is 7-0 at home this season and is 24-3 at home in the last two seasons. Auburn is 0-2 on the road.
About Auburn
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Enrollment: 22,928
Affiliation: NCAA Division I
Conference: Southeastern
Colors: Burnt orange, navy blue
2004-05 Record (Conference): 14-17 (4-12)
2005 Postseason: none
* Former North Carolina standout Jeff Lebo is in his second season as head coach at Auburn. Prior to his arrival at Auburn, Lebo served as head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech.
* Lebo previously served as an assistant at South Carolina, Vanderbilt and East Tennessee State.
* Lebo was the starting point guard at UNC from 1986-89 and played with the San Antonio Spurs in 1989-90.
* Lebo?™s father, Dave Lebo, is an assistant coach.
* Auburn is coming off an impressive 73-42 win against Temple at home on Saturday.
* The Tigers only losses have come in their two road games at Pittsburgh (78-41) and Colorado State (77-67).
* Auburn is led by senior guard Ronny LeMelle (6-5), who is averaging 13.1 points and is making 52.8 percent (19-36) from three-point range.
* Sophomore forward Emanuel Willis (6-7), a transfer from USC, became eligible last Saturday and scored 6 points with 6 boards against Temple.
* Auburn has been outstanding defensively, allowing just 60.1 points per game. Tigers?™ opponents have made just 38.3 percent from the field.
* Auburn assistant coach Brandon Johnson served the previous two years as an assistant at Texas-San Antonio. UTSA lost to A&M, 62-49, in 2003-04 at the Alamodome.
Series Notes
* Auburn leads the series, 2-1, with a 1-0 mark in College Station.
* The teams have never played at Reed Arena.
* The teams last met at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1991-92, with the Tigers escaping with an 86-82 victory.
* A&M will return the trip to Auburn next season.
* A&M is 16-29 against teams from the Southeastern Conference, but has won three straight against SEC teams at home, beating Tennessee (83-66 in 2002-03), Alabama (65-58 in 1998-99) and Florida (57-54 in 1992-93).
Coach Gillispie Comments
?We are looking forward to playing against Auburn. It?™s going to be a real tough test for us. We have a long way to go. No disrespect to our other opponents, but Auburn is by far the best team we?™ve played thus far. We?™ll have to play better than we have been to have a chance to win. Coach (Jeff Lebo) has done a great job. He?™s got a great system. They?™re going to attack you the right way and you just have to hope you make them miss some shots and you can rebound the ball. They are a very, very good team defensively. They change defenses all the time and they give you a lot of different looks. To hold Temple to 42 points is phenomenal. They are big, thick, athletic guys. That team looks like the kind of team I want to have as far as the roster makeup from 1 to 12.?
Savannah State Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP) - Dominique Kirk scored a season-high 17 points to lead Texas A&M to a 67-34 victory against Savannah State on Saturday. A&M was playing without its top two scorers, Acie Law and Joseph Jones, who missed the game with injuries. Law suffered a concussion last week against Grambling while Jones had a sprained ankle. Savannah State?™s 34 points were the fewest by an A&M opponent since the 1958-59 season, when the Aggies defeated Texas, 73-59. The Tigers also had 34 turnovers, tying for the second most by an opponent in A&M history. Southwest Texas had 37 turnovers against A&M in 1975-76 and Sam Houston State had 34 in 1977-78. A&M out-scored the Tigers on points off turnovers, 30-4. The victory imrpoves the Aggies to 7-0 while Savannah State falls to 1-10. A&M jumped out to a 19-4 lead and settled for a 36-16 halftime margin. The Aggies made 44.0 percent from the field while Savannah State made just 33.3 percent. Antanas Kavaliauskas added a career-high 15 points while Martellus Bennett had 12 with a team-high six rebounds for the Aggies. Savannah State had no players score in double figures. The Tigers were led by Terry Hill?™s nine points.
Looking Ahead
* After playing Auburn on Thursday, the Aggies will break for Christmas, returning to practice on Christmas Day.
* A&M continues its 10-game season-opening homestand against Texas Southern on Dec. 27 and Northwestern State on Dec. 31 before embarking on its first road trip to play Pacific on Jan. 3 in Stockton, Calif.
Streaking Aggies
* The Aggies have opened the season with a seven-game winning streak for only the second time since 1980-81, when the team also started 7-0.
* Last year, A&M started 11-0, its best start since 1919-20.
* The seven-game winning streak ties for the 12th longest in school history and is the second longest (behing last year?™s 11-game streak) since the 1979-80 Aggies won nine straight.
Texas Talent
When Coach Billy Gillispie was hired at Texas A&M prior to last season, he vowed to re-establish A&M as a recruiting force in Texas.
* The Aggies?™ 19-man roster boasts a record 16 Texas high school products, including four from Houston and five from Dallas.
* Of the remaining three players, Marlon Pompey has Texas ties, playing one season at Heritage Christian Academy in Houston before finishing his prep career at Winchendon (Mass.) School.
* Prior to Gillispie?™s arrival, A&M had not signed a top Houston prospect since Jerald Brown in 1996. This year?™s freshman class includes three members of the 2005 All-Greater Houston Team ?- David Devezin, Martellus Bennett and Chinemelu Elonu.
* Gillispie?™s first Aggie team had 10 Texans. The year before he arrived, A&M had just four Texans, including two walk-ons and one little-used scholarship player.
Aggies picked Seventh
* Texas A&M has been tabbed to finish seventh in the Big 12 Conference in a poll of the league?™s coaches, the highest the Aggies have been picked in 10 years of Big 12 play.
Dominating Aggies
* A&M ranks second nationally and leads the Big 12 in scoring margin at +24.4 per game. Five of the seven victories were decided by at least 26 points.
* A&M has led at halftime in all seven games this season with an average lead of 15.9 points.
* The Aggies have not trailed in the second half and has trailed by no more than five points in any game, posting wire-to-wire victories four times.
* Under Billy Gillispie, the Aggies are 22-2 when leading at halftime, including a 19-1 mark at home, with the only loss coming against St. Joseph?™s in the third round of the 2005 NIT.
Stout Defense
* The Aggies rank fifth nationally and lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing just 54.9 points per game. nA&M has allowed no opponent to shoot better than 44.4 percent from the field and has held four teams under 40 percent.
* In 38 games under Billy Gillispie, only one opponent has shot better than 48 percent.
* The Aggies are allowing their opponents to make 39.7 percent and lead the Big 12 in three-point percentage defense, allowing only 28.0 percent.
* A&M is forcing an average of 23.9 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12. Savannah State had 34 miscues, tying for the second most ever by an A&M opponent.
Efficient Offense
* The Aggies rank fifth nationally and lead the Big 12 in assists, averaging 20.4 per game.
* A&M leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 1.47.
* The Aggies are making 48.0 percent from the field, fourth best in the Big 12. A&M has made better than 50 percent in three games and has shot under 40 percent just once.
* A&M ranks second in the Big 12 in three-point field goals per game at 7.57 and rank third in three-point percentage at 39.8 percent. The Aggies tied a school record with 13 treys against Southern and had 11 against Grambling State.
Going Both Ways
* A&M and Texas are the only Big 12 teams to make at least 48.0 percent from the field while allowing their opponents less than 40.0 percent.
* Coach Gillispie?™s teams are known as being solid both offensively and defensively.
* Last year?™s Aggies were one of only three teams in the nation (along with Syracuse and Utah State) to rank in the top 20 nationally in field goal percentage (.486, 14th) and field goal percentage defense (.394, 17th).
* Former UTEP Coach Don Haskins, who led the Miners to the 1966 NCAA title and inspired the new movie ?Glory Road,? said of Gillispie: ?His teams are among the best I?™ve seen going both ways. Most teams that run a little bit don?™t guard anyone. With Billy, you?™re going to see defense, too.?
Postseason Followups
* The Aggies are looking to advance to postseason play for the second straight year after going to the quarterfinals of the NIT last year. The last time A&M made consecutive postseason appearances was in the mid-1980s, when it went to the NIT in 1985 and 1986 before making the NCAA Tournament in 1987. nThe only other time the Aggies have made back-to-back postseason bids was in 1979 (NIT) and 1980 (NCAA).
Big Joe
* Sophomore Joseph Jones missed the Savannah State and playing only the opening minute against Grambling after spraining an ankle on the opening tip.
* Jones is averaging 15.3 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds while making 65.2 percent from the field and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. He was averaging 18.4 points going into the Grambling game.
* He ranks among the top 15 in the Big 12 in scoring (9th), rebounding (13th), field goal percentage (2nd), free throw percentage (5th) and steals (10th).
* In the four games prior to Grambling, Jones averaged 21.3 points and 8.5 rebounds.
* Against North Texas, he scored a career-high 35 points (the most by an Aggie in 11 years) and tied his career-best with 13 rebounds.
* He scored 20 points against Tulane.
* After earning freshman All-America honors last season (CollegeInsider.com), Jones was named one of the top 10 centers in the country this preseason by CBSportsline.com and was rated as the Big 12?™s top rebounder by some publications.
* Jones was named honorable mention All-Big 12 as a freshman after averaging 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
* He made 57.7 percent from the field and connected on 109-of-174 free throws (.626), an A&M freshman record for makes and attempts.
* CBSportsline rated Jones the best freshman center in the country.
BIG 12 CAREER FG PCT.
.625 Chianti Roberts, Oklahoma State, 1996-97
.601 David Harrison, Colorado, 2001-04
.591 Terry Black, Baylor, 1999-01
.589 Joseph Jones, Texas A&M, 2004-06
.588 Evan Wiley, Oklahoma, 1996-98
A&M CAREER FG PCT.
.589 Joseph Jones, 2004-06
.584 Rudy Woods, 1978-82
.562 Winston Crite, 1983-87
.559 Damon Johnson, 1991-95
.558 Donald Thompson, 1987-89
Law Enforcer
* Junior Acie Law missed the Savannah State game after suffering a concussion early in the second half of the Grambling game, when he had eight points in eight minutes.
* Law is averaging 14.3 points and 3.5 assists per game while making 56.4 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from three-point range (7-15) and 85.0 percent from the free throw line.
* He ranks 12th in the Big 12 in scoring and is sixth in field goal percentage, second in free throw percentage, 10th in steals (1.83) and ninth in assists.
* Law scored a career-high 30 points against Mississippi Valley State.
* Last year as a sophomore, Law established himself as one of the Big 12?™s top perimeter players, averaging 12.0 points and ranking third in the league with 4.9 assists.
* Law earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors and also garnered a spot on the league?™s All-Improved Team.
* He ranked sixth last year in assists among the nation?™s sophomores and is rated as the Big 12?™s top passer this season by some publications.
A&M CAREER ASSISTS
602 David Edwards, 1991-94
550 Bernard King, 1999-03
535 Dave Goff, 1976-80
491 Todd Holloway, 1983-87
368 Tony Milton, 1988-90
346 Freddie Ricks, 1987-91
344 Kyle Kessel, 1994-96
295 Darryl McDonald, 1986-88
278 Acie Law, 2003-06
Fast Eddie
* The 2005 National JUCO Player of the Year, senior Eddie Smith is averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 assists per game while making 57.1 percent (4-7) from three-point range.
* Smith ranks sixth in the Big 12 in assists and is fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.50).
* He scored 15 points in the opener against Southern and had 14 against Grambling, along with a season-best seven assists.
* A relentless player on the both ends of the court, Smith averaged 18.2 points and 6.0 assists in leading Moberly Area (Mo.) Community College to the NJCAA national title game.
Special K
* Junior Antanas Kavaliauskas has came on strong in recent games and is averaging 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds.
* He is averaging 13.5 points in the last two games, making 10-of-14 from the field.
* Kavaliauskas scored a season-high 15 points against Savannah State abd had 12 Grambling.
* He is making 61.5 percent from the field.
* He also connected on a three-pointer against Grambling.
* Kavaliauskas averaged 17.6 points and 10.0 rebounds last season at Barton County (Kan.) Community College and was widely considered to be the most improved JUCO player in the country as a sophomore. nLast summer, he helped Lithuania to the FIBA Under 21 World Championship in Argentina.
Walker Returns
* In a story straight out of Hollywood, Chris Walker joined the Aggies last year as an unknown walk-on and earned a spot in the starting lineup, playing a key role in A&M?™s NIT run.
* A true walk-on, Walker had been a student at A&M and had won an intramural basketball championship (his team was the Bill Waltons) the night before Billy Gillispie was hired as head coach.
* At 6?™5?, Walker was dubbed a ?powerless forward? by Gillispie, but held his own against the much bigger, more talented forwards in the Big 12, earning a spot on the league?™s All-Defense Team by The Daily Oklahoman.
* A member of the 2005 Big 12 All-Academic Team, he had a high-paying job awaiting him in the computer technology industry, but decided to use his final year of eligibility.
* Walker suffered a knee injury last summer and was expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, but has played in every game, averaging 2.6 points.
* He graduated with a degree in computer science in last Friday (3.8 GPA).
Get Carter
* Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Aggies has been the play of freshman Josh Carter, who has started in five games and is averaging 9.9 points and 3.3 assists. nHe ranks fifth in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.405) and is sixth in three-pointers per game (2.14). nCarter scored a career-high 20 points against Grambling, making 7-of-7 shots from the field and setting a school record for three-point percentage by making 5-of-5.
* He scored 15 points against Mississippi Valley State, making 4-of-4 three-pointers, and handed out nine assists against Tulane.
* Despite a tough shooting night against Penn State (4-14), he made a key three-pointer in the final minutes to help secure the win.
* His older brother, Warren, plays for Illinois.
Captain Kirk
* Sophomore Dominique Kirk has been the team?™s steadiest perimeter player, starting in all 38 games as an Aggie.
* Kirk is averaging 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists while making 44.8 percent from three-point range.
* Kirk ranks third in the Big 12 in assists/turnover ratio at 2.56 and is 11th in assists.
* He scored a season-hgih 17 points against Savannah State and has 10 against Tulane.
* Kirk has scored at least nine points in five games.
* He has averaged 13.0 points in the last two games and has made 9-of-17 three-pointers in the last four games.
* Kirk has made three treys in three games. He ranks 10th in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (1.86).
Pompey Pays Off
* Junior Marlon Pompey has started in six games and is averaging 7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds.
* Pompey leads the team and ranks eighth in the Big 12 in blocked shots with 1.29 per game.
* He ranks 12th in the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 69.2 percent (27-39). He entered the season as a 55 percent career free throw shooter.
* Pompey has had at least one block in six of seven games and has had two in three games.
* He tied his career-high with 12 points in each of the first two games against Southern and Mississippi Valley.
Bennett Makes Impact
* Freshman Martellus Bennett, a member of the A&M football team, joined the team on Nov. 28 and has quickly made an impact.
* Bennett is averaging 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds.
* He?™s averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in the last two games, making 16-of-24 (.667) free throws in that span.
* Bennett scored 18 points against Grambling and followed with 12 against Savannah State, reaching double figures in free throw attempts in both games.
* He has had at least one block in all four games he?™s played, including a key one late in his debut against Penn State.
* Bennett was rated as the top tight end prospect in the country out of high school and was rated as the 21st best hoops prospect by Hoop Scoop.
* He was named the 2005 Houston player of the year in basketball.
* Bennett was named second-team freshman All-America on the gridiron last fall.
* He?™s the first football lettermen to play basketball at A&M since Billy Bob Barnett in 1969.
Bench Steps Up
* With Joseph Jones and Acie Law sidelined the last two games, the A&M bench has averaged 51.0 points per game. In the first five games, the bench averaged 19.8 points. Four different players have been A&M?™s top bench scorer this season.
Scoring Trends
* While A&M has averfaged just 11.9 offensive rebounds, it has averaged 12.1 second-chance points.
* A&M has averaged 29.1 points in the paint to only 15.7 by its opponents.
* The Aggies have averaged 10.7 fast break points to only 5.1 by their opponents.
* A&M has averaged a whopping 30.3 points off turnovers while its opponents have averaged just 11.6. The Aggies have had at least 29 points off turnovers in six of seven games.
Making History
* Billy Gillispie is 28-10 in his second year as A&M?™s head coach, the second-best coaching start in school history. D.X. Bible was 31-7 through his first 38 games in 1920-22.
* Gillispie?™s last two teams led the nation in improvement, a first in college basketball history.
* His 2003-04 team at Texas-El Paso posted an 18-win increase (6-24 in 2002-03 to 24-8) and his 2004-05 A&M team had a 14-win improvement (7-21 in 2003-04 to 21-10).
* The Aggies also went 8-8 in Big 12 play in 2005, becoming only the third college team ever to go .500 in league play after finishing winless the previous year (0-16). The others were Miami (Fla) (0-18 to 9-9 in Big East) and Louisiana Tech (0-18 to 9-9 in Sun Belt), both in 1994-95.
* Gillispie was the consensus 2005 Big 12 coach of the year and was a finalist for national coach of the year honors.
* Gillispie is 52-18 in his last three years as a coach, the second best in that span among Big 12 coaches behind Oklahoma?™s State?™s Eddie Sutton. Gillispie has built a sparkling 40-4 (.909) record in home games in his last three seasons.
Family Ties
* Acie Law?™s great uncle is former Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks (his mother?™s uncle).
* Beau Muhlbach?™s brother, Don, played football at A&M (1999-03) and now plays with the Detroit Lions. His uncle, John Muhlback, played for Ohio State?™s 1968 national football champions and is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
* Muhlbach?™s dad and another uncle also played college football.
* Dominique Kirk?™s brother, Edward, was a Div. II All-American in basketball at Alaska-Anchorage in 2002.
* Slade Weishuhn?™s brother, Trey, has been the starting quarterback at Angelo State the last two years.
* Josh Carter?™s brother, Warren, plays basketball at
Illinois.
* David Devezin?™s brother, Ethan Kelley, played football at Baylor and is now with the Cleveland Browns.
* Maretllus Bennett?™s brother, Michael Bennett, is a defensive end on the Texas A&M football team.
Home Sweet Home
* A&M is 24-3 (.889) at Reed Arena in two seasons under Billy Gillispie.
* A&M?™s 24 home wins are the most of any team in the country in that time span.
* The Aggies went 17-3 at home last season, a school record that tied for the second most home victories in the nation.
