Aggies Challenge No. 7 Longhorns on Saturday on ESPN
Feb 03, 2006 | Men's Basketball
February 03, 2006
The Texas A&M men's basketball team plays the No. 7-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Erwin Center. ESPN is televising the game nationally. Game notes:
Game #20
Texas A&M Aggies (13-6, 3-5 Big 12)
vs.
#7 Texas Longhorns (18-3, 6-1 Big 12)
Saturday, Feb. 4
1:05 p.m. (Central)
Erwin Center (16,469 cap.)
Austin, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN (national)
Play-by-Play: Ron Franklin
Analyst: Fran Fraschilla
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 146
MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS
Texas: Scott McConnell
512-748-9313 (cell)
Texas A&M: Colin Killian
979-229-4706 (cell)
SERIES
Texas leads, 126-80
In Austin: Texas leads, 72-26
at Erwin Center: Texas leads, 21-8
Last Meeting: Texas 75, A&M 40, Feb. 16, 2005 in Austin
COACHES
TEXAS A&M: Billy Gillispie (Texas State ?'83)
* Record: 64-48 (4th year)
* at Texas A&M: 34-16 (2nd year)
* vs. Texas: 1-1
TEXAS: Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne ?'77)
* Record: 381-206 (19th year)
* at Texas: 179-72 (8th year)
* vs. Texas A&M: 14-2
PROJECTED A&M STARTERS
1 Acie Law IV (6-3, 185, Jr-2L, 16.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.5 apg
22 Dominique Kirk (6-3, 180, So-1L, 6.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg)
10 Chris Walker (6-5, 210, Sr-1L, 3.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 apg)
42 Marlon Pompey (6-8, 225, Jr-2L, 6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 blk)
30 Joseph Jones (6-9, 250, So-1L, 16.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, .534 FG)
PROJECTED TEXAS STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
1 Daniel Gibson G 6-2 190 So-1L 15.0 4.0 2.2
12 Kenton Paulino G 6-1 185 Sr-3L 8.9 2.3 3.4
2 P.J. Tucker F 6-5 225 Jr-1L 16.4 8.9 2.8
22 Brad Buckman F 6-8 235 Sr-3L 10.8 6.9 1.5
23 LaMarcus Aldridge F 6-10 237 So-1L 16.1 9.2 0.4
Key Game Notes
* A&M is the only Big 12 team to have all of its conference games decided by 10 points or fewer. The Aggies missed potential game-winners in the final five seconds of three league games.
* A&M is coming off a 71-63 loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday and is 2-2 in its last four games.
* Texas is coming off a 66-53 win at Missouri on Wednesday, bouncing back from an 82-72 loss at Oklahoma last Saturday.
* Texas is 11-1 at home with the only loss was to Tennessee (95-78) on Dec. 17. Since then, the Longhorns have won six straight at home and 10 of 11 overall.
* A&M is 1-4 in road games with a win at Iowa State (86-81). The Aggies four road losses have each been by eight points or fewer with an average margin of -5.3.
* A&M beat the Longhorns last year in College Station, 74-63, but lost the game in Austin, 75-40.
About Texas
* The Longhorns finished 20-11 overall last season and tied for fifth in the Big 12 with a 9-7 mark.
* Texas returns two starters and six lettermen.
* The Longhorns are in their eighth year under Head Coach Rick Barnes, who is 14-2 against A&M, including a 2-0 mark when he was at Clemson.
* Texas has been ranked as high as No. 2 nationally this season.
* The Longhorns lead the Big 12 in scoring defense (58.7), scoring margin (+20.2) and three-point percentage defense (.312).
* In Big 12 play, Texas leads the league in three-point percentage (.429) and assist/turnover ratio (1.38).
* The Longhorns are led by junior forward P.J. Tucker, who is averaging 16.4 points and ranks second in the Big 12 with 8.9 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward LaMarcus Aldridge averages 16.1 points and leads the league in rebounding (9.2) and field goal percentage (.621). Aldridge has posted 10 double-doubles.
* Sophomore guard Daniel Gibson (15.0) and senior forward Brad Buckman (10.8) also average in double figures.
Sidebar
* A&M head coach Billy Gillispie and Texas assistant coach Rodney Terry served together as assistants at Baylor in the 1996-97 season under Harry Miller.
Last Year in Austin
AUSTIN (AP)- Brad Buckman had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Texas used a smothering defense to overwhelm rival Texas A&M 75-40 on Feb. 16, 2005. Acie Law scored nine to lead A&M, which shot just 26 percent. Texas hit five of its first six shots, suffocated the Aggies with tight man-to-man defense and took control when Sydmill Harris hit the first of his two 3-pointers of the half four minutes in. Trailing 14-6, the Aggies scored just 10 points the rest of the half while A&M freshman forward Joseph Jones went to the bench with two early fouls. Texas led 37-16 at the break. Texas kept stretching the lead, opening the second half with a 9-3 run when Harris and Daniel Gibson hit 3-pointers to make it 48-19. Jones, the Aggies?™ best interior threat and only real hope to match Buckman, fouled out midway through the second half and was never a factor with just six points on three shots.
Official Basketball Box Score
Texas A&M vs Texas
2/16/05 7 pm at Austin, Texas (Erwin Center)
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VISITORS: Texas A&M 15-7, 4-7
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
21 WRIGHT, Antoine..... f 2-12 0-6 0-2 1 7 8 3 4 0 1 0 3 35
30 JONES, Joseph....... f 1-3 0-0 4-4 0 2 2 5 6 0 1 0 1 14
01 LAW, Acie........... g 2-9 1-4 4-4 0 1 1 4 9 1 2 0 0 35
10 WALKER, Chris....... g 1-4 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 5 3 0 1 0 0 19
22 KIRK, Dominique..... g 0-4 0-4 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 22
04 GREEN, Edjuan....... 0-3 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 2 0 0 2 1 1 16
05 WHITE, Kenneth...... 2-3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5
11 CLEMENTE, Luis...... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3
15 LEACH, Bobby........ 2-5 1-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 5 1 1 0 1 27
33 LOEWE, Justin....... 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5
42 POMPEY, Marlon...... 2-3 0-0 1-2 1 1 2 3 5 0 1 0 0 19
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 13-50 5-24 9-12 6 16 22 26 40 2 10 1 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 7-30 23.3% 2nd Half: 6-20 30.0% Game: 26.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-12 16.7% 2nd Half: 3-12 25.0% Game: 20.8% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 0-2 0.0% 2nd Half: 9-10 90.0% Game: 75.0% 3
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HOME TEAM: Texas 17-7, 6-5
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
03 Dowell, Dion........ f 1-2 0-0 0-2 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 15
22 Buckman, Brad....... f 4-9 0-1 10-10 4 9 13 1 18 1 0 3 1 33
21 Klotz, Jason........ c 1-8 0-0 5-6 6 3 9 3 7 3 1 0 1 30
01 Gibson, Daniel...... g 4-9 2-6 3-6 0 6 6 2 13 0 2 0 2 32
13 Harris, Sydmill..... g 5-7 3-5 1-2 0 1 1 1 14 0 1 0 0 31
10 Taylor, Kenny....... 6-12 2-2 1-2 1 4 5 2 15 1 3 0 0 32
12 Paulino, Kenton..... 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 11
40 Williams, Mike...... 0-0 0-0 3-4 1 3 4 4 3 0 2 0 0 16
TEAM................ 1 3 4
Totals.............. 22-48 8-15 23-32 14 30 44 14 75 8 9 4 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-24 50.0% 2nd Half: 10-24 41.7% Game: 45.8% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-10 50.0% 2nd Half: 3-5 60.0% Game: 53.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 8-13 61.5% 2nd Half: 15-19 78.9% Game: 71.9% 5,1
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Officials: Steve Olson, Tom Eades, Mike Thibodeaux
Technical fouls: Texas A&M-None. Texas-None.
Attendance: 14018
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Texas A&M..................... 16 24 - 40
Texas......................... 37 38 - 75
Last Year in College Station
COLLEGE STATION (AP)- Acie Law had 24 points and six assists, freshman Joseph Jones added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Texas A&M ended an 18-game Big 12 losing streak with a 74-63 upset of No. 10 Texas on Jan. 12, 2005. P.J. Tucker led the Longhorns with 18 points and eight rebounds and freshman LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 points and eight rebounds.The Aggies?™ lead reached 21 points early in the second half. Law effortlessly sliced his way through defenders and repeatedly found open shooters, completely outclassing Texas freshman Daniel Gibson. A&M?™s aggressive pressure defense -- ranked No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage -- forced the Longhorns into dozens of off-balance jumpers and 3s from way behind the arc. Texas made only one of its first 12 shots, a putback slam by Aldridge, and went 7-of-33 from the field, including 2-of-9 on 3s, in the first half. Law?™s final 3-pointer of the night, a rainbow over Tucker as the shot clock expired, gave A&M a 63-50 lead with 3:39 to go.
Official Basketball Box Score
Texas vs Texas A&M
01/12/05 7 p.m. at Reed Arena (College Station, Texas)
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VISITORS: Texas (12-3, 1-1)
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 Gibson, Daniel...... * 1-11 1-8 0-0 2 1 3 2 3 2 1 0 1 20
02 Tucker, P.J......... * 5-12 0-0 8-12 4 4 8 4 18 2 2 1 1 38
10 Taylor, Kenny....... * 4-13 3-9 0-0 2 4 6 4 11 2 0 0 0 31
22 Buckman, Brad....... * 1-5 1-1 0-0 1 1 2 5 3 0 2 1 0 12
23 Aldridge, LaMarcus.. * 5-5 0-0 2-3 4 4 8 5 12 0 2 1 1 27
12 Paulino, Kenton..... 2-4 1-2 4-5 1 0 1 1 9 6 5 0 0 26
13 Harris, Sydmill..... 1-2 1-1 0-0 1 1 2 5 3 1 0 0 1 15
21 Klotz, Jason........ 1-9 0-0 2-3 4 3 7 2 4 1 4 1 0 25
40 Williams, Mike...... 0-1 0-0 0-2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
TEAM................ 1 1
Totals.............. 20-62 7-21 16-25 20 19 39 29 63 14 16 4 4 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 7-33 21.2% 2nd Half: 13-29 44.8% Game: 32.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-9 22.2% 2nd Half: 5-12 41.7% Game: 33.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 6-14 42.9% 2nd Half: 10-11 90.9% Game: 64.0% 4
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HOME TEAM: Texas A&M (12-1, 1-1)
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 LAW, Acie........... * 10-13 3-5 1-2 1 3 4 2 24 6 3 0 2 38
10 WALKER, Chris....... * 1-1 1-1 6-6 1 5 6 4 9 0 1 0 0 29
21 WRIGHT, Antoine..... * 3-11 2-5 1-2 0 2 2 4 9 1 2 0 0 21
22 KIRK, Dominique..... * 1-4 1-2 4-4 0 1 1 2 7 1 1 0 0 25
30 JONES, Joseph....... * 3-4 0-0 7-13 1 9 10 5 13 0 3 2 2 27
04 GREEN, Edjuan....... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 11
05 WHITE, Kenneth...... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5
11 CLEMENTE, Luis...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+
15 LEACH, Bobby........ 2-6 1-1 5-7 0 2 2 1 10 6 1 1 1 33
42 POMPEY, Marlon...... 0-1 0-0 2-2 1 2 3 5 2 1 3 0 1 11
TEAM................ 2 3 5
Totals.............. 20-42 8-15 26-36 6 27 33 26 74 15 15 4 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-23 52.2% 2nd Half: 8-19 42.1% Game: 47.6% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 4-7 57.1% 2nd Half: 4-8 50.0% Game: 53.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 9-11 81.8% 2nd Half: 17-25 68.0% Game: 72.2% 7
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Officials: Curtis Shaw, Gerry Pollard, Kelly Self
Technical fouls: Texas-None. Texas A&M-None.
Attendance: 12811
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Texas......................... 22 41 - 63
Texas A&M..................... 37 37 - 74
Oklahoma Recap
NORMAN, Okla. (AP)- Michael Neal continued his hot shooting and led No. 18 Oklahoma with 16 points in a 71-63 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night. A&M stayed in the game by shooting 10-for-15 from behind the arc, setting a school record for three-point percentage (.667). Neal, a junior who missed the Sooners?™ first two conference games because of injury, went 4-of-9 from 3-point range. His fourth 3-pointer, with 6:17 left, gave Oklahoma its biggest lead at 64-50. The Aggies scored the next 11 points and pulled within 64-61 with 3:09 left on a 3-pointer by Dominique Kirk, but managed only a pair of free throws after that. T Kirk went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and scored 12 points for the Aggies. Center Joseph Jones led A&M with 14 points, but struggled with foul trouble in the second half. Acie Law, the Aggies?™ leading scorer at 16.9 points per game, scored 13 and had six assists. After a first half that included 12 lead changes, Oklahoma led 40-33. The Sooners closed the half on an 11-4 run. Oklahoma made nine of its first 13 shots, the Aggies eight of their first 10, and both still were shooting better than 50 percent by halftime. A&M cooled down considerably in the second half, finishing 39.6 percent from the field. Oklahoma shot 50 percent.
Official Basketball Box Score
Texas A&M vs Oklahoma
02/01/06 7 p.m. CST at Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)
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VISITORS: Texas A&M 13-6, 3-5
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
10 WALKER, Chris....... f 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 15
42 POMPEY, Marlon...... f 3-9 0-0 0-0 5 3 8 5 6 0 0 0 2 29
30 JONES, Joseph....... c 3-11 0-0 8-10 2 4 6 4 14 2 3 0 1 22
01 LAW, Acie........... g 5-11 2-3 1-2 2 3 5 0 13 6 1 0 0 38
22 KIRK, Dominique..... g 4-5 4-5 0-0 0 2 2 3 12 2 4 1 1 31
02 BENNETT, Martellus.. 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
04 GREEN, Edjuan....... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
05 WHITE, Kenneth...... 1-7 1-4 2-2 0 0 0 1 5 0 1 0 0 14
12 SMITH, Eddie........ 2-2 0-0 0-2 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 8
23 CARTER, Josh........ 2-2 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 6 1 1 1 1 22
44 KAVALIAUSKAS,Antanas 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 15
TEAM................
Totals.............. 21-53 10-15 11-16 9 18 27 19 63 14 12 3 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-23 52.2% 2nd Half: 9-30 30.0% Game: 39.6% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-6 83.3% 2nd Half: 5-9 55.6% Game: 66.7% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-7 57.1% 2nd Half: 7-9 77.8% Game: 68.8% 2
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HOME TEAM: Oklahoma 14-4, 5-2
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
21 Gray, Taj........... f 6-9 0-0 1-5 1 4 5 2 13 2 4 4 0 32
34 Bookout, Kevin...... f 5-8 0-0 1-3 4 3 7 4 11 0 1 0 0 26
03 Everett, Terrell.... g 5-10 2-3 3-3 2 5 7 0 15 6 6 0 2 32
15 Godbold, David...... g 3-7 2-5 0-0 2 2 4 0 8 1 1 0 0 27
20 Johnson, Austin..... g 0-4 0-2 0-0 1 3 4 3 0 3 1 1 1 21
02 Neal, Michael....... 5-11 4-9 2-3 0 5 5 4 16 2 1 0 0 31
24 Carter, Nate........ 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8
30 Longar, Longar...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
32 Griffin, Taylor..... 3-4 0-0 1-1 3 3 6 1 7 1 1 1 2 19
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 27-54 8-19 9-17 14 26 40 14 71 15 15 6 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-30 53.3% 2nd Half: 11-24 45.8% Game: 50.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 4-10 40.0% 2nd Half: 4-9 44.4% Game: 42.1% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-5 80.0% 2nd Half: 5-12 41.7% Game: 52.9% 3
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Officials: John Higgins, Mark Reischling, Terry Christman
Technical fouls: Texas A&M-None. Oklahoma-None.
Attendance: 11618
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Texas A&M..................... 33 30 - 63
Oklahoma...................... 40 31 - 71
Looking Ahead
* The Aggies play a pair of home games next week against Colorado (Wednesday at 6 p.m.) and Oklahoma State (Saturday at 2:30 p.m.).
Who?™s Hot?
* After missing the Savannah State game with a concussion, junior Acie Law has scored in double figures in 12 straight games, averaging 18.0 points in that span. Law ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring in league play with 20.1 per game and is sixth overall (16.7).
* Plagued by foul trouble in some games, sophomore Joseph Jones is averaging 20.6 points and 8.8 rebounds in games in which he plays at least 25 minutes. He?™s the only Big 12 player to rank in the league?™s top 10 in both scoring and rebounding while averaging fewer than 30 minutes.
* Freshman Josh Carter has averaged 10.3 points per game in the last four games.
* Dominique Kirk has averaged 9.3 points and made 8-of-12 treys (.667) in the last three games. Kirk scored 12 points and made a career-best 4-of-5 three-pointers at Oklahoma on Wednesday.
* Marlon Pompey tied his career-high with 8 rebounds at Oklahoma, earning game-high honors.
Talking Points
* In three of A&M?™s five Big 12 losses (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Kansas State), the Aggies missed potential game-winning shots in the final five seconds.
* A&M made 10-of-15 three-pointers (.667) against Oklahoma, setting a school record for accuracy. In the last four games, A&M has made 44.4 percent of its treys (32-72) and is averaging 8.0 per game.
* A&M has trailed by double digits just four times (14 to Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kansas State, 10 to Iowa State). The Aggies came back to beat Tech and Iowa State, rallied to tie K-State in the final minute and came within four of Kansas and Oklahoma.
* A&M is forcing an average of 19.8 turnovers per game, second most in the Big 12. The Aggies rank third nationally in defensive turnover percentage (turnovers per 100 possessions) at 29.1 percent and are averaging 21.2 points off turnovers per game.
* A&M ranks 18th nationally in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) at 90.7.
* A&M has scored 24.0 percent of its points from the FT line, most in the Big 12 and 25th nationally.
* The Aggies rank sixth in the nation in free throw rate (free throws made divided by field goal attempts) at 32.4 percent. A&M leads the Big 12 in free throws attempted (25.4) and made (17.3) per game.
* A&M averages 22.5 personal fouls per game, most in the Big 12 and sixth most nationally. However, A&M has averaged just 16.0 in the last two games. Opponents have scored 27.6 percent of their points from the line, the second-highest rate in the nation.
* The foursome of Acie Law, Joseph Jones, Dominique Kirk and Chris Walker have started all 24 Big 12 games together in the last two seasons.
* Acie Law and Marlon Pompey are the only players who were on the roster two years ago. Of the 19 players listed, 90 percent are first or second-year players.
* A&M is the only Big 12 team to have all of its conference games decided by 10 points or fewer. The Aggies?™ averaging losing margin has been just 5.3 points, the 15th smallest margin in the country.
* A&M leads the conference in fewest opponents field goals made (19.7) and attempted (45.7) per game. In Big 12 play, A&M?™s opponents have averaged just 48.6 attempts, also the fewest in the league.
* The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 in turnover margin (+5.89) and in assist/turnover ratio (1.24).
* The Aggies are 7-0 with 19 or more assists and are 10-1 when they makes 42% + from the field. In league play, the Aggies are 3-1 when they have 18 or more assists and are 3-1 when they shoot at least 42 percent from the field.
