Streaking Aggies Battle Colorado at Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament
Mar 07, 2006 | Men's Basketball
March 07, 2006
Riding a seven-game winning streak, the No. 4 seeded Texas A&M men's basketball team will play No. 5 seed Colorado on Friday at 2 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the American Airlines Center. A&M's pretournament notes:
Texas A&M Aggies (No. 4 Seed)
| GAME INFO |
Friday, March 10, 2 p.m. (CST) American Airlines Center (20,467), Dallas, Texas |
| RECORDS |
Colorado: 20-8, 9-7 Big 12 (5th) Texas A&M: 20-7, 10-6 Big 12 (4th) |
| RANKINGS |
Texas A&M is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls. |
| RADIO |
(KAGG-FM 96.1 in Bryan/College Station) Dave South, play-by-play Al Pulliam, commentary |
| TELEVISION |
Dave Armstrong, play-by-play Reid Gettys, commentary |
| INTERNET |
Live Stats: Link TBA (big12sports.com) Live Audio: (aggieathletics.com-subscription service) |
| SERIES |
Colorado leads A&M, 9-3 at Big 12 Tournament: CU leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: (2/8/06) |
| UP NEXT |
Winner vs. Texas Tech/Texas Big 12 Tournament Semifinals Saturday, March 11, 1 p.m. (CST) American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas TV: ESPNU/ESPN Plus |
- Record: 71-49 (4th year)
- at Texas A&M: 41-17 (2nd year)
- at Big 12 Tournament: 0-1
- in Conference Postseason Tournaments: 3-3
- in NIT games: 2-1
- in NCAA Tournament games: 0-1
Leading Scorer: Acie Law (16.0)
Leading Rebounder: Joseph Jones (6.7)
Assists Leader: Acie Law (3.8)
Steals Leader: Acie Law (1.7)
Blocks Leader: Marlon Pompey (0.9)
3-Point Field Goals Leader: Dominique Kirk (1.6)
3-Point Percentage Leader: Dominique Kirk (.389)
Field Goal Percentage Leader: Antanas Kavaliauskas (.593)
Free Throw Percentage Leader: Joseph Jones (.736)
Record: 20-7 (10-6 Big 12)
National Ranking / RPI: Received 17 votes in Monday?™s AP poll and 2 in the ESPN/USA Today poll / 49
Current Streak: 7 Straight Wins
Head Coach: Billy Gillispie (Texas State ?'83)
A&M Player and Coach Honors
- Big 12 Coach of the Year, Austin American-Statesman
- Big 12 Coach of the Year, The Dallas Morning News
- Big 12 Coach of the Year, San Antonio Express-News
- Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
JOSEPH JONES, Sophomore
- Second-Team All-Big 12, Coaches Poll, newspapers
- First-Team All-District (NABC)
- Named Big 12?™s Strongest Player (Sports Illustrated)
- Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
ANTANAS KAVALIUASKAS, Junior
- Big 12 All-Newcomer (Transfer) Team
DOMINIQUE KIRK, Sophomore
- Big 12 All-Underrated Team
ACIE LAW IV, Junior
- First-Team All-Big 12, Kansas City Star
- First-Team All-Big 12, Austin American-Statesman
- First-Team All-Big 12, The Dallas Morning News
- First-Team All-Big 12, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- First-Team All-District (USBWA)
- Second-Team All-District (NABC)
- Second-Team All-Big 12, Houston Chronicle, AP
- Second-Team All-Big 12, San Antonio Express-News
- Third-Team All-Big 12, Big 12 Coaches Poll
- Big 12 Player of the Week (March 5)
CHRIS WALKER, Senior
- First-Team Academic All-Big 12
BILLY GILLISPIE, Head Coach
A&M?™s Tournament History
Texas A&M is 0-9 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and has lost 12 straight conference tournament games dating back to a title game loss to Texas in the 1994 Southwest Conference Classic. A&M?™s last win came against Texas Tech (89-85) in the SWC semifinals that year.
TEXAS A&M AT THE PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Year Round Result
1997 First Round #6 Oklahoma 67, #11 Texas A&M 58
1998 First Round #5 Baylor 66, #12 Texas A&M 63
1999 First Round #7 Kansas State 87, #10 Texas A&M 76
2000 First Round #7 Colorado 79, #10 Texas A&M 53
2001 First Round #6 Missouri 77, #11 Texas A&M 62
2002 First Round #5 Texas Tech 80, #12 Texas A&M 71
2003 First Round #9 Iowa State 97, #8 Texas A&M 70
2004 First Round #6 Missouri 74, #11 Texas A&M 68
2005 First Round #10 Kansas State 68, #7 Texas A&M 62
TEXAS A&M AT THE SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE CLASSIC
Year Round Result
1976 Championship Texas Tech 74, Texas A&M 72
1977 First Round Texas A&M 89, SMU 69
Quarterfinals Houston 96, Texas A&M 72
1978 First Round Texas Tech 85, Texas A&M 78
1979 Quarterfinals Texas Tech 63, Texas A&M 62 (OT)
1980 Semifinals Texas A&M 61, Texas Tech 51
Championship Texas A&M 52, Arkansas 50
1981 First Round TCU 62, Texas A&M 60
1982 Quarterfinals Texas A&M 64, Baylor 63
Semifinals Houston 89, Texas A&M 76
1983 First Round TCU 65, Texas A&M 53
1984 First Round Texas A&M 75, Texas 54
Quarterfinals Texas A&M 59, SMU 57
Semifinals Arkansas 49, Texas A&M 47
1985 Quarterfinals Texas A&M 54, TCU 52
Semifinals Texas Tech 72, Texas A&M 63
1986 Quarterfinals Texas A&M 67, Arkansas 51
Semifinals Texas A&M 55, Texas 47
Championship Texas Tech 67, Texas A&M 63
1987 Quarterfinals Texas A&M 81, TCU 70
Semifinals Texas A&M 68, Texas Tech 60
Championship Texas A&M 71, Baylor 46
1988 Quarterfinals Arkansas 76, Texas A&M 64
1989 Quarterfinals Texas A&M 82, Houston 70
Semifinals Arkansas 94, Texas A&M 84
1990 Quarterfinals Texas 92, Texas A&M 84
1991 First Round Texas A&M 57, Texas Tech 46
Quarterfinals Arkansas 108, Texas A&M 61
1992 Quarterfinals Texas 88, Texas A&M 69
1993 Quarterfinals Houston 84, Texas A&M 68
1994 Quarterfinals Texas A&M 85, SMU 66
Semifinals Texas A&M 89, Texas Tech 85
Championship Texas 87, Texas A&M 62
1995 Quarterfinals Rice 84, Texas A&M 75
1996 Quarterfinals Texas Tech 85, Texas A&M 75
Projected A&M Starters
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 1 | Acie Law IV | 6-3 | 185 | Jr-2L | 16.1 | 2.8 | 3.8 |
| 22 | Dominique Kirk | 6-3 | 180 | So-1L | 6.7 | 3.3 | 2.7 |
| 10 | Chris Walker | 6-5 | 210 | Sr-1L | 4.0 | 2.4 | 1.4 |
| 42 | Marlon Pompey | 6-8 | 225 | Jr-2L | 5.3 | 3.3 | 0.9 blk |
| 30 | Joseph Jones | 6-9 | 250 | So-1L | 15.7 | 6.7 | .527 FG% |
Who?™s Hot?
- Sophomore Joseph Jones has been named 1st-Team All-District by the NABC and is a 2nd-team All-Big 12 pick by the league?™s coaches and most major Big 12 newspapers. He also earned 2nd-team Academic All-Big 12 honors.
- Plagued by early foul trouble in some games, Jones is averaging 18.7 points and 7.6 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. Jones was named the strongest player in the Big 12 in a survey of league players conducted by Sports Illustrated. A&M has won 8 straight when Jones plays 31 or more minutes.
- Junior Acie Law IV is a first-team All-Big 12 pick by most major Big 12 newspapers. Law was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after leading the team to wins against Texas and Texas Tech last week. He has scored in double figures in all but three games and ranked sixth in the Big 12 in scoring in league play with 17.3 per game.
- In the seven games (all wins) since he received seven stitches over his left eye after the Feb. 4 Texas game, senior Chris Walker has averaged 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds while making 37.0 percent (10-27) from three-point range. Walker is a first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick.
- Junior Antanas Kavaliauskas has averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in the last three games. A&M is 11-0 when he scores at least seven points. Kavaliauskas was named to the league?™s All-Newcomer (Transfer) Team.
- Junior Marlon Pompey scored a career-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting at Texas Tech and added five rebounds. A&M is 11-1 when Pompey scores at least six points.
- Sophomore Dominique Kirk has been named to the Big 12?™s All-Underrated Team and has emerged as one of the Big 12?™s top defenders. He?™s averaged 8.1 points in the last 11 games, making 41.1 percent from three-point range in that span. The Aggies are 13-3 when he scores at least seven points.
Aggie Storylines
- Under Billy Gillispie, the Aggies have the fourth most conference wins (18) and fifth most total wins (41) in the Big 12 the last two years. Gillispie is 41-17 (.707) overall in two years at A&M, the best career mark by an Aggie coach since Bill Driver posted a 42-13 mark (.764) in three years from 1918-20.
- The crowd of 13,176 that saw the Texas game on March 1 was an A&M record, the fifth time the attendance record has been broken under Gillispie. A&M?™s season average (8,133) and conference average (10,731) were just shy of the school attendance records set last season.
- A&M finished 10-6 in league play, its most conference wins since Big 12 play started in 1996-97. A&M?™s seven game-winning streak is its longest in Big 12 play and its four road wins are also its best.
- A&M is the No. 4 seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, its highest seeding in the 10-year history of the tournament. The last time A&M had a higher postseason seeding was in 1994, when the Aggies were the No. 2 seed at the Southwest Conference Classic, which was played at Dallas?™ Reunion Arena.
- A&M?™s seven-game winning streak ties for the second longest in the nation among major conferences. Washington (Pac 10) has an eight-game streak and North Carolina has a seven game streak going into this week?™s games.
- In three of A&M?™s six Big 12 losses (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Kansas State), the Aggies missed potential game-winning shots in the final five seconds. Ten of A&M?™s 16 league games were decided by four points or less or in OT. The Aggies were 7-3 in those games and won seven straight.
- A&M trailed by double digits in eight league games and rallied to win four of them. The Aggies came back to beat Tech (from 14 points down), Iowa State (10 points), Colorado (10 points) and Missouri (10 points). A&M came back to tie Kansas State (from 14 points down) in the final minute. A&M also trimmed 14-point deficits to four against Kansas and Oklahoma and came within six of Texas after falling 18 points behind with 12 minutes left.
- In the seven-game winning streak, A&M has held its opponents to 52.9 points, .372 from the field, .339 from three-point range and a 0.59 assist/turnover ratio.
- Through the first nine league games, Jones and Law were combining to score 55.2 percent of the team?™s points. In the winning streak, they have scored 44.9 percent.
- A&M is forcing an average of 19.0 turnovers per game, second most in the Big 12. The Aggies rank fourth nationally in defensive turnover percentage (turnovers per possession) at .284 percent and are averaging 19.7 points off turnovers per game. The Aggies rank 2nd in the Big 12 in TO margin (+5.22) and are 3rd in assist/TO ratio (1.20).
- A&M is 12th nationally (third in the Big 12) in defensive efficiency (points per possession) at .901.
- A&M has had more turnovers than its opponent in just one game this season (win at Iowa State). Only two opponents have had a positive assist/turnover ratio against the Aggies this season -- Iowa State and Kansas State.
- A&M is allowing just 60.2 points per game, second best in school history behind the 1979-80 team (59.8). A&M ranks second in the Big 12 and 27th nationally in scoring defense.
- In 58 games under Billy Gillispie, A&M has allowed an average of 62.0 points on 40.4 percent shooting.
- A&M is allowing just 5.3 fast break points and 13.1 points off turnovers per game.
- A&M has scored 22.6 percent of its points from the FT line, most in the Big 12 and 47th nationally. The Aggies rank 34th in the nation in free throw rate (free throws made divided by field goal attempts) at 29.4. A&M leads the Big 12 in free throws attempted (23.2) and made (15.5) per game. However, in the seven-game winning streak, A&M is averaging just 10.4 free throws and 16.6 attempts.
- A&M averages 21.7 personal fouls per game, most in the Big 12 and 18th most nationally. Opponents have scored 27.1 percent of their points from the line, the ninth-highest rate in the nation. However, in the seven-game winning streak A&M has averaged just 18.0 fouls and opponents have scored 22.4 percent of their points from the line.
- The foursome of Law, Jones, Kirk and Walker started 32 straight Big 12 games together. Acie Law and Marlon Pompey are the only players who were on the roster two years ago when the Aggies played in Dallas.
- A&M?™s largest margin of defeat this year has been 13 (83-70) at Texas, the Longhorns?™ smallest winning margin at home in Big 12 play this year. Every conference team except A&M has had at least one 20-point loss this season. A&M?™s average margin of defeat has been just 6.4 points.
- A&M leads the conference in fewest opponents?™ field goals made (19.3) and attempted (46.2) per game, ranking fourth nationally in both categories.
