January 12, 2007
The No. 8-ranked Texas A&M men's basketball team goes for its 10th straight Big 12 victory on Saturday when it battles the Colorado Buffaloes at 6 p.m. (Central) at the Coors Events/Conference Center. The game will be televised in Colorado by Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain and in Texas by Fox Sports Net Southwest. A&M's game notes:
| GAME INFO |
| Saturday, January 13, 6 p.m. (CST) Coors Events Center (11,064), Boulder, Colo. |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 14-2, 2-0 Big 12 Colorado: 4-8, 0-2 Big 12 |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 8th by The Associated Press and 9th by ESPN/USA Today. |
| TELEVISION |
| Drew Goodman, play-by-play Ceal Barry, commentary |
| LIVE VIDEO |
| None |
| RADIO |
| WTAW-AM 1620 (Local) Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch 159) Dave South, play-by-play Al Pulliam, commentary (broadcast time 5:30 p.m. CST) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Video: None Live Audio (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (cubuffs.com) |
| SERIES |
| CU leads, 9-4 Last Meeting: (3/10/06) Last in Boulder: (3/10/06) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M hosts Oklahoma State Saturday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m. (CST) Reed Arena, College Station TV: ESPN Plus/ESPN Full Court Tickets: SOLD OUT |
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
- Record: 14-2 (2-0 Big 12)
- Ranking: 8th (AP), 9th (USA Today/ESPN)
- Last Game: Won at Baylor, 61-51, on Tuesday
- Head Coach: Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
Record: 87-53 (5th year)
at Texas A&M: 57-21 (3rd year)
vs. Colorado: 3-0
PROJECTED AGGIES STARTERS
No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex PPG RPG APG 1 Acie Law IV 6'3" 195 Sr-1L 15.6 2.8 5.5 22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" 180 Jr-2L 6.6 3.5 3.4 23 Josh Carter 6'7" 195 So-1L 12.3 3.2 .525 3FG 30 Joseph Jones 6'9" 250 Jr-2L 13.6 6.3 .571 FG 44 Antanas Kavaliauskas 6''10" 250 Sr-1L 12.0 5.6 .617 FG
COLORADO BUFFALOES
- Record: 4-8 (0-2 Big 12)
- Ranking: Unranked
- Last Game: Lost at Oklahoma, 78-54, on Wednesday
- Head Coach: Ricardo Patton (Belmont '80)
Record: 181-148 (11th year)
at Colorado: 181-148 (11th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 8-4
PROJECTED BUFFALOES STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex PPG RPG APG 11 Dominique Coleman G 6'3" 180 Sr-1L 10.6 5.4 3.5 13 Xavier Silas G 6'5" 195 Fr-Hs 10.1 3.5 2.1 23 Richard Roby G 6'6" 205 Jr-2L 19.1 4.8 2.3 31 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson F 6'6" 220 So-Tr 8.3 6.8 1.5 32 Marcus King-Stiockton C 6'9" 220 Jr-2l 3.8 3.8 0.3
Tale of the Tape
(2006-07 stat comparison)
A&M CU Record 14-2 4-8 Conference 2-0 0-2 RPI/Sagarin 21 / 7 263 / 264 AP / USA Today-ESPN 8 / 9 UR / UR Current Streak W7 L2 Field Goal Pct. .512 .406 Opponent FG Pct. .344 .466 3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .402 .286 Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .256 .417 3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.6 5.8 3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 16.5 20.4 Free Throw Pct. .745 .664 Opponent FT Pct. .679 .712 Rebound Avg. 36.1 36.7 Offensive Reb. Avg. 10.4 14.2 Rebounding Margin +6.1 -1.7 Turnovers Avg. 13.5 17.8 Opp. Turnovers Avg. 16.9 16.5 Assists Avg. 20.3 14.2 Blocks Avg. 3.3 5.2 Steals Avg. 8.0 8.1 Scoring Avg. 76.6 69.5 Opponent Scoring 52.6 79.9 Scoring Margin +24.0 -10.4
Key Game Notes
- A&M is riding a seven-game winning streak. The Aggies are coming off a 61-51 win at Baylor on Tuesday.
- Colorado has lost two straight and is coming off an 78-54 loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday.
- A&M is 2-2 on the road this season, while Colorado is 3-5 at home.
- A&M's 14-2 start is its best since a 16-2 start in 1959-60.
- A&M has won nine straight regular-season Big 12 games since an 83-70 loss at Texas last season, including four straight conference road games.
- A&M is the only team in the country that has not allowed an opponent to score more than 65 points.
About Colorado
- The Buffaloes finished 20-10 last year and placed fifth in the Big 12 at 9-7.
- Colorado is led by junior guard Richard Roby, a preseason first-team All-Big 12 pick who is averaging 19.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Roby has averaged 25.0 points through two Big 12 games.
- Two other Buffaloes also average in double figures -- Dominique Coleman (10.6) and Xavier Silas (10.1).
- Colorado ranks third in the Big 12 in blocked shots (5.2) and is second in offensive rebounding (14.2).
- The Buffaloes are averaging 69.5 points per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three-point range. They are allowing 79.9 points per contest as their opponents are making 46.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Series Notes
- Colorado leads the series, 9-4, but A&M has won three straight.
- The Buffaloes also lead in games played in Boulder (all at the Coors Center) with a 4-1 mark, but A&M won the last game in Boulder two years ago, 92-77.
- In his third year, A&M Coach Billy Gillispie is 3-0 against the Buffaloes.
- A&M won both meetings last year, posting a narrow 61-58 victory in College Station and a 86-53 victory in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Dallas.
Sidebars
- A&M senior Acie Law IV and Colorado freshman Dwight Thorne are cousins. Their mothers are sisters.
- In addition to Thorne (Arlington Martin HS), Colorado features another Texas native on its roster in freshman guard Xavier Silas (Austin/S.F. Austin HS).
Last Time vs. Colorado
DALLAS (AP, March 10, 2006) -- Joseph Jones had 21 points and Josh Carter 15, including four of Texas A&M's season-high 12 3-pointers, and the Aggies won in the Big 12 tournament for the first time, beating Colorado 86-53 in the quarterfinals at American Airlines Center. The Aggies have won eight straight games. Colorado was only 18-of-60 shooting and was never in the game after jumping out to a quick 9-2 lead. Jayson Obazuaye and Richard Roby had 12 points each for Colorado. Roby, a sophomore and an All-Big 12 pick, was a season-worst 3-of-18 shooting.The Aggies trailed until Carter's first 3-pointer made it 13-11 with 10:46 left in the first half. They never trailed again and went on to their biggest margin of victory in a postseason game. The Aggies led 38-24 at halftime, then opened the second half with Jones making a layup and then a free throw after being fouled. Colorado never got closer than 14 points after that, and trailed by at least 20 the final 12 minutes after Carter hit another 3-pointer to make it 53-33.
Baylor Recap
WACO, Texas (AP, Jan. 9, 2007) -- Joseph Jones had six points and three rebounds in the stretch that finally put No. 8 Texas A&M ahead to stay, and Acie Law IV drove for consecutive layups late to push the Aggies to their seventh straight victory, 61-51, over Baylor on Tuesday night. Jones made two free throws with 11 1/2 minutes left to tie the game at 41. After Baylor regained the lead on two free throws by Patrick Fields, Jones hit two more free throws and then grabbed a rebound that led to Donald Sloan's driving baseline layup with 10 minutes left. Law finished with 20 points while Jones had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jones was 2-of-7 from the field, but went 10-of-11 from the line. The Aggies led for good after that, extending the lead to 47-43 when Jones scored on a putback after Law missed a shot. The Aggies are off to their best start since opening 16-2 in 1959-60. Kevin Rogers had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Baylor. The Bears were within 50-47 with 3 minutes left until Law drove for the consecutive layups, the second after a rebound by Jones.
Who's Hot?
- Junior Joseph Jones and senior Acie Law IV are on the preseason Wooden and Naismith award watch lists, which each consist of the top 50 players in the country. Law also has been nominated for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard. Law and Jones were co-MVPs of the Shelby Metcalf Classic.
- Jones leads the Big 12 and ranks 39th nationally in free throw percentage at 87.2 percent. He has made 45-of-48 (.938) in the last 11 games. Jones scored 14 points with 12 rebounds on Tuesday at Baylor.
- Law has averaged 18.8 points and 6.6 assists in the last five games. He ranks third in the Big 12 and 29th nationally in assists (5.5) and also ranks in the top 11 in scoring (15.6, 11th), field goal accuracy (.508, 7th) and assist/turnover ratio (2.1, 6th).
- Sophomore Josh Carter has twice tied the school record with 8 three-pointers in a game this season (Idaho State and Grambling), one of only two players in the country to make at least eight treys in two games. Carter leads the Big 12 and ranks 5th nationally in three-point accuracy at 52.5 percent. Carter is has made 60.0 percent (27-of-45) of his three-pointers in the last seven games.
- Senior Antanas Kavaliauskas scored 20 points with a career-best 10 rebounds against Winthrop, his first career double-double. He ranks second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in field goal percentage (.617).
- Freshman Donald Sloan scored 8 points with 4 rebounds and 3 steals against Baylor.
Angles & Storylines
- A&M's 14-2 start is its best since 1959-60, when the Aggies got out to a 16-2 start.
- A&M is the only team in the country that has not allowed an opponent to score more than 65 points.
- The Aggies lead the nation in defensive field goal percentage (.344) and three-point percentage defense (.255) while ranking third in scoring defense (52.6). A&M leads the Big 12 in all three categories.
- A&M ranks second nationally in assists (20.3) and is fourth in field goal percentage (.512), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50) and second in scoring margin (+24.0). The Aggies lead the Big 12 in all four categories.
- The Aggies also rank second nationally in assists percentage, with 73.1 percent of their field goals assisted.
- A&M ranks second in the Big 12 and 25th nationally in free throw accuracy, making 74.5 percent. In the last three games, the Aggies have connected on 81.9 percent (59-72) from the line.
- A&M is the only team to rank among the top 10 nationally in both defensive and offensive field goal accuracy.
- The Aggies are ranked No. 3 nationally in combined defensive and offensive efficiency (points allowed and scored per 100 possessions) by ESPN statistical guru Ken Pomeroy. A&M is first in defensive efficiency (80.6) and ninth in offensive efficiency (116.3).
- A&M has not been out-scored in points in the paint this season, averaging 35.0 points per game.
- A&M has out-rebounded each of its last eight opponents by an average margin of +10.6.
- A&M is ranked 8th this week by the AP and is 9th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll. The Aggies have been ranked a school-record 10 straight weeks, breaking the previous mark of eight weeks set in 1959-60 and matched in 1978-79. Before this year, A&M's last previous top-10 ranking was on Jan. 3, 1979, when it was ranked 10th by The AP. A&M was ranked No. 6 in early December, the highest in school history.
- Prior to this season, A&M's last ranking by the AP came on Dec. 30, 1980, when the Aggies were 11th.
- A&M has won 17 straight home games, the 10th longest active streak in the country. It is the third longest streak in school history and the longest since the Aggies won 18 straight over three seasons from 1974-77. The school record is 30 straight over four seasons from 1959-63.
- A&M is the only team in the Big 12 that has started the same lineup in every game this season.
- A&M is 45-5 at Reed Arena under Billy Gillispie, with a 30-1 mark against non-conference foes (including a 1-1 record in the 2005 postseason NIT). Gillipsie is 61-6 in home games in his last four seasons as a head coach.
- Acie Law and Marlon Pompey are the only remaining players who were on the roster before Billy Gillispie arrived.
- Acie Law IV and Joseph Jones may be the nation's top inside-out combination. They are the only returning inside-out combo in the country who each averaged at least 15.0 points per game last season.