February 02, 2007
The No. 8-ranked Texas A&M men's basketball team battles No. 6 Kansas on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN and will be the featured game for the network's College Gameday coverage. A&M's game notes:
| GAME INFO |
| Saturday, February 3, 8 p.m. (CST) Allen Fieldhouse (16,300), Lawrence, Kan. |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 18-3, 6-1 Big 12 Kansas: 19-3, 6-1 Big 12 |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 8th by ESPN/USA Today and 10th by The Associated Press. Kansas is ranked 6th in both polls. |
| TELEVISION |
| ESPN/ESPNHD (National) Dan Shulman, play-by-play Dick Vitale, commentary |
| LIVE VIDEO |
| None |
| RADIO |
| WTAW-AM 1620 (Local) Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch 152-KU feed) Dave South, play-by-play Al Pulliam, commentary (broadcast time 7:30 p.m. CST) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Video: None Live Audio (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (kuathletics.com) |
| SERIES |
| Kansas leads, 11-0 Last Meeting: (1/25/06) Last in Lawrence: (1/5/05) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M hosts (#22) Texas Monday, Feb. 5, 8 p.m. (CST) Reed Arena, College Station TV: ESPN/ESPN HD Tickets: SOLD OUT |
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
- Record: 18-3 (6-1 Big 12)
- Ranking: 10th (AP), 8th (USA Today/ESPN)
- Last Game: Beat Iowa State, 73-49, on Wednesday
- Head Coach: Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
Record: 91-54 (5th year)
at Texas A&M: 61-22 (3rd year)
vs. Kansas: 0-2
PROJECTED AGGIES STARTERS
No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex PPG RPG APG 1 Acie Law IV 6'3" 195 Sr-1L 16.4 2.9 5.0 22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" 180 Jr-2L 6.6 3.5 3.3 23 Josh Carter 6'7" 195 So-1L 11.7 3.3 .510 3FG 30 Joseph Jones 6'9" 250 Jr-2L 13.7 6.7 .562 FG 44 Antanas Kavaliauskas 6'10" 250 Sr-1L 12.3 5.7 .603 FG
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
- Record: 19-3 (6-1 Big 12)
- Ranking: 6th (USA Today/ESPN),6th (AP)
- Last Game: Won at Nebraska, 76-56, on Monday
- Head Coach: Bill Self (Oklahoma State '85)
Record: 298-132 (14th year)
at Kansas: 91-27 (4th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 3-0
PROJECTED JAYHAWKS STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex PPG RPG APG 3 Russell Robinson G 6'1" 200 Jr-2L 6.7 3.0 2.4 15 Mario Chalmers G 6'1" 195 So-1L 11.8 3.1 3.4 25 Brandon Rush G 6'6" 210 So-1L 14.3 6.0 4.6 30 Julian Wright F 6'8" 225 So-1L 11.4 7.7 2.0 24 Sasha Kaun C 6'11" 245 Jr-2L 6.4 3.7 0.5
Tale of the Tape
(2006-07 stat comparison)
A&M Kansas Record 18-3 19-3 Conference 6-1 6-1 RPI/Sagarin 16 / 7 15 / 8 AP / USA Today-ESPN 10 / 8 6 / 6 Current Streak W2 W3 Field Goal Pct. .505 .487 Opponent FG Pct. .349 .376 3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .409 .385 Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .269 .334 3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.3 6.1 3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.4 16.0 Free Throw Pct. .748 .678 Opponent FT Pct. .702 .649 Rebound Avg. 35.3 39.7 Offensive Reb. Avg. 9.8 12.8 Rebounding Margin +5.1 +6.6 Turnovers Avg. 13.2 14.6 Opp. Turnovers Avg. 16.5 18.0 Assists Avg. 19.0 17.0 Blocks Avg. 3.2 6.9 Steals Avg. 7.4 9.6 Scoring Avg. 75.8 77.7 Opponent Scoring 54.3 60.0 Scoring Margin +21.5 +17.7
Key Game Notes
- The Aggies have won two straight and are coming off a 73-49 win against Iowa State at home on Wednesday. A&M has won 11 of its last 12 games.
- Kansas has won three straight and is coming off a 76-56 win at Nebraska on Monday. The Jayhawks have won 13 of their last 14 games.
- The only loss by either team since early December has been at Texas Tech. The teams have identical 4-1 records against common opponents, beating Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Baylor and Colorado.
- A&M is 3-2 in true road games this season while Kansas is 12-1 at home.
- A&M's 18-3 start is the best in school history after 21 games. The Aggies' previous best start was 17-4 in 1978-79, when Billy Gillispie was a college freshman.
- A&M has held 32 straight opponents to under 50 percent accuracy from the field, the longest streak in the country. The Aggies have given up better than 50 percent shooting in just three halves this season.
About Kansas
- The Jayhawks are in their fourth season under Coach Bill Self, formerly of Illinois.
- Kansas went 25-8 last season and captured the Big 12 title with a 13-3 mark. The Jayhawks were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
- The Jayhawks are led by sophomore guard Brandon Rush, who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while making 40.8 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers adds 11.8 points, while sophomore forward Julian Wright adds 11.4 and freshman Darrell Arthur contributes 11.0.
- Kansas posted an 82-80 overtime win against top-ranked Florida on Nov. 25.
Series Notes
- Kansas leads the series, 11-0, including a 5-0 mark in Lawrence.
- The Jayhawks are the only Big 12 team A&M has never beaten.
- Kansas posted an 83-73 victory last year in College Station (A&M has since won 20 straight home games) and pulled out a 65-60 win two years ago in Lawrence. The last three meetings have each been decided by 10 points or less.
Sidebars
- A&M Coach Billy Gillispie was an assistant under Kansas Coach Bill Self at Illinois (2000-02) and Tulsa (1997-00). The pair helped those teams to four straight NCAA Tournaments together, including consecutive Elite Eight appearances in 2000 (Tulsa) and 2001 (Illinois).
- Texas A&M staffer Jerrance Howard played for Self at Illinois from 2000-03.
Last Year vs. Kansas
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Jan. 25, 2006)- Russell Robinson had a career-high 24 points to help Kansas remain perfect against Texas A&M with an 83-73 win over the Aggies. The Jayhawks are 11-0 all-time against Texas A&M. Kansas opened the second half with a 16-0 run, thanks to eight points from Robinson and sloppy play by the Aggies. Kansas erased a two-point halftime deficit and had built a 47-33 lead before A&M finally scored five minutes into the half. The Aggies got hot from 3-point range, hitting two straight and got within 54-50, but Kansas scored eight straight points and put the game out of reach. Kansas was at the line often, making 33-of-44 free throws. Acie Law led A&M with 17 points and Joseph Jones added 15. led by as many as seven points in the first half, despite getting just three from Jones. They led 33-31 at halftime. Darnell Jackson kept Kansas in it early, and had 11 first-half points, including two rim-rocking dunks. The Aggies shot 48 percent in the first half but struggled after halftime, making just 9-of-29 shots for 31 percent.
Iowa State Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP)- Joseph Jones scored 21 points and No. 10 Texas A&M's defense did the rest in the Aggies' 73-49 win over Iowa State on Wednesday night. The Cyclones were forced to play catch up all night after the Aggies jumped to a 11-0 lead and never slowed down. Acie Law got A&M to 70 points with a layup with 5:51 remaining and coach Billy Gillispie sent in a cast of backups to finish the game. Jones scored all but two of his points in the first half and sat for extended periods after the break. Law and Antanas Kavaliauskas scored 13 apiece for A&M. A&M's defense harassed, hurried and frustrated Iowa State from the start, forcing the Cyclones into 21 turnovers. The Cyclones shot just 31 percent and were held to their fewest points of the season. A&M led 39-23 at halftime, after Jones set the pace early, scoring six of the game's first eight points.
Who's Hot?
- Senior Acie Law IV is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard. He also is among the top 30 midseason candidates for the Wooden Award. Law has averaged 19.4 points in the last eight games, including a season-high 26 at Texas Tech. He is the only Big 12 player averaging at least 15.0 points with 5.0 or more assists.
- Junior Joseph Jones is averaging 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in Big 12 play, ranking fifth in the league in rebounding. He scored 21 points with 5 rebounds and 5 steals in the win against Iowa State.
- Sophomore Josh Carter leads the Big 12 and ranks 4th nationally in three-point accuracy at 51.0 percent. He has made 5-of-6 three-pointers in the last two games. Carter is most accurate career three-point shooter in A&M history and ranks second in Big 12 annals (.447).
- Senior Antanas Kavaliauskas has averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the last two games. He scored a team-high 20 points with 6 rebounds against Oklahoma. Kavaliauskas ranks second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally in field goal percentage (.603). He has posted at least five rebounds in eight straight games.
- One of the nation's premier defensive players, Dominique Kirk has been the primary defender on the opponents' top offensive threat. In Big 12 play, he's helped hold his man to 27.1 percent shooting (19-of-70).
Angles & Storylines
- A&M will be featured on the ABC series "Free Ticket: Inside College Basketball" this Saturday at 2 p.m. The 30-minute show is a behind-the scenes look at the Aggie basketball program. A second 30-minute program will be aired on ABC the following Saturday.
- A&M's 18-3 start is the best in school history after 21 games.
- The Aggies lead the nation in defensive field goal percentage (.349) and three-point percentage defense (.269) and are second in scoring defense (54.3). A&M leads the Big 12 in all three categories.
- The Aggies have held 32 straight opponents to under 50 percent field goal accuracy, the longest streak in the nation. A&M's opponents this season have shot better than 50 percent in just 3 of 42 halves played.
- A&M ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage (.505) and is fourth in assists (19.0). The Aggies also are fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44) and third in scoring margin (+21.5). The Aggies lead the Big 12 in all four categories.
- The Aggies rank third nationally in assists percentage, with 70.7 percent of their field goals assisted.
- A&M leads the Big 12 and ranks 19th nationally in free throw accuracy, making 74.8 percent.
- 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 (83.1) and 10th in offensive efficiency (114.9).
- A&M has not been out-scored in points in the paint this season, averaging 33.9 points per game.
- A&M is ranked 8th this week in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll and is 10th by the AP. The Aggies have been ranked a school-record 13 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 has twice reached a No. 6 ranking this season, 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 20 straight home games, the 8th longest active streak in the country. The Aggies have won nine straight Big 12 home games.
- A&M is the only team in the Big 12 that has started the same lineup in every game this season.
- A&M is 48-5 at Reed Arena under Billy Gillispie, with a 16-4 mark in Big 12 play and a 32-1 mark against non-conference foes (including a 1-1 record in the 2005 postseason NIT). Gillispie is 63-6 in home games in his last four seasons as a head coach.