January 11, 2008
No. 10-ranked Texas A&M tries to extend its seven-game winning streak on Saturday when it opens Big 12 play against the Colorado Buffaloes at Reed Arena. Game time is 3 p.m.
GAME #16
#10/11 Texas A&M Aggies
(14-1, 0-0 Big 12 Conference)
vs.
Colorado Buffaloes
(8-6, 0-0 Big 12 Conference)
Saturday, Jan. 12
3:01 p.m. (CST)
Reed Arena (12,989 cap.)
College Station, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN Regional
Play-by-Play: Fred White
Analyst: Bob Sundvold
Check local listings
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 125
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 14-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Ranking: 10th (USA Today/ESPN), 11th (AP)
RPI (CBSportsline): 20
Last Game: Beat LSU (79-53) at home last Saturday
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ?'87)
Record: 167-120 (10th year)
at Texas A&M: 14-1 (1st year)
vs. Colorado: 0-0
TENTATIVE TEXAS A&M STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
22 Dominique Kirk G 6-4 185 Sr-3L 7.4 3.5 4.2
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 So-1L 8.7 3.9 3.0
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Jr-2L 13.7 4.1 --
30 Joseph Jones F 6-9 255 Sr-3L 11.3 5.3 --
12 DeAndre Jordan C 7-0 255 Fr-Hs 10.3 7.1 --
COLORADO BUFFALOES
Record: 8-6 (0-0 Big 12)
Ranking: n/a
RPI (CBSportsline): 141
Last Game: Lost to Tulsa (81-68) at home on Monday
Head Coach: Jeff Bzdelik (Ill.-Chicago ?'76)
Record: 83-53 (5th year)
at Colorado: 8-6 (1st year)
vs. Texas A&M: 0-0
TENTATIVE COLORADO STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
1 Marcus Hall G 6-2 185 Sr-3L 12.9 4.4 4.0
11 Cory Higgins G 6-5 175 Fr-Hs 7.5 3.6 2.4
13 Xavier Silas G 6-5 190 So-1L 10.7 2.8 --
23 Richard Roby G 6-6 200 Sr-3L 16.6 6.1 2.5
31 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson F 6-6 220 Jr-1L 4.4 4.9 --
Key Game Notes
*The Aggies have won 14 straight home games, the 10th longest streak in the country, and have won 35 of their last 36 at Reed Arena.
*A&M is 12-0 at home this season while Colorado is 3-2 in true road games.
*A&M is 14-1 for the first time since the 1921-22 season, when it started 16-1 under legendary coach D.X. Bible. The best start in school annals was in 1919-20, when the Aggies finished 19-0.
*A&M has won seven straight, the second longest winning streak in the Big 12 (Kansas has won 15).
*The Aggies are coming off a 79-53 win against LSU at home last Saturday.
*Colorado is coming off an 81-68 loss to Tulsa at home on Monday. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Buffaloes.
About Colorado
*Colorado finished 7-20 last season, placing 12th in the Big 12 with a 3-13 mark.
*The Buffaloes are in their first season under Coach Jeff Bzdelik, who coached at Air Force the last two years. He was head coach of the NBA?â„¢s Denver Nuggets from 2002-04.
*Colorado and A&M have had one common opponent in Florida A&M. The Buffaloes posted a 83-59 victory and the Aggies charted an 83-54 win.
*The Buffaloes losses have been to New Mexico (54-47), Wisconsin (78-52), Stanford (67-43), Wyoming (73-64), New Orleans (67-65) and Tulsa (81-68).
*Colorado is led by senior guard Richard Roby (6-6), an All-Big 12 performer who is averaging 16.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Marcus Hall (6-2) adds 12.9 points and sophomore guard Xavier Silas (6-4) contributes 10.7 points.
Sidebars
*Colorado assistant coach Steve McClain briefly served as an assistant for Melvin Watkins first team at A&M in 1998 before leaving to become Wyoming?â„¢s head coach.
*When A&M coach Mark Turgeon was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1997-98, Colorado?â„¢s Jeff Bzdelik was in the third of his six years as an assistant with the Miami Heat.
*Three Colorado players are from Texas -- senior Marcus Hall (Houston/Jersey Village HS), sophomore Dwight Thorne II (Arlington/Martin HS) and sophomore Xavier Silas (Austin/S.F. Austin HS).
*Colorado?â„¢s Dwight Thorne II and former A&M All-American Acie Law IV are cousins.
*CU senior Richard Roby is a former prep school and AAU teammate of former A&M standout Antoine Wright. Both are from San Bernardino, Calif.
Series Notes
*Colorado leads the series, 9-5, but A&M has won four straight in the series.
*The Buffaloes have a 3-2 record in College Station, with a 2-2 mark at Reed Arena.
*A&M won last year in Boulder (87-69) and two years ago in College Station (61-58).
*The Buffaloes?â„¢ last win in the series was at Reed Arena in 2003-04 (76-70).
Who?â„¢s Hot?
*A preseason All-America candidate, senior forward Joseph Jones was named MVP of the Dick?â„¢s Sporting Goods NIT Season-Tip-Off in November. Jones is listed among the top 50 candidates for the Wooden Award and is a consensus preseason first-team All-Big 12 pick. Jones ranks among the school?â„¢s career top 10 in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, field goal percentage, free throws and free throw attempts. Jones, who graduated on Dec. 14 (agricultural leadership), scored 14 points with a season-high 9 rebounds against Rice.
*Senior guard Dominique Kirk owns the Big 12 record for consecutive starts with 111. Kirk is the winningest starter in school history with an 84-27 (.758) record. A defensive All-American last year, Kirk has been named the Big 12's top defender for the second straight preseason by The Sporting News. He ranks fifth in the Big 12 in assists (4.2) and leads the league assist/turnover ratio (2.63). Kirk has averaged 5.8 assists in the last three games.
*Junior Josh Carter ranks second in career three-point accuracy in Big 12 history at 44.4 percent. He leads the team with a 13.7 scoring average and has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
*Sophomore Bryan Davis leads the team in blocks (23) and steals (13) and is third in rebounding (4.5). Davis ranks fifth in the Big 12 in blocks (1.53).
*Freshman DeAndre Jordan, a preseason freshman All-America pick, leads the nation in field goal percentage (.770, 80 FGA min.). A member of the preseason NIT all-tournament team, Jordan made an A&M and Big 12 record 17 straight field goal attempts in November. Jordan scored 16 points with a career-high 12 rebounds and a career-best 4 blocks against Rice.
*Sophomore Donald Sloan has led the team in scoring in five of the last 11 games, averaging 10.0 points in that span. Sloan scored a game-high 17 points (making 7-of-9 field goals) with 5 rebounds against LSU.
*Sophomore Chinemelu Elonu has averaged 6.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in the seven-game winning streak. He has led the team in rebounding in three of the last four games.
Aggie Angles
*A&M remained at No. 10 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll and climbed to No. 11 in the AP poll this week. The Aggies have been ranked in both polls a school record 30 straight weeks. Prior to this streak, A&M has been ranked a total of 27 weeks in its entire history.
*A&M?â„¢s 14-1 record under Mark Turgeon is the best coaching debut in school history.
*A&M ranks third nationally in field goal percentage defense at .353 and has held 11 opponents under 40 percent. The Aggies are allowing just 56.8 points per game, just ahead of last year?â„¢s school record of 59.4.
*A&M ranks fourth nationally in field goal accuracy at 51.3 percent, despite shooting a season-low .377 against Rice.
*During A&M?â„¢s seven-game winning streak, the Aggies have outshot their opponents, .536 to .316 and posted an average scoring margin of +29.6
*The Aggies have won 14 straight home games, the seventh longest streak in school history and the 10th longest active streak in the country.
*A&M is 41-8 since the start of last season, the ninth most wins in the country in that span.
*The Aggies?â„¢ 63 home wins in the last four seasons are the most in the nation in that period.
*The Aggies have averaged a whopping 35.3 points in the paint and rank second nationally in rebounding margin at +11.7. A&M has out-rebounded all 15 opponents this season.
*A&M is averaging 26.3 bench points per game, 33.9 percent of its total offensive output.
*With six players listed at 6?â„¢9? or taller, the 2007-08 Aggies are the tallest in school history and among the biggest in college basketball. At 7?â„¢0?, freshman DeAndre Jordan is the fourth 7-footer to play at A&M, joining Andy Slocum (1999-04), Steve Niles (1968-71) and Lewis Qualls (1960-63).
*Like Mark Turgeon?â„¢s teams at Wichita State, the Aggies are among the most balanced in college basketball. Eight different players have scored in double figures this season and seven are averaging between 7-14 points. Turgeon?â„¢s teams at WSU always had at least six players averaging in a similar range.
*A&M is the only Big 12 teams with seven players averaging at least 7.0 points per game.