January 15, 2008
No. 9-ranked Texas A&M plays its first road game in 45 days when it plays the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday at 8:35 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
GAME #17
#9/10 Texas A&M Aggies
(15-1, 1-0 Big 12 Conference)
vs.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
(9-6, 0-1 Big 12 Conference)
Wednesday, Jan. 16
8:35 p.m. (CST)
United Sprit Arena (15,098 cap.)
Lubbock, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Ron Franklin
Analysts: Fran Fraschilla/Bill Raftery
Sideline Reporter: Holly Rowe
Check local listings
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 110 (Texas Tech broadcast)
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 15-1 (1-0 Big 12)
Ranking: 9th (USA Today/ESPN), 10th (AP)
RPI: 21
Last Game: Beat Colorado (86-69) at home on Saturday
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ?'87)
Record: 168-120 (10th year)
at Texas A&M: 15-1 (1st year)
vs. Texas Tech: 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 7.9 3.4 4.3
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 So-1L 9.0 3.8 2.9
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Jr-2L 13.6 3.9 --
30 Joseph Jones F 6-9 255 Sr-3L 11.3 5.0 --
12 DeAndre Jordan C 7-0 255 Fr-Hs 10.5 7.2 --
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Record: 9-6 (0-1 Big 12)
Ranking: n/a
RPI: 94
Last Game: Lost at Oklahoma State (74-55) on Saturday
Head Coach: Bob Knight (Ohio State ?'62)
Record: 899-369 (42nd year)
at Texas Tech: 135-80 (7th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 12-5
TENTATIVE TEXAS TECH STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
21 John Roberson G 5-11 165 Fr-Hs 12.0 2.4 3.1
20 Alan Voskuil G 6-3 175 Jr-2L 12.7 3.8 --
3 Martin Zeno G 6-5 208 Sr-3L 16.1 4.9 3.1
32 Mike Singletary F 6-5 226 Fr-Hs 6.7 2.7 --
34 Esmir Rizvic C 7-0 252 Sr-1L 3.8 2.5 --
Key Game Notes
*The Aggies are playing only their second road game of the season. A&M has not been on the road since a 78-67 loss at Arizona on Dec. 2.
*A&M is 2-1 in all games away from home this season, winning the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York with wins against Washington (77-63) and Ohio State (70-47).
*Texas Tech is 7-1 at home this year.
*A&M is 15-1 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 eight straight, the second longest winning streak in the Big 12 (Kansas has won 16).
*The Aggies are coming off an 86-69 win against Colorado at home on Saturday.
*Tech is coming off a 74-55 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Red Raiders.
About Texas Tech
*The Red Raiders finished 21-13 last season, placing fifth in the Big 12 with a 9-7 mark.
*Tech is in its seventh season under Coach Bob Knight, who will be reaching for his 900th career victory. Knight is the winningest coach in NCAA history.
*Tech and A&M have had one common opponent in UTEP. The Red Raiders posted a 75-68 victory in Lubbock and the Aggies carded an 81-76 win in College Station.
*The Red Raiders are led by senior guard Martin Zeno (6-5), who is averaging 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Alan Voskuil (6-3) adds 12.7 points and leads the Big 12 in three-point accuracy (.579). Freshman guard Jon Roberson (5-11) contributes 12.0 points and leads Tech in assists with 47.
Sidebars
*A&M Coach Mark Turgeon has never coached against Bob Knight or Texas Tech, but Knight is 12-5 against the Aggies.
*Knight is 9-4 against A&M as Tech?â„¢s head coach. He was 3-1 against the Aggies while at Indiana.
*Shelby Metcalf?â„¢s Aggies upset Knight?â„¢s 10th-ranked Hoosiers, 54-49, at the 1978 Great Alaska Shootout.
Series Notes
*Tech leads the series, 62-53, with a 35-15 advantage in games played in Lubbock and a 5-3 edge at United Spirit Arena.
*The Red Raiders swept the Aggies last season, winning each game by just two points. The only other Big 12 team to beat A&M last year was Texas (in double overtime in Austin). An A&M win in either game would have handed the Aggies a share of the Big 12 title.
*Tech won the last meeting, 77-75, last season in College Station when Jarrius Jackson nailed a short jumper at the buzzer, ending A&M?â„¢s 22-game home winning streak. A&M finished 18-1 at home.
*A&M swept the Red Raiders in 2005-06, including a 75-59 win in Lubbock.
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 has scored in double figures in 13 games, including five straight.
*Senior guard Dominique Kirk owns the Big 12 record for consecutive starts with 112. Kirk is the winningest player in school history with an 85-27 (.759) record. A defensive All-American last year, Kirk has been named the Big 12?â„¢s top defender for the second straight preseason by The Sporting News. He ranks fifth in the Big 12 in assists (4.3) and leads the league assist/turnover ratio (2.83), ranking 13th nationally. Kirk scored a team-high 15 points with 5 assists (0 turnovers) against Colorado.
*Junior Josh Carter ranks second in career three-point accuracy in Big 12 history at 44.5 percent. He leads the team with a 13.6 scoring average and has scored in double figures in 10 straight games.
*Sophomore Bryan Davis leads the team in blocks (24) and steals (14) and is third in rebounding (4.4). Davis ranks fifth in the Big 12 in blocks (1.50).
*Freshman DeAndre Jordan, a preseason freshman All-America pick, leads the nation in field goal percentage (.753, 90 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 14 points with 9 rebounds against Colorado, including five dunks. One of the dunks was named one of the top four plays in college basketball last week by ESPN.
*Sophomore Donald Sloan has led the team in scoring in five of the last 12 games, averaging 10.3 points in that span. Sloan has averaged 15.0 points in the last two games.
*Sophomore Chinemelu Elonu has averaged 5.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in the eight-game winning streak. He has led the team in rebounding in three of the last five games.
Aggie Angles
*A&M climbed to No. 9 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches?â„¢ poll and to No. 10 in the AP poll this week. The Aggies have been ranked in both polls a school record 31 straight weeks. Prior to this streak, A&M has been ranked a total of 27 weeks in its entire history.
*A&M?â„¢s 15-1 record under Mark Turgeon is the best coaching debut in school history. The Aggies 15-1 start is their best since 1921-22, when they started 16-1. A&M?â„¢s best start was in 1919-20, when it finished 19-0.
*A&M ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense at .366 and has held 11 opponents under 40 percent. The Aggies are allowing just 57.6 points per game, just ahead of last year?â„¢s school record of 59.4.
*A&M ranks third nationally in field goal accuracy at 51.9 percent, despite shooting a season-low .377 against Rice.
*A&M and Georgetown are the only teams to rank among the top 10 nationally in both offensive and defensive field goal percentage.
*During A&M?â„¢s eight-game winning streak, the Aggies have outshot their opponents, .546 to .346 and posted an average scoring margin of +28.0, winning every game by at least 17 points.
*The Aggies have won 15 straight home games, the sixth longest streak in school history and the 10th longest active streak in the country. The Aggies?â„¢ 64 home wins in the last four seasons are the most in the nation in that period.
*A&M is 42-8 since the start of last season, the ninth most wins in the country in that span.
*The Aggies have averaged a whopping 35.1 points in the paint and rank second nationally in rebounding margin at +11.4. A&M has out-rebounded all 16 opponents this season.
*A&M is averaging 26.1 bench points per game, 33.3 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 team with seven players averaging at least 7.0 points per game.