January 29, 2008
No. 23-ranked Texas A&M battles No. 10 Texas in a Big 12 Conference showdown on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Reed Arena. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
GAME #21
#23/23 Texas A&M Aggies
(16-4, 2-3 Big 12 Conference)
vs.
#10/10 Texas Longhorns
(16-3, 3-1 Big 12 Conference)
Wednesday, Jan. 30
8:05 p.m. (CST)
Reed Arena (12,989 cap.)
College Station, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Ron Franklin
Analyst: Fran Fraschilla
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 181
TICKETS
Soldout
Note: Wednesday?â„¢s game is an official ?White-Out? game
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 16-4 (2-3 Big 12)
Ranking: 10th (USA Today/ESPN), 10th (AP)
RPI: 43
Last Game: Won at Oklahoma State (59-56) on Saturday
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ?'87)
Record: 169-123 (10th year)
at Texas A&M: 16-4 (1st year)
vs. Texas: 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 8.2 3.4 3.8
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 So-1L 9.4 4.1 3.1
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Jr-2L 13.5 4.1 --
30 Joseph Jones F 6-9 255 Sr-3L 11.4 5.5 --
0 Bryan Davis F/C 6-9 250 So-1L 8.4 4.7 --
TEXAS LONGHORNS
Record 16-3 (3-1 Big 12)
Ranking 10th (USA Today/ESPN), 10th (AP)
RPI: 14
Last Game: Beat Texas Tech (73-47) at home on Saturday
Head Coach: Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne ?'77)
Record: 232-89 (11th year)
at Texas: 434-223 (21st year)
vs. Texas A&M: 17-4
TENTATIVE TEXAS STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
14 D.J. Augustin G 6-0 180 So-1L 20.7 2.9 6.0
3 A.J. Abrams G 5-11 155 Jr-2L 17.7 2.6 --
24 Justin Mason G 6-2 198 So-1L 6.7 3.9 2.4
32 Connor Atchley F 6-10 226 Jr-2L 10.7 5.8 --
5 Damion James C 6-7 230 So-1L 13.7 10.8 --
Key Game Notes
*A&M has won 36 of its last 38 home games, including 12 of its last 15 in Big 12 play.
*The five-overtime loss to Baylor ended a 15-game home winning streak, which was the 10th longest streak in the country and the sixth longest in school history.
*The Aggies are coming off a 59-56 road win against Oklahoma State on Saturday, which ended a three-game losing skid.
*The Longhorns are coming off a 73-47 home win against Texas Tech on Saturday for their third straight victory.
*A&M is 13-1 at home this season, 1-1 in Big 12 play.
*Texas is 3-1 in true road games, 1-1 in Big 12 play.
About Texas
*The Longhorns finished 25-10 last season, placing 3rd in the Big 12 with a 12-4 mark. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
*Texas is in its 11th season under Coach Rick Barnes.
*The Longhorns are led by sophomore guard D.J. Augustin (6-0), who is averaging 20.7 points and 6.0 assists per game. Junior guard A.J. Abrams (5-11) adds 17.7 points and leads the Big 12 with 3.1 three-point field goals per game. Sophomore forward Damion James (6-7) averaged 13.7 points and 10.8 rebounds, ranking him eighth nationally.
*Texas leads the nation in fewest turnovers with just 9.7 per game and is ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.37).
Series Notes
*Texas leads the series, 129-82, but A&M leads in games played in College Station, 52-50.
*The Longhorns have a 6-3 edge at Reed Arena, but have lost three straight.
LAST THREE AT REED
2004-05 Texas A&M 74, #9 Texas 63
2005-06 Texas A&M 46, #6 Texas 43
2006-07 #8 Texas A&M 100, #22 Texas 82
*The teams have split the regular season series in each of the last three years with the home team winning each game.
*Wednesday?â„¢s game marks the third straight time the teams have met with both ranked in the top 25. Last season, No. 8 A&M defeated No. 22 Texas (100-82) in College Station and No. 15 Texas edged No. 6 A&M, 98-96, in a double overtime classic in Austin.
*The teams are meeting for the 212th time, making Texas the Aggies?â„¢ most common opponent.
*Three of the last four games have been decided by four points or fewer.
Sidebars
*The teams?â„¢ combined rosters include 25 players from Texas high schools.
*No current A&M player has beaten the Longhorns in Austin and no current UT player has beaten the Aggies in College Station.
Who?â„¢s Hot?
*Sophomore Bryan Davis posted career highs in rebounding (30) and rebounding (14) against Baylor for his first career-double-double. Davis leads the team in blocks (26) and steals (18) and is third in rebounding (4.7). He is making .586 from the field in Big 12 play.
*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, steals, free throws and free throw attempts. Jones, who graduated on Dec. 14 (agricultural leadership), scored has scored in double figures in 17 games, including nine straight.
*Senior guard Dominique Kirk owns the Big 12 record for consecutive starts with 116. Kirk is the winningest player in school history with an 86-30 (.741) 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 second in the Big 12 (21st nationally) in assist/turnover ratio (2.71). Kirk is averaging 10.4 points in Big 12 play.
*Junior Josh Carter ranks second in career three-point accuracy in Big 12 history at 43.3 percent. He leads the team with a 13.5 scoring average and has scored in double figures in 14 straight games.
*Freshman DeAndre Jordan, a preseason freshman All-America pick, ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (.693, 100 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.
*Sophomore Donald Sloan has averaged 14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the last two games.
*Freshman B.J. Holmes has made 5-of-8 (.625) from three-point range in Big 12 play, including 4-of-7 (.571) in the last two games.
Aggie Angles
*The Aggies rank fourth nationally in rebounding margin at +9.8. A&M has out-rebounded its opponent in all 16 wins.
*A&M?â„¢s 16-4 record under Mark Turgeon is the best coaching debut in school history.
*A&M ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense at .378 and has held 12 opponents under 40 percent. The Aggies are allowing just 61.8 points per game, just behind last year?â„¢s school record of 59.4.
*A&M ranks 13th nationally in field goal accuracy at 49.2 percent.
*A&M and Kansas are the only schools to rank among the top 15 nationally in offensive and defensive field goal percentage and in scoring margin (15th, +14.6).
*The Aggies?â„¢ 64 home wins in the last four seasons are the most in the nation in that period.
*A&M is 43-11 since the start of last season, ranking among the winningest teams in the country in that span.
*A&M has had more free throw attempts than its opponent in all 16 wins.
*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 6-14 points. Turgeon?â„¢s teams at WSU always had at least six players averaging in a similar range.
*A&M fell to No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches?â„¢ poll and the AP poll this week. The Aggies have been ranked in both polls a school record 33 straight weeks. Prior to this streak, A&M has been ranked a total of 27 weeks in its entire history.
*A&M has posted nine wins against ranked teams in the last four seasons, including three against top 10-ranked teams. The last time A&M beat a top 10 team was last year?â„¢s 69-66 win at No. 6 Kansas.