February 01, 2008
No. 23-ranked Texas A&M reaches for its third straight win on Saturday when it plays host to Oklahoma at 3 p.m. at Reed Arena.
GAME #22
#23/23 Texas A&M Aggies
(17-4, 3-3 Big 12 Conference)
vs.
Oklahoma Sooners
(15-5, 3-2 Big 12 Conference)
Saturday, Feb. 2
3:01 p.m. (CST)
Reed Arena (12,989 cap.)
College Station, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN Regional
Play-by-Play: Brad Sham
Analyst: Reid Gettys
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 123
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 17-4 (3-3 Big 12)
Ranking: 23rd (USA Today/ESPN), 23rd (AP)
RPI: 32
Last Game: Beat #10 Texas (80-63) on Wednesday
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ?'87)
Record: 170-123 (10th year)
at Texas A&M: 17-4 (1st year)
vs. Oklahoma: 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 8.4 3.4 3.9
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 So-1L 9.3 4.0 3.1
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Jr-2L 13.7 4.4 --
30 Joseph Jones F 6-9 255 Sr-3L 11.5 5.4 --
0 Bryan Davis F/C 6-9 250 So-1L 8.4 4.7 --
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Record: 15-5 (3-2 Big 12)
Ranking: RV (AP)
RPI: 25
Last Game: Beat Oklahoma St. (64-61) at home on Monday
Head Coach: Jeff Capel (Duke ?'97)
Record: 110-61 (6th year)
at Oklahoma: 31-20 (2nd year)
vs. Texas A&M: 0-2
TENTATIVE OKLAHOMA STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
20 Austin Johnson G 6-3 165 Jr-2L 8.6 2.9 2.5
5 Tony Crocker G 6-6 193 So-1L 11.3 4.5 2.6
15 David Godbold G 6-5 221 Sr-3L 7.2 3.9 2.3
32 Taylor Griffin F 6-7 230 Jr-2L 6.8 4.2 --
30 Longar Longar C 6-11 234 Sr-3L 13.4 6.1 --
Key Game Notes
*A&M has won 39 of its last 41 home games, including 14 of its last 16 in Big 12 play.
*The Aggies have won two straight and are coming off an 80-63 home win against No. 10-ranked Texas on Wednesday.
*The Sooners have won three straight and are coming off a 64-61 home win against Oklahoma State on Monday.
*A&M is 14-1 at home this season, 2-1 in Big 12 play.
*Oklahoma is 3-2 in true road games, 1-1 in Big 12 play.
*A&M set a school record for attendance against Texas with a crowd of 13,555 and is on track to sell out its final five home games.
About Oklahoma
*The Sooners finished 16-15 last season, placing 7th in the Big 12 with a 10-6 mark.
*Oklahoma is in its second season under Coach Jeff Capel, a former standout player at Duke.
*The Sooners are led by freshman forward Blake Griffin (6-10), who is averaging 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Senior center Longar Longar (6-11) adds 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds, while sophomore guard Tony Crocker (6-6) contributes 11.3 points and has made 47 percent from three-point range.
Series Notes
*Oklahoma leads the series, 25-3, with a 10-2 advantage in games played in College Station and a 7-2 mark at Reed Arena.
*A&M swept the Sooners for the first time ever last season, posting a 70-61 victory in College Station and a 56-49 win in Norman. Prior to that, Oklahoma had won 14 straight in the series since a 74-72 A&M win in 1999, Reed Aren?â„¢s inaugural season.
*Four of the last five meetings at Reed Arena have been decided by six points or fewer. The last five games overall have each been decided by eight points or fewer.
Sidebars
*A&M assistant coach Pooh Williamson led Beggs (Okla.) HS to two state championships as a player and went on to lead Tulsa to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 1994 and 1995.
*Among Oklahoma?â„¢s regular starters are a pair of Texas natives -- Tony Crocker (San Antonio) and Austin Johnson (Amarillo).
Texas Leftovers
*Seniors Dominique Kirk and Joseph Jones never lost to Texas at Reed Arena, winning all four games. Texas was ranked every year, including three in the top 10.
*In the last four seasons, A&M has posted 10 wins against ranked teams, including four against top 10 teams.
*A&M has defeated a top 10 team in each of the last four seasons. Prior to that span, A&M has defeated a top 10 team just four times in its history.
Who?â„¢s Hot?
*Junior Josh Carter scored 19 points with 10 rebounds against Texas, his third career-double-double and his second in the last three games. In the last three contests, he?â„¢s averaged 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. Carter ranks second in career three-point accuracy in Big 12 history at 43.3 percent and has scored in double figures in 15 straight games.
*Senior guard Dominique Kirk owns the Big 12 record for consecutive starts with 117. Kirk is the winningest player in school history with an 87-30 (.744) 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. His primary defensive assignment in Big 12 play this year has made just 35 percent from the field. Kirk ranks second in the Big 12 (19th nationally) in assist/turnover ratio (2.70) and is averaging 11.0 points 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 was among the top 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award and is a consensus preseason first-team All-Big 12 pick. He 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 in December (agricultural leadership), scored has scored in double figures in 18 games, including 10 straight.
*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 (27) and steals (19) and is third in rebounding (4.7). He is making .606 from the field in Big 12 play.
*Freshman DeAndre Jordan, a preseason freshman All-America pick, ranks fourth nationally in field goal percentage (.686, 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 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the last three games.
Aggie Angles
*The Aggies rank fourth nationally in rebounding margin at +9.3. A&M has out-rebounded its opponent in all 17 wins.
*Seniors Joseph Jones and Dominique Kirk are 4-0 at home against Texas in their careers. The Longhorns were ranked all four years, including three times in the top 10.
*A&M has posted a win against a top 10 team four straight years. Prior to that, A&M had only four top-10 victories in its entire history. The Aggies have beaten 10 ranked teams in the last four seasons.
*A&M?â„¢s 17-4 record under Mark Turgeon is the best coaching debut in school history.
*A&M ranks ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense at .376 and has held 13 opponents under 40 percent. The Aggies are allowing just 61.9 points per game, just behind last year?â„¢s school record of 59.4.
*A&M ranks eighth nationally in field goal accuracy at 49.5 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„¢ 65 home wins in the last four seasons are the most in the nation in that period.
*A&M is 44-11 since the start of last season, 11th most in the country in that span.
*A&M has had more free throw attempts than its opponent in all 17 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 earlier 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 history.
*In 15 home games this season, A&M has averaged 81.9 points and posted an average scoring margin of +21.1. At home, the Aggies have out-shot their opponents, .514 to .365, and have posted a +10.3 average rebounding margin.
*In the last two games, A&M has made .538 from the field, .462 from three-point range and .707 from the free throw line. The opponents have made just .374 from the field and .340 from three-point range.