February 04, 2008
No. 18 Texas A&M begins a two-game road swing on Tuesday when the Aggies play Iowa State at 7 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be televised by ESPN Regional.
GAME #23
#18/18 Texas A&M Aggies
(18-4, 4-3 Big 12 Conference)
vs.
Iowa State Cyclones
(13-9, 3-4 Big 12 Conference)
Tuesday, Feb. 5
7:05 p.m. (CST)
Hilton Coliseum (14,092 cap.)
Ames, Iowa
TELEVISION
ESPN Regional
Play-by-Play: Dave Armstrong
Analyst: Paul Splittorff
RADIO
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 121 (ISU broadcast)
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 18-4 (4-3 Big 12)
Ranking: 18th (USA Today/ESPN), 18th (AP)
RPI: 29
Last Game: Beat Oklahoma (60-52) at home on Saturday
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ?'87)
Record: 171-123 (10th year)
at Texas A&M: 18-4 (1st year)
vs. Iowa State: 0-1
TENTATIVE TEXAS A&M STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
22 Dominique Kirk G 6-4 185 Sr-3L 8.5 3.4 3.9
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 So-1L 9.4 4.0 3.1
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Jr-2L 13.4 4.4 --
30 Joseph Jones F 6-9 255 Sr-3L 11.8 5.4 --
0 Bryan Davis F/C 6-9 250 So-1L 8.6 4.8 --
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Record: 13-9 (3-4 Big 12)
Ranking: Unranked
RPI: 101
Last Game: Lost at Nebraska (64-56) on Saturday
Head Coach: Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa ?'88)
Record: 239-152 (14th year)
at Iowa State: 28-25 (2nd year)
vs. Texas A&M: 0-1
TENTATIVE IOWA STATE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
22 Bryan Petersen G 6-1 175 Jr-Tr 5.1 2.2 3.3
10 Diante Garrett G 6-4 170 Fr-Hs 5.9 1.8 2.5
13 Rashon Clark F 6-6 200 Sr-3L 9.6 5.4 --
21 Craig Brackins F 6-10 220 Fr-Hs 12.4 5.4 --
33 Jiri Hubalek C 6-11 225 Sr-3L 12.0 7.2 --
Key Game Notes
*A&M?â„¢s 18-4 start is the second best in school history after 22 games behind last year?â„¢s 19-3 start. It is the best start by a first-year head coach in A&M history.
*A&M?â„¢s 4-3 start in Big 12 play is also the second best in school history behind last year?â„¢s 6-1 start.
*The Aggies have won three straight and are coming off a 60-52 home win against Oklahoma on Saturday.
*The Cyclones have lost three of their last four games and are coming off a 64-56 loss at Nebraska Saturday.
*A&M is 1-3 in true road games this season, 1-2 in Big 12 play.
*Iowa State is 11-2 at home, 3-0 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones have won nine straight home games.
About Iowa State
*The Cyclones finished 15-16 last season, placing 7th in the Big 12 with a 6-10 mark.
*Iowa State is in its second season under Coach Greg McDermott, who previously coached at Northern Iowa.
*The Cyclones only home losses this season were in non-conference play to Minnesota (68-58) and Northern Iowa (61-48). In Big 12 play, ISU has posted home wins against Missouri (72-67), Oklahoma State (73-66) and Colorado (57-41).
*The Cyclones are led by sophomore forward Wesley Johnson (6-7), who is averaging 13.9 points but missed the Nebraska game with a sprained ankle. Freshman forward Craig Brackins (6-10) averages 12.4 points and senior center Jiri Hubalek (6-11) adds 12.0 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds.
Series Notes
*Iowa State leads the series, 7-5, with a 3-2 edge in games played in Ames.
*A&M has won three straight against the Cyclones and two of the last three at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State?â„¢s last win in the series was in Ames in 2004 (91-82).
*In the Aggies?â„¢ five previous trips to Ames, every game has been decided by single-digit margins. A&M won two years ago in Ames, 86-81, in overtime.
*A&M?â„¢s only other win in Ames came in 2002 (52-50).
Sidebars
*A&M coach Mark Turgeon celebrates his 43rd birthday on Tuesday. He was born on Feb. 5, 1965 in Topeka, Kan.
*Turgeon?â„¢s Wichita State team lost to Iowa State (76-65) in the opening round of the 2003 postseason NIT played in Ames.
*In the Missouri Valley Conference from 2002-06, Turgeon (Wichita State) and Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa) faced each other 11 times. McDermott?â„¢s teams won the last three meetings for a 7-4 advantage.
*As a player at Kansas (1983-87), Turgeon went 0-4 in Ames and was 5-5 overall against the Cyclones.
*Iowa State assistant coach Jean Prioleau was an assistant under Mark Turgeon at Wichita State from 2000-05.
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 four games. Carter ranks second in career three-point accuracy in Big 12 history at 43.2 percent and has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 16 games.
*Senior guard Dominique Kirk owns the Big 12 record for consecutive starts with 118. Kirk is the winningest player in school history with an 88-30 (.746) 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 32 percent from the field. Kirk ranks second in the Big 12 (16th nationally) in assist/turnover ratio (2.70) and leads the league in free throw accuracy (.947) in conference 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 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 19 games, including 11 straight. Jones scored a season-high 18 points with 6 rebounds in the win against Oklahoma.
*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 (28) and steals (21) and is third in rebounding (4.8). He is making .610 from the field in Big 12 play and scored 13 points with a team-high 8 rebounds on Saturday vs. Oklahoma.
*Freshman DeAndre Jordan, a preseason freshman All-America pick, ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage (.672, 125 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 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the last four games.
Aggie Angles
*The Aggies rank fourth nationally in rebounding margin at +9.2. A&M has out-rebounded its opponent in all 18 wins.
*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 18-4 record under Mark Turgeon is the best coaching debut in school history. It is the second-best record after 22 games in school history behind last year?â„¢s 19-3 start.
*A&M ranks 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense at .377 and has held 13 opponents under 40 percent. The Aggies are allowing just 61.4 points per game, just behind last year?â„¢s school record of 59.4.
*A&M ranks 15th nationally in field goal accuracy at 49.0 percent.
*A&M, Kansas and Georgetown are the only schools to rank among the top 15 nationally in offensive and defensive field goal percentage and in scoring margin (14th, +14.4).
*The Aggies?â„¢ 66 home wins in the last four seasons are the most in the nation in that period.
*A&M is 45-11 since the start of last season, 10th most in the country in that span.
*A&M has had more free throw attempts than its opponent in all 18 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 5-14 points. Turgeon?â„¢s teams at WSU always had at least six players averaging in a similar range.
*A&M climbed five spots to No. 18 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 34 straight weeks. Prior to this streak, A&M had been ranked a total of 27 weeks in its history.