March 17, 2008
No. 9-seeded Texas A&M will play No. 8-seeded Brigham Young on Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Honda Center. Game time for the nationally-televised game (CBS) is set for 4:25 (PDT)/6:25 p.m. (CDT).
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
24-10 overall, 8-8 Big 12 (6th)
2008 NCAA Division I Men?â„¢s Basketball Championship
First and Second Rounds
Thursday and Saturday (March 20 and 22)
Anaheim, Calif. * Honda Center (17,608 cap.)
Anaheim Game Schedule
Listed game times are PDT
Thursday, March 20
No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Kentucky - 11:30 a.m
No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 14 Cornell - 25 minutes following
No. 8 Brigham Young vs. No. 9 Texas A&M - 4:25 p.m. (CBS Sports: Dick Enberg, Carter Blackburn, Jay Bilas)
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 Mississippi Valley State - 25 minutes following
Saturday, March 22
Marquette/Kentucky winner vs. Stanford/Cornell winner - 3:45 or 6:15 p.m.
UCLA/Mississippi Valley State winner vs. Brigham Young/Texas A&M winner - 3:45 or 6:15 pm
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (#9 Seed)
Record: 24-10 (8-8 Big 12, 6th place)
RPI / SOS: 41/ 52
Last 12 Games: 6-6
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ?'87)
Record: 177-129 (10th year)
at Texas A&M: 24-10 (1st year)
in NIT games: 1-3
in NCAA Tournament games: 2-1
Leading Scorer: Josh Carter (11.9)
Leading Rebounder: DeAndre Jordan (6.2)
Assists Leader: Dominique Kirk (3.5)
Steals Leader: Bryan Davis (34)
Blocks Leader: DeAndre Jordan (44)
3-Point Field Goals Leader: Josh Carter (2.1)
3-Point Percentage Leader: Dominique Kirk (.423)
Field Goal Percentage Leader: DeAndre Jordan (.621)
Free Throw Percentage Leader: Josh Carter (.821)
TENTATIVE TEXAS A&M STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
22 Dominique Kirk G 6-4 185 Sr-3L 8.6 3.4 3.5
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 So-1L 9.4 4.0 3.4
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Jr-2L 11.9 4.0 --
30 Joseph Jones F 6-9 255 Sr-3L 10.4 5.1 --
0 Bryan Davis C 6-9 250 So-1L 8.6 4.9 --
#23/24 BYU COUGARS (#8 Seed)
Record: 27-7 (14-2 Mountain West Conference, 1st place)
RPI / SOS: 25/97
Ranking: 23rd (ESPN/USA Today), 24th (AP)
Last 12 Games: 10-2
Head Coach: Dave Rose (Houston ?'83)
Record: 50-19 (3rd year)
at BYU: 50-19 (3rd year)
Leading Scorer: Lee Cummard (15.8)
Leading Rebounder: Trent Plaisted (7.8)
Assists Leader: Ben Murdock (3.7)
Steals Leader: Lee Cummard (32)
Blocks Leader: Lee Cummard (35)
3-Point Field Goals Leader: Jonathan Tavernari (2.5)
3-Point Percentage Leader: Lee Cummard (.464)
Field Goal Percentage Leader: Lee Cummard (.569)
Free Throw Percentage Leader: Jonathan Tavernari (.867)
TENTATIVE BYU STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
24 Ben Murdock G 6-2 185 Sr-1L 4.0 2.4 3.7
20 Sam Burgess G 6-3 190 Sr-3L 8.8 3.6 2.0
30 Lee Cummard G 6-7 185 Jr-2L 15.8 6.4 3.5
45 Jonathan Tavernari G/F 6-6 215 So-1L 13.1 5.3 --
44 Trent Plaisted F/C 6-11 245 Jr-2L 15.6 7.8 --
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (#16 Seed)
Record: 17-15 (12-5 Southwestern Athletic, 2nd place)
RPI / SOS: 228/315
Last 12 Games: 10-2 (won 9 straight)
Head Coach: James Green (Mississippi ?'83)
Leading Scorer: Carl Lucas (12.7)
Leading Rebounder: Larry Cox (8.0)
Assists Leader:Dwayne Harmason (2.9)
Steals Leader: Stanford Speech (42)
Blocks Leader: Larry Cox (50)
3-Point Field Goals Leader: Michael Clark (1.5)
3-Point Percentage Leader: Carl Lucas (.415)
Field Goal Percentage Leader: Larry Cox (.510)
Free Throw Percentage Leader: Michael Clark (.815)
TENTATIVE MVSU STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
10 Dwayne Harmason G 5-11 175 Jr. 4.9 2.2 2.9
23 Michael Clark G 6-2 180 Jr. 8.0 2.2 --
21 Carl Lucas F 6-5 210 Sr. 12.7 5.5 --
24 Eric Petty F 6-6 220 Jr. 6.2 4.3 --
1 Larry Cox C 6-10 225 Sr. 12.4 8.0 --
#2/3 UCLA BRUINS (#1 Seed)
Record: 24-10 (8-8 Big 12, 6th place)
RPI / SOS: 4/14
Ranking: 2nd (ESPN/USA Today), 3rd (AP)
Last 12 Games: 11-1
Head Coach: Ben Howland (Weber State ?'79)
Leading Scorer: Kevin Love (17-1)
Leading Rebounder: Kevin Love (10.6)
Assists Leader: Russell Westbrook (4.3)
Steals Leader: Darren Collison (53), Russell Westbrook (53)
Blocks Leader: Lorenzo Mata-Real (38)
3-Point Field Goals Leader: Josh Shipp (1.9)
3-Point Percentage Leader: Darren Collison (.506)
Field Goal Percentage Leader: Kevin Love (.557)
Free Throw Percentage Leader: Darren Collison (.874)
TENTATIVE UCLA STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class PPG RPG APG
0 Russell Westbrook G 6-3 187 So-1L 12.6 3.8 4.3
2 Darren Collison G 6-1 165 Jr-2L 15.2 2.7 3.9
3 Josh Shipp F 6-5 220 Jr-2L 13.0 3.2 2.3
23 L. R. Mbah a Moute F 6-8 230 Jr-2L 8.8 5.4 --
42 Kevin Love C 6-10 260 Fr-Hs 17.1 10.6 --
Series Records
vs. BYU
Overall: 0-1
vs. Mountain West Conference: 101-88
Mark Turgeon: 0-0
In NCAA Tournament: 0-0
All Neutral Sites: 0-1
Year Result Site
1972-73 #14 BYU 83, Texas A&M 81 Oklahoma City (All-College Classic)
vs. Mississippi Valley
Overall: 2-0
vs. Southwestern Athletic Conference: 30-1
Mark Turgeon: 2-0
In NCAA Tournament: 0-0
All Neutral Sites: 1-0
Year Result Site
2002-03 Texas A&M 65, MVSU 56 San Jose, Calif. (Cable Car Classic)
2005-06 Texas A&M 84, MVSU 53 College Station
vs. UCLA
Overall: 0-3
vs. Pac 10 Conference: 3-21
Mark Turgeon: 1-3
In NCAA Tournament: 0-0
All Neutral Sites: 0-1
Year Result Site
1961-62 UCLA 81, Texas A&M 79 Houston
1971-72 #1 UCLA 117, Texas A&M 53 Los Angeles
2006-07 #1 UCLA 65, #6 Texas A&M 62 Anaheim, Calif. (Wooden Classic)
Tournament Notes
*Texas A&M is making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Prior to this streak, A&M has never been to consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
*Prior to 2006, A&M had not been to the NCAAs since 1987.
*The winner of the A&M-BYU game will play the winner of the UCLA-Mississippi Valley State game at either 3:45 or 6:15 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday. The winner of Saturday?â„¢s game will advance to the NCAA West Regional March 29-31 in Phoenix.
*A&M is 0-1 in games played at the Honda Center. Last season, the No. 6-ranked Aggies fell to top-ranked UCLA (65-62) in the Wooden Classic.
*The Aggies are 4-1 this season in neutral site games with the only loss being to Kansas (77-71) in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. A&M posted neutral site wins against Washington (77-63) and Ohio State (70-47) in the NIT Tip-Off in New York, and against Iowa State (60-47) and Kansas State (63-60) in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.
*The Aggies?â„¢ 24-9 record is the best start by a first-year head coach in school history.
*A&M and Kansas are the only Big 12 schools to win at least 21 games in each of the last four years. The Aggies also have recorded at least 8 Big 12 wins in four straight seasons. Prior to that stretch, A&M had never won more than six Big 12 games.
*The Aggies are 6-9 in the NCAA Tournament, but are 3-2 in the last two years. Prior to the 2006 first-round win against Syracuse, A&M?â„¢s last NCAA Tournament win was in 1980, when the No. 6-seeded Aggies beat No. 3 seed North Carolina, 78-61, in double overtime in Denton, Texas. A&M then fell in the Midwest Regional finals to eventual national champion Louisville, 66-55, in overtime.
*In that North Carolina game, neither team scored in the first overtime as UNC went into its famed Four Corners Offense, but A&M broke loose in the second overtime, setting NCAA Tournament records for most overtime points (25) and largest victory margin in overtime (17).
*A&M has been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by heart-breaking one-point losses in each of the last two years. In 2006, LSU?â„¢s Darrel Mitchell hit a long three-pointer with three seconds left to lift the Tigers to a 58-57 second-round victory in Jacksonville, Fla. Last year in the Sweet Sixteen in San Antonio, Memphis?â„¢s Antonio Anderson made two free throws with three seconds left to secure a 65-64 win.
Mark Madness
*A&M?â„¢s Mark Turgeon is making his second appearance as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. In 2006, he led Wichita State to the Sweet Sixteen, where they were eliminated by eventual Final Four participant George Mason (63-55).
*Turgeon?â„¢s is 2-1 in NCAA Tournament play, posting wins against Seton Hall (86-66) and Tennessee (80-73) in the 2006 event.
*Turgeon was the first player in Kansas storied history to play in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 1986.
*As an assistant coach at Kansas under Larry Brown, Turgeon helped the Jayhawks to the 1988 NCAA Championship. As an assistant at KU under Roy Williams (1988-92), he participated in three NCAA Tournaments in four years, including the 1991 Final Four.
*UCLA knocked Kansas out of the 1990 NCAA Tournament with a 71-70 second-round victory.
*Turgeon also participated in the 1995 NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach at Oregon under Jerry Green. It was the Ducks?â„¢ first NCAA appearance in 34 years.
Sidebars
*A&M seniors Dominique Kirk and Joseph Jones have reached postseason play all four years of their careers, including three straight NCAA Tournaments. The pair are 5-3 in postseason play (including a 2-1 mark in the 2005 NIT). Senior Beau Muhlbach also is traveling to his third straight NCAA Tournament. He did not play in the 2006 tournament and played three minutes in the opening-round win against Penn last year.
*Junior Josh Carter has played in the NCAA Tournament all three years of his college career.
*As a player at Tulsa, A&M assistant coach Alvin ?Pooh? Williamson led Tulsa to the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Tournaments, averaging 38 minutes in six career NCAA games. Tulsa beat Illinois and Old Dominion in 1995 beforing being ousted by Massachusetts. In 1994, No. 12-seed Tulsa upset No. 5 UCLA (112-102) in the opening round, then edged Oklahoma State before being eliminated by Arkansas.
*A&M assistant Byron Smith played in the 1990 NCAA Tournament as a member of the Houston Cougars, but his team lost in the first round.
*A&M Director of Student-Athlete Development/Basketball Barry Davis is a member of the A&M Athletics Hall of Fame. As a player, Davis played on the Aggies?â„¢ 1975 NCAA Tournament Team, which lost to Cincinnati in the first round. As an assistant coach at A&M under Shelby Metcalf, Davis helped the Aggies to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1980 NCAA Tournament, which included memorable wins against Bradley and North Carolina. The Aggies were eliminated in overtime by eventual champion Louisville.
*Senior Athletic Assistant Bill Walker was an assistant coach under Don Monson at Minnesota when the Golden Gophers played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. They lost to Iowa State in the opening round.
*Video coordinator Stephen Gentry helped Gonzaga to four straight NCAA tournaments as a player from 2003-06, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2006. The Zags advanced to the second round in Gentry?â„¢s other three seasons.
In the Rankings
*A&M fell out of both polls on Feb. 25, the first time A&M has been unranked since the final poll of 2006.
*A&M had appeared in both polls for 36 consecutive weeks, a school record. Prior to that streak, A&M had been ranked a total of 27 weeks in its entire history.
*The Aggies previously had eight-week runs in the AP poll in 1959-60 and again in 1978-79. Before last season, A&M had not been ranked since 1980-81.
*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 had defeated a top 10 team just four times in its history. The Aggies have never defeated two top 10 teams in one season.
Success Streaks
*A&M has posted its fourth straight 20-win season, a first in school history.
*A&M has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments (2006-08) for the first time in school annals.
*A&M has advanced to postseason play four straight years, starting with the 2005 NIT, another first in school history. The Aggies had consecutive NIT appearances in 1985 and 1986 before making the NCAAs in 1987, the only other time in school history they had three straight postseason appearances.
Winning Ways
*The Aggies are 51-17 (.750) in the last two seasons, ranking them among the winningest teams in the country in that span.
*Senior Joseph Jones and Dominique Kirk are the winningest players in school history. The Aggies have gone 94-36 (.723) since the pair arrived on campus, including a 67-10 (.870) mark at home.
*Behind Kirk and Jones, A&M has set a school record for wins in a four-year period (the old mark was 85-40 from 1978-82). Kirk and Jones have each started and played in more games than any other players in A&M history.
Youth is Served
*A&M lost three of its top six players from last year to graduation. It also lost three walk-on seniors who were considered strong team leaders.
*Of the 13 scholarship players, nine are freshmen or sophomores and only two are seniors.
*Only four current players averaged in double figures in minutes played last season (Joseph Jones, Dominique Kirk, Josh Carter and Donald Sloan).