Aggie Face Cyclones in Key Big 12 Game on Saturday

Feb. 27, 2009

Game Notes in PDF Format

COLLEGE STATION-Riding a three-game winning streak, Texas A&M plays host to Iowa State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.

GAME #29
Texas A&M Aggies (20-8, 6-7 Big 12)
vs.
Iowa State Cyclones (14-14, 3-10 Big 12)
              
Saturday, February 28, 2009
12:47 p.m. (CST)
College Station, Texas
Reed Arena (12,989 cap.)

Television
Big 12 Network
Play-by-Play: Mitch Holthus
Analyst: Rich Zvosec
ESPN360: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/espn360/index?id=290590245
Big 12 Network Stations
Chicago, Ill.                                         WLS-DT2
Dallas, Texas                                      KTXA
Houston, Texas                                   KNWS
Tampa, Fla.                                         Brighthouse
Denver, Colo.                                      Altitude
St. Louis, Mo.                                      WRBU
Kansas City, Mo.                                 KMCI
San Antonio-Austin, Texas                 KCWX-DT1
Oklahoma City, Okla.                          KOCB
Austin, Texas                                      KNVA
Little Rock, Ark.                                   KASN-DT1
Tulsa, Okla.                                         KJRH
Wichita, Kan.                                      KMTW
Toledo, Ohio                                       WTVG-DT2
Des Moines-Ames, Iowa                     WOI
Omaha, Neb.                                      KXVO
Cedar Rapids, Iowa                            KFXA-DT
Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas              KBTX-DT; KBTX; KWTX-DT
Davenport, Iowa                                  WBQD-LP
Ft. Smith-Fayetteville, Ark.                  KFTA-DT1
Lincoln, Neb.                                       KLKN
Tyler, Texas                                        KFXK
La Crosse, Wis.                                  KQEG-CA
Amarillo, Texas                                   KCPN
Columbia, Mo.                                     KQFX
Beaumont, Texas                               KBTV
Sioux City, Iowa                                  KPTH-DT2
Joplin-Pittsburg, Kan.                          KFJX-DT
Lubbock, Texas                                  KJTV
Rochester, Minn.                                 KXLT-DT1
Odessa, Texas                                   KOSA-DT2
Sherman, Texas                                 KXII-DT2
Abilene, Texas                                    KIDZ-LP
San Angelo, Texas                              KIDY
Ottumwa-Kirksville, Iowa                    KYOU-DT1
North Platte, Neb.                                KIIT-LP

Radio
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: Channel 126
www.aggieathletics.com
Texas A&M Sports Network Stations
Atlanta                             KPYN-AM         900
Athens                             KLVQ-AM         1410
Austin                           KJCE-AM          1370
Brenham                       KWHI-AM          1280
Carthage                         KGAS-AM         1590
College Station                   WTAW-AM       1620
College Station                   KZNE-AM         1150
Comanche                     KCOM-AM        1550
Dallas                           KFXR-AM          1190
El Campo                      KULP-AM         1390
Gonzales                      KCTI-AM          1450
Houston                          KBME-AM        790
Marshall                          KMHT-AM         1450
New Braunfels                    KGNB-AM         1420
San Antonio                   KSJL-AM          810
San Saba                      KBAL-AM         1410
Sulphur Springs             KSST-AM         1230
Victoria                            KVNN-AM        1340

TEXAS A&M AGGIES
www.aggieathletics.com
Record: 20-8 (6-7 Big 12)
Ranking/RPI (SOS): Unranked / 34 (31)

• Last Game: Won at Nebraska (57-55) on Tuesday

Current Streak: Won three straight
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
            Record: 198-138 (11th year)
            at Texas A&M: 45-19 (2nd year)
            vs. Iowa State: 2-0

PROJECTED TEXAS A&M STARTERS
No.       Player                          P          Ht.        Wt.      Cl-Ex               PPG     RPG     APG
15        Donald Sloan            G         6-3      205     Jr-2L                11.4     3.7       3.0
3          Derrick Roland          G         6-4      185     Jr-2L               5.8       2.7       --
23        Josh Carter               F          6-7      200     Sr-3L               13.4     4.3      --
0          Bryan Davis               F          6-9      240    Jr-2L               10.5      6.3      --
41        Chinemelu Elonu      C         6-10    235     Jr-2L                10.3      7.5       --
           
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
www.cyclones.com
Record: 14-14 (3-10 Big 12)
Ranking/RPI (SOS): unranked / 146 (85)
Last Game: Beat Baylor (71-62) at home on Tuesday
Current Streak: Won one
            Head Coach: Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa `88)
            Record: 264-175 (15th year)
            at Iowa State: 43-48 (3rd year)
            vs. Texas A&M: 0-3

PROJECTED IOWA STATE STARTERS
No.       Player                          P          Ht.        Wt.      Cl-Ex                PPG     RPG     APG
22        Bryan Petersen         G         6-1      180     Sr-1L              6.3       4.1       2.8
10        Diante Garrett            G         6-4      185     So-1L             9.7       3.3       5.2
5          Lucca Staiger            G         6-5      225     So-Sq            8.0       2.3       --
21        Craig Brackins          F          6-10    230     So-1L             19.9    9.3       --
41        Justin Hamilton          C         6-11    255     Fr-Hs             4.4       3.1       --
                                        
Additional Information:
Big 12 Conference: http://big12sports.com/
NCAA: http://www.ncaa.com/

Series Notes

• The A&M-Iowa State series is tied, 7-7, but A&M has won five straight since a 91-82 Cyclones victory in Ames in 2004.
• The series is knotted at 3-3 in games played in College Station, but A&M has won three straight and has a 3-2 edge in games played at Reed Arena. Iowa State's last victory in College Station came in 2001 (72-53).
• The Aggies posted a 69-51 victory last year in Ames and followed with a 60-47 win in the first round of the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.

Key Game Notes

• The Aggies have won three straight and are coming off a thrilling 57-55 victory at Nebraska on Tuesday. Josh Carter hit the game-winning three-pointer as time expired. A&M rallied from an 18-point deficit with 14 minutes left, which is believed to be the greatest comeback in school history.
• The last time A&M won on a buzzer beater was Acie Law's famous three-point shot to beat Texas in 2006 at Reed Arena (46-43).
• Iowa State ended a three-game losing skid with a 71-62 victory against Baylor at home on Tuesday.
• The Aggies are 14-2 at home, including a 4-2 mark in Big 12 play. The Cyclones are 2-8 in true road games, with an 0-6 record in conference play.

Tough Competition

• The win against Nebraska raised A&M's RPI to 34, matching the Aggies' highest rating of the season. A&M's schedule is rated as the 31st-toughest in the nation.
• A&M has beaten four teams ranked in the top 40 in the RPI. Of the eight losses, five have been against top-40 teams. A&M has not lost a game to a team outside the top 80.
• A&M's last three losses were decided in the final minute, including road games at Oklahoma and Baylor. The Aggies took the Sooners to the final minute in both meetings this season.
• The Aggies have defeated three teams that have been ranked in the national polls at some point this season -- Texas, LSU and Baylor.
• In non-conference play, A&M defeated two top-50 teams in Arizona (44 RPI) and No. 18-ranked LSU (30 RPI). The only loss was to Tulsa (67 RPI) at a neutral site. The lowest ranked team to beat the Aggies has been Kansas State (77 RPI).

About Iowa State

• The Cyclones are in their third season under Head Coach Greg McDermott. McDermott and A&M Coach Mark Turgeon coached against each other for four years in the Missouri Valley Conference when McDermott was at Northern Iowa (2002-06) and Turgeon was at Wichita State (2000-07).
• Iowa State finished 14-18 last year and placed 11th in the Big 12 with a 4-12 mark.
• Sophomore forward Craig Brackins (6-10) ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (19.9) and third in rebounding (9.3). Sophomore guard Diante Garrett (6-4) adds 9.7 points and ranks third in the league in assists (5.2).
• Senior guard Paul Velander (6-2) ranks fourth in the Big 12 in three-point percentage at .438.
• Iowa State is one of the Big 12's top defensive teams, ranking second in the league in scoring defense (63.5) and third in field goal percentage defense (.405). The Cyclones also rank second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).
• Iowa State's three Big 12 wins have been at home against  Nebraska (65-53), Colorado (70-42) and Baylor (71-62).

Last Time They Met
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP, March 14, 2008)-- Donald Sloan and Dominique Kirk had 12 points each and Texas A&M held Iowa State to 27 percent shooting to open the Big 12 tournament with a 60-47 victory. A&M smothered Iowa State defensively and did just enough on offense to hang on. Brian Davis added 10 points for the Aggies. Craig Brackens led Iowa State with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Bryan Peterson added 14 points. The rest of the team combining for 13 points on 4-of-34 shooting. Iowa State missed 14 straight shots midway through the first half, then missed seven more at the end, finally getting a shot to fall when Brackens hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Sloan arrived in Kansas City the morning of the game. He spent the week with his family after his mother died last week.

Last Year in Ames
AMES, Iowa (AP, Feb. 5, 2008) -- Josh Carter added 12 as No. 18 Texas A&M cruised past Iowa State 69-51 for its fourth straight win. Donald Sloan had 11 points and three others players had at least eight for the Aggies, who went on a 31-9 run that stretched from the end of the first half until midway through the second.  A&M snapped Iowa State's nine-game home winning streak. A&M took a six-point edge at halftime then put the game out of reach by hitting 11 of its first 14 shots in the second half. The Aggies kept Iowa State without a rebound for the opening 7:35 of the second half. Jiri Hubalek scored 18 points to lead the Cyclones and Wesley Johnson, playing with a sore left ankle, added 13.
 
Nebraska Recap
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Josh Carter buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Texas A&M a 57-55 come-from-behind win over Nebraska Tuesday. The Aggies (20-8, 6-7 Big 12) fell behind by 18 early in the second half. But Nebraska (16-10, 6-7) scored just seven points in the final 14 minutes and made just two field goals in the last 16:52. The Aggies scored 10 of the game's final 11 points. A Nebraska foul gave the A&M the ball out of bounds with 2.6 seconds left. Carter received the inbounds pass and swished a 25-footer from the top of the key as time ran out. Carter led A&M with 11 points and Davis had 10 for the Aggies. Ade Dagunduro led Nebraska with 16 points. Nebraska's Cookie Miller missed a pair of free throws with 19.5 seconds left and the teams each turned the ball over twice before A&M got a final possession. The 18-point deficit overcome by the Aggies is believed to be the largest in school history. Earlier this year, A&M overcame 14-point deficits to beat Arizona and Alabama, and rallied to within two points after trailing by 18 in a loss at Baylor.

Hoops Success

• A&M has posted its fifth straight 20-win season. Before the 2004-05 season, A&M had only six 20-win seasons in its entire history.
• A&M and Kansas are the only three Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last five years, although Texas needs one more win to join them. Only 23 schools in the nation won at least 20 games in each of the previous four seasons.
• A&M is looking for its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Prior to this streak, A&M had never made consecutive NCAA appearances. Including the 2005 NIT, A&M has advanced to postseason play four straight years.
• A&M is 4-3 NCAA Tournament play in the last three years. Prior to that, A&M was just 3-7 in NCAA Tournament games in its history.
• A&M's three NCAA losses in the last three years were by an average of 1.7 points with each game decided in the final 10 seconds.
• A&M is one of just eight schools that have advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons.
• A&M is the only Big 12 school -- and one of just four schools nationally --  to win at least one postseason game in each of the last four seasons (1 NIT/3 NCAA Tournaments). The others are North Carolina (4 NCAAs), Georgetown (1 NIT/3 NCAAs) and Memphis (1 NIT/3 NCAAs).

Home Court Advantage

• A&M has won 55 of its last 62 home games, including 20 of its last 27 in Big 12 play.
• The Aggies are 14-2 at home this season.
• The Aggies have won 56 straight regular-season non-conference games at Reed Arena, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. The last loss was to A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 13, 2003 (82-80). A&M is 77-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.895).
• The Aggies are 64-9 (.877) at home the last three seasons and are 81-12 (.871) in the last five years, the second most home wins in the country (Memphis has won 87). Ohio State also has won 80.
• A&M is 121-53 (.695) in its 11th season at Reed Arena. The Aggies were 41-41 (.500) in its first six years at Reed.
• The $23 million, 68,000-square-foot Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball was officially dedicated on Jan. 17. The addition includes practice gyms, locker rooms, film rooms, a weight room, training facilities and offices.
• Reed Arena is in its 11th season as the home of Texas A&M basketball. The 12,500-seat facility opened in 1998 and was named for Houston veterinarian Chester J. Reed '47 and his wife, Billie Jean, who contributed the nucleus of the assets used to fund the facility.
• The top 14 single-game attendance marks in A&M history (and 18 of the top 20) have been set in the last four years. The top 14 non-conference attendance marks also have been set in the last four seasons.
• A&M is averaging 10,577 fans per game in Big 12 play this season.

Academic Success

• When the NCAA adopted the Academic Progress Rate (APR) as its standard for measuring the academic success of its member schools in 2004, Texas A&M did not meet the minimum score of 925 and lost a scholarship for the 2004-05 season. The program's APR for 2007-08 improved to a perfect score of 1,000.
• All nine Aggies seniors have graduated in the last two seasons and seniors Josh Carter and Bryson Graham are on schedule to graduate this year.

NBA Presence

• A&M has produced three NBA Draft picks in the last four years. , including first round choices Acie Law IV (2007, Atlanta Hawks) and Antoine Wright (2005, New Jersey Nets). DeAndre Jordan was a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008.
• Prior to 2005, A&M had not produced an NBA Draft pick since 1987. A&M's never had more than one active NBA player before now.
• Law, Wright and Jordan have each started in NBA games this season.

Coach Turgeon

• A former player and assistant coach at Kansas, 44-year-old Mark Turgeon is in his second season at Texas A&M. He cut his coaching teeth at Kansas under legends Larry Brown and Roy Williams.
• Turgeon's 45-19 record matches the best coaching start in A&M history and the second-best in the Big 12's 13-year history. Kansas' Bill Self was 48-16 after 64 games in 2003-05 and Billy Gillispie was 45-19 at A&M in 2004-07.
• Turgeon led the Aggies to a 25-11 record last year, the third most wins in school history. A&M advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, dropping a close 51-49 decision to No. 1-seed UCLA.
• Turgeon's 25 wins last season were the most by a Big 12 coach in his debut and tied for the most by a first-year coach in the history of any Big 12 school. Tom Penders went 25-9 in his first year at Texas in 1988-89 prior to the Big 12. 
• Turgeon has led his teams to at least 20 wins in five of the last six seasons. His teams have advanced to postseason play five times in the previous six years

Player Notables

• JOSH CARTER: All-Big 12 candidate ... made game-winning three-pointer at buzzer against Nebraska ... has scored in double figures in eight straight games ... has made 7-of-9 (.778) three-pointers in the last two games ... A&M is 94-35 (.729) since Carter joined the program ... needs one more victory to tie Joseph Jones (2004-08) and Dominique Kirk (2004-08) as the winningest players in school history ... one of only two players in A&M history to score at least 1,400 points with 400 rebounds (483) and 200 assists (232), joining Bernard King (1,990/490/550) ... owns school record for career three-point field goals (283), No. 4 in Big 12 history ... with 1,473 career points (8th in A&M history), needs 122 points to move into top five ... leads Big 12 in free throw accuracy (.845) ... chasing school record of .865 set by Mike Floyd in 1974-75 ... ranks fifth in career percentage at .799 ... has played in all 129 career games and has started in 98 straight ... on pace to break the school record for games played (132 by Dominique Kirk, 2004-08) ... A&M is 64-15 in his career when he scores in double figures, including a 17-4 mark this season.
• BRYAN DAVIS: All-Big 12 candidate ... see leads team in rebounding (6.3), ranks second in blocks (35), and is third in scoring (10.5) ... ninth in the Big 12 in rebounding, fifth in blocked shots ... earned all-tournament honors at the South Padre Island Invitational, where he scored 15 points with 13 rebounds in the final-round win vs. Kent State ... ranks eighth in A&M history in career blocks (85) ... team is 25-5 in his career when he scores in double figures.
• DONALD SLOAN: All-Big 12 candidate ... when A&M last met Iowa State (2008 Big 12 tournament), Sloan had a near triple-double with 12 points, a career-high 9 rebounds and a career-best 9 assists (he arrived in Kansas City the day of the game after spending the previous week with his family in Dallas following the death of his mother, Sandra) ... has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games ... leads team in assists (3.0), ranks second in scoring (11.4) and is third in steals (21) ... has committed just 44 turnovers (with 84 assists) in 856 minutes of action this season (one every 19.5 minutes). Last year, he averaged a turnover every 13.3 minutes ... is 25-of-29 (.862) on free throws in "crunch time" this season (games within 10 points in the final two minutes) ... making 75.2 percent from the free throw line, a marked improvement over last season's .673 mark ... leads the team in free throws made (91) and attempted (121) ... Aggies are 36-6 in his career when he hands out at least 3 assists.
• DERRICK ROLAND: Big 12 All-Defense candidate ... one of the country's top defenders ... normally guards the opponents' top scoring guard ... in Big 12 play, his primary assignment has averaged just 11.9 points while making just 33.5 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from three-point range ... opponents' top-scoring guard has scored below his average in all but two Big 12 games ... held Texas' A.J. Abrams to a season-low 7 points on 3-12 shooting in win against Longhorns ... Abrams averaged just 8.0 points in two games against Roland this year ... Oklahoma State's James Anderson averaged only 9.5 points in two games against Roland ... scored 13 points, making 3-of-6 three-pointers, against UNC Wilmington ... team is 8-2 in his career when he scores in double figures.
• CHINEMELU ELONU: All-Big 12 candidate / Big 12 All-Defense candidate / Big 12 Most-Improved candidate ... averaged 1.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 56 career games entering season ... in Big 12 play, he ranks second on the team in scoring (11.2) while leading in rebounding (8.2), blocks (25) and field goal accuracy (.621) ... has had eight double-doubles (fifth most in the Big 12), including four in league play ... ranks second in Big 12 in blocked shots (1.9) and offensive rebounds (3.8) ... sixth in total rebounds (8.2) in league play ... leads the team in field goal percentage at .649, seventh-best nationally (min. 150 FGA) ... school record is .622 by Rudy Woods in 1978-79 ... leads the team in three-point plays (FG+FT) with nine and also leads in dunks with 33 ... younger sister, Adaora Elonu (uh-DOOR-uh) is a 6-1 freshman forward for the A&M women's team who twice has been named the Big 12's Freshman of the Week ... Aggies are 25-5 in his career when he scores at least 6 points and are 27-4 when he has at least 5 rebounds.
• B.J. HOLMES: Big 12 All-Reserve candidate ... one of the top players off the bench in the Big 12, averaging 8.5 points in conference play ... In Big 12 games, ranks second in the league in three-point percentage (.462) ... scored a career-high 24 points in first win against Texas Tech, making 6-of-7 three-pointers (.875), tying for the fourth-best percentage in school history ... made his first six three-pointers against Tech, tying Big 12 record for consecutive treys ... had streak of 20 straight games with at least one three-pointer (the third longest in school history) earlier this season ... has been the Aggies' top scorer off the bench a team-high 18 times ... scored 16 points with a career-best 7 rebounds in the win at Alabama and nailed a rainbow three-pointer with :02 left to send the game to overtime ... has had just 17 turnovers (39 assists) in 624 minutes, an average of just one every 36.7 minutes ... A&M is 9-2 this year when he scores in double figures.
• NATHAN WALKUP: Scored 7 points (3-of-3 from the field) in win against Texas, a career-high for a Big 12 game, and matched the effort with 7 in win at Nebraska ... nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 20 seconds left vs. Arizona, his only points of the game ... made another big three with :14 left at Alabama to pull A&M within 2 points before teammate B.J. Holmes tied it with :02 left ... also hit a "clutch" jumper in the final minute against Stephen F. Austin to ice the victory ... made a three-pointer with 7:32 left at Rice that gave the Aggies a six-point lead and the Owls never came close again ... grabbed 11 rebounds against Stephen F. Austin and pulled down a career-best 12 against UNC Wilmington ... scored a season-high 9 points against UNC Wilmington, just missing his first career double-double ... Aggies are 13-1 in his career when he scores at least 5 points and are 14-2 when he makes at least one three-pointer, including an 8-0 mark this season.
• DASH HARRIS: Big 12 All-Freshman Team candidate ... has emerged as one of the team's best defenders ... has handed out 37 assists in the last 16 games ... dished out a career-best 5 assists with 0 turnovers in win vs. Texas ... had monster dunk and made free throw to complete key three-point play in comeback win at Nebraska ... also had 5 assists vs. Texas Tech, Rice and McNeese State ... had 4 assists and a career-high 6 points vs. North Dakota ... ranks second on the team with 52 assists ... Aggies are 7-0 when he has at least 3 assists.
• DAVID LOUBEAU: Big 12 All-Freshman Team candidate ... preseason honorable mention freshman All-America by Collegeinsider.com ... ranks second among Big 12 freshmen in offensive rebounding (2.2) in league play ... scored 11 points with 8 rebounds in first win against Texas Tech and added 10 points in win against Oklahoma State ... scored a career-high 12 points with 8 rebounds in the win against Kent State ... has been the first player off the bench a team-high 16 times ... scored 9 points, all in the second half, in close loss at Oklahoma ... Aggies are 6-1 when he scores at least 8 points, losing only at Oklahoma, when he helped A&M take a late lead with 9 second-half points..

Offensive Notes
Scoring
A&M is 13-0 this season with it scores at least 70 points ... the Aggies are one of the most balanced teams in the Big 12 with four players averaging in double figures and five players averaging between 8.5 and 13.4 points in league play ... A&M is 11-2 when it has four or more players score in double figures and is 17-3 when three or more reach double digits ... A&M is 13-1 in the last three years when the trio of Carter, Sloan and Davis each score in double figures, including a 9-1 mark this year (the only loss was at Oklahoma) ...  the Aggies average 18.6 bench points and have had at least 10 bench points in all but the loss at Baylor ... A&M is 8-0 when it has at least 8 fast break points this season and is 17-1 when they reach that mark under Mark Turgeon.

Production in Wins/Losses
In its Big 12 wins, A&M has averaged 76.0 points while making .468 from the field and .432 from three-point range ... in its losses, the Aggies have averaged 62.0 points while making .398 from the field,.325 from three-point range and .644 from the line ... A&M has averaged 14.9 turnovers in its Big 12 losses, but only 11.5 in its conference wins ... A&M is averaging 19.0 bench points in its Big 12 wins, but only 15.0 in its losses.

Field Goal Shooting
The Aggies are 15-1 when they make at least 43 percent from the field ... A&M is 5-7 when it shoots under 43 percent ... under Mark Turgeon, A&M is 37-5 when it makes at least 43 percent from the field, with a 19-0 mark when it makes better than 50 percent.

Efficiency
A&M is 19-3 when it has just 9 assists or more this season ... the Aggies are 12-0 when they have a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, including a 4-0 mark in league play ... A&M is 36-6 when Donald Sloan has at least 3 assists in his career, including a 13-2 mark this year ... the Aggies are 7-0 when Dash Harris has at least 3 assists.

Turnovers
A&M averaged 12.0 turnovers per game in non-conference play, second fewest in the Big 12 ... In Big 12 play, the Aggies are averaging 13.3 turnovers, seventh fewest in the league ... A&M is 15-3 when it has 13 or fewer turnovers ... under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies are 33-7 with 13 or fewer turnovers ... the Aggies are 15-1 when their opponents have 13 or fewer points off turnovers, including a 4-1 mark in Big 12 play (only loss was at Oklahoma) ... A&M has surrendered an average of 17.8 points off turnovers in its losses, but only 9.6 in its victories (in Big 12 play, A&M has given up 17.4 in its losses and only 10.5 in its wins) ... under Turgeon, A&M is 28-4 when it has more points off turnovers than its opponent ... the Aggies had 16 assists and only 4 turnovers against Arizona, their fewest turnovers in a game since the statistic was first maintained in the mid-1970s ... A&M almost matched that performance against McNeese State, handing out 16 assists with only 6 turnovers.

Inside Game
A&M has outrebounded seven of its last eight opponents with an average margin of +8.8 in that span ... the Aggies had a +14 rebounding margin in the narrow loss at Oklahoma, the Sooners' largest deficit of the year ... The Aggies had a +17 margin in the win at Texas Tech ... A&M is 16-3 when out-rebounding its opponent this season and is 4-5 when being beaten on the boards ... A&M posted a +7 rebounding margin against LSU, which came into the game leading the nation in rebounding margin ... in Big 12 play, the Aggies rank second in the league in rebounding margin (+4.2) ... A&M is averaging 29.4 points in the paint and have scored at least 18 points in the paint in every game ... the Aggies are 16-1 this season when scoring at least 27 points in the paint, but are only 4-7 when scoring 26 points or fewer in the paint ... under Turgeon, A&M is 38-5 when scoring at least 27 points in the paint.

From the Line
A&M made 71.7 percent from the free throw line in non-conference play, but has rnaks last in the league in Big 12 play at 65.2 percent ... the Aggies lead the league in free throw attempts (333)  ... the Aggies were a dismal 30-of-51 in the win at Texas Tech, resulting in a relatively close game, and were just 3-of-10 at Nebraska ... free throw shooting cost A&M dearly in the close losses to nationally-ranked Oklahoma (twice), Texas and Kansas State ... the Aggies were 14-of-23 (.609) against the Sooners in College Station and were just 10-of-18 in Norman, losing both games by just six points ... A&M made a season-low 12-of-24 (.500) in the loss at Texas and was just 19-of-30 in the five-point loss to Kansas State ... In its Big 12 losses, A&M has made just 64.4 percent from the line; in their league wins, the Aggies have made 65.9 percent (72.5 percent if you exclude the last two games) and out-scored their opponents by an average of 7.8 points from the line ... ironically, the Aggies set Big 12 and school marks for free throw accuracy by making 20-of-20 (1.000) against Florida A&M ... A&M made 18-of-21 (.857) from the line in the win against Texas ... A&M is 74-of-90 (.822) from the line in the last two minutes of "close games," which are defined as games within 10 points ... as a team, the Aggies shoot almost 10,000 free throws per week in practice ... for the season, A&M has made more free throws (485) than its opponents have attempted (460) ... A&M averages 25.6 free throw attempts per game in Big 12 play (most in the league), 7.9 more than its opponents ... the Aggies have an average scoring margin of -0.5 in league play ... when it has more free throw attempts than its opponent, A&M is 19-6 overall.

Defensive Notes
Scoring
A&M is 11-0 when its opponent scores 64 points or fewer this season ... the Aggies are ranked fourth in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing 64.8 points per game ... one of the nation's top scoring teams, Oklahoma State (83.3) scored a season-low 64 points in A&M's win on Jan. 31 and averaged just 68.0 points in two games against the Aggies ... high-scoring Baylor (79.7) averaged just 72.5 points in two games against the Aggies ... every Big 12 opponent has scored under its season average against A&M ... under Mark Turgeon, A&M is 38-9 when its opponent scores 70 or fewer points.

Field Goal Shooting
The Aggies are allowing .423 field goal accuracy for the year and .438 in Big 12 play, fifth best in the league ...  A&M is 15-3 this season when its opponent makes under 45 percent from the field and is 5-5 when the opponent shoots better than that mark ... the Aggies are 12-1 when their opponent make under 41 percent ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 30-2 when they opponent makes under 41 percent from the field ... A&M ranks fifth in the Big 12 in three-point percentage defense at .348 in league play.

Production in Wins/Losses
In its Big 12 wins, the Aggies have allowed an average of 66.8 points and its opponents have made 42.1 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point range ... in its league losses, A&M has allowed 70.7 points on 45.4 percent shooting, including 38.5 percent from three-point range.

Blocked Shots
In Big 12 play, A&M ranks fourth in the league in blocked shots with 4.0 per game ... in the full season statistics, A&M is the only team in the Big 12 with two players among the top five in the league in blocked shots ... Bryan Davis ranks fifth in both season (1.3) and conference play (1.2) ... Davis ranks eighth on the A&M career chart (85) while Elonu is ninth (73) ... the last time A&M averaged more blocks in a season was in 1989-90, when the team was led by shot blocking ace David Harris, who averaged 3.5 by himself.

Additional Notes
Stay in the Game
A&M players have fouled out just five times this season and one was in overtime at Alabama (Bryan Davis) ... opposing players have fouled out 20 times this year ... in Big 12 play, A&M players have fouled out just twice ... the school record for fewest foul outs is eight in 1958-59 ... for conference play, it is two in 1959 (Southwest Conference).

Comeback Kids
A&M came back from an 18-point deficit to win at Nebraska, possibly the largest comeback in school history ... A&M rallied from 14-point deficits to beat Arizona and Alabama ... after trailing by 18 at Baylor, A&M pulled within two points in the final minute before losing ... A&M also rallied from a 15-point deficit at Oklahoma to take a nine-point lead before falling ... A&M is 12-5 in games decided by 10 points or fewer ... four of A&M's seven league losses were by six points or fewer ... the last three Big 12 losses were one possession games in the final minute ... the Aggies are 18-1 when they have the lead going into the final five minutes, losing only at No. 2 Oklahoma (they are 38-3 in two seasons under Mark Turgeon).