Aggies Battle Cornhuskers in Big 12 Quarterfinals
Mar 10, 2010 | Men's Basketball
March 10, 2010
No. 4 Seed Texas A&M faces No. 12 Seed Nebraska in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship quarterfinals at 2 p.m. on Thursday in Kansas City. The game will be televised by the Big 12 Network (check local listings).
2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals
Game 31
#23/24 Texas A&M Aggies
(22-8, 11-5 Big 12 Conference, Tied for 2nd place)
vs.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
(15-17, 2-14 Big 12 Conference, 12th place)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
2 p.m. (CT)
Sprint Center (18,879 cap.)
Kansas City, Mo.
TELEVISION: Big 12 Network
Mitch Holthus, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
Check Local Listings
Network Affiliates
KTXA, Dallas
KTBU, Houston
ALTITUDE, Denver
WRBU, St. Louis
MASN, Baltimore, Md.
KMCI, Kansas City
KCWX-DT1, San Antonio/Austin
KOCB, Oklahoma City
KBVO, Austin
KARZ, Little Rock/Pine Bluff, Ark.
KQCW, Tulsa, Okla.
KMTW, Wichita/Hutchinson, Kan.
MEDIACOM-DM, Des Moines/Ames, Iowa
KCZ, Springfield, Mo.
KXVO, Omaha, Neb.
WDKA, Paducah, Ky./Cape Girardeau, Mo.
KFXA, Cedar Rapids/Debuque/Waterloo, Iowa
KWTX-DT2, Waco/Temple/Bryan
KBTX-DT2, Waco/Temple/Bryan
KFTA, Fort Smith/Fayetteville/Springdale, Ark.
KLKN, Loncoln/Hastings/Kearney, Neb.
KFXK, Tyler/Longview/Lufkin/Nacogdoches
KQEG, La Crosse/Eau Claire, Wisc.
KUQI, Corpus Christi
KCPN, Amarillo
KSNT, Topeka, Kan.
KZOU, Columbia/Jefferson City, Mo.
KBTV, Beaumont/Port Arthur
KMYL, Lubbock
KFJX, Joplin/Pittsburg, Kan.
KPTH, Sioux City, Iowa
MEDIACOM-MC, Rochester/Mason City/Austin
KOSA, Midland/Odessa
KXII, Sherman, Texas/Ada, Okla.
KIDZ, Abilene/Sweetwater
KIIT, North Platte, Neb.
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
http://www.aggieathletics.com/multimedia/aggies-on-the-radio.html
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Sirius Satellite Radio: 125
XM Satellite Radio: 231
Texas A&M Basketball Digital Media
Texas A&M Weekly Press Conference Audio (Monday):http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030810aaa.html
Texas A&M Media Almanac (complete bios, history and records): http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/352a4862
Mark Turgeon's Virtual Guide to Texas A&M Basketball: http://coachturgeon.com/
Aggie Basketball Fast Break blog: http://blogs.aggieathletics.com/fastbreak/
Texas A&M Aggies
http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/tam-m-baskbl-body.html
Record: 22-8 (11-5 Big 12, T2nd)
Ranking: #23 (AP), #24 (ESPN/USA Today)
RPI: #11
Last Game: Won at Oklahoma (69-54) on Saturday
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon's (Kansas `87)
Record: 224-148 (12th year)
at Texas A&M: 71-29 (3rd year)
vs. Nebraska: 2-1
Projected Texas A&M Starters
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 So 5.0 3.3 3.3
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 Sr 17.9 3.6 2.2
22 Khris Middleton G 6-7 215 Fr 6.4 3.6 --
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 So 9.1 4.8 --
0 Bryan Davis F 6-9 250 Sr 10.0 8.0 --
Off the Bench
2 Derrek Lewis G 6-5 195 Jr 1.6 0.5 --
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Jr 9.2 2.4 --
21 Ray Turner F 6-8 220 Fr 2.9 2.7 --
23 Naji Hibbert G 6-6 200 Fr 1.9 1.6 --
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Jr 5.4 3.4 --
Nebraska Cornhuskers
http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=24&DB_OEM_ID=100
Record: 15-17 (2-14 Big 12 Conference, 12th)
Ranking: Unranked
RPI: 155 (prior to Missouri game)
Last Game: Beat Missouri (75-60) on Wednesday
Head Coach: Doc Sadler (Arkansas `82)
Record: 118-75 (6th year)
at Nebraska: 70-57 (4th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 1-3
Projected Nebraska Starters
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG
3 Brandon Richardson G 6-0 190 So 8.7 2.6 --
34 Lance Jeter G 6-3 225 Jr 7.5 3.6 3.9
5 Sek Henry G 6-4 200 Sr 7.4 3.4 --
11 C. Standhardinger F 6-8 210 Fr 8.1 3.9 --
21 Jorge Brian Diaz C 6-11 235 Fr 8.6 4.0 --
Big 12 Conference: http://www.big12sports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&KEY=&SPID=13134&SPSID=106110
NCAA: http://www.ncaa.com/statistics/index.html <http://www.ncaa.com/statistics/index.html>
Series Notes
*Nebraska leads the series, 11-7, but A&M has won four of the last five, including two straight.
*Nebraska is the only team A&M has not previously faced in the Big 12 tournament.
Key Notes
*No. 4-seeded Texas A&M has a bye in the first round and will play Nebraska in Thursday's quarterfinals at 2 p.m. (Big 12 Network).
*The winner of Thursday's game advances to Friday's semifinals (6 p.m./Big 12 Network). The championship game will be Saturday (5 p.m./ESPN).
*A&M has won three straight and is coming off a 69-54 win at Oklahoma last Saturday. The Aggies won each of their last three league games by at least 15 points. The only other time A&M won three straight conference games by 15+ points was in 1919-20.
*A&M has won 71 games under Mark Turgeon's, the most wins ever by A&M coach in a three-year span. The old mark was 70 by Billy Gillispie (2004-07).
*A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only three Big 12 schools to post 20-win seasons in each of the last six years. The Aggies also have recorded at least eight Big 12 wins in six straight seasons. Prior to that stretch, A&M had not won more than six league games.
*A&M tied for second in the final Big 12 standings, matching the best finish in school history. The 2006-07 team finished alone in second.
*A&M is 17-5 in its last 22 Big 12 games, second only to Kansas (20-2) in that span.
*The Aggies are 3-13 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, but are 3-4 in the last four years. The first time the event was played at the Sprint Center In 2008, Turgeon's first season, the Aggies doubled their victory total by beating Iowa State (60-47) and Kansas State (63-60) before falling in the semifinals to eventual national champion Kansas (77-71).
*A&M was the No. 6 seed last year and lost to No. 11 seed Texas, 88-83, after leading by as many as 20 points.
*A&M has received a first-round bye in three of the last five years.
Last Time They Met
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP, Jan. 9, 2010)--Donald Sloan scored 26 points, including several key free throws down the stretch, to give Texas A&M a 64-53 win over Nebraska in the Big 12 opener for both teams Saturday. Facing the Big 12's stingiest defense, the Aggies improved to 12-0 this season when holding teams to less than 70 points. Nebraska (12-4) led by one before Texas A&M (12-3) scored nine straight points, six on free throws by Sloan, to take a 51-43 lead with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining. The Cornhuskers cut the lead to six before a 3-pointer by A&M's Nathan Walkup with less then five minutes remaining made it 54-45, and Nebraska didn't threaten again. Nebraska was led Christian Standhardinger, a freshman from Germany, who had 13 points in his debut for the Cornhuskers.
Tough Schedule
*A&M has played 10 nationally-ranked opponents, tied for most in the country with Ohio State, Illinois and Georgetown. A&M has played four teams ranked in the top 10 in this week's AP poll (Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia and New Mexico). A&M played four nationally-ranked non-conference foes (that doesn't include New Mexico, which entered the rankings the next week). The Aggies' schedule-to-date is ranked as the sixth-toughest nationally by CBS Sports.
*The 10 nationally-ranked opponents are the most in A&M history. The old record was nine set in 1978-79.
*A&M is 4-6 against ranked teams this season with wins against No. 19 Clemson (69-60), No. 16 Minnesota (66-65) and No. 20 Baylor (78-71). Seven of the Aggies' eight losses have been to teams that have been ranked in the top 25 for multiple weeks (Kansas, Texas, West Virginia, Washington, Baylor, New Mexico and Kansas State). The other loss was at Oklahoma State. A&M is 16-2 (7-1 Big 12) against unranked foes.
*The four wins against ranked opponents ties for the second most in school history with the 2006-07 team. The school record is five in 1978-79.
Tournament Notes
*After being the lower seeded team in seven of its first eight Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship appearances, A&M has been the higher-seeded team for its opening tournament game for six straight years -- in 2005 as the No. 7 seed against No. 10 Kansas State, in 2006 as the No. 4 seed against No. 5 Colorado, in 2007 as the No. 2 seed against No. 7 Oklahoma State, in 2008 as the No. 6 seed against No. 11 Iowa State, lasy year as the No. 6 seed against No. 11 Texas Tech, and this year as the No. 4 seed against the 5-12 winner.
*A&M is 2-3 as the higher seeded team in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
*A&M has an all-time record of 19-32 in conference postseason tournaments.
*In 16 previous Big 12 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship contests, the Aggies are 3-7 against the North Division and are 0-6 against the South Division.
Sidebars
*A Kansas native, Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon's is a former Jayhawk player and assistant coach.
*After leading Hayden HS in Topeka to consecutive Kansas state titles in 1982 and 1983, Turgeon became the first Jayhawk ever to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments. Kansas advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1986 with current KU Head Coach Bill Self serving as an assistant coach.
*After graduating in 1987, Turgeon was an assistant coach at KU under Larry Brown, helping the Jayhawks win the 1988 NCAA title. He went on to serve four more years as an assistant under Roy Williams.
*Turgeon still ranks ninth in KU history in career assists with 437. He and KU assistant coach Danny Manning were teammates for three years.
*Missouri Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins served as head coach at Texas A&M for six seasons from 1998-04.
*A&M assistant coach Bill Walker is a native of Warrensburg, Mo., where he earned first-team all-state honors as a high school senior. He played collegiately at State Fair CC in Sedalia, Mo., and at Missouri-Rolla.
*Walker served as an assistant coach at Missouri-St. Louis (1989-96) and Central Missouri State (1996-99).
*A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne served as Nebraska's AD from 1992-02, leaving Lincoln for College Station in January of 2003.
*A&M Director of Basketball Operations Mike Rohn (Colby, Kan.) and Video Coordinator Stephen Gentry (Fort Scott, Kan.) are both Kansas natives.
Drive for Five
*A&M is on track for its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Prior to this streak, A&M never played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments and had not made an appearance since 1987. Four of A&M's 10 NCAA appearances, and 5 of its 8 NCAA wins, have come in the previous four seasons.
*A&M is one of just six schools to have won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of the last four years. The others are Memphis, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, UCLA and Texas. A&M is one of just 16 schools to play in the previous four NCAAs.
*A&M is one of just three schools with a postseason win in each of the last five years (1 NIT, 4 NCAAs). The others are North Carolina (5 NCAAs), and Memphis (1 NIT, 4 NCAAs).
*A&M has posted six straight 20-win seasons. Before the 2004-05 season, A&M had only six 20-win seasons in its history.
*A&M is 141-54 (.723) in the last six years.
*A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last six seasons.
Reed Arena
*The attendance of 13,717 vs. Texas on Feb. 27 broke A&M's home record for the third time this season. A&M sold out four games, topping the 13,000 mark in each game. The Aggies' season average of 9,889 ranks second on the school chart behind the record of 10,343 set in Turgeon's first season in 2007-08. A&M has posted its top five single game marks, and two of the top three season averages, under Turgeon.
*A&M has won 18 of its last 19 home games, including 10 of its last 11 in Big 12 play. The Aggies are 31-3 at home in the last two seasons with a 13-3 mark in conference games.
*A&M has won 72 of its last 79 home games, including 29 of its last 36 in Big 12 play.
*The Aggies are the only Big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last six consecutive seasons.
*The Aggies have won 51 straight non-conference home games, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. The last loss was to St. Joseph's (58-51) in the 2005 NIT quarterfinals. A&M has won 64 straight regular-season non-conference home games since 2003. A&M is 83-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.902).
*The Aggies are 65-6 (.916) at home the last four seasons and are 97-12 (.890) in the last six years.
*A&M is 139-53 (.724) through 12 seasons at Reed Arena. The Aggies were 41-41 (.500) the first six years at Reed.
*The $23 million, 68,000-square-foot Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball was officially dedicated in January 2009. The state-of-the-art addition includes practice gyms, locker rooms, film rooms, a weight room, training facilities and offices.
*Reed Arena has completed its 12th season as the home of 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 most of the assets used to fund the facility.
*The top 18 single-game attendance marks in A&M history have been set in the last five years. The top 14 non-conference attendance marks also have been set in the last five seasons.
*A&M has won 16 straight home games against unranked opponents (eight straight in Big 12 play). Under Turgeon, The Aggies are 40-3 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 12-3 mark against unranked Big 12 teams.
NBA Aggies
*Chinemelu Elonu earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors last year as a junior and was named the Big 12's most improved player by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. After graduating last May, Elonu elected to forego his senior year and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round with the 59th overall pick.
*A&M is the only Big 12 school to have a player drafted by the NBA in each of the last three years. An Aggie has been chosen in four of the last five NBA Drafts. The others were Antoine Wright in 2005 (first round to the New Jersey Nets), Acie Law IV in 2007 (first round to the Atlanta Hawks) and DeAndre Jordan in 2008 (second round to the Los Angeles Clippers). Prior to Wright's selection in 2005, A&M had not had a player drafted since Winston Crite in 1987.
*Prior to 2007, A&M never had more than one active NBA player.
nLaw, Wright and Jordan each started and had 20-point efforts in NBA games last season. Wright started in 53 of 65 games for the Dallas Mavericks and had a career-high 24 points against Indiana. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors in June. Law appeared in 55 games for the Hawks and scored a career-high 22 points against Cleveland. He has since played with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats, and is now a member of the Chicago Bulls. Jordan played in 53 games for the Clippers last season, starting 13 times, and scored a career-high 23 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He also had a 20-rebound game against Golden State and had 6 blocked shots against Minnesota.
All-Sports Power
*Texas A&M captured three NCAA team championships in 2008-09 (men's golf, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field), the most of any school in the country.
*The Aggies finished 13th in the 2008-09 NACDA Director's Cup, which includes every Division I institution. A&M placed 12th in 2007-08, its highest finish.
*A&M captured the 2008-09 State Farm Lone Star Showdown against Texas for the second straight year. Points are awarded in each sport to the head-to-head winner between the schools. A&M trails 6.5 to 4.5 so far this season, but has high national rankings in men's and women's track and field as well as men's and women's golf.
*The Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics (LSIA) named A&M as the most efficient athletic department in the Big 12. The study analyzed the number of national and conference championships won compared to athletic budgets.
Coach Turgeon
*Mark Turgeon was named 2010 Big 12 Coach of the Year by The Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News and Columbia Tribune.
*Turgeon's 71 wins are the most ever by an A&M coach in a three-year period. The previous mark was 70 wins by Billy Gillispie (2004-07).
*In Turgeon gets two more wins, the only coaches with more victories in their first three seasons at Big 12 schools would be his mentors at Kansas, Larry Brown and Roy Williams.
*Turgeon has led the Aggies to three straight 20-win seasons, including three of the top six victory totals in the school's 98-year basketball history.
*Turgeon is the only coach in school history to win 22 or more games three times.
*Turgeon's 25 wins in 2007-08 tied for the most by a first-year coach in the history of any Big 12 school and were an A&M record for a coach in his debut. Tom Penders went 25-9 in his first year at Texas in 1988-89 prior to the formation of the Big 12.
Senior Moment
*A&M's senior class has won 98 games (98-36, .731) tying last year's seniors (98-37, .726) as the winningest class in school history. This year's class is the third straight to break the record. Before this run, the record was 85 wins by the 1982 class.
Player Notables
*Bryan Davis: All-Big 12 third-team and All-Defense Team selection by the league's coaches ... honorable mention All-Big 12 by AP ... named to Big 12's All-Underrated team by media panel ... leads team in rebounding (8.0) and blocks (53), and is second in scoring (10.0) and steals (36) ... eighth in the Big 12 in rebounding, fifth in blocked shots ... ranked sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding in conference play (8.4) and was fourth in blocks (1.8) ... second in Big 12 in offensive rebounding for season (3.2) and in league play (3.6) ... averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in the last 10 games ... posted double figures in rebounding in six of the last nine games ... scored season-high 22 points in win vs. Baylor ... had career-high 16 rebounds in win at Texas Tech ... tied career-high with 4 steals in win at Oklahoma ... tied career-high with 4 blocks in three Big 12 games ... ranks 10th nationally and first in the Big 12 in free throw rate at .875 (175 FTA/200 FGA) ... has made 100 field goals and 100 free throws on the season ... team is 38-11 in his career when he scores in double figures, including a 16-3 mark when he scores at least 15 points... ranks 11th in A&M history in rebounds (719) and is third in blocks (149) ... one of only two players in A&M history to score 1,000 points with 500 rebounds, 100 blocks, 100 steals and 100 assists (Winston Crite, 1983-87) ... has played in 131 career games and needs one more to tie Dominique Kirk (2004-08) for third on the A&M chart.
*Donald Sloan: Has scored in double figures in 14 straight games and has averaged 18.5 points in the last 11 games ... All-Big 12 First Team pick by the league's coaches, joining Acie Law IV (2007) as the only first team selections from A&M in league history ... All-District pick by USBWA ... will be playing in his 135th career game on Thursday, tying the school record set last year by Josh Carter (2005-09) .. he will also be making his career 100th start Thursday ... averaged 11.6 second-half points in team's 11 Big 12 wins ... fourth in the Big 12 in free throws made (83) and attempted (106) in league play ... tied for fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (18.4) in league play and was fifth overall (17.9) ... has had 10 20+ scoring games this season, six in Big 12 play ... national player of the week by CollegeHoops.net on Feb. 9 after leading team to wins at Missouri and at home vs. Baylor ... ranks ninth in A&M history in career scoring (1,454) and is eighth in assists (358) ... one of just two players in A&M history to score 1,400 points with 300 assists and 400 rebounds (Bernard King, 1999-03) ... team is 49-10 when he has 3+ assists in his career, including a 26-5 mark in the last two seasons ... A&M is 53-20 in his career when he scores in double figures.
*B.J. Holmes: Named to Big 12 All-Reserve Team ... averaged 9.9 points and made .489 from 3-point range (22-45) in the last nine games, leading team to a 7-2 record ... made just 5-of-37 (.135) from 3-point range in first seven league games ... led Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.470) in league play as a sophomore ... entered Big 12 play No. 1 in school history in career 3-point percentage at .443; now ranks fourth (.397) ... fourth in school history in career free throw percentage (.802) ... has been team's top scorer off the bench 17 times.
*David Loubeau: Named Big 12 `s co-Most Improved Player with Kansas Marcus Morris by Fort Worth Star-Telegram ... 17 points with a game-high 9 rebounds in loss to Kansas ... averaged 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in last 11 games ... has had at least three fouls in team's last six losses ... A&M lost both games when he fouled out (at Washington and Baylor) ... scored 19 points at home vs. Texas Tech ... team is 9-2 when he scores in double figures this season and is 8-1 when he grabs at least 7 rebounds.
*DASH HARRIS: Named to Big 12 All-Defense Team by The Oklahoman ... has emerged as one of the league's best on-ball defenders ... plagued by tendonitis in right wrist since early February ... led league in assist/turnover ratio prior to injury ... suffered bruised bone in same wrist last Saturday at Oklahoma and is listed as day-to-day for Big 12 tournament... Aggies are 24-3 when he has at least 3 assists in his career, including a 14-2 mark this season ... has made .368 (21-57) from 3-point range after making .200 (3-15) all of last season ... has had 14 assists and only 5 turnovers in last 3 games.
*Khris Middleton: Has emerged as one of Big 12's top freshmen ... has averaged 12.0 points and made .500 from 3-point range (3-6) in the last two games ... averaged 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in Big 12 play ... has averaged 8.3 points in the last 10 games, while making a team-best .778 (21-27) from the free throw line in that span ... has started in 18 of the last 20 games ... has scored in double figures in seven games, including five Big 12 contests ... 16 points in road games at Missouri and Kansas State ... team-high 15 points in last Saturday's win at Oklahoma.
*Nathan Walkup: Has scored in double figures in five games (team is 4-1 in those games) ... career-high 16 points with 8 rebounds in win vs. Colorado ... 13 points with 8 boards at Texas ... closed regular season with 8 rebounds and a career-high 4 assists in win at Oklahoma, adding 3 points on his only trey attempt ... has made .600 (3-5) 3-pointers in the last three games ... dunk vs. Akron earned spot on ESPN top 10 plays list.
*Ray Turner: Has played a key role in team's successful Big 12 season after gaining eligibility in mid-December... has averged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in last 10 games ... 9 points and 3 offensive rebounds in win vs. Texas ... 7 points and 5 boards in win vs. Baylor ... 4 points and 5 rebounds vs. Kansas ... 6 points and a career-high 8 rebounds at Baylor ... dunk at Missouri was named Big 12 Play of the Week and earned a spot on ESPN's top 10 plays list ... received 30 percent of the vote as a write-in candidate in recent campus-wide election for president of A&M class of 2013.
*Naji Hibbert: Has the ability to become a premier defender in the Big 12 ... has played in all 30 games ... scored 11 points vs. Prairie View A&M ... made his first three-pointer in Big 12 play in closs loss at Baylor ... team is 7-1 when he scores 4+ points.
Scoring
*Five of the Aggies' top nine scorers are underclassmen (freshmen or sophomores). Underclassmen have scored 36 percent of the team's points.
*A&M is 47-5 under Mark Turgeon's when scoring at least 70 points, including a 13-1 mark this season. The Aggies are only 9-7 when they score fewer than 70 points.
*A&M is 57-9 under Turgeon when leading at halftime, with a 19-4 mark this season.
*The Aggies are 62-5 under Turgeon when leading with 5:00 left, including a 21-1 record this season. The lone loss was to No. 1 Kansas.
*Turgeon's A&M teams are 30-1 when they have at least 8 fast-break points, including an 11-0 mark this season.
*A&M is 19-4 this season when at least three players score in double figures. Seven active players average at least 5.0 points per game and eight average at least 13.0 minutes per game.
*Nine different players have had double-figure scoring efforts and six have led the team in scoring.
*A&M averages 22.1 bench points and has had at least 12 bench points in all but three games, which includes two losses.
Field Goal Shooting
*A&M has made .520 (51-98) from the field in the last two games, including a season-high .532 vs. Oklahoma State.
*The Aggies have made .478 (22-46) from 3-point range in the last three contests,
*A&M is 30-0 overall under Mark Turgeon's when it makes at least 50 percent, including a 9-0 mark this season.
*The Aggies are 49-6 under Turgeon when they make better than 45 percent, including a 13-3 mark this season.
*Turgeon's teams are 62-15 when they make at least 40 percent, including a 15-4 mark this season.
*While A&M ranks last in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.296) in league play, the Aggies have connected on 50.3 percent inside the three-point line (two-point field goals).
*A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma are the only Big 12 schools with five players who have made four or more three-pointers in a game this season -- Donald Sloan (4 vs. New Mexico, 5 vs. Samford and Oklahoma State), Nathan Walkup (4 vs. The Citadel), Dash Harris (4 vs. Oklahoma State) and Khris Middleton (4 vs. Prairie View A&M). In non-conference play, the Aggies made 37.0 percent of their three-pointers.
*A&M has made 29-of-64 (.453) from 3-point range in the last 5 games and matched its Big 12 season high with 10 vs. OSU.
Efficiency
*A&M is 13-1 this season when it has a positive assist/turnover ratio, losing only at No. 1 Texas. A&M is 43-6 under Turgeon when it has a positive ratio, including a 28-2 mark the last two seasons.
*A&M is 14-1 this season when it has at least 13 assists. The Aggies are 51-6 under Turgeon when they have 13+ assists.
Turnovers
*A&M was second in the Big 12 in fewest turnovers (12.8), despite a season-high 21 in two league games (wins at Missouri and Texas Tech). A&M set a school record for Big 12 play with 4 turnovers vs. Tech at home on Jan. 30.
*A&M is 34-8 under Mark Turgeon's when it has fewer turnovers than its opponent, including an 11-3 mark this season.
*A&M averages 18.3 points off turnovers in its wins and just 12.0 in its losses.
*A&M is 44-8 under Turgeon when it outscores its opponent in points off turnovers, including a 14-3 record this season.
Inside Dominance
*A&M has out-rebounded 9 of its last 10 opponents, posting an average margin of +7.9 in that span. The Aggies have had at least a +8 advantage in eight of the last 10 contests. Through the first 20 games, A&M had only a +0.4 margin.
*The Aggies are 63-11 under Turgeon when out-rebounding their opponent, including a 19-2 mark this season. A&M outrebounded Kansas by eight (41-33), the biggest margin by a Jayhawk opponent this season. The Aggies also had a +11 margin vs. Texas, matching the season-high for a Longhorns opponent.
*A&M has averaged an impressive 13.6 offensive rebounds and 13.4 second chance points in the last 10 games.
*In the last 10 games, Bryan Davis (10.9/9.8) and David Loubeau (12.1/6.3) have combined to average 23.0 points and 16.1 rebounds. Freshman Ray Turner had a career-high eight rebounds at Baylor and a career-best 9 points vs. Texas.
*Davis has posted double figures in rebounding in six of the last nine games. He has averaged a whopping 4.6 offensive rebounds in that stretch. Davis ranks second in the Big 12 in offensive rebounding in league play (3.6) and for the full season (3.2).
*The Aggies have averaged 31.6 points in the paint in the last 10 games, going 8-2 in that stretch.
*A&M is averaging 29.6 points in the paint this season, just under last year's average of 30.0.
From the Line
*A&M gets 25.0 percent of its points from the free throw line, second most in the Big 12 and 24th nationally.
*A&M averages 27.3 free throw attempts per game, second most in the league and 14th nationally.
*A&M ranks sixth nationally in free throw rate (FTA divided by FGA) at .504.
*A&M is 68-14 under Turgeon when it has more free throw attempts than its opponent, including a 20-2 mark this season.
*A&M has been out-scored from the free throw line in seven of its eight losses this season, including all five losses in Big 12 play.
Defense
*In Big 12 play, A&M led the league in scoring defense (65.8). A&M has allowed just 59.7 points in the last six games.
*A&M has held its Big 12 opponents under their respective scoring averages by an average of 9.9 points. Only Kansas State (+8) and Oklahoma State (+1), both on the road, exceeded their averages against the Aggies.
*A&M held top-ranked Kansas (league-best 79.6 scoring average) to just 59 points, the only time the Jayhawks failed to score at least 72 points in league play this season. Texas scored a season-low 58 points against the Aggies in College Station.
*A&M is 19-1 this season when its opponent scores fewer than 70 points and has won 23 of its last 24, losing only the Kansas game. A&M is 60-10 under Turgeon when its opponent scores fewer than 70 points.
*A&M is 16-2 this season when its opponent makes less than 42 percent from the field (road losses at Washington and Texas). Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 39-4 when their opponent shoots under 40 percent.
Stay in the Game
*Only eight A&M players have fouled out of games this season, matching last season's total that tied a school record dating back to 1958-59. Opposing players have fouled out 26 times.
*Only three Aggies fouled out in Big 12 play, just shy of the record of two set in 1959 and tied last season. Opposing Big 12 players fouled out 12 times. A&M's Big 12 opponents were whistled for 344 fouls, second most in A&M history (348 in 2007).
*The Aggies are 1-6 and have lost six straight when a player fouls out.
Close Games
*A&M is 6-2 in games decided by four points or fewer with losses to New Mexico (84-81) and Baylor (70-66). Ten of A&M's Big 12 games were been decided by seven points or fewer.
Not So Close Games
*A&M closed the regular season with three straight wins of at least 15 points. The only other time in school history when A&M has posted three staight 15+ wins in conference play was in 1920, when the team was in the midst of a perfect 19-0 season. nNo other Big 12 team had 3 straight 15+ winning margins in league play this season.
at Neutral Sites
*A&M is 2-2 in neutral site games this season with all four games against teams that either were or became nationally-ranked. The Aggies beat No. 19 Clemson (69-60) and No. 16 Minnesota (66-65) in the 76 Classic, while the losses were to No. 8 West Virginia (73-66) at the 76 Classic and to New Mexico (84-81) at the Toyota Center in Houston. New Mexico was unranked at the time but has since climbed to No. 8 in both major polls.
*Under Mark Turgeon's, the Aggies are 10-8 in neutral site games.
Never Quit
*The Aggies rallied from double-digit deficits in three Big 12 wins. A&M trailed by 11 at Missouri, by 12 against Baylor and by 11 at Texas Tech beforing coming back to claim victories. A&M rallied from an early 9-point deficit to win by 15 at Oklahoma (69-54).
*A&M had a couple of valiant comebacks fall short. The Aggies trailed New Mexico by 18 in the second half on Dec. 12 in Houston, but missed two free throws with :20 left that would have tied the game. A&M lost, 84-81. The Aggies trailed by 13 with 10:00 left at Baylor on Feb. 24, but cut the lead to one just five minutes later before losing, 70-66.
*In Turgeon's three seasons, A&M has rallied from double-digit deficits to win nine games. Last year, A&M came back from deficits of 14 or more points to win three contests (Arizona, Alabama and Nebraska).
Roland's Value
*Senior guard Derrick Roland will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right leg on Dec. 22 against Washington. Roland was considered by many to be the top perimeter defender in the Big 12. He was the Aggies' No. 2 scorer and the team's top leader.
*To illustrate Roland's importance to the team, because of foul trouble or injury he played fewer than 25 minutes in all three losses. His fewest minutes played came in the close losses to New Mexico (14 minutes, early foul trouble) and Washington (16 minutes, leg injury). He also got in foul trouble against West Virginia (24 minutes) and was on the bench during a key second-half run by the Mountaineers.
What Might Have Been
*When last season ended, Coach Turgeon thought he would have four senior starters returning in 2009-10. But All-Big 12 center Chinemelu Elonu opted to remain in the NBA Draft and was chosen late in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers. Then Roland was lost before the Christmas break to a season-ending broken leg.
*In addition, Turgeon expected to have the services of freshmen big men Kourtney Roberson (6-9, 230) and Ray Turner (6-8, 220) when fall practice began. Roberson did not qualify and Turner was not cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse to practice until mid-December. A&M re-signed Roberson, who is attending a prep school, in November as part of the 2010 recruiting class.
*In addition, DeAndre Jordan entered the 2008 NBA Draft after his freshman season. He would have been a junior this year. Jordan was a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.
