Jan. 18, 2011
A&M Game Notes (PDF)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
No. 10/11 Texas A&M puts its 13-game win streak on the line Wednesday when the Aggies (16-1, 3-0) head to Austin to face the No. 10/11 Texas Longhorns (14-3, 2-0) in the first round of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. Tipoff at the Frank Erwin Center is set for 8 p.m. and the game will air nationally on ESPN2 HD.
Off to its best start in 91 years, A&M sits atop the Big 12 standings and has won its first three Big 12 games for just the second time in program history. The Aggies are coming off a thrilling 91-89 overtime victory over then No. 12 Missouri Saturday at Reed Arena.
Texas, meanwhile, is also unbeaten in league play after wins over Texas Tech (83-52) and Oklahoma (66-46). The 'Horns have won 8 of their last 9 heading into Wednesday's game.
GAME 18: (#10/11) Texas A&M AGGIES (16-1, 3-0)
at (#10/11) Texas LONGHORNS (14-3, 2-0)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 • 8:05 PM (CT) • TV: ESPN2 HD
Frank Erwin Center (16,734) • Austin, Texas
TELEVISION: ESPN2 HD
Brent Musburger, Play-by-Play
Bob Knight, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Matt Simon, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 122/XM 143
Series: UT leads, 132-85
In Austin: Texas leads, 77-26
At Erwin Center: Texas leads, 26-8
In College Station: A&M leads, 55-50
At Reed Arena: Texas leads, 7-5
At Neutral Sites: Texas leads, 5-4
At Big 12 Tournament: Texas leads, 1-0
Current Win Streak: A&M, 1 game
Longest A&M Win Streak: 8 games
Longest Texas Win Streak: 18 games
Largest A&M Win: 73-29 (1958-59)
Largest Texas Win: 81-36 (1943-44)
Mark Turgeon vs. Texas: 3-3
Rick Barnes vs. A&M: 20-7
Last Meeting: A&M, 74-58 (Feb. 27, 2010 in College Station)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 6-1, 3-0 Big 12
Ranking: 10th (USAT/ESPN), 11th (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 17 / 19
Streak: Won 13
Last 5 / Last 10: 5-0 / 10-0
Last Game: def. (#12) Missouri (H-OT), 91-89 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
Record: 242-151 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 89-32 (4th year)
vs. Texas: 3-3
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
5 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.4 2.7 3.8 17 / 28.5
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 15.8 4.7 2.9 17 / 27.8
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 10.6 6.1 1.4 17 / 23.9
TEXAS LONGHORNS
Record: 14-3, 2-0 Big 12
Ranking: 10th (AP), 11th (USAT/ESPN)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 41 / 13
Streak: Won 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 8-2
Last Game: def. Oklahoma (H), 66-46 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne '77)
Record: 510-252 (24th year)
at Texas: 308-118 (13th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 20-7
Texas Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
1 Gary Johnson F 6-6 238 Sr. 12.0 7.3 1.2 17 / 30.2
3 Jordan Hamilton G/F 6-7 220 So. 19.2 7.0 2.4 17 / 30.6
4 Dogus Balbay G 6-1 175 Sr. 4.3 2.9 2.4 17 / 17.3
5 Cory Joseph G 6-3 185 Fr. 11.4 3.9 3.2 17 / 31.9
13 Tristan Thompson F 6-8 225 Fr. 12.8 7.8 1.9b 17 / 29.9
UP CLOSE: TEXAS LONGHORNS
About Texas (14-3, 2-0)
Texas is 14-3 on the season and has won 8 of its last 9 entering the weekend ... the Longhorns are 2-0 in league play after posting blowout wins over Texas Tech (83-52) and Oklahoma (66-46) ... UT's losses have come to Pitt (68-66 in New York City), at USC (73-56) and at home to UConn (82-81 in OT) ... Texas is 10-1 at home this season.
UT returns 10 letterwinners and 1 starter from a 2009-10 team that went 24-10 and finished sixth in the Big 12 at 9-7 ... the Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season last spring ... Rick Barnes is in his 13th year in Austin with a record of 308-118.
Series Notes
Wednesday will mark the 218th meeting between the rivals on the basketball court ... it is the most-played rivalry in A&M history ... Texas leads the all-time series, 132-85.
The teams have split the last 10 meetings ... both schools have held serve of late on their respective home courts--A&M's last win at the Erwin Center came in 2002, while UT's last victory at Reed Arena was in 2004.
The schools split last season's meetings, with the Aggies defeating the Longhorns in the most recent game, 74-58, at Reed Arena (Feb. 27, 2010) ... then top-ranked Texas narrowly escaped with an overtime victory (72-67) in the last contest in Austin, on Jan. 16, 2010.
A&M/TEXAS RECAPS
Last Time They Met: (#22) Texas A&M 74, (#21) Texas 58
COLLEGE STATION (Feb. 27, 2010)--Donald Sloan scored 19 points to lead No. 22 Texas A&M to a 74-58 win over No. 21 Texas in a game that saw Longhorns guard J'Covan Brown injured after a hard fall late in the game. Texas A&M (20-8, 9-5 Big 12) never trailed and went up 10 points before scoring six in a row to push the lead to 66-50 with about three minutes remaining. The Longhorns (22-7, 8-6) finished with their lowest scoring output of the season. Leading scorer Damion James, who entered the game averaging 17.7 points and 10.7 rebounds, finished with 12 points and one rebound. Brown was taken off the court on a board with his neck stabilized after falling hard on a drive to the basket late in the game. Texas officials said he had a neck injury, likely a stinger, and was being taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He was conscious as he was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher about 20 minutes after the game. Texas A&M led 72-58 when Brown collided with Texas A&M's B.J. Holmes as he went to the basket. Both players were injured in the collision, but Brown remained on the court after Holmes was carried off with an apparent ankle injury. Play was stopped for about 10 minutes while Brown was looked at. Medical personnel were called to the court after a couple of minutes and he was taped to the board and taken off the court. Loubeau added 15 points for the Aggies, who improved to 17-1 this season in games where they held an opponent to less than 70 points. The Aggies outrebounded Texas 40-29. Texas A&M fought off a rally by Texas by scoring five straight points to extend its lead to 58-46 with seven minutes left. The Aggies led by 16 points before Texas went on a 10-1 run, highlighted by a four-point play by Brown, to get within 53-46 about a minute earlier. The Aggies were up by five points before going on a 16-5 run that including three 3-pointers to extend their lead to 52-36 with about 10 minutes remaining. A highlight of that run came on a two-handed putback dunk by Loubeau that brought the Reed Arena record crowd of 13,717 to its feet.
Last Time in Austin: (#1) Texas 72, Texas A&M 67 (OT)
AUSTIN (Jan. 16, 2010)--Damion James scored 26 points, including seven in overtime, and top-ranked Texas rallied for a rugged 72-67 win over Texas A&M. James made a 3-pointer with 1 minute left in overtime and blocked a 3-point attempt by Texas A&M's B.J. Holmes in the final seconds that would have tied the game. Texas (17-0, 3-0 Big 12) had earned its first No. 1 ranking with a dominating start in which few teams could even stay close to the Longhorns. Then they had to fight through a tough road win at Iowa State before wrestling with their big rival on their home court. The Longhorns didn't grab the lead Saturday night until James' first basket of overtime. A 13-point deficit in the first half was the Longhorns' largest of the season. Donald Sloan scored 21 points and Bryan Davis added 17 for the Aggies (12-5, 1-2) who dropped their second straight in Big 12 play after nearly earning the program's first win over a No. 1 opponent. Texas A&M shut down hotshot Texas freshman Avery Bradley and senior forward Dexter Pittman and held the Longhorns to 35 percent shooting. Johnson kept Texas in it early, scoring nine of his 18 points in the first half. James scored 23 points in the second half and overtime. The Big 12's career rebounding leader also grabbed a game-high 12 boards. Texas A&M was in control and had taken the home crowd out of it when Davis spun around Pittman for a layup that gave the Aggies a 10-point lead early in the second half. But Davis, who would eventually foul out in overtime, soon picked up his third foul and went to the bench. James pulled Texas to 44-37 with a 3-pointer and followed it with a three-point play after a steal. Another jump shot by James and his soaring dunk pulled Texas to 48-46. He scored 12 points during a 15-6 Texas run. J'Covan Brown's jumper for Texas tied it at 60 and the Longhorns had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation. Texas A&M tried to set up for the winning shot but Sloan was stripped of the ball. Bradley sprinted to the basket but his layup skirted around the rim and Texas' Alexis Wangmene and James missed tip-in chances to win at the buzzer. In overtime, James and Sloan traded baskets and Texas A&M led 67-66 on David Loubeau's dunk with 1:18 left. After James made his 3-pointer, Dogus Balbay made one of two free throws. His only point of the game put Texas up 70-67 with 30 seconds left. On their final possession, the Aggies swung the ball to Holmes in the left corner but James leaped and stretched out his hand to block the shot. Brown grabbed the ball, got fouled, and made two free throws with 3 seconds left for the final points.
GAME NOTES
Thirteen in a Row
Texas A&M has rattled off 13 straight wins since suffering its only loss of the year, a two-point setback on Thanksgiving Day to a hot-shooting Boston College squad in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando ... the 13-game streak is the longest in 90 years and the third-longest in school history, and includes wins over then No. 12 Missouri, then No. 20 Temple, then No. 21 Washington and against Arkansas on a neutral court in Dallas ... a look at the longest streaks in program history:
LONGEST WIN STREAKS, TEXAS A&M HISTORY
Year(s) Wins
1. 1919-21* 25
2. 1914-16* 20
3. 2010-11 13
4. 2004-05 11
1921-22 11
6. 2008-09 10
2005-06 10
1959-60 10
1918-19 10
* spanned two seasons
The 13-game win streak is A&M's longest since the school-record 25-game streak which spanned the 1919-20 and 1920-21 seasons ... it also is the longest in Mark Turgeon coaching career, as his 2006-07 Wichita State team won its first 11 games of the season ... it is the third time a Turgeon-coached A&M team has won at least eight straight games (13 games, 2010-11; 10 games, 2008-09; 8 games, 2007-08).
Over the 13-game win streak, Aggie foes have averaged just under 55 points per game and been out-rebounded by a margin of 10.4 boards ... a closer look at the numbers:
WIN STREAK STATS
Record 13-0
A&M Points/Game 72.2
Opponent Points/Game 57.4
Margin of Victory +14.8
Opponent FG Pct. .386
Opponent 3-Pt FG Pct. .286
Rebound Margin +10.4
Opp. Combined Record (as of 1/17) 127-88 (.591)
Every Aggie opponent on the 13-game streak, and this season, has been held under its season average (not counting overtime periods) ... in addition, only two teams on the current win streak have shot better than their season average (Missouri and Pacific) ... a look at the defensive effort that has led to 13 in a row for Texas A&M:
DEFENSE ON WIN STREAK, BY THE NUMBERS
--Stats coming in-- --Game Stats--
Opponent PPG FG% Pts FG%
Missouri 85.2 47.6 77* 52.2
Oklahoma St. 71.8 46.0 48 34.8
Oklahoma 68.8 47.5 51 40.0
Nicholls St. 70.1 46.2 55 39.5
McNeese St. 75.2 42.2 57 41.8
Wagner 63.0 41.3 51 35.4
Arkansas 76.6 44.8 60* 40.4
Washington 95.5 51.3 62 37.7
Prairie View A&M 65.6 36.9 63 36.9
Pacific 61.4 38.3 59 41.4
SFA 80.6 48.8 53 35.3
Temple 72.0 48.8 51 31.3
Manhattan 71.3 44.7 45 30.9
* points scored in regulation bettered season average
Cracking the Top 10
Texas A&M earned its first top-10 ranking in over three years this week, checking in at No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll ... the last time the Aggies sat in the national top 10 was on Nov. 26, 2007, when they were ranked ninth in both major polls.
It also marks just the fifth time in school history that a Texas A&M team has broken the top 10 in a season, joining the 1959-60, 2006-07 and 2007-08 squads ... A&M's school-record ranking in the polls is No. 6, set in the 2006-07 season.
Locking it Down
The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings to keep their current win streak alive ... a look at some of the defensive efforts that have led to victories along the 13-game win streak:
LATE-GAME DEFENSIVE STANDS, CURRENT WIN STREAK
Opponent Clock Situation Opponent rest of game Result Notable
Missouri 1:35 left-OT down 2 (87-85) 1 FG, 0 FT W, 91-89 (OT) MU's bucket came on tip-in at end of game
Oklahoma St. 15:08 left up 3 (43-40) 1 FG, 6 FT W, 71-48 OSU scoreless over final 5:41
Nicholls St. 4:09 left up 9 (62-53) 0 FG, 2 FT W, 66-55
McNeese St. 3:43 left up 3 (56-53) 2 FG, 0 FT W, 66-57 last MSU FG came w/:00.1 left in game
Arkansas 6:42 left down 6 (58-52) 0 FG, 2 FT W, 71-62 (OT) UA also scoreless in OT until layup w/:16 left
Washington 5:02 left up 5 (61-56) 2 FG, 2 FT W, 63-62
Pacific 5:19 left up 9 (63-54) 1 FG, 2 FT W, 79-59 FG was 3-pointer with :06 left in game
SFA 3:00 left up 7 (57-50) 1 FG, 0 FT W, 62-53
Temple 6:42 left down 1 (47-46) 1 FG, 2 FT W, 54-51
Manhattan 12:49 left up 5 (43-38) 2 FG, 3 FT W, 74-45
In the last 3 minutes of games on the win streak, the Aggie defense has held foes to 24.2 percent shooting (16-of-66) from the field.
Hot Start
Texas A&M is off to the second-best start in school history by winning 16 of its first 17 games ... the 2007-08 team, also coached by Mark Turgeon, opened 15-2.
Only one team in school history has had a better start than this year's Aggies (16-1) ... the 1919-20 team ran the table and finished a perfect 19-0 ... A&M is off to its best start in 91 years.
Mark Turgeon other A&M teams were 15-2 (2007-08), 15-2 (2008-09) and 12-5 (2009-10) through their first 17 games.
Big 12 Notables
The Aggies are 3-0 in Big 12 play for just the second time ever (2006-07).
Texas A&M matched its best-ever finish in Big 12 play last season, tying for second place with an 11-5 record ... it was the Aggies' second-best record in league history, trailing only the 2006-07 squad (13-3) ... A&M was 7-1 at home and 4-4 on the road in conference tilts in 2010.
The Aggies have won 44 Big 12 games since the start of the 2007 league season ... prior to that, A&M had totaled only 43 victories in the first 10 years of Big 12 play.
With a win at Oklahoma on Jan. 8, Texas A&M has now won 4 of its last 5 Big 12 openers after going winless in its first 10 tries.
Road Warriors
The Aggies have won 11 of their last 15 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of last season ... three of those four losses have been by 4 points or less ... A&M's setbacks in that stretch came at No. 24 Baylor (70-66), against No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 semifinals in Kansas City (79-66), in overtime to No. 10 Purdue in the NCAA Second Round in Spokane (63-61) and most recently on Thanksgiving Day vs Boston College (67-65).
Success Against Ranked Teams
The Aggies are 3-0 this season against ranked opponents, picking up a 54-51 win over Temple (No. 20 USAT/ESPN, No. 21 AP) on Nov. 28 at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, a 63-62 win over Washington (No. 21 AP, No. 22 USAT/ESPN) on Dec. 11 at Reed Arena, and a 91-89 home victory over Missouri (No. 12 USAT/ESPN, No. 15 AP) on Jan. 15.
This was just the third time in school history that an A&M team has scored at least two regular-season wins against ranked non-conference foes ... two of the three times have come under Mark Turgeon (2009-10 and 2010-11) ... legendary coach Shelby Metcalf won 4 in the 1978-79 season.
Mark Turgeon is 4-2 at A&M in games against ranked non-conference opponents during the regular season ... his teams have won three straight.
A&M played 12 ranked teams last season and three already this year (Temple, Washington, Missouri) ... the Aggies will play 4 other games against teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25 poll (Jan. 10), including Kansas (3rd), Texas (12th, 2 games) and Kansas State (21st).
Making a Stand
A&M has held 9 of its 17 opponents under 38 percent shooting from the field ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 50-4 (10-0 this year) when their opponent shoots under 40 percent and are 80-20 (15-1) when they make under 50 percent.
Only three of the Aggies' foes--Missouri (52.2%), Boston College (48.9%) and A&M-Corpus Christi (46.7%)--have shot better than 42 percent in a game this year.
On the current 13-game win streak, opponents are being held to 38.6 percent shooting ... in the last 3 minutes of games on the win streak, the Aggie defense has held foes to 24.2 percent shooting (16-of-66) from the field.
Texas A&M is 77-12 under Turgeon (15-1 this year) when opponents score under 70 points ... the high-water mark for an opponent this year is 89 points (Missouri, Jan. 15 in OT).
A&M faced the nation's leading scorer, Nicholls State's Anatoly Bose (25.0 PPG), on Jan. 3 ... the Aggies held Bose to just 6 points on 1-of-12 shooting ... 4 of his 6 points came from the free-throw line ... Bose had hit double figures in 23 consecutive games dating back to last year and had not scored fewer than 15 points this season ... his only field goal came with just under 17 minutes left in the game.
Texas A&M's defense, which had been strong all season, faced a tough test on Dec. 11 from the nation's best offense in Washington and shined brightly ... A&M held Washington, who entered the contest averaging 95.5 points per game, to a season-low 62 points ... the Aggies held the Huskies to a season-low 37.7 percent shooting (entered averaging 51.3%) ... A&M's defense allowed UW 6-of-22 (27.3%) shooting from the 3-point arc (entered averaging 47.5%) ... A&M forced Washington into a season-high 20 turnovers.
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Jan. 16), A&M ranked 2nd nationally in rebounding margin (+11.6), trailing only Pitt (13.7) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded every opponent this season ... the Aggies are 80-13 under Turgeon (16-1 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
A&M also ranked 9th in the country in scoring defense (57.6 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (52.3).
The Aggies are holding opponents to 38.0 percent shooting from the floor, which ranks 25th nationally ... A&M ranks 28th nationally in 3-point field goal defense, with foes shooting just 29.6 percent from behind the arc.
Cashing in From the Charity Stripe
Texas A&M is shooting 72.9 percent from the free-throw line this season, second-best in the Big 12 (Colorado, 77.8) ... that puts the Aggies on track for the second-best free-throw percentage in school history and best in 43 years, trailing only the 1967-68 team (74.4 percent).
A&M has shot 70 percent or better from the charity stripe in 11 of 17 games this season ... the low-water mark for the team this year is a 64-percent showing against Prairie View A&M (16-for-25) ... by comparison, last season A&M shot 66.1 percent from the line and shot 70% or better 13 times in 34 games.
Knocking 'em Down
Texas A&M has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 4 games this year, but 2 of those outings have come in January ... over the first 13 games of the schedule, the Aggies shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 34 percent from 3-point range, while making over half their shots against A&M-Corpus Christi (51.7) and Wagner (52.6) ... since the calendar flipped to 2011 (4 games), the Aggies have shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 37 percent from 3-point land ... A&M's 50-percent plus outings this month came in wins over Nicholls State (50.0) and Oklahoma (54.3).
FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE COMPARISON
Span Record FG Pct. 3-Pt Pct. 50+*
First 13 games 12-1 44.8 34.4 2
Last 4 games 4-0 49.2 36.5 2
* games shooting 50 percent or better from floor
Senior Watch
A&M's senior class needs 10 more wins to become the winningest class in school history ... the Class of 2011 is 91-32 (.740) entering Wednesday's game against Texas, trailing only the 2010 (100-38, .725), 2009 (98-37, .726) and 2008 (95-37, .720) classes in the record books ... this year's group surpassed the 1982 (85-40, .680) squad with their 86th win, which came vs Wagner, on Dec. 21.
An NCAA bid would make the 2011 seniors just the third class in school history to advance to four NCAA Tournaments, joining those from the Classes of 2009 and 2010.
Elite Poll Company
A&M (No. 10 MBB in coaches, No. 5 WBB in coaches) joins Duke (No. 4 MBB in AP, No. 3 WBB in AP) and UConn (No. 8 MBB, No. 2 WBB in AP) as the only three schools in the country to have both basketball teams ranked in the top 10.
Texas A&M (No. 19 football, No. 11 basketball) is one of only THREE schools nationally to be ranked in the top 20 in the latest AP poll in both football and men's hoops ... Ohio State (#1 MBB/#5 FB) and Missouri (#13 MBB/#18 FB) are the others.
A&M (No. 19 football, No. 11 MBB, No. 6 WBB) is the ONLY school to be ranked in the top 20 in the latest AP poll in football, men's basketball and women's basketball.
Balancing Act
The loss of A&M's top three scorers from last year (B.J. Holmes (9.4).
A total of 9 players have combined for 55 double-figure outings (Middleton 14, Holmes 10, Walkup 10, Loubeau 9, Hibbert 6, Roberson 5, Turner 1, Harris 1, Lewis 1) through 17 games.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
A&M is 11-0 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting just 38.6 percent inside Reed and averaging 58.1 points per game.
Only 3 teams have shot better than 40 percent on A&M's home floor--Missouri (52.2), McNeese State (41.8) and Pacific (41.4).
Only 2 teams have scored more than 60 points on A&M's home floor--Missouri (89 in OT), Prairie View A&M (63) and Washington (62).
Home, Sweet Home
A&M has won 29 of its last 30 home games, including 12 of its last 13 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 42-3 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with a 15-3 mark in conference games.
The Aggies are 76-6 (.927) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 108-12 (.900) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
A&M has won 25 straight home games against unranked opponents (9 straight in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 48-3 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 13-3 mark against unranked Big 12 teams.
The Aggies are the only Big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last six consecutive seasons.
A&M is 150-54 (.735) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 109-13 since.
The Aggies have won 60 straight non-conference games at Reed Arena ... the streak dates back to the start of the 2005-06 season and includes wins over Arizona, Alabama, LSU and Washington, among others ... the last home non-conference loss for the Aggies was to St. Joseph's (58-51) in the 2005 NIT quarterfinals ... A&M is 92-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.911).
Texas A&M has won 73 consecutive regular-season non-conference home games ... the last non-conference team to beat the Aggies at Reed Arena was Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (82-80) in 2003.
Texas A&M broke its home attendance record three times in 2010, including the current mark of 13,717 vs. Texas (Feb. 27) ... A&M sold out four games, topping the 13,000 mark in each game ... the Aggies' season average of 9,889 ranked 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.
The top 18 single-game attendance marks in A&M history have been set since the start of the 2005-06 season ... the top 15 non-conference attendance marks also have been set in that time span.
Miscellaneous
Mark Turgeon (89 wins) needs 2 more victories to pass D.X. Bible (90 in seven seasons) and become the third-winningest coach in school history ... Turgeon needs 4 more to eclipse Bob Rogers (92 in six seasons) as the second-winningest coach in A&M annals ... Shelby Metcalf (438 wins in 26 1/2 seasons) is the Aggies' all-time winningest coach.
Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 605-468 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 8.1 points into the locker room ... the Aggies have led at the break in 12 of 17 games and are 12-0 when ahead at the half.
A&M rebounded from a tough two-point loss to Boston College on Nov. 25 with a 29-point win over Manhattan the next day ... the Aggies never trailed in the game, and held the Jaspers to 7 points over the final 13 minutes ... under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 11 of their last 12 games following a loss.
Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (116-39, .748) ... the Aggies are 159-57 (.736) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
Up Next
The Aggies return home to Reed Arena to host Kansas State on Saturday in a nationally-televised contest (1 p.m., ESPN).
LAST TIME OUT: (#13) Texas A&M 91, (#12) Missouri 89 (OT)
COLLEGE STATION (Jan. 15)--Khris Middleton scored 28 points, including 11 in overtime, and No. 14 Texas A&M beat 15th-ranked Missouri 91-89 for its 13th straight win. The Aggies (16-1, 3-0 Big 12) trailed by one before Middleton swiped the ball from Marcus Denmon and converted a layup with 34 seconds remaining. Missouri had a chance to go in front again but had another costly turnover. Middleton made three free throws to extend the lead to 91-87, and Missouri's Laurence Bowers had a tip-in at the buzzer for the final margin. The Tigers (15-3, 1-2) were ahead 87-85 after a 3-pointer by Denmon with about 90 seconds left in OT. B.J. Holmes made one of two free throws before Middleton's bucket. Middleton was 4 for 5 in overtime and his only miss was his first shot, an errant layup. Texas A&M improved to 3-0 in the Big 12 for just the second time and first since the 2006-07 season. Middleton sunk a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left in regulation for his first points of the second half, tying it at 77. The Tigers had a chance for the win, but Phil Pressey missed a jumper in the lane. Denmon and Ricardo Ratliffe had 19 points apiece for Missouri, which has lost seven straight to Texas A&M. It was the first overtime game for the Aggies at home since they lost 116-110 in five OTs against Baylor in 2008. Nathan Walkup added 16 points for Texas A&M and David Loubeau had 12 points. Bowers had a chance to give Missouri a three-point lead with 27 seconds left in regulation, but he went 1 for 2 from the line and Middleton tied it with his foul shots. The Tigers led by four before Dash Harris converted a three-point play for Texas A&M with just under a minute remaining. Texas A&M used a 10-4 surge to take a 59-51 lead with 14 minutes to play. Naji Hibbert capped the spurt with a 3-pointer. The Aggies recovered after getting off to a horrible start. Denmon's 3-pointer about 3 minutes into the game made it 11-2 and Missouri led 19-7 before A&M went on an 11-0 run to get within one with 9 minutes left in the first half. The 12-point deficit was Texas A&M's largest of the season.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "I thought that was one of the best college basketball games I've been a part of. I though Missouri was fantastic. The little Pressey kid hit shots and hadn't made them all year. What a game. It was a hugger. You're hugging in the locker room. You don't get too many huggers. Missouri was fantastic. Their zone hurt us in the second half. I'm not sure a ball bounced our way all day. In the end, we had great toughness. It was just a good win, one of those games where the other team for the most part played great and probably deserved to win. It's a great win for us. I was surprised at how physical (Missouri) were. Last time, we kind of went in and pushed them around. This time I thought they were pushing us around. They were really focused. If you watch them play, they shot in about seven seconds on the shot clock at Colorado. Today, they were coming down and using 30 seconds and we were using seven. We had a heck of a stretch there in the first half, but that was the whole game for us. (Khris Middleton's poor start) was bad coaching on our part, they went to the zone and stopped us. I finally made some changes. I told the kid, at the start of overtime, I told him 'Khris, I got all the confidence in the world in you, and your teammates do. If you miss the first one, I'm coming right back to you, and we'll keep coming to you.' I think he's a pretty confident kid, he was trying to get shots on his own late and couldn't get him. They were doubling and switching, and other guys have to step up and make plays. We have to help him out there. (on preparing for Texas) I'm going to enjoy the rest of today, and maybe a little tomorrow. We have 13 tough ones left, no easy ones. I know you guys hate the cliché to take them one at a time, but you have to do that in this league."
Postgame Notes
Texas A&M won its 13th consecutive game, the third-longest win streak in school history ... the record is 25 games in a streak that spanned the 1919-20 and 1920-21 seasons.
A&M's 16-1 start is the best in 91 years and the second-best in school history (behind the 1919-20 team, which went 19-0).
Texas A&M won its seventh straight against Missouri ... the Tigers have not defeated Texas A&M since the Big 12 Tournament in 2004 and have not won at Reed Arena since 2001 ... MU leads the series, however, 11-9.
The Aggies are 3-0 in Big 12 play for just the second time ever (2006-07 season) ... A&M has won 44 Big 12 games since the start of the 2007 league season ... prior to that, A&M had totaled only 43 wins in the first 10 years of Big 12 play.
The Aggies have won 29 of their last 30 home games, including 12 of their last 13 in league play ... A&M is 42-3 at home since the start of the 08-09 season with a 15-3 mark in Big 12 games.
Texas A&M improved to 3-0 on the year against ranked opponents.
The Aggies out-rebounded Mizzou, 40-35, and have out-boarded every opponent this year.
Missouri (52.2 percent) became only the third Texas A&M opponent to shoot better than 42 percent in a game this season, joining Boston College (48.9%) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (46.7%) ... the Tigers were the first team to shoot better than 42 percent at Reed Arena this year (previous high by an opponent was 41.8% by McNeese State).
The Aggies trailed 19-7 in the first half, marking the largest deficit (12 points) the Aggies have faced this season ... A&M overcame it however and took a 40-33 lead into the locker room.
Texas A&M improved to 30-44 all-time in overtime and is 2-0 this year (def. Arkansas, 71-62) ... the Aggies are 3-4 in OT games all-time at Reed Arena ... Saturday marked A&M's first home OT game since a 5-overtime loss to Baylor on Jan. 23, 2008 ... it was the first time that the Aggies and Tigers have gone to OT in series history.
A&M's 29 free throws was the second-highest total of the season (34 vs Alcorn State, Nov. 12).
Texas A&M's 9 turnovers matched a season low (vs McNeese State, Dec. 31).
A&M's 17 fast-break points were its second-highest total of the year (21 vs Prairie View, Dec. 8).
Donald Sloan also scored 28 in a win over Texas Tech in College Station last season.
Ray Turner set a new career high with 10 points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: DEFENSE
Rebounding
In the latest NCAA rankings (released Monday), A&M ranked 2nd nationally in rebounding margin (+11.6), trailing only Pittsburgh ... the Aggies have out-rebounded every opponent this season ... the Aggies are 80-13 under Turgeon (16-1 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes ... A&M is just 8-17 under Turgeon when being out-rebounded.
Texas A&M has out-rebounded three teams this year by 20 or more boards ... the Aggies beat Alcorn State on the glass by 20, A&M International by 25 and Wagner by 27 ... A&M did not out-rebound anyone last season by more than 18.
Four players are averaging at least 4 rebounds per game--Nathan Walkup (6.1), David Loubeau (5.2), Khris Middleton (4.7) and Kourtney Roberson (4.1) ... by comparison just two did so last season--Bryan Davis (8.1) and Loubeau (4.7).
The Aggies out-rebounded Wagner by 27 (47-20) in an 86-51 win on Dec. 21 ... the 27-board advantage was A&M's largest since besting Louisiana-Monroe by 27 rebounds on January 3, 2004.
Forcing Turnovers
Texas A&M is averaging 16.8 points off turnovers per game ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 56-9 (11-0 this year) when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.
Texas A&M's 16 steals in the win at A&M-Corpus Christi were the most by an Aggie team in the Mark Turgeon era and the most since a win over Grambling State in December 2006.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: OFFENSE
Fast-Paced Offense
Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 605-468 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 8.1 points into the locker room ... the Aggies have led at the break in 12 of 17 games and are 12-0 when ahead at the half.
Texas A&M is 39-2 under Mark Turgeon when scoring at least eight fast-break points (9-0 this year) ... the Aggies' 21 fast-break points against Prairie View (Dec. 8) were a season high.
The Aggies are 26-3 under Turgeon (5-0 this year) when scoring at least 80 points and 57-5 (10-0) when scoring at least 70 ... A&M has scored 74 or more in 8 of its 16 wins this year.
A&M is 71-11 under Turgeon when leading at halftime (12-0 this year), and 16-19 when trailing (4-1).
Sharing the Ball
Texas A&M is averaging 15.4 assists per game this year, on pace for its highest average since the 2006-07 season.
The Aggies dished out 20-plus assists in back-to-back games for the first time in the Mark Turgeon era ... A&M had 21 against Pacific (Dec. 4) and added 20 in a win over Prairie View (Dec. 8) ... the last Aggie team to accomplish that feat was the 2006-07 squad.
Texas A&M dished out a season-high 21 assists in a win over Pacific (Dec. 4) ... it was the most in a game by an Aggie team since they totaled 21 in a 77-71 win over Kent State on Nov. 29, 2008.
Make Shots, Win Games
Texas A&M is 60-7 under Turgeon (10-1 this year) when hitting better than 45 percent from the field and a perfect 33-0 (3-0) when hitting at 50 percent or higher.
Strong Down Low
Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in the paint in three games this year ... A&M did so just four times last year ... this season, the Aggies are averaging 29.8 points down low (28.6 average in 2009-10).
Under Turgeon, A&M is 85-24 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (15-1 this year).
Take Another Chance
The Aggies are averaging 15.2 second-chance points through 17 games ... A&M only went over 20 in that category one time last year (home vs Texas) but has already done so twice this season ... the Aggies averaged 10.9 per game last year.
TURGEON QUOTEBOARD (1/17 press conference)
On being ranked in the Top-10...
"It's just a number. If you know anything about me, my wife does, numbers are overrated. The tenth anniversary for our wedding, I didn't do much, but I did on the 11th. I'm sure the players are excited about it, and the fans will be excited about it. I'm more excited about us being 3-0 in the league than being ranked tenth."
On the players getting over confident...
"Our guys are pretty level-headed, they realize that we've only played three league games, and only one road game. We had a good practice today, They'll keep fighting and try to get better."
On his expectations coming into the season...
"Our expectations are always high. I just try and coach the team and try to get the most out of them. I don't get caught up in a lot of things. I was on the young kids today trying to get them to perform better before Wednesday."
On losing key players from last season...
"We got used to playing without Derrick Roland, so we really lost two players. I was a little concerned about losing (Donald) Sloan, and Bryan (Davis) did a lot of things for us. Your expectations change, but we're still that same team that was picked sixth in the league and no votes. We're just trying to get better."
On what he's been pleased with this season...
"I've been really pleased with my seniors. I think Nate and B.J. have had really good senior seasons. I think they're the difference right now. They're really defending. All of them do, Marshall (Carrell), Derrek (Lewis) and (Andrew) Darko, they all bring it to practice every day."
On whether he gets confident in the teams' play...
"I don't. When you're a coach, you see all of the flaws. When I look in the mirror in the morning, I see all of the gray hairs and wrinkles. That's what I see with my team, so you're constantly trying to get better, constantly trying to make them better. I think we're pretty good, but I think we'll find out Wednesday how good we really are."
On Khris Middletons' role...
"He's a reluctant `star', or `go-to' guy. I think it's just that he doesn't like the attention. It's nice to see Khris, when you challenge him right before overtime to step up and he does. We have a lot of guys we can go to late, and that's a luxury. Last year, it felt like we could only go to one guy, that was Sloan. This year, I can go to a lot of guys."
On playing in close games, and the team making big plays to win...
"I've got some veterans. You think about Nate and B.J., they've played a lot of games for us. Khris has been a major part since he stepped on campus. We talk about that. We really work on execution. So far this group has had a toughness about them, that when we've had to get a stop or a rebound, this team does it. You have to be good and lucky to win close games, and we've been both."
On the team's rebounding success...
"We work on it, talk about it a lot. I didn't think we rebounded well the last two games at home, we missed a lot of box outs. The good thing is, I have a veteran team for the most part. We had 21 `bad' or `no' box outs on Saturday. We rebounded better today in practice and got after it today. I think it's a mindset, guards box and rebound, and we have to. We're little. We're not very big.
On having confidence against Texas...
"We'll see, this will be our first real road game. We played at A&M-Corpus Christi, where we had a lot of fans, and at Oklahoma, where we caught them when students were gone. This will be our first road test as far as fans in the building and students in the building."
On Jordan Hamilton's play...
"He can really score the ball, as far as for what he's done this year. Last year he was a perimeter shooter, this year he's really driving the ball and posting up. He's a tremendous challenge. He's good, it'll be a tough matchup for us."
On keeping his players focused when they're ranked in the top 10...
"You know what, we never talk about numbers and all that kind of stuff, I just coach them. I went to practice today and said guys we didn't box out, we didn't guard very well. If I see them getting happy, I'll just practice them harder."
On A&M's bench being deeper than Texas' bench...
"He's got the bench, and he can use it in certain games, I'm sure they'll use it against us. I think we have more bodies inside, I think they have a little more depth at the guard to be honest with you. He's done some different things, it all depends on foul trouble and how things are going. On paper, I wouldn't say our bench is necessarily deeper than theirs."
