Feb. 4, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
No. 16 Texas A&M (17-4, 4-3) plays host to Baylor (14-7, 4-4) in a crucial Big 12 battle Saturday afternoon at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Aggies, winners of 30 of their last 32 games at Reed Arena, are in a tie for third place in the league, one-half game ahead of the Bears. The game will air nationally on ESPN.
Reserved seats are now sold out. A limited number of general admission tickets may be sold to the public for $15.00. These tickets will be for general admission seating in sections 210-216.
These seats can only be purchased in person at the box office or over the phone by calling (979) 845-2311 or 888-99-AGGIE.
Students who have purchased an all-sports option can attend the game on a seat-available basis by simply presenting their student ID at the north or south student entrances to Reed Arena. Additional student ticket information for the game is available on the men's basketball page at aggieathletics.com.
GAME 22: (#16/16) Texas A&M AGGIES (17-4, 4-3)
vs Baylor BEARS (14-7, 4-4)
Saturday, February 5, 2011 • 1:05 PM (CT) • TV: ESPN HD
Reed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas
TELEVISION: ESPN HD
Jon Sciambi, Play-by-Play
Fran Fraschilla, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 122/XM 143
Series: A&M leads, 127-74
In College Station: A&M leads, 74-28
At Reed Arena: A&M leads, 9-3 (W2)
In Waco: A&M leads, 50-44
At Ferrell Center: series tied, 11-11 (L2)
At Neutral Sites: A&M leads, 3-2
At Big 12 Tournament: BU leads, 1-0
Current Win Streak: Baylor, 1 game
Longest A&M Win Streak: 11 games
Longest BU Win Streak: 8 games
Largest A&M Win: 52-10 (1919-20)
Largest BU Win: 97-45 (2001-02)
Mark Turgeon vs. Baylor: 3-3
Scott Drew vs. A&M: 5-9
Last Meeting: BU, 70-66 (Feb. 24, 2010 in Waco)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 17-4, 4-3 Big 12
Ranking: 16th (USAT/ESPN), 16th (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 17 / 28
Streak: Lost 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 2-3 / 7-3
At Home: 12-1
Last Game: lost to (#3) Texas (H), 69-49 (Monday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
Record: 243-154 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 90-35 (4th year)
vs. Baylor: 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. 9.3 2.9 3.4 21 / 28.7
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 15.0 4.8 2.7 21 / 28.1
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 9.8 5.8 1.3 21 / 24.1
BAYLOR BEARS
Record: 14-7, 4-4 Big 12
Ranking: RV (AP), RV (USAT/ESPN)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 86 / 65
Streak: Lost 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 2-3 / 6-4
On the Road: 1-3
Last Game: lost at Oklahoma (A), 73-66 (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Scott Drew (Butler '93)
Record: 143-121 (9th year)
at Baylor: 123-110 (8th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 5-9
Baylor Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
5 Perry Jones III F/C 6-10 220 Fr. 14.1 7.0 1.1 21 / 33.0
11 J'mison Morgan F/C 6-10 240 Jr. 2.4 2.1 1.0b 21 / 11.8
22 A.J. Walton G 6-1 190 So. 8.7 3.5 5.4 20 / 32.7
24 LaceDarius Dunn G 6-4 205 Sr. 20.7 4.4 2.3 18 / 34.6
41 Anthony Jones F 6-10 195 Jr. 8.8 5.5 1.0 21 / 28.6
About Baylor (14-7, 4-4)
Baylor is 14-7 on the year and sits in a tie for fifth in the Big 12 at 4-4 ... the Bears enter the weekend off a tough 73-66 loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday ... the game against the Aggies will mark Baylor's second of the season against a ranked opponent ... BU is 1-3 in true road games this season.
Baylor returns 8 letterwinners and 2 starters from a 2009-10 team that went 28-8 and finished tied for second in the Big 12 at 11-5 ... the Bears advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Duke ... Scott Drew is in his eighth year in Waco with a record of 123-110.
Series Notes
Saturday will mark the 202nd meeting between the rivals on the basketball court ... it is the second most-played rivalry in A&M history, behind Texas (219) ... the Aggies lead the all-time series with Baylor, 127-74 ... A&M leads at Reed Arena, 9-3.
A&M has won 16 of the 29 games between the schools since the formation of the Big 12 ... the teams have split the series each of the last three seasons ... the Aggies have taken 10 of the last 13 meetings.
Last season, A&M upset No. 20 Baylor 78-71 at Reed Arena, and three weeks later the 22nd-ranked Aggies fell to the 24th-ranked Bears, 70-66, at the Ferrell Center.
A&M/BAYLOR RECAPS
Last Time Out: (#24) Baylor 70, (#22) Texas A&M 66
WACO (Feb. 24, 2010)--LaceDarius Dunn had 23 points, including consecutive 3-pointers after Baylor had gone 4 1/2 minutes without a field goal and a pair of late free throws, leading the No. 24 Bears past No. 22 Texas A&M 70-66. Texas A&M (19-8, 8-5 Big 12) had cut what was a 13-point deficit to one when B.J. Holmes hit another 3 for A&M, but Dunn responded with another of his own from the right corner with 3:13 left. That was the last of Dunn's four 3-pointers. B.J. Holmes had 11 points for Texas A&M, which had won five of six games with a 78-71 victory over Baylor 2 1/2 weeks earlier.
Last Time at Reed: Texas A&M 78, (#20) Baylor 71
COLLEGE STATION (Feb. 6, 2010)--Bryan Davis scored 22 points and B.J. Holmes hit three late 3-pointers to lead Texas A&M to a 78-71 victory over No. 20 Baylor. The Bears (17-5, 4-4 Big 12) led for most of the game until Baylor was able to rally behind the key 3-pointers by Holmes. Texas A&M (17-6, 6-3), the Big 12's worst 3-point shooting team, stayed true to form for most of the game, finishing 4 of 18 from behind the arc. But Holmes, a 5-foot-11 junior, made 3s with 5:19 and 4:52 remaining to bring the Aggies within one point each time. The Aggies, who won their third straight, took the lead at 65-64 on a free throw by Davis with 3:21 remaining, and Donald Sloan the went 7 of 8 from the free throw line over the final 3:02. Holmes came through again from long range with 1:31 remaining, when his 3-pointer gave A&M a 72-66 lead. LaceDarius Dunn led the Bears with 23 points. Sloan finished with 20 points.
GAME NOTES
Bouncing Back
Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 12 of their last 14 games following a loss ... 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 ... on Jan. 22, the Aggies put a mid-week loss at Texas behind them with a hard-fought, 64-56 win over Kansas State.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
A&M is 12-1 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting 39.6 percent inside Reed and averaging 58.8 points per game.
Only 4 teams have shot better than 40 percent on A&M's home floor--Missouri (52.2), Texas (50.0), McNeese State (41.8) and Pacific (41.4).
Only 4 teams have scored more than 60 points on A&M's home floor--Missouri (89 in OT), Texas (69), Prairie View A&M (63) and Washington (62).
Home, Sweet Home
A&M has won 30 of its last 32 home games, including 13 of its last 15 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 43-4 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with a 16-4 mark in conference games ... those 4 losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5) and Kansas State.
The Aggies are 77-7 (.917) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 109-13 (.893) 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 151-55 (.733) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 110-14 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 20 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 ... a list of Reed's largest crowds is on page 11.
Success Against Ranked Teams
The Aggies are 4-1 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, a 91-89 home victory over Missouri (No. 12 USAT/ESPN, No. 15 AP) on Jan. 15, and a 64-56 defeat of Kansas State (No. 24 USAT/ESPN) on Jan. 22 ... the Aggies' only loss came on Jan. 19, 81-60, at Texas (No. 10 AP, No. 11 USAT/ESPN).
The four wins against ranked opponents ties for the second-most in school history and is one shy of the all-time record, held by the 1978-79 team (5) ... both last year's squad and the 2006-07 Sweet 16 team had 4 wins vs ranked foes.
MOST TOP-25 WINS, SCHOOL HISTORY
Season Wins Teams (ranking)
1. 1978-79 5 Indiana (10), UNLV (15), USF (19), Kentucky (11), Arkansas (11)
2. 2010-11 4 Temple (20), Washington (21), Missouri (12), K-State (24)
2009-10 4 Clemson (19), Minnesota (16), Baylor (20), Texas (21)
2006-07 4 Oklahoma St (12), Kansas (6), Texas (25), Louisville (16)
5. 2005-06 3 Colorado (25), Texas (6), Syracuse (21)
2010 marked only 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 five already this year (Temple, Washington, Missouri, Texas, K-State) ... the Aggies will play 2 other games against teams ranked in the latest AP poll (Jan. 24), including Kansas (2nd) and Texas (10th).
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Jan. 30), A&M ranked 4th nationally in rebounding margin (+10.3), trailing only Pitt (13.2), Old Dominion (10.9) and Drexel (10.3) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded 18 of 20 opponents this season ... A&M is 81-13 under Turgeon (17-1 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
A&M also ranked 10th in the country in scoring defense (58.7 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (53.3).
At the statistical release, the Aggies were holding opponents to 40 percent shooting, which ranks 40th nationally ... A&M ranks 12th nationally in 3-point field goal defense, with foes shooting just 29.3 percent from behind the arc.
Protecting the Ball
Texas A&M has done a good job limiting turnovers of late ... over the last 8 games, the Aggies have averaged 11.3 turnovers per game (14.6 average through first 12 games) ... A&M has avoided double-digit turnovers three times this year, all coming in the last month (9 vs McNeese State, 9 vs Missouri, 8 at Texas).
The Aggies entered the Jan. 22 game with Kansas State averaging 13.1 turnovers per game, but committed 13 TOs in the first half alone (a season high) ... A&M committed just four in the second half, with two of those coming in the first 2 minutes of play after the break ... the Aggies turned the ball over just twice over the game's final 18 minutes, outscoring K-State 35-24 over that span en route to an 8-point victory.
Big 12 Notables
The Aggies won 4 of their first 5 Big 12 games, matching the 2006-07 team for the best Big 12 start in school history.
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 45 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.
Hot Start
Texas A&M matched the best 20-game start in school history with a 17-3 record to open the year.
BEST 20-GAME STARTS, SCHOOL HISTORY
Season 20-Gm Record Final Record Postseason
1. 2010-11 17-3 ?? ??
2006-07 17-3 27-7 NCAA Sweet 16
1959-60 17-3 19-5 --
4. 2007-08 16-4 25-11 NCAA 2nd Round
1978-79 16-4 24-9 NIT Final 6
1975-76 16-4 21-6 --
7. 2008-09 15-5 24-10 NCAA 2nd Round
2004-05 15-5 21-10 NIT Quarterfinals
1979-80 15-5 26-8 NCAA Sweet 16
Mark Turgeon other A&M teams were 16-4 (2007-08), 16-4 (2008-09) and 14-6 (2009-10) through 20 games.
Of note, the 1919-20 team had the best start (and finish) in school history, completing the year a perfect 19-0.
Thirteen in a Row
Texas A&M rattled off 13 straight wins over just under a two-month span from Nov. 26-Jan. 15 ... the 13-game streak was the longest in 91 years and the third-longest in school history, and included wins over then No. 12 Missouri, then No. 20 Temple, then No. 21 Washington and against Arkansas on a neutral court in Dallas.
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
* spanned two seasons
The 13-game win streak was A&M's longest since the school-record 25-game streak which spanned the 1919-20 and 1920-21 seasons ... it also was the longest in Mark Turgeon coaching career, as his 2006-07 Wichita State team won its first 11 games of the season ... it was 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 averaged just under 55 points per game and were out-rebounded by a margin of 10.4 boards ... a closer look at the numbers:
WIN STREAK STATS
Category
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 was held under its season average (not counting overtime periods) ... in addition, only two teams on the streak shot better than their season average (Missouri and Pacific).
In the last 3 minutes of games on the win streak, the Aggie defense held foes to 24.2 percent (16-of-66) from the field.
Locking it Down
The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings en route to their 17-4 start ... a look at some of the defensive efforts that have led to victories so far this season:
A&M'S LATE-GAME DEFENSIVE STANDS
Opponent Clock Situation Opponent rest of game Result Notable
Kansas State 4:55 left tied (48-48) 2 FG, 2 FT W, 64-56 late 3-ptr came with :12 left & 9-pt lead
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 this season, the Aggie defense has held foes to 28.3 percent shooting (28-of-99) from the field and 23.4 percent (11-of-47) from 3-point range.
Making a Stand
A&M has held 9 of its 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 81-21 (16-2) when they make under 50 percent.
Only six of the Aggies' foes--Texas (58%), Missouri (52.2%), Texas (50%), Boston College (48.9%), A&M-Corpus Christi (46.7%) and Nebraska (43.8%)--have shot better than 42 percent in a game this year.
Texas A&M is 78-14 under Turgeon (16-3 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.
Cashing in From the Charity Stripe
Texas A&M is shooting 71.4 percent from the free-throw line this season, fifth-best in the Big 12 (Colorado, 78.0) ... that puts the Aggies on track for one of the top free-throw percentages in school history:
HIGHEST FT PCT., TEXAS A&M HISTORY
Year FT%
1. 1967-68 74.4
2. 1975-76 72.8
1962-63 72.8
4. 1960-61 72.2
5. 1972-73 71.7
6. 2006-07 71.6
1964-65 71.6
8. 2010-11 71.4
1965-66 71.4
10. 1973-74 71.2
A&M has shot 70 percent or better from the charity stripe in 12 of 21 games this season ... the low-water mark for the team this year is a 43-percent showing at Nebraska (6-for-14) ... by comparison, last season A&M shot 66.1 percent from the line and shot 70% or better 13 times in 34 games.
Senior Watch
A&M's senior class needs 11 more wins to become the winningest class in school history ... it is just the fourth class in school history to total at least 90 victories ... the Class of 2011 is 90-35 (.720) entering Saturday's game with Baylor, trailing only the 2010 (100-38, .725), 2009 (98-37, .726) and 2008 (95-37, .720) classes in the record books.
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
Texas A&M (No. 19 football, No. 16 basketball) is one of only FOUR 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), Wisconsin (#19 MBB, #7 FB) and Missouri (#14 MBB/#18 FB) are the others.
A&M (No. 19 football, No. 16 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 (9.3).
A total of 9 players have combined for 62 double-figure outings (Middleton 17, Holmes 11, Walkup 11, Loubeau 9, Hibbert 6, Roberson 5, Turner 1, Harris 1, Lewis 1) through 21 games.
Cracking the Top 10
Texas A&M earned its first top-10 ranking in over three years this month, checking in at No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll (Jan. 17) ... 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 marked 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.
Road Warriors
The Aggies have won 11 of their last 17 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of last season ... three of those six 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), on Thanksgiving Day vs Boston College (67-65) in Orlando, at No. 10 Texas (81-60) and most recently at Nebraska (57-48).
Miscellaneous
Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (117-42, .736) ... the Aggies are 160-60 (.727) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
Mark Turgeon (90 wins) has matched D.X. Bible (90 in seven seasons) as the third-winningest coach in school history ... Turgeon needs 3 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.
Up Next
The Aggies will play five of their next seven on the road, beginning with road games this week at Colorado (8 p.m. Wednesday, ESPNU) and Texas Tech (12:45 p.m. Saturday, Big 12 Network) ... A&M's next home game is Wednesday, Feb. 16 vs Iowa State. 
