Feb. 11, 2011
Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Fresh off a thrilling overtime win at Colorado, No. 22 Texas A&M returns to the road this weekend when the Aggies (18-5, 5-4) face Texas Tech (11-13, 3-6) at United Spirit Arena in Lubbock. Tipoff is set for 12:47 p.m. (CT) and the game will air regionally on the Big 12 Network (KBTX-DT2 in Bryan/College Station).
GAME 24: (#22/22) Texas A&M AGGIES (18-5, 5-4)
at Texas Tech RED RAIDERS (11-13, 3-6)
Saturday, February 12, 2011 • 12:47 PM (CT) • TV: Big 12 Network
United Spirit Arena (15,098) • Lubbock, Texas
TELEVISION: Big 12 Network
Brad Sham, Play-by-Play
Bryndon Manzer, Commentary
Bryan-College Station: KBTX-DT2 (CW Texas)
ESPN Full Court: DirecTV 724/Dish 461
TV CLEARANCE LIST
National
ESPN Full Court DirecTV 724 Dish 461
Kansas
Wichita-Hutchinson KSAS FOX
Louisiana
New Orleans (TD-airs Sun 11AM) COX-NO COX
Texas
Abilene-Sweetwater KIDZ-LP FOX
Amarillo KCPN MNT
Austin KNVA CW
Beaumont-Port Arthur KJAC NBC
Bryan-College Station KBTX-DT2 CW
Corpus Christi KTOV MNT
Dallas-Ft. Worth KTXA IND
Houston KTBU IND
Lubbock KJTV FOX
Odessa-Midland KOSA-DT2 CBS
San Angelo KIDY FOX
San Antonio/Austin KCWX CW
Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches KFXK FOX
Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches KFXL-LP FOX
Waco-Temple-Killeen KWTX-DT2 CW
Wisconsin
Milwaukee WMLW IND
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Colin Killian, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 121/XM 141*
* Texas Tech broadcast only
Series: Tech leads, 64-58
Current Win Streak: A&M, 2 games
In Lubbock: Tech leads, 36-17
United Spirit Arena: Tech leads, 6-5
In College Station: A&M leads, 35-21
At Reed Arena: A&M leads, 8-4
At Neutral Sites: Tech leads, 7-6
At Big 12 Tournament: Tech leads, 2-0
Longest A&M Win Streak: 3 games
Longest Tech Win Streak: 9 games
Largest A&M Win: 98-54 (2007-08)
Largest Tech Win: 85-57 (1996), 82-54 (1996)
Mark Turgeon vs. Tech: 5-2
Pat Knight vs. A&M: 1-5
Last Meeting: A&M, 67-65 (Feb. 13, 2010 in Lubbock)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 18-5, 5-4 Big 12
Ranking: 22nd (USAT/ESPN), 22nd (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 33 / 30
Streak: Won 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 2-3 / 6-4
On the Road: 3-2
Last Game: def. Colorado (H), 73-70 (OT) (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas '87)
Record: 244-155 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 91-36 (4th year)
vs. Texas Tech: 5-2
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 4.2 2.8 3.4 23 / 27.9
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 10.8 5.2 0.4 23 / 26.0
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.9 2.9 3.3 23 / 29.3
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 14.9 5.0 3.0 23 / 29.2
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 9.9 5.6 1.3 23 / 24.3
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Record: 11-13, 3-6 Big 12
Ranking: NR
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 150 / 146
Streak: Lost 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-2 / 4-6
At Home: 10-5
Last Game: lost at (#3) Texas (A), 76-60 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Pat Knight (Indiana '95)
Record: 48-55 (4th year)
at Texas Tech: 48-55 (4th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 1-5
Texas Tech Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
1 Brad Reese F 6-6 195 Sr. 11.5 4.5 1.5 24 / 28.2
5 D'walyn Roberts F 6-7 200 Sr. 5.6 4.8 1.1b 18 / 22.8
15 Robert Lewandowski F 6-10 256 Jr. 9.3 5.1 0.9b 23 / 24.7
21 John Roberson G 5-11 168 Sr. 13.5 2.0 4.0 22 / 34.4
32 Mike Singletary F 6-6 235 Sr. 13.8 6.1 2.8 24 / 31.9
About Texas Tech (11-13, 3-6)
Texas Tech is 11-13 on the year and is in a tie for 10th place in the Big 12 at 3-6 ... the Red Raiders, however, are just one game out of fifth place ... Tech was idle this week, and in its last outing fell at No. 3 Texas, 76-60 ... the Raiders began league play with 4 straight losses but have since won 3 of their last 5 ballgames ... TTU is 10-5 at United Spirit Arena this season and 2-3 at home in Big 12 play, with wins over Nebraska and Oklahoma State.
Texas Tech returns 3 starters from a 2009-10 team that finished 19-16 and 4-12 in the Big 12 ... the Red Raiders advanced to the NIT quarterfinals last year, their first postseason berth since 2007 ... Pat Knight is in his fourth year as the head coach in Lubbock with an overall record of 48-55.
Series Notes
Texas Tech leads the series, 63-58, that dates back to 1942 ... the Aggies, however, have won 8 of the last 12 ... Tech's last victory in the series came in the 2009 Big 12 Tournament, 88-83, in Kansas City.
The Red Raiders hold a 36-17 edge in Lubbock and a 6-5 advantage at United Spirit Arena ... A&M has won the last 2 meetings in Lubbock.
A&M has won the last 5 regular-season meetings between the schools, including a pair of victories last year ... the Aggies defeated Tech, 85-70, on Jan. 30 in College Station behind a 28-point effort by Donald Sloan ... the teams then met just two weeks later in Lubbock, where A&M escaped with a 67-65 victory on Feb. 13.
A&M/TECH RECAPS
Last Time in Lubbock: Texas A&M 67, Texas Tech 65
LUBBOCK (Feb. 13, 2010)-B.J. Holmes scored 18 points to lead Texas A&M past Texas Tech 67-65. The Red Raiders were up 51-47 midway through the second half before the Aggies (18-6, 7-3 Big 12) used a 10-2 run to go up 61-55. Holmes, who was 4 of 7 from 3-point range, hit from behind the arc to cap the spurt. Texas Tech (16-8, 4-6) pulled within 63-60 on two free throws by David Tairu with 30.5 seconds remaining, but four free throws by Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis kept A&M out front. Davis added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Aggies, who won their fourth straight. John Roberson scored 22 points to lead Texas Tech, but was held to six points in the second half.
Last Time at Reed: Texas A&M 85, Texas Tech 70
COLLEGE STATION (Jan. 30, 2010)-Donald Sloan scored 28 points and Texas A&M beat Texas Tech 85-70. The win is A&M's 15th straight at home and leaves the Red Raiders (14-7, 2-5 Big 12) winless on the road in conference play. Texas A&M (15-6, 4-3) trailed for most of the first half but led the entire second half. The Aggies led by 11 before a wild sequence with about 1 1/2 minutes remaining that included four quick points off two steals, the second of which left Tech's leading scorer Mike Singletary on the court injured. Singletary was hurt while fighting for a ball with Bryan Davis. Play continued with Sloan finishing the fast break with a layup while Tech coach Pat Knight yelled at the officials to stop play so he could attend to his player. Singletary was escorted to the locker room holding his right shoulder and grimacing after being looked at for a couple of minutes.
GAME NOTES
Aggie Trends
Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 13 of their last 16 games following a loss.
Texas A&M is 12-1 this season when leading (or tied) heading in to the locker room ... the Aggies have overcome halftime deficits 5 times.
The Aggies are a perfect 14-0 this year when having the lead with 5 minutes to play.
A&M is 17-2 this year (82-21 all-time under Turgeon) when it holds foes to under 50 percent shooting ... 16-1 when the Aggies hold opponents to under 45 percent from the floor ... and 11-0 (51-4 under Turgeon) when foes shoot less than 40 percent.
One of A&M's goals every game is to make more free throws than the opponent shoots, which emphasizes the need to get to the charity stripe ... this year, that strategy has proven true, as the Aggies are 16-1 when they shoot more free throws then their opponents.
Texas A&M has emerged victorious in 18 of 20 games where the Aggies win the rebounding battle.
Turgeon has called this one of the best passing teams he's ever had ... when Texas A&M totals 10 or more assists, the team is 17-2 this year.
The Aggies are 16-3 this year (78-14 all-time under Turgeon) when holding foes to under 70 points.
Three of A&M's 5 losses this year have come by 9 or fewer points ... two (BC and Baylor) have gone down to the final possession, and a third (Nebraska) was a one-possession game with 1:11 to play.
Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (118-43, .733) ... the Aggies are 161-61 (.725) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
Let's Keep Playing
Texas A&M has already played a school-record 4 overtime games this year, and is 3-1 in those contests.
The Aggies have set a school record with 3 OT wins this season.
Texas A&M's back-to-back OT games with Baylor (Feb. 5) and Colorado (Feb. 9) marked just the third time in school history the Aggies have played consecutive overtime games ... the most recent came in the fall of 2003, when A&M went extra with Grambling (2OT) and Houston (OT) ... the only other time it has occurred in school history was in 1984 (SMU and TCU).
A&M's 73-70 win at Colorado on Feb. 9 was the Aggies' first overtime win on the road since an 86-78 win at Alabama in the fall of 2008.
The victory in Boulder marked only the Aggies' second road OT victory in Big 12 history ... the other came at Iowa State in 2006 (86-81) ... A&M is 4-7 all-time in Big 12 overtime games (2-4 home, 2-3 away).
Road Warriors
Texas A&M is 6-3 away from Reed Arena this season ... in those games, the Aggies are holding opponents to 61 points and 41.8 percent shooting per game ... A&M has out-rebounded teams away from home this year by an average of 9 boards (36-27).
The Aggies have won 12 of their last 18 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).
Battling Back
A&M trailed Colorado 58-52 Wednesday with 3:29 to play in Boulder ... the Aggies held Colorado to just 2 free throws for the remainder of regulation, rallying to tie the game at 60 and force OT ... A&M went on to win the game, 73-70 ... the Buffs shot 19 percent (3-of-16) over the final 8:29 (including OT), managing the 3 field goals and 4 free throws.
With 10:30 to play last Saturday, the Aggies found themselves down 11 points (63-52) to a hot-shooting Baylor squad ... up to that point in the game, the Bears were hitting 61 percent from the field (25-41) ... over the remainder of the game (including overtime, 15:30), A&M held Baylor to just 27 percent shooting and 13 points ... over the last 10:30 of regulation, Aggie defenders locked the Bears down to just 1-of-8 from the floor and 6 points (4 of those coming from the free throw line).
The 11-point second-half deficit wasn't the largest of the game for the Aggies, as they found themselves down 14 with 6:12 to play before halftime ... A&M's defense locked down again, holding the Bears to two late field goals and pulling all the way to within one before entering the locker room trailing 43-40.
The 14-point deficit was the fifth double-digit deficit Texas A&M has erased this season ... the Aggies have rallied to win 3 of those games in which they've erased a double-digit deficit, with the two losses both coming by two points.
BIG COMEBACKS (10+ POINT DEFICITS)
Opponent Largest Deficit Score / Time Final
Baylor 14 25-39 / 6:12, 1st L, 74-76 (OT)
Missouri 12 7-19 / 13:00, 1st W, 91-89 (OT)
McNeese State 10 18-28 / 7:51, 1st W, 66-57
Arkansas 10 35-45 / 17:26, 2nd W, 71-62 (OT)
Boston College 11 38-49 / 13:50, 2nd L, 65-67
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Feb. 7), A&M ranked 5th nationally in rebounding margin (+8.8) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded 19 of 22 opponents this season ... A&M is 82-13 under Turgeon (18-2 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
A&M also ranked 16th in the country in scoring defense (60.0 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (53.8).
At the statistical release, the Aggies were holding opponents to 29.8 percent shooting from 3-point range, which ranks 18th nationally.
Protecting the Ball
Texas A&M has done a good job limiting turnovers of late ... over the last 11 games, the Aggies have averaged 11.2 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.
Success Against Ranked Teams
The Aggies are 4-2 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 losses have come to Texas.
Texas A&M has the second most ranked wins (4) in the Big 12, behind Texas (6) ... only Texas (8) and Kansas State (7) have played more ranked teams than the Aggies (6).
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)
Senior Watch
A&M's senior class needs 10 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 91-36 (.717) entering Saturday's game at Texas Tech, 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.
Balancing Act
The loss of A&M's top three scorers from last year (B.J. Holmes (9.9) and Nathan Walkup (9.9).
A total of 9 players have combined for 70 double-figure outings (Middleton 19, Holmes 13, Walkup 12, Loubeau 11, Hibbert 6, Roberson 6, Turner 1, Harris 1, Lewis 1) through 23 games.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
A&M is 12-2 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting 40.5 percent inside Reed and averaging 60 points per game.
Only 5 teams have shot better than 40 percent on A&M's home floor-Missouri (52.2), Baylor (51.8), Texas (50.0), McNeese State (41.8) and Pacific (41.4).
Only 5 teams have scored more than 60 points on A&M's home floor-Missouri (89 in OT), Texas (69), Baylor (76 in OT), Prairie View A&M (63) and Washington (62).
Home, Sweet Home
A&M has won 30 of its last 33 home games, including 13 of its last 16 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 43-5 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with a 16-5 mark in conference games ... those 4 losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5), Baylor and Kansas State.
The Aggies are 77-8 (.906) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 109-14 (.886) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
A&M has won 25 of its last 26 home games against unranked opponents (9 of last 10 in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 48-4 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 13-4 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 151-56 (.729) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 110-15 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.
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.
Locking it Down
The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings en route to their 18-5 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
Colorado 3:29 left down 6 (58-52) 0/3 FG, 2/2 FT (reg/OT) W, 73-70 (OT) CU 3-16 (19%) from field over span
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 27.4 percent shooting (34-of-124) from the field and 25 percent (13-of-52) from 3-point range.
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.
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.
Turgeon Rising Up Coaching Charts
Mark Turgeon (91 wins) passed D.X. Bible (90 in seven seasons) as the third-winningest coach in school history with Wednesday's win at Colorado ... Turgeon needs 2 more victories to eclipse Bob Rogers (92 in six seasons) as the second-winningest coach in A&M annals and become the first ever to lead A&M to 4 straight 20-win seasons ... Shelby Metcalf (438 wins in 26 1/2 seasons) is the Aggies' all-time winningest coach.
WINNINGEST COACHES, SCHOOL HISTORY
Coach Wins Seasons Years
1. Shelby Metcalf 438 28 ½ 1964-90
2. Bob Rogers 92 6 1958-63
3. Mark Turgeon 91 3+ 2007-
4. D.X. Bible 90 7 1921-29
5. Tony Barone 76 7 1991-98
Up Next
Texas A&M returns home on Wednesday when the Aggies host Iowa State (7 p.m., Big 12 Network) ... A&M will then play 3 of their final 5 regular-season games on the road, beginning on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Oklahoma State.
LAST TIME OUT: (#22) Texas A&M 73, Colorado 70 (OT)
BOULDER (Feb. 9)-Nathan Walkup scored 18 points and Mark Turgeon, incensed over a no call, was assessed a technical. Higgins hit two free throws and Austin Dufault connected on a jumper in the lane to increase the lead to seven. The Buffs appeared to be taking control of this back-and-forth contest. But Turgeon's outburst lit a fire under the Aggies, who stormed back with a 10-2 run to take a 48-47 lead on Walkup's runner. Colorado guard Nate Tomlinson didn't play after spraining his ankle against Missouri on Saturday. His minutes predominantly went to Knutson, who finished with five points. This was the first meeting between close friends Tad Boyle and Turgeon, who forged a bond while playing for the Kansas Jayhawks in the 1980s. The tandem spent more than a decade coaching together, beginning as assistants at Oregon. Boyle then followed Turgeon to Jacksonville State and later Wichita State. The buddies split up the partnership after Boyle received his first head coaching gig at Northern Colorado, where he resurrected the Bears' program before bolting for the Buffs.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "(The win) was great. We haven't played well the last three in a row. I think we beat a really good basketball team on their home floor. We had to overcome a lot. It looked like they had it and B.J. [Holmes] made the big three. It's funny because I had it for Khris [Middleton] and I just wiped it off and I said, `No, we are going to B.J.' Khris was a good decoy on it and B.J. just knocked it down. He was awful calm when he shot it. He just knew it was in and it gave us confidence the rest of the way. We guarded; we just defended like crazy. We tried to make them shot jump shots. We had great help, great team defense. It's a really good win for us this time of year. We did a good job on ball screen defense (in the second half). We wanted them to shoot jump shots over hands. Dash [Harris] did a great job on Burks. I thought Khris and B.J. did a great job on Higgins. We were giving up some size there, but we were pretty determined. I thought our help was really good during that stretch too. And we rebounded. We limited them to one shot. That was huge. When they did score it was either foul line or second chance points. It was real competitive and a great effort by my guys. We haven't shown a lot of toughness. Today we looked like Texas A&M."
Postgame Notes: Colorado
Texas A&M picked up its first overtime win on the road since an 86-78 win at Alabama in the fall of 2008 ... it was the Aggies' second road OT victory in Big 12 history ... the other came at Iowa State in 2006 (86-81) ... the Aggies improved to 3-1 in overtime games this season ... it is the most overtime games played in one season by an A&M team dating back to at least the 1968-69 season.
Texas A&M played consecutive overtime games for the first time since fall 2003, when the Aggies went extra with Grambling (2OT) and Houston (OT).
The Aggies trailed Colorado, 54-48, with 5:28 to play ... A&M limited the Buffs to one field goal and four free throws the rest of the way and forced overtime on a 3-pointer by BJ Holmes with 1.9 seconds to go.
Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 13 of their last 16 games following a loss.
Colorado shot 38.7 percent from the floor, the second-lowest total by a Big 12 foe this year (34.8 vs Oklahoma State) ... A&M is now 16-1 this season when holding opponents to under 45 percent shooting and 11-0 when keeping them under 40.
A&M is now 16-1 this season when shooting more free throws than their opponent (A&M 20, CU 16).
A&M out-rebounded Colorado, 40-29 ... the 40 boards matched a Big 12 season high (40 vs Missouri) ... the Aggies' 11-board differential was the most in a Big 12 game this season ... the Aggies are 18-2 this year when winning the rebounding battle.
The Aggies 42 points in the paint was the second highest total this year and the highest in a Big 12 game.
A&M had 14 assists in the win ... the Aggies are 17-2 on the year when totaling 10 or more assists.
Freshman Kourtney Roberson (Arcadia, La.) made the first start of his career.
Nathan Walkup's 18 points were a career high in a Big 12 game ... his previous high was 16 (three previous times).
The Aggies won their eighth straight against Colorado ... the series is now tied, 9-9 ... A&M won its final four games at Coors Events Center ... the loss was just Colorado's second at home this season (12-2), with the other coming to Kansas ... A&M is now 6-3 away from Reed Arena this year.
TURGEON QUOTEBOARD (Colorado postgame)
On the win at Colorado...
"It was great. We haven't played well the last three in a row. I think we beat a really good basketball team on their home floor. We had to overcome a lot. It looked like they had it and B.J. [Holmes] made the big three. It's funny because I had it for Khris [Middleton] and I just wiped it off and I said, `No, we are going to B.J.' Khris was a good decoy on it and B.J. just knocked it down. He was awful calm when he shot it. He just knew it was in and it gave us confidence the rest of the way. We guarded; we just defended like crazy. We tried to make them shot jump shots. We had great help, great team defense. It's a really good win for us this time of year."
On the second half...
"We did a good job on ball screen defense. We wanted them to shoot jump shots over hands. Dash [Harris] did a great job on Burks. I thought Khris and B.J. did a great job on Higgins. We were giving up some size there, but we were pretty determined. I thought our help was really good during that stretch too. And we rebounded. We limited them to one shot. That was huge. When they did score it was either foul line or second chance points. It was real competitive and a great effort by my guys. We haven't shown a lot of toughness. Today we looked like Texas A&M."
On his relationship with CU Coach Tad Boyle...
"I hated this. I told my staff on Monday, `The way I have to coach this team is I have to be a cheerleader and have to be into every possession, and I don't coach that way.' And I didn't want to have to do it against a good friend. I had to make a fool out of myself a couple times tonight to let everybody know that we were here to fight and I hated to do it. But this was, I think, a must win this early in the season for us. It was no fun playing against him. He is a great coach. I wouldn't be where I am without Tad Boyle. He taught me a lot when I was a player. And he was a great assistant for me; very loyal and helped us win a lot of games."
On the technical fouls in the second half...
"We overcame a lot. I thought B.J. got fouled and I got the technical. And they went up seven. I just said we have to overcome it. We overcame that one. Then we missed a shot. Had a chance to take the lead and missed a shot, a layup. And then we have a really dumb foul by Khris Middleton 35 feet from the basket. And then Kourtney [Roberson] is a freshman and he wasn't playing with a lot of poise and elbowed the kid, so there are four more free throws and the ball. At that point, its 5:49 to go, overcoming again is tough and we were just fighting and fighting, and kept guarding. It's just a great win; this time of year if you want to be a part of the NCAA tournament, you have got to get a win like that."
On coaching after a three-game losing streak...
"I haven't slept. Lately I haven't done a great job with these guys and it really weighs on you as a coach. We were 17-2 for a reason; we have good players and a good team, and we just haven't played that way. We didn't play with any confidence on Saturday and Baylor came in and whipped us. Hopefully this game will help us get our confidence back."
On what he said to Tad Boyle after the game...
"`Good game.' It's a really hard handshake. This was a big week for them; us and K-State at home. They have got some road games; they have a lot of basketball left. They have got some road games that they can take care of. You are lucky to have [Coach Boyle]. He is going to figure out how to get them ready for Saturday. I am so proud of him. He was coaching high school ball 20 years ago and I convinced him to come to Oregon. I wanted him to follow me at Wichita State, but that's not what the AD wanted, so he had to take a really bad Northern Colorado job. He's earned this job. He is going to do a fantastic job. He has a great staff; the staff that was with me at Wichita. Tad and I talk all the time. When he loses I hurt. I really do, I hurt, because I know how much he puts into it. He has got a good team this year, it's just hard your first year. His teams are just going to get better and better like they did at Northern Colorado." 
