Feb. 22, 2011
Complete Release (PDF)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
No. 17 Texas A&M puts its four-game win streak on the line when the Aggies (21-5, 8-4) host Oklahoma (12-14, 4-8) Wednesday evening on "Family Night", presented by KBTX-TV and the Old Army Spirit Company, at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:35 p.m. and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest.
Half-price tickets can be purchased in all seating areas of Reed Arena for as low as $5. Fans can buy them online at oldarmyspirit.com or aggieathletics.com, at the Kyle Field and Reed Arena box offices, or by calling 888-99-AGGIE.
Texas A&M students who don't have an all-sports option may purchase $5 half price tickets located in the student section. Students who have purchased an all-sports option can attend the game 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.
The Aggies sit alone in third place in the Big 12 standings at 8-4, with four regular-season games remaining. OU is in a three-way tie for ninth place, but sits just two games back of fifth. A&M has two home games left, Wednesday's matchup with the Sooners and a March 5 battle with Texas Tech.
(#17/21) Texas A&M AGGIES (21-5, 8-4)
vs Oklahoma SOONERS (12-14, 4-8)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 • 6:35 PM (CT) • TV: FOX Sports Southwest
Reed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas
TELEVISION: FOX Sports Southwest/FSSW Plus
Greg Lucas, Play-by-Play
Jim Haller, Commentary
Bryan/College Station: Suddenlink Ch. 22
In Texas/Oklahoma: DirecTV 677/Dish 451
ESPN Full Court: DirecTV 723/Dish 460
Important TV Information
Everyone in the states of Texas and Oklahoma can watch the game via satellite on DirecTV Ch 677 and Dish Network Ch 451.
Fans outside of Texas or Oklahoma can watch as part of the ESPN Full Court pay-per-view package (DirecTV Ch 723, Dish Ch 460).
Cable subscribers in Bryan/College Station can watch on Suddenlink Ch 22.
Cable subscribers in San Antonio Spurs territory can watch the game on FOX Sports Southwest (Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Rio Grande Valley, El Paso).
Cable subscribers in most of the rest of Texas can see the game on FS Southwest Plus (check local listings or click link below).
Cable subscribers in Dallas Mavericks territory (Dallas/Ft Worth, East Texas, Panhandle) will not be able to catch the game on FSSW or FSSW Plus (must watch via satellite).
Cable subscribers in Lubbock can view the game on FSSW Plus.
FS Southwest Plus affiliate listing: Click Here
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 130
Series: OU leads, 28-7
Current Win Streak: A&M, 3 games
In College Station: Oklahoma leads, 11-4
At Reed Arena: Oklahoma leads, 8-4
In Norman: Oklahoma leads, 14-3
At Lloyd Noble Center: Oklahoma leads, 14-3
At Neutral Sites: Oklahoma leads, 3-0
At Big 12 Tournament: Oklahoma leads, 1-0
Longest A&M Win Streak: 3 games (current)
Longest Oklahoma Win Streak: 14 games
Largest A&M Win: 69-51 (2010-11)
Largest Oklahoma Win: 128-80 (1988-89)
Mark Turgeon vs. Oklahoma: 4-3
Jeff Capel vs. A&M: 3-6
Last Meeting: A&M, 69-51 (Jan. 8 in Norman)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 21-5, 8-4 Big 12
Ranking: 17th (USAT/ESPN), 21st (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 27 / 31
Streak: Won 4
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 6-4
At Home: 13-2
Last Game: def. Iowa State (H), 71-66 (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
Record: 247-155 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 94-36 (4th year)
vs. OU: 4-3
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 4.3 2.6 3.3 26 / 27.9
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.3 5.1 0.4 26 / 26.1
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.9 2.7 3.2 26 / 29.5
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 14.8 5.1 3.0 26 / 29.2
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 9.9 5.8 1.2 26 / 24.5
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Record: 12-14, 4-8 Big 12
Ranking: NR
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 131 / 120
Streak: Lost 5
Last 5 / Last 10: 0-5 / 4-6
Away from Home: 1-11
Last Game: lost to Kansas State (A), 77-62 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Jeff Capel (Duke '97)
Record: 173-106 (9th year)
at OU: 94-65 (5th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 3-6
Oklahoma Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
2 Steven Pledger G 6-4 212 So. 11.8 2.2 1.9 26 / 31.6
4 Andrew Fitzgerald F 6-8 231 So. 13.5 5.2 0.7b 26 / 31.3
14 Carl Blair G 6-2 209 So. 7.7 2.8 4.5 24 / 27.4
21 Cameron Clark G/F 6-6 189 Fr. 9.6 4.7 1.2 26 / 33.9
34 Cade Davis G 6-5 209 Sr. 12.7 5.1 2.0 25 / 35.0
About Oklahoma (12-14, 4-8)
Oklahoma is 12-14 on the year and is tied for ninth in the Big 12 at 4-8 ... the Sooners have lost five in a row and are coming off a hard-fought 77-62 loss at Kansas State.
OU returns 5 letterwinners and 1 starter from a 2009-10 team that went 13-18 and finished ninth in the Big 12 at 4-12 ... Jeff Capel is 94-65 in his fifth year at Oklahoma.
Series Notes
Oklahoma leads the series, 28-7, but A&M has won 3 straight and 6 of the last 8 meetings.
A&M claimed a 69-51 victory in Norman on Jan. 8 in the Big 12 opener for both schools ... it was the first time in school history the Aggies had won in consecutive trips to the Lloyd Noble Center ... Khris Middleton led the way with 16 points.
Last season the Aggies swept the series with the Sooners for the second time in school history (2006-07) ... Texas A&M downed OU 65-62 at Reed Arena on Jan. 19, then closed the regular-season with a 69-54 win in Norman.
Of the last 11 games, 8 have been decided by single digits.
Sidebars
A&M sophomore G Naji Hibbert and OU sophomore F Andrew Fitzgerald were AAU teammates on Team Melo in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
Aggie senior Derrek Lewis is a 2007 graduate of Union High School in Tulsa.
A&M assistant coach Pooh Williamson is a native of Beggs and a 1995 graduate of the University of Tulsa ... Williamson also spent four seasons on the coaching staff at TU, including the winter of 2005 as interim head coach.
A&M/OkLAHOMA RECAPS
Earlier this Year: (#16) Texas A&M 69, Oklahoma 51
NORMAN, Okla. (Jan. 8)--Khris Middleton scored 16 points and added five assists and No. 16 Texas A&M won its 11th straight game, beating Oklahoma 69-51 in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. A&M shared the basketball - recording assists on 17 of its 25 baskets - crashed the boards and slowed the Sooners so much that Oklahoma had zero fast-break points. The Aggies also won away from home on a day that two other ranked Big 12 teams - Missouri and Kansas State - lost on the road to conference foes. By beating Oklahoma, Texas A&M (14-1, 1-0) matched the third-longest winning streak in school history and dealt Oklahoma its first loss in nine games this season at Lloyd Noble Center. The Aggies have won six of their last nine games against Oklahoma (8-7, 0-1) after losing 25 of their first 26 against the Sooners. The Aggies, who shot 54.3 percent from the field, have won four of their last five Big 12 openers. Texas A&M's only loss this season came by two points to Boston College on Nov. 25 in Orlando, Fla. The Aggies won the next day against Manhattan and haven't lost since, a run that includes wins over ranked foes Temple and Washington. Oklahoma had won five of its previous six games. Although undefeated at home before Saturday, the Sooners hadn't played anyone of note there and had only three players - Steven Pledger, Andrew Fitzgerald and Cade Davis - who'd ever seen significant action in a Big 12 game. Texas A&M made eight of its first 10 shots and never trailed. The Aggies sprinted to an 18-6 lead in the first eight minutes as Oklahoma hit only three of its first 10 shots. The Sooners pulled within 22-16 on Pledger's 3-pointer with 7:27 left in the first half but Texas A&M eventually pushed its lead to 13 points and was ahead 36-28 at halftime. Oklahoma was within six at 42-36 after a 4-point play by Davis with 15:52 left, but the Sooners managed only one basket during the next 7 1/2 minutes. The Aggies went on a 16-2 run to build their lead to 58-38 after two free throws by B.J. Holmes had 13 points and five assists for the Aggies. Davis scored 13 points for Oklahoma and had a team-high six rebounds.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "I thought that we were pretty good the first half and really good in the second half. I thought that our defense picked it up in the second half. We did a much better job on (Andrew) Fitzgerald and our team defense today. We really shared the ball. We ran and we shared the ball. We had 17 assists with 25 buckets. We worked hard this week and it showed. The guys played well and they deserve this. They really had a tough week. I was happy. It was Oklahoma's first conference game and they had a pretty good crowd out there. There is a lot of fight in them still. You look around the country and it is tough on the road, and for us to handle them like we did is a good sign. I said to the guys that it is a marathon and not a sprint and that we have to get ready for the next one. We are really inconsistent and I was a nervous wreck before the game because I didn't know what I was going to get. It depends on how much energy I have. If I can keep a foot up them all year, I think we have a chance to get a lot better. We are really a young team that is kind of immature. One day a player practices really hard and then the next day he won't give me everything. That is just a wasted day and that is what I am trying to correct. We have some young talent and some pretty good depth. I think that we can get a lot better. It depends on how hard we work."
Last Time at Reed: Texas A&M 65, Oklahoma 62
COLLEGE STATION (1/19/10)--Donald Sloan had 16 points including the go-ahead jumper with 32 seconds remaining and a pair of free throws seconds later to give Texas A&M a 65-62 win over Oklahoma before 11,109 at Reed Arena. The win ended a two-game losing streak for the Aggies (13-5, 2-2 Big 12). Texas A&M trailed by one before Sloan's driving jumper in the lane made it 63-62. The Sooners (11-7, 2-2) had a chance to take the lead, but Willie Warren's off-balance attempt fell short, and Bryan Davis grabbed the rebound. He was immediately fouled but missed the free throws, giving Oklahoma another chance. Tommy Mason-Griffin missed a shot, and Sloan was fouled on the rebound. He made two free throws with 3 seconds remaining. The Sooners got the ball one last time, but Sloan intercepted a pass from Tiny Gallon as time expired. Mason-Griffin led Oklahoma with 21 points.
GAME NOTES
Aggie Trends
A&M is shooting 49 percent (99-for-204) on the current 4-game win streak.
Texas A&M is 14-1 this season when leading (or tied) heading in to the locker room ... the Aggies have overcome halftime deficits 6 times.
The Aggies are a perfect 17-0 this year when having the lead with 5 minutes to play.
A&M is 20-2 this year (85-21 all-time under Turgeon) when it holds foes to under 50 percent shooting ... 19-1 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 19-1 when they shoot more free throws then their opponents.
Texas A&M has emerged victorious in 19 of 21 games where the Aggies win the rebounding battle ... the Aggies have won their last two games despite being out-rebounded (Iowa State and Oklahoma State).
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 20-2 this year.
The Aggies are 19-3 this year (81-14 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 is averaging 15.7 points off turnovers per game ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 57-11 (12-2 this year) when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.
Texas A&M is averaging 13.9 assists per game this year, on pace for its highest average since the 2006-07 season.
Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in the paint in four games this year ... under Turgeon, A&M is 89-26 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (19-3 this year).
The Aggies are averaging 14.0 second-chance points through 25 games (10.9 per game last year).
Four players are averaging at least 5 rebounds per game--Nathan Walkup (5.8), David Loubeau (5.1) and Khris Middleton (5.1) ... by comparison just one did so last season--Bryan Davis (8.1).
Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 13 of their last 16 games following a loss.
Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (121-43, .738) ... the Aggies are 164-61 (.729) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
20-Win Mark
With a 71-66 win over Iowa State on Feb. 16, Texas A&M secured its seventh consecutive 20-win season ... before this stretch, which started with the 2004-05 season, Aggie basketball had six 20-win seasons in its entire history ... A&M's other 20-win campaigns were in 1974-75, 1975-76, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82 and 1985-86.
Mark Turgeon recorded his fourth straight 20-win season at A&M ... Turgeon is the only coach in school history to record 4 straight 20-win campaigns ... he has led his teams to at least 20 wins in now 7 of the last 8 seasons ... only the legendary Shelby Metcalf (6) has more 20-win seasons to his name in Aggie history.
A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last seven seasons.
Turgeon Ranks No. 2 in Aggieland
Mark Turgeon (94 wins) passed Bob Rogers (92 in six seasons) as the second-winningest coach in school history with a Feb. 16 win over Iowa State ... the win was also the 20th of the season for the Aggies, making Turgeon the first ever coach 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. Mark Turgeon 94 3+ 2007-
3. Bob Rogers 92 6 1958-63
4. D.X. Bible 90 7 1921-29
5. Tony Barone 76 7 1991-98
Down to the Wire
Texas A&M is 7-2 this year in "last possession" games (3 or fewer points, or OT) ... the Aggies have a 1-point win over Washington (63-62), a 1-point win at Oklahoma State (67-66), a 2-point win over Missouri (91-89), and 3-point wins over Temple (54-51), Colorado (73-70) and Texas Tech (70-67) ... the Aggies took Arkansas to overtime before emerging victorious, 71-62 ... A&M's 2-point losses this year came to Boston College (65-67) and Baylor (74-76).
Overall, A&M is 8-2 this year in games decided by fewer than 5 points ... and 11-3 this year in games decided by fewer than 10 points.
Late-Season Surge
Over the last three Big 12 seasons (2009-11), Texas A&M is a combined 16-4 in the back half of the Big 12 schedule (final 8 games of each year) ... the Aggies closed league play 6-2 in 2009, 6-2 in 2010 and are currently 4-0 in 2011 with 4 games remaining.
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).
Protecting the Ball
Texas A&M has done a good job limiting turnovers in conference play ... the Aggies have committed just 138 turnovers (11.5 per game) in Big 12 play, fewest in the league ... A&M, which averaged 14 turnovers per game in non-conference play, has committed 334 on the entire season, the second fewest of any Big 12 team (Colorado, 329).
A&M is averaging 7.5 turnovers in the first half against Big 12 foes ... A&M averages just 4.0 turnovers the rest of the game (including overtime).
The Aggies have allowed Big 12 opponents 104 first-half points off turnovers, but just 45 the rest of the way.
TURNOVER TOTALS, BIG 12 GAMES
Category 1H Total 1H Avg. 2H Total* 2H Avg.*
Turnovers 90 7.5 48 4.0
Opponent Pts off TOs 104 8.7 45 3.8
* includes overtime periods
Road Warriors
Texas A&M is 8-3 away from Reed Arena this season ... in those games, the Aggies are holding opponents to 62.0 points and 42.1 percent shooting per game ... A&M has out-rebounded teams away from home this year by an average of 7 boards (35-28).
The Aggies have won 14 of their last 20 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).
Mark Turgeon has won more Big 12 road games (15) than any Aggie coach in the 15-year history of the league.
A&M's Big 12 wins this year have come in some very tough venues ... Oklahoma was unbeaten (8-0) at Lloyd Noble before the Aggies took a league-opening win in Norman ... both Colorado (12-1) and Oklahoma State (11-1) had experienced just one loss before Texas A&M earned victories on those trips.
BIG 12 ROAD WINS IN TOUGH PLACES
Opponent Home Record* Losses Final Score
Oklahoma (1/8) 8-0 -- 69-51
Colorado (2/8) 12-1 Kansas 73-70
Texas Tech (2/12) 10-5 TCU, N Mex, BU, TEX, KU 70-67
Oklahoma State (2/19) 11-1 Texas 67-66
* entering A&M game
The Aggies' road losses in Big 12 play this year have come at Texas (Jan. 19) and at Nebraska (Jan. 29) ... those two teams are a combined 31-2 at home this year (combined 11-1 in Big 12 play).
Emerging Big 12 Power
2011 is the seventh consecutive year that the Aggies have won at least 8 Big 12 games ... A&M had never won more than 6 Big 12 games prior to 2005.
Texas A&M won its fourth straight Big 12 game at Oklahoma State (Feb. 19) ... it is already the fifth time under Mark Turgeon that an Aggie team won at least 4 Big 12 games in a row ... before Turgeon arrived in Aggieland, a Big 12 win streak of at least 4 games had happened just three times in school history.
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 47 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.
Big 12 Bits
Texas A&M ranks second in Big 12 games in scoring defense (66.3 ppg), trailing only Texas ... the Aggies are second in league play in turnover margin (+1.2) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1).
For the entire season, the Aggies lead the league in rebound margin (+7.8) and rebounding defense (29.2/game) ... are third in offensive rebounds (13.1) and scoring defense (61.1 ppg) ... and fifth in 3-point field goal defense (32.2% by foes) and overall rebounding (37.0).
Senior BJ Holmes ranks third in the Big 12 over the whole season in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2).
Lofty Company
The 2010-11 Aggies (21-5) have the second-best record in school history through 26 games ...
BEST RECORD THRU 26 GAMES, A&M HISTORY
Season Record thru 26 games Final Record Postseason
1. 2006-07 22-4 27-7 NCAA Sweet 16
2. 2010-11 21-5 ?? ??
1975-76 21-5 21-6 --
Locking it Down
The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings en route to a 21-5 record ... 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
Texas Tech 3:33 left down 2 (65-63) 1 FG, 0 FT W, 70-67 layup came with :10 left & 3-pt lead
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 28.8 percent shooting (40-of-139) from the field and 24.6 percent (14-of-57) from 3-point range.
Battling Back
Texas A&M has erased four double-digit deficits en route to victories this season ... the Aggies have also washed out two more 10-plus deficits in games which they lost by two points.
BIG COMEBACKS (10+ POINT DEFICITS)
Opponent Largest Deficit Score / Time Final
Texas Tech (2/12) 10 8-18 / 12:30, 1st W, 70-67
Missouri (1/15) 12 7-19 / 13:00, 1st W, 91-89 (OT)
McNeese State (12/31) 10 18-28 / 7:51, 1st W, 66-57
Arkansas (12/18) 10 35-45 / 17:26, 2nd W, 71-62 (OT)
Baylor (2/5) 14 25-39 / 6:12, 1st L, 74-76 (OT)
Boston College (11/25) 11 38-49 / 13:50, 2nd L, 65-67
A&M trailed Colorado 58-52 last 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 on Feb. 5, 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.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
A&M is 13-2 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting 40.8 percent inside Reed and averaging 60.4 points per game.
Only 3 teams have shot better than 45 percent on A&M's home floor--Missouri (52.2), Baylor (51.8) and Texas (50.0).
Only 2 teams have scored more than 70 points on A&M's home floor, with both games going to overtime--Missouri (89) and Baylor (76).
Home, Sweet Home
A&M has won 31 of its last 34 home games, including 14 of its last 17 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 44-5 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with a 17-5 mark in conference games ... those 4 losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5), Baylor and Kansas State.
The Aggies are 78-8 (.907) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 110-14 (.887) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
A&M has won 26 of its last 27 home games against unranked opponents (10 of last 11 in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 49-4 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 14-4 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 152-56 (.731) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 111-15 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.
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Feb. 21), A&M ranked 9th nationally in rebounding margin (+7.8) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded 21 of 25 opponents this season ... A&M is 83-13 under Turgeon (19-2 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
A&M also ranked 24th in the country in scoring defense (61.1 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (55.6).
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 (8) 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 7 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 94-36 (.723) entering Wednesday's game against Oklahoma, 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).
A total of 9 players have combined for 80 double-figure outings (Middleton 22, Holmes 15, Walkup 14, Loubeau 13, Hibbert 6, Roberson 6, Harris 2, Turner 1, Lewis 1) through 26 games.
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.
Up Next
Texas A&M has one home game remaining, March 5 vs Texas Tech ... the Aggies will wrap up road play in the league with back-to-back games at Baylor (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPNU) and Kansas (March 2).
LAST TIME OUT: (#17) Texas A&M 67, Oklahoma State 66
STILLWATER, Okla. (Feb. 19)--David Loubeau scored 22 points, B.J. Holmes hit two key free throws in the final seconds and No. 17 Texas A&M continued its recent dominance against Oklahoma State with a 67-66 victory on Saturday night. Texas A&M (21-5, 8-4 Big 12) maintained its hold on third place in the conference standings and extended its winning streak to four games. The Aggies have won three straight against Oklahoma State (16-10, 4-8) and four of the last five in the series. Reger Dowell scored a career-high 22 points for Oklahoma State and put the Cowboys up 66-65 with two free throws with 17 seconds left. But he fouled Holmes in the backcourt with 15.9 seconds left and Holmes hit both free throws. The Aggies knocked the ball out of bounds with 2.7 seconds left and Oklahoma State's Matt Pilgrim missed a deep shot from the corner as time expired. Oklahoma State suffered only its fifth home loss in 45 games during coach Travis Ford's three seasons. Two of those losses have come this season, to the Aggies and to Texas. Texas A&M beat the Cowboys by 23 on Jan. 13 but it wasn't so easy for the Aggies in the rematch. Neither team led by more than eight points and the game included 13 lead changes and 14 ties. The Aggies' leading scorer, Khris Middleton, didn't score until 6:35 remained but finished with 12 points, helping keep Oklahoma State at bay in the final minutes. Oklahoma State played the second half without leading scorer and rebounder Marshall Moses, who a team spokesman said was sick. The teams combined for 48 fouls - 26 on Oklahoma State, 22 on Texas A&M. The Aggies finished 27 of 35 from the free-throw line, while Oklahoma State was 23 of 29. Keiton Page added 12 points for the Cowboys while Jean-Paul Olukemi had 11. Pilgrim finished with 9 points and 11 rebounds as Oklahoma State outrebounded Texas A&M 30-22. Texas A&M entered the game eighth in the nation in rebounding margin.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "First of all, I thought that Oklahoma State played with their backs against the wall and played hard. Their defense was tremendous. I thought their crowd was phenomenal tonight from the opening tip to the very end. I thought they were in to it and they made it look difficult on us and they inspired their team. I don't want to say it was pretty, because it was ugly at times to watch it, but it was a heck of a college basketball game. There were a lot of lead changes, and we just got fortunate. We got B.J. Holmes to the line there and he was able to knock them down. We haven't been shooting free throws well, but we shot them well down the line in the second half. We just got that one last stop and got it done. It looked like Matt Pilgrim was going to have a dunk and Dash Harris just stripped him. It is a great win for us because we knew OSU had their backs against the wall and they played like it. I think what really helped terrius tonight is that we have been in so many close games and we are used to it. It showed down the stretch for us."
Postgame Notes: Oklahoma State
Over the last three Big 12 seasons (2009-11), Texas A&M is a combined 16-4 in the back half of the Big 12 schedule (final 8 games of each year) ... the Aggies closed league play 6-2 in 2009, 6-2 in 2010 and are currently 4-0 in 2011 with 4 games remaining.
Texas A&M won its fourth straight Big 12 game Saturday night ... it is already the fifth time under Mark Turgeon that an Aggie team won at least 4 Big 12 games in a row ... before Turgeon arrived in Aggieland, Big 12 win streak of at least 4 games had happened just three times in school history.
A&M's win was its eighth in Big 12 play this season, marking the seventh consecutive year that the Aggies have won at least 8 Big 12 games ... A&M had never won more than 6 Big 12 games prior to 2005.
The victory was Texas A&M's third in a row against Oklahoma State ... the Aggies swept the regular-season series with the Cowboys for just the second time in school history (1917-18, 1922-23, 2006-07) ... it's also just the third time ever that the Aggies have won 3 in a row against OSU ... Oklahoma State leads the series, 30-16.
Texas A&M has won 3 of the last 5 meetings between the schools at Gallagher-Iba Arena ... the three victories are the only ones the Aggies have grabbed in the arena's history (OSU leads, 13-3).
David Loubeau scored a career-high 22 points on Saturday ... it was the second 20-point game of his career ... Loubeau's previous best was 20 against Alcorn State in the 2009-10 season opener.
Khris Middleton scored 12 points, all in the second half ... he scored 10 of the Aggies' final 14 points of the game ... Middleton hit double figures for the 22nd time this season and for the 26th time in the last 31 games.
Naji Hibbert matched a career high with 4 assists.
TEAM NOTES
Looking for Six
A&M has made five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to this streak, A&M had never played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments and had not been to the NCAAs since 1987. Five of A&M's 11 NCAA appearances, and 6 of its 9 NCAA wins, have come since 2006.
A&M is one of just 12 schools that have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
A&M and Pittsburgh are the only schools in the country to win an NCAA tournament game in each of the last five years.
A&M is one of just three schools to have won a postseason game in each of the last six years (5 NCAAs/1 NIT, joining North Carolina (5 NCAAs/1 NIT) and Memphis (4 NCAAs/2 NITs).
Texas A&M went 24-10 last season, tying for second in the Big 12 with an 11-5 mark. A&M earned the No. 5 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament, falling in overtime to No. 4-seed Purdue, 63-61, in the second round in Spokane, Washington. 
