March 5, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
No. 22 Texas A&M closes out the regular season this afternoon when the Aggies (22-7, 9-6) host Texas Tech (13-17, 5-10) at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 12:47 p.m. and the game will air regionally on the Big 12 Network.
A&M will say goodbye to five seniors in their final game in Aggieland--Marshall Carrell, Andrew Darko, BJ Holmes, Derrek Lewis and Nathan Walkup.
Saturday is 12th Man Day at Reed Arena, with all Aggie students admitted free for the game. Students with a valid ID can pull their ticket at Kyle Field or Reed Arena through Friday afternoon to guarantee entry, or they can show up on game day. Guest tickets are available for only $5.
A small number of reserved seats remain for the game. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at the Kyle Field or Reed Arena box offices, over the phone at 845-2311 or 888-99-AGGIE, or online at aggieathletics.com.
In addition, fans can also purchase $5 tickets in the Old Army Spirit Section while supplies last. Visit oldarmyspirit.com for details.
A special halftime trophy presentation will be made to Von Miller, the senior Aggie All-American linebacker and 2010 Butkus Award winner. He will be presented the 2010 Elite Defensive Performer Trophy by the College Football Performance Awards.
(#22/24) Texas A&M AGGIES (22-7, 9-6)
vs Texas Tech RED RAIDERS (13-17, 5-10)
Saturday, March 5, 2011 • 12:47 PM (CT) • TV: Big 12 Network
Reed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas
TELEVISION: Big 12 Network
Dave Armstrong, Play-by-Play
Dan Hughes, Commentary
Bryan-College Station: KBTX-DT2 (CW Texas)
ESPN Full Court: DirecTV 724/Dish 462
Station Clearance List
National
ESPN Full Court DirecTV 724 Dish 462
Arkansas
Ft Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers KFTA FOX
Little Rock-Pine Bluff KARZ MNT
Louisiana
New Orleans (TD-airs Sun 6PM) COX-NO COX
Missouri
Binghamton WBPN MNT
Columbia-Jefferson City KZOU MNT
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City KOCB CW
Tulsa KJRH NBC
Texas
Abilene-Sweetwater KIDZ-LP MNT
Austin KNVA CW
Beaumont-Port Arthur KBMT ABC
Bryan/College Station KBTX-DT2 CW
Corpus Christi KXPX-CA IND
Dallas-Ft. Worth KTXA IND
Houston KTBU IND
Lubbock KJTV FOX
Odessa-Midland KOSA-DT2 MNT
San Angelo KIDY FOX
San Antonio/Austin KCWX CW
Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches KFXK FOX
Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches KFXL-LP FOX
Waco-Temple KWTX-DT2 CW
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 91/XM 231
Series: Tech leads, 64-59
Current Win Streak: A&M, 3 games
In Lubbock: Tech leads, 36-18
United Spirit Arena: tied, 6-6
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: 6-2
Pat Knight vs. A&M: 1-6
Last Meeting: A&M, 70-67 (Feb. 12 in Lubbock)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 22-7, 9-6 Big 12
Ranking: 22nd (USAT/ESPN), 24th (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 29 / 34
Streak: Lost 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-2 / 5-5
At Home: 14-2
Last Game: lost to (#2) Kansas (A), 64-51 (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
Record: 248-157 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 95-38 (4th year)
vs. Tech: 6-2
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 4.3 2.6 3.2 29 / 27.8
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.3 4.9 0.4 29 / 25.9
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.6 2.8 3.1 29 / 30.0
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 14.4 5.2 2.9 29 / 29.5
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 9.5 5.7 1.3 29 / 24.0
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Record: 13-17, 5-10 Big 12
Ranking: NR
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 158 / 133
Streak: Lost 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 2-3 / 4-6
Away from Home: 2-10
Last Game: def. Oklahoma (H), 84-58 (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Pat Knight (Indiana '95)
Record: 50-59 (4th year)
at Texas Tech: 50-59 (4th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 1-6
Texas Tech Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
1 Brad Reese F 6-6 195 Sr. 11.9 4.6 1.0b 30 / 29.0
5 D'walyn Roberts F 6-7 200 Sr. 6.1 5.3 1.0b 24 / 24.1
15 Robert Lewandowski F 6-10 256 Jr. 8.8 5.0 0.9b 29 / 24.2
21 John Roberson G 5-11 168 Sr. 13.8 2.0 4.4 28 / 35.1
32 Mike Singletary F 6-6 235 Sr. 12.8 5.8 2.4 29 / 29.7
About Texas Tech (13-17, 5-10)
Texas Tech is 13-17 on the year and is in 10th place in the Big 12 at 5-10 ... the Red Raiders have split their last 4 Big 12 games, winning at Baylor (78-69) and most recently over Oklahoma (84-58) in Lubbock ... Tech's losses in that span came to Colorado and at Oklahoma State by a combined 5 points ... TTU is 2-10 away from home this year.
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 50-59.
Series Notes
Texas Tech leads the series, 63-59, that dates back to 1942 ... the Aggies, however, have won 3 straight and 9 of the last 13 ... Tech's last victory in the series came in the 2009 Big 12 Tournament, 88-83, in Kansas City.
The Aggies hold a 35-21 edge in College Station and an 8-4 advantage at Reed Arena ... A&M has won the last 3 at Reed.
A&M has claimed the last 6 regular-season meetings between the schools, including a 3-point win earlier this month in Lubbock ... the Aggies got 16 points from Khris Middleton and erased a second-half deficit en route to a 70-67 victory.
A&M/TECH RECAPS
Earlier This Year: (#22) Texas A&M 70, Texas Tech 67
LUBBOCK (Feb. 12)--Mark Turgeon knew his team was tired after playing three games in 10 days, so he was grateful for the fortitude shown by No. 22 Texas A&M as it gutted out a 70-67 win over Texas Tech on Saturday. B.J. Holmes hit two free throws to give the Aggies a 70-67 lead and 3-point tries by Brad Reese and John Roberson missed their mark. The Aggies outrebounded Texas Tech 34-27 and got nearly half their points inside. Holmes added 14 points for A&M (19-5, 6-4). Reese scored 18 points to lead Texas Tech (11-14, 3-7). Texas A&M had lost four of its last five games before pulling out a win in overtime at Colorado on Wednesday. The Aggies scored seven straight points to start the second half, going up 46-37. Texas Tech came back with 9-2 run, including four points by Reese, a basket by Jaye Crockett and a 3-pointer by David Tairu to pull within 48-46. The Red Raiders regained the lead, which they relinquished late in the first half, on a layup and a free throw by Roberts to go up 50-48. Middleton tied it at 54 on a layup and put them ahead on a jumper on their next possession to give the Aggies a 56-54 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. Texas Tech pulled ahead 65-63 with 3:33 remaining when Roberson hit a 3, but a few minutes later he had the ball stolen by Dash Harris who got the basket to make it 67-65 and put the Aggies up for good. Mike Singletary, the Red Raiders' leading scorer, played just 4 minutes because of a calf problem that Knight said he didn't know about before the game. The Aggies led 39-37 at halftime.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "I was really proud of our guys today. I thought we had a really tough week, we lost three straight and then come and play on Saturday and I was concerned about our energy level. We were going to need a great bench today and we did. Tech played great made a lot of tough shots, played with great toughness, and neither team could make a free-throw down the stretch. I thought D'walyn Roberts was great rebounding, and Crockett really helped them. We just went to David (Loubeau) and he tied the game for us. If we could've made some free throws, it would've really helped us out, and it wouldn't have been so close. However, we didn't. We've been in the same position the last two weeks with nine seconds to go and up by three. But it showed great toughness by our guys because we got off to a weak start and willed ourselves back in it. Texas Tech has been playing hard. You have to throw the Texas games out the window because Texas is so good right now, and Kansas came in and got them, but they are 3-3 on the rest of us, and every film I've watch they've played better and played harder. You can see the effort in the seniors. I knew this was going to be a tough game. I knew we were going to have to play well to beat them and we did. There is a lot of fight in that Tech team and when you play Texas twice and Kansas early that's hard. It hurts your confidence when you play good teams like that."
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
Big 12 Scenarios
Texas A&M has locked up a first-round bye in next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City (March 9-12) ... the Aggies' first game will be on Thursday at a time to be determined ... A&M has now received a first-round bye in 4 of the last 6 years.
WITH A WIN OVER TECH: Texas A&M would clinch the No. 3 seed, the second-highest seed at the event in program history (No. 2 seed in 2007) ... the Aggies would play on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2 against the No. 6/No. 11 winner.
WITH A LOSS TO TECH AND A K-STATE LOSS TO IOWA STATE: Texas A&M would be the No. 3 seed.
WITH A LOSS TO TECH AND A K-STATE WIN OVER IOWA STATE: Texas A&M would be the No. 4 seed and play at 2 p.m. Thursday on the Big 12 Network against the No. 5/No. 12 winner.
Saluting the Seniors
The Texas A&M basketball program will honor five seniors--Marshall Carrell, Andrew Darko, BJ Holmes, Derrek Lewis and Nathan Walkup--prior to the game.
The Aggie hoops Class of '11 has a four-year record of 95-38 entering Saturday's game ... it has matched the Class of 2008 (95 victories) as the third winningest in school history (100 by 2010, 98 by 2009).
This year's class is the only one in school history to record three consecutive winning seasons in Big 12 play.
With the expected NCAA Tournament bid, the class would become just the third in school history to advance to four straight NCAA Tournaments.
It is only the fourth class in school history to record four straight 20-win seasons.
The Class of '11 finished its career a perfect 39-0 in non-conference home games, including wins over LSU, Arizona and Washington.
The class takes a 61-9 (.871) record at Reed Arena into Saturday's finale against Tech ... the seniors have played in front of the six largest crowds in school history.
This year's seniors led the team to a 13-game win streak, the longest in 91 years and the third-longest in program history.
Aggie Trends
Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 13 of their last 17 games following a loss.
Texas A&M is 14-1 this season when leading (or tied) heading in to the locker room ... the Aggies have overcome halftime deficits 7 times.
The Aggies are a perfect 18-0 this year when having the lead with 5 minutes to play.
A&M is 21-4 this year (86-23 all-time under Turgeon) when it holds foes to under 50 percent shooting ... 20-2 (78-14 under Turgeon) when the Aggies hold opponents to under 45 percent from the floor ... and 12-0 (52-4 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 20 of 24 games this year 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 21-3 this year.
The Aggies are 20-5 this year (82-16 all-time under Turgeon) when holding foes to under 70 points.
Four of A&M's 7 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 15.1 points off turnovers per game ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 57-12 (12-3 this year) when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.
Texas A&M is averaging 13.5 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 90-27 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (20-4 this year).
The Aggies are averaging 13.3 second-chance points through 25 games (10.9 per game last year).
Three players are averaging at least 4.9 rebounds per game--Nathan Walkup (5.7), Khris Middleton (5.2) and David Loubeau (4.9) ... by comparison just one did so last season--Bryan Davis (8.1).
Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (122-44, .735) ... the Aggies are 165-62 (.727) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
A&M shot 48.4 percent (122-for-252) on its 5-game win streak (Feb. 9-23).
Late-Season Surge
Over the last three Big 12 seasons (2009-11), Texas A&M is a combined 17-6 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 5-2 in 2011 with 1 game remaining.
Emerging Big 12 Power
Texas A&M opened the 2009 Big 12 campaign with a 3-7 record ... from that point on (starting with an 81-66 win over Texas on Feb. 16 of that year), the Aggies have posted a 26-11 Big 12 record (6-0 to close 2009, 11-5 in 2010 and 9-6 in 2011) ... it's the second-best record over that span among conference teams, trailing only Kansas (33-4).
Texas A&M recorded its 9th Big 12 victory against Oklahoma (Feb. 23), assuring the Aggies of a winning league season ... it is A&M's third consecutive winning season in Big 12 play ... Mark Turgeon is the first coach in program history to guide the Aggies to three consecutive winning campaigns in Big 12 action ... A&M finished 9-7 in 2009 and 11-5 last year.
A&M's 9 Big 12 wins are the fourth highest total in school history (13 in 2007, 11 in 2010, 10 in 2006).
Texas A&M won its fifth straight Big 12 game with a victory over Oklahoma (Feb. 23), matching the third-longest Big 12 win streak in school history ... 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.
LONGEST BIG 12 WINNING STREAKS, A&M HISTORY
Year Wins
1. 2006 7
2. 2009 6
3. 2011 5
2008 5
2007 5
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.
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 48 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.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
A&M is 14-2 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting 40.4 percent inside Reed and averaging 59.6 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 at Reed, with both games going to OT--Missouri (89) and Baylor (76).
Home, Sweet Home
A&M has won 32 of its last 35 home games, including 15 of its last 18 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 45-5 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with an 18-5 mark in conference games ... those 4 losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5), Baylor and Kansas State.
The Aggies are 79-8 (.908) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 111-14 (.888) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
A&M has won 27 of its last 28 home games against unranked opponents (11 of last 12 in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 50-4 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 15-4 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 153-56 (.732) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 112-15 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.
Racking Up the Ws
Texas A&M has reached the 22-win mark for just the eighth time in the program's 99-year history ... the Aggies' 22 victories rank seventh all-time, and is five shy of the record (27), set in the 2006-07 Sweet 16 season.
MOST SINGLE-SEASON WINS, A&M HISTORY
Year Wins
1. 2006-07 27
2. 1979-80 26
3. 2007-08 25
4. 1978-79 24
2008-09 24
2009-10 24
7. 2010-11 22
2005-06 22
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.
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 11-4 this year in games decided by fewer than 10 points.
Protecting the Ball
Texas A&M has done a good job limiting turnovers in conference play ... the Aggies have committed 179 turnovers (11.9 per game) in Big 12 play, second fewest in the league (Texas, 176) ... A&M, which averaged 14 turnovers per game in non-conference play, has committed 375 on the entire season, the third fewest of any Big 12 team (Colorado 357, Texas 363).
A&M is averaging 7.1 turnovers in the first half against Big 12 foes ... A&M averages just 4.8 turnovers the rest of the game (including overtime).
The Aggies have allowed Big 12 opponents 110 first-half points off turnovers, but just 77 the rest of the way.
TURNOVER TOTALS, BIG 12 GAMES
Category 1H Total 1H Avg. 2H Total* 2H Avg.*
Turnovers 107 7.1 72 4.8
Opponent Pts off TOs 110 7.3 77 5.1
* includes overtime periods
Road Warriors
Texas A&M is 8-5 away from Reed Arena this season ... in those games, the Aggies are holding opponents to 61.8 points and 42.3 percent shooting per game ... A&M has out-rebounded teams away from home this year by an average of 6.0 boards (34.5-28.5).
The Aggies have won 14 of their last 22 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of last season ... three of those eight 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), at Nebraska (57-48), at Baylor (58-51) and most recently at No. 2 Kansas (64-51).
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 WARRIORS
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), Nebraska (Jan. 29), Baylor (Feb. 26) and Kansas (March 2) ... those teams are a combined 65-7 at home this year (combined 25-6 in Big 12 play).
A&M's Big 12 road record (4-4) trails only Kansas (6-1) and Texas (5-2) ... the Aggies, Horns and Jayhawks are a combined 15-7 away from home in league play, while the other nine teams are a combined 12-56.
Turgeon Ranks No. 2 in Aggieland
Mark Turgeon (95 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 95 3+ 2007-
3. Bob Rogers 92 6 1958-63
4. D.X. Bible 90 7 1921-29
5. Tony Barone 76 7 1991-98
Big 12 Bits
Texas A&M ranks second in scoring defense for both the entire season (60.6 ppg) and Big 12 play (64.3) ... the Aggies are fourth in league play in turnover margin (+0.6).
For the entire season, the Aggies lead the league in rebounding defense (29.4/game) ... are second in scoring defense (60.6) ... third in offensive rebounds (12.8) and 3-point FG defense (32.3% by foes) ... and fourth in scoring margin (+8.2).
Senior BJ Holmes ranks fourth in the Big 12 over the whole season in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9).
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).
Locking it Down
The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings en route to a 22-7 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 29.1 percent shooting (44-of-151) from the field and 23.3 percent (14-of-60) 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
On Feb. 9, A&M trailed Colorado 58-52 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.
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Feb. 28), A&M ranked 13th nationally in rebounding margin (+7.2) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded 21 of 26 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 15th in the country in scoring defense (60.5 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (56.0).
Success Against Ranked Teams
The Aggies are 4-3 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 and Kansas.
Texas A&M has the second most ranked wins (4) in the Big 12, behind Texas (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 6 more wins to become the winningest class in school history ... the Class of 2011 matched the Class of '08 (95-37, .720) with victory No. 95 against Oklahoma (Feb. 23) ... it is just the fourth class in school history to total at least 90 victories ... the Class of 2011 is 95-38 (.714) entering Saturday's game against Texas Tech, trailing only the 2010 (100-38, .725), and 2009 (98-37, .726) 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 (9.6) and Nathan Walkup (9.5).
A total of 9 players have combined for 86 double-figure outings (Middleton 24, Holmes 16, Walkup 15, Loubeau 15, Hibbert 6, Roberson 6, Harris 2, Turner 1, Lewis 1) through 29 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.
Up Next
Texas A&M has locked up a first-round bye in next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City (March 9-12) ... the Aggies' first game will be on Thursday at a time to be determined.
LAST TIME OUT: (#2) Kansas 64, (#22) Texas A&M 51
LAWRENCE, Kan. (March 2)--Marcus and Markieff Morris both scored 13 points to lead No. 2 Kansas to a 64-51 victory over No. 22 Texas A&M and at least a share of the Big 12 title Wednesday night. Tyrell Reed had 12 points and Brady Morningstar added nine and both played significant roles as the Jayhawks (28-2, 13-2) pulled away in the second half. B.J. Holmes canned a free throw and drilled a 3-pointer. But Elijah Johnson's basket gave the Jayhawks a 45-41 lead and got them rolling on a take-charge 13-2 run en route to their 17th win in 18 games against Texas A&M. Holmes had 10 points for the Aggies and Khris Middleton added nine. The Jayhawks, who entered the game leading the nation with a 52.3 shooting percentage, missed 14 of their first 18 shots and had to heat up in the final 5 minutes to take a 29-24 halftime lead. They shot 45 percent for the game.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "I thought we were pretty good for about 30 minutes, especially defensively, and then our turnovers did us in. We had too many turnovers that turned into bad transition baskets. They had about four open looks in the second half and they made every one of them. A lot of teams aren't capable of doing that, and they drained them. We didn't play smart in a couple stretches, and a team like Kansas will make you pay. We just didn't take care of the ball and that was the defense. There is no really easy way to guard KU. We just tried to change it up. I thought our post guys did a really good job not letting them in for layups. Then they missed some shots that they normally make. Sometimes you want Senior Night to go so well that they don't play as well as they're capable of playing. I thought we were very physical and the refs really let us play, which helped us. I think to get where we want to be, we eventually need to beat a team like Kansas. We haven't been able to do it. We can't play for 30 minutes and expect to beat a good team. You have to stay focused for 40. Hopefully we can learn from it and get better. I was proud of our guys."
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. 
