March 8, 2011
Postseason Notes (PDF)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - No. 21 Texas A&M is the third seed for this week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and will open action in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening against the Missouri/Texas Tech winner. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Aggies (23-7, 10-6) enter the week with the second-highest seed in school history after a third-place league finish. A&M won 6 of its final 8 regular-season games, most recently a 66-54 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday at Reed Arena.
Complete coverage of the championship can be found on big12sports.com.
GAMES 31-33: (#21) Texas A&M AGGIES (23-7)
at PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 9 - Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sprint Center (18,758) • Kansas City, Missouri
TELEVISION: ESPN/ESPN2 Crew
Brent Musburger, Play-by-Play
Bob Knight, Commentary
Holly Rowe, Reporter
TELEVISION: Big 12 Network Crew
Dave Armstrong, Play-by-Play
Reid Gettys, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship
First Round: Wednesday, March 9
No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 11:30 a.m. (Big 12 Network)
No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Iowa State, 2 p.m. (Big 12 Network)
No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 10 Oklahoma, 6 p.m. (Big 12 Network)
No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Texas Tech, 8:30 p.m. (Big 12 Network)
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 10
No. 1 Kansas vs. NU/OSU winner, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
No. 4 Kansas State vs. CU/ISU winner, 2 p.m. (Big 12 Network)
No. 2 Texas vs. BU/OU winner, 6 p.m. (Big 12 Network)
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. MU/TTU winner, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Semifinals: Friday, March 11
Thursday Afternoon Winners (6 p.m., Big 12 Network)
Thursday Evening Winners (8:30 p.m., Big 12 Network)
Championship: Saturday, March 12
Semifinal Winners (5 p.m., ESPN)
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 23-7, 10-6 Big 12 (T-3rd)
Ranking: 21st (USAT/ESPN), RV (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 30 / 34
Streak: Won 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-2 / 6-4
Last Game: def. Texas Tech (H), 66-54 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
Record: 249-157 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 96-38 (4th year)
at Big 12 Championship: 3-3
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 4.4 2.6 3.2 30 / 27.8
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.6 4.9 0.4 30 / 26.0
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.4 2.9 3.1 30 / 29.9
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 14.4 5.2 2.9 30 / 29.6
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 9.4 5.7 1.3 30 / 24.2
TRAVEL PLANS
The Aggies will arrive in Kansas City on Wednesday and will be headquartered at the Marriott Country Club Plaza (816-531-3000).
INTERVIEWS
A&M will not have any formal pre-tournament interviews in Kansas City. Contact Matt Simon (matts@athletics.tamu.edu) with any interview requests. Audio and quotes from the Aggies' Monday press conference in College Station are available on aggieathletics.com.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Big 12 Championship Bites
No. 3-seed Texas A&M has a bye in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Kansas City's Sprint Center ... the Aggies open play on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2) against the winner of Wednesday's Missouri (#6)-Texas Tech (#11) first-round game.
The winner of Thursday's game advances to Friday's second semifinal (8:30 p.m./Big 12 Network) ... the championship game is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. (ESPN).
A&M's No. 3 seed is the second-highest in the event's history for the Aggies (No. 2 seed, 2007).
2011 marks the fourth time in the last six years that the Aggies have received a first-round bye ... A&M was a No. 4 seed in 2006 and 2010, and a No. 2 seed in 2007.
After being the lower-seeded team in 7 of its first 8 Big 12 Championship appearances, A&M has been the higher-seeded team for its opening tournament game for 7 straight years--in 2005 as the No. 7 seed (against No. 10 Kansas State), in 2006 as the No. 4 seed (against No. 5 Colorado), in 2007 as the No. 2 seed (against No. 7 Oklahoma State), in 2008 as the No. 6 seed (against No. 11 Iowa State), in 2009 as the No. 6 seed (against No. 11 Texas Tech), last year as the No. 4 seed (against No. 12 Nebraska) and this year as the No. 3 seed against the 6-11 winner.
Texas A&M is 3-3 as the higher-seeded team in the Big 12 Championship.
The Aggies are 4-14 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, but are 4-5 in the last 5 years.
A&M is 3-2 all-time in the event at Sprint Center, with both losses coming to eventual champion Kansas ... the first time the event was held in the building (2008), Mark Turgeon first season, the Aggies doubled their all-time victory total by beating Iowa State (60-47) and Kansas State (63-60) before falling in the semifinals to eventual national champion Kansas (77-71).
The Aggies were the No. 4 seed last year, and advanced to the semifinals with a 70-64 win over No. 12-seed Nebraska ... A&M then faced top-seeded Kansas, and the Aggies led by as many as nine in the second half ... A&M had a 1-point lead with 8:54 to play before a 16-0 KU run put the Jayhawks ahead for good in a 79-66 victory ... senior G Donald Sloan (23.5 ppg) was named to the All-Tournament team.
A&M has an all-time record of 20-33 in conference postseason tournaments.
In 18 previous Big 12 Championship games, the Aggies are 4-8 against the North Division and 0-6 against the South Division.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-TIME RESULTS (4-14)
Year Site Round Result
1997 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#6) Oklahoma 67 (#11) Texas A&M 58
1998 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#5) Baylor 66 (#12) Texas A&M 63
1999 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#7) Kansas State 87 (#10) Texas A&M 76
2000 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#7) Colorado 79 (#10) Texas A&M 53
2001 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#6) Missouri 77 (#11) Texas A&M 62
2002 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#5) Texas Tech 80 (#12) Texas A&M 71
2003 (American Airlines Center, Dallas) First Round: (#9) Iowa State 97 (#8) Texas A&M 70
2004 (American Airlines Center, Dallas) First Round: (#6) Missouri 74 (#11) Texas A&M 68
2005 (Kemper Arena, Kansas City) First Round: (#10) Kansas State 68 (#7) Texas A&M 62
2006 (American Airlines Center, Dallas) Quarterfinals: (#4) Texas A&M 86 (#5) Colorado 53
Semifinals: (#1) Texas 74 (#4) Texas A&M 70
2007 (Ford Center, Oklahoma City) Quarterfinals: (#7) Oklahoma State 58 (#2) Texas A&M 56
2008 (Sprint Center, Kansas City) First Round: (#6) Texas A&M 60 (#11) Iowa State 47
Quarterfinals: (#6) Texas A&M 63 (#3) Kansas State 60
Semifinals: (#2) Kansas 77 (#6) Texas A&M 71
2009 (Ford Center, Oklahoma City) First Round: (#11) Texas Tech 88 (#6) Texas A&M 83
2010 (Sprint Center, Kansas City) Quarterfinals: (#4) Texas A&M 70 (#12) Nebraska 64
Semifinals: (#1) Kansas 79 (#4) Texas A&M 66
Sidebars
A Kansas native, Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon is a former Jayhawk player and assistant coach.
After leading Hayden HS in Topeka to consecutive Kansas state titles in 1982 and 1983, Turgeon became the first Jayhawk ever to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments ... Kansas advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1986 with current KU Head Coach Bill Self serving as an assistant coach.
After graduating in 1987, Turgeon was an assistant coach at KU under Larry Brown, helping the Jayhawks win the 1988 NCAA title ... he went on to serve four more years as an assistant under Roy Williams.
Turgeon still ranks 11th in KU history in career assists with 437 ... he and KU assistant coach Danny Manning were teammates for three years.
Missouri Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins served as head coach at Texas A&M for six seasons from 1998-04.
A&M assistant coach Bill Walker is a native of Warrensburg, Mo., where he earned first-team all-state honors as a high school senior ... he played collegiately at State Fair CC in Sedalia, Mo., and at Missouri-Rolla.
Walker served as an assistant coach at Missouri-St. Louis (1989-96) and Central Missouri State (1996-99).
Missouri G Kim English and A&M G Naji Hibbert both hail from Baltimore, Maryland ... Hibbert was a high school teammate of Kansas' Josh Selby for several seasons at DeMatha Catholic.
A&M coach Mark Turgeon and Colorado head coach Tad Boyle are very close friends and go a long way back ... Turgeon (c/o '87) and Boyle (c/o '85) played basketball together at Kansas ... the two then coached together for 11 seasons, first as assistants for three seasons under Jerry Green at Oregon (1994-97) ... one year later, Boyle was part of Turgeon's first staff as a head coach, at Jacksonville State (1998-00) ... Turgeon then brought Boyle with him to Wichita State, where the two were together for six years (2000-06) before Boyle got his first head job at Northern Colorado.
Colorado assistant coach Mike Rohn was the director of basketball operations for Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M for the previous three seasons (2007-10) ... Rohn also spent the seven seasons prior to Aggieland on Turgeon's staff at Wichita State (2000-07).
Colorado assistant coach Jean Prioleau spent five seasons on Mark Turgeon staff at Wichita State (2000-05).
A&M's BJ Holmes and Oklahoma's Cade Davis became friends several summers ago when the two took part in a mission trip to New Zealand together.
A&M sophomore G Naji Hibbert and OU sophomore F Andrew Fitzgerald were AAU teammates on Team Melo in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
SERIES SNAPSHOTS (A&M vs BIG 12)
BAYLOR
Overall (streak): 127-76 (L3)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-1
All Neutral: 3-2
2010-11 Season: 0-2
Mark Turgeon: 3-5
Baylor is the second most-played rivalry in A&M history (203) ... the Aggies lead the all-time series with Baylor, 127-76.
Even with the Bears sweeping this season's games, the Aggies have taken 10 of the last 15 meetings between the schools.
The teams have only met once at the Big 12 Championship, in 1998 (a 66-63 Baylor victory).
COLORADO
Overall (streak): 9-9 (W8)
At Big 12 Tournament: 1-1
All Neutral: 1-2
2010-11 Season: 1-0
Mark Turgeon: 4-0
The series is tied, 9-9 ... Texas A&M has won 8 straight ... Colorado's last victory in the series came in 2004 at Reed Arena (76-70).
The Aggies won their final 4 games at Coors Events Center, including a thrilling 73-70 overtime victory on Feb. 9 ... CU's last win on its home court came in 2003.
Each team has won one matchup at the Big 12 Championship ... the Buffs defeated A&M 79-53 in 2000 ... the Aggies got their first-ever Big 12 tourney win in 2006, coming in an 86-53 defeat of CU in Dallas.
IOWA STATE
Overall (streak): 10-7 (W8)
At Big 12 Tournament: 1-1
All Neutral: 1-1
2010-11 Season: 1-0
Mark Turgeon: 5-0
Texas A&M leads the all-time series, 10-7, and has won 8 straight ... all 17 meetings have come in the Big 12 era (14 regular-season, 2 conference tournament).
The Aggies defeated ISU, 76-71, at Reed Arena back on Feb. 16.
A&M is 1-1 against the Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship, falling in 2003 (97-70) but defeating ISU in 2008 (60-47).
KANSAS
Overall (streak): 1-17 (L6)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-2
All Neutral: 0-3
2010-11 Season: 0-1
Mark Turgeon: 0-6
Kansas leads the series, 17-1, and has won the last 6 ... A&M's victory over the Jayhawks came at Allen Fieldhouse in 2007 (69-66).
KU broke open a tight game late last Wednesday in Lawrence, defeating the Aggies 64-51.
The teams have played twice in the Big 12 Championship ... both were tight games, both played inside Sprint Center and both Kansas victories ... the Jayhawks defeated A&M in 2008 (77-71) and last season (79-66) in semifinal matchups ... in both cases KU went on to win the tourney title.
KANSAS STATE
Overall (streak): 7-16 (W1)
At Big 12 Tournament: 1-2
All Neutral: 1-4
2010-11 Season: 1-0
Mark Turgeon: 4-5
Kansas State leads the series, 16-6 ... the teams have split the last 6 meetings ... KSU has a narrow 6-5 lead over the last 11 games ... A&M defeated K-State, 64-56, in College Station on Jan. 22.
Six of the last eight games in the series have been decided by eight points or less.
K-State is A&M's most common opponent at the Big 12 Championship (3 games) ... the Wildcats have won 2 of 3 meetings, in 1999 (87-76) and 2005 (68-62) ... A&M's victory came in upset fashion in the 2008 quarterfinals (63-60).
MISSOURI
Overall (streak): 9-11 (W7)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-2
All Neutral: 0-3
2010-11 Season: 1-0
Mark Turgeon: 4-0
Mizzou leads the series, 11-9, but the Aggies have won the last 7 ... MU's last victory over A&M came in the 2004 Big 12 Championship (74-68) at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
A&M defeated the Tigers in a thriller at Reed Arena this season, topping Mizzou 91-89 in overtime.
Missouri has won both meetings in the Big 12 Championship, in 2001 (74-68) and 2004 (74-68).
NEBRASKA
Overall (streak): 8-12 (L1)
At Big 12 Tournament: 1-0
All Neutral: 1-1
2010-11 Season: 0-1
Mark Turgeon: 3-2
Nebraska leads the series, 12-8, but A&M has won 5 of the last 7 ... the Aggies fell to NU at the Devaney Center (57-48) back on Jan. 29.
The Huskers and Aggies met for the first and only time at the Big 12 Championship last year, with A&M recording a 70-64 victory inside Sprint Center.
OKLAHOMA
Overall (streak): 8-28 (W4)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-1
All Neutral: 0-3
2010-11 Season: 2-0
Mark Turgeon: 5-3
Oklahoma leads the series, 28-8, but A&M has won 4 straight and 7 of the last 9 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 ... A&M took the rematch, 61-47, at Reed Arena.
Of the last 12 games, 8 have been decided by single digits.
The school's only meeting at the Big 12 Championship came in the first-ever tourney in 1997 (OU 67, A&M 58).
OKLAHOMA STATE
Overall (streak): 16-30 (W3)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-1
All Neutral: 2-5
2010-11 Season: 2-0
Mark Turgeon: 5-5
Oklahoma State leads the series, 30-16, which dates back to the 1917-18 season ... A&M has won 8 of the last 12 meetings between the schools, including 3 straight and a season sweep this year.
The Aggies and Cowboys have played just once in the Big 12 Championship, when 7-seed OSU upset 2-seed A&M 58-56 inside the Ford Center in Oklahoma City in 2007.
TEXAS
Overall (streak): 85-134 (L2)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-1
All Neutral: 4-5
2010-11 Season: 0-2
Mark Turgeon: 3-5
Texas is the most-played rivalry in A&M history (219 games) ... Texas leads the all-time series, 134-85.
UT swept the season series this year and holds a slim 7-5 lead over the last 12 games.
The Aggies and 'Horns have met just once in the Big 12 Championship, a 74-70 Texas victory in the 2006 semifinals.
TEXAS TECH
Overall (streak): 60-63 (W7)
At Big 12 Tournament: 0-2
All Neutral: 6-6
2010-11 Season: 2-0
Mark Turgeon: 7-1
Texas Tech leads the series, 63-60, that dates back to 1942 ... the Aggies, however, have won 4 straight and 10 of the last 14 ... Tech's last victory in the series came in the 2009 Big 12 Tournament, 88-83, in Kansas City.
The Aggies swept Tech this season, winning 70-67 in Lubbock and closing the regular season with a 66-54 victory in College Station ... A&M has claimed the last 7 regular-season meetings between the schools.
The Red Raiders are 2-0 against A&M at the Big 12 Championship with wins in 2002 (80-71) and 2009 (88-83).
GAME NOTES
Big 12 Honors
Texas A&M placed three on the coaches' All-Big 12 teams, released Sunday ... sophomore Khris Middleton (2nd team), junior David Loubeau (3rd team) and senior BJ Holmes (honorable mention) ... it was the first honor of its kind for all three.
It marked only the third time that the Aggies placed at least three on the coaches' All-Big 12 squads, joining the 2005 (Antoine Wright, Acie Law, Joseph Jones) and 2007 (Acie Law, Joseph Jones, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Josh Carter) teams.
Aggie Trends
Over the last 8 games (6-2 record), A&M is holding opponents to 41 percent shooting and 61.5 points per game ... 5 of those 8 games have come on the road (Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Texas Tech).
Texas A&M is 15-1 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 19-0 this year when having the lead with 5 minutes to play.
A&M is 22-4 this year (87-23 all-time under Turgeon) when it holds foes to under 50 percent shooting ... 21-2 (79-14 under Turgeon) when the Aggies hold opponents to under 45 percent from the floor ... and 13-0 (53-4 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 20-1 when they shoot more free throws then their opponents.
Texas A&M has emerged victorious in 21 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 22-3 this year.
The Aggies are 21-5 this year (83-16 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 58-12 (13-3 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 91-27 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (21-4 this 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 (123-44, .737) ... the Aggies are 166-62 (.728) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 14 of their last 18 games following a loss.
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 18-6 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 6-2 in 2011.
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 27-11 Big 12 record (6-0 to close 2009, 11-5 in 2010 and 10-6 in 2011) ... it's the second-best record over that span among conference teams, trailing only Kansas (34-4).
A&M's 10 Big 12 wins matched the third highest total in school history (13 in 2007, 11 in 2010, 10 in 2006).
The Aggies have posted back-to-back 10-plus win seasons in Big 12 play for just the second time ever (2006-2007) ... it is only the second time in the last 25 years that an A&M team has accomplished that feat ... prior to '06-07, the last time an Aggie squad recorded consecutive double-digit win seasons in conference play was in 1985 (10) and 1986 (12).
2011 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.
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.
The Aggies have won 49 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.
at Neutral Sites
Texas A&M is 3-1 in neutral-site games this season ... the Aggies went 2-1 in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando over Thanksgiving, defeating then No. 20 Temple (54-51) and Manhattan (74-45), and losing by two to Boston College (67-65) ... A&M's other neutral-site victory came on Dec. 18 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, as the Aggies topped Arkansas in overtime (71-62).
Texas A&M is 15-11 under Mark Turgeon in neutral-site games.
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 came 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 65-8 at home this year (combined 25-7 in Big 12 play).
A&M's Big 12 road record (4-4) trailed only Kansas (7-1) and Texas (6-2) ... the Aggies, Horns and Jayhawks were a combined 17-7 away from home in league play, while the other nine teams were a combined 12-60.
Balancing Act
The loss of A&M's top three scorers from last year (B.J. Holmes (9.4) and Nathan Walkup (9.4).
A total of 9 players have combined for 88 double-figure outings (Middleton 25, Loubeau 16, Holmes 16, Walkup 15, Hibbert 6, Roberson 6, Harris 2, Turner 1, Lewis 1) through 30 games.
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.
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)
Racking Up the Ws
Texas A&M has reached the 23-win mark for just the seventh time in the program's 99-year history ... the Aggies' 23 victories rank seventh all-time, and are four 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 23
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 (96 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 96 3+ 2007-
3. Bob Rogers 92 6 1958-63
4. D.X. Bible 90 7 1921-29
5. Tony Barone 76 7 1991-98
Head Coach Mark Turgeon
Turgeon is the only coach in school history to lead the Aggies to three straight NCAA Tournaments.
The only coaches with more wins than Mark Turgeon (96) in their first four years at a Big 12 school are his mentors at Kansas, Larry Brown (108 in 1983-87) and Roy Williams (103 in 1988-92), and current KU coach Bill Self (105 in 2003-07). Ironically, Turgeon was a point guard for those teams under Brown and was an assistant coach in Williams' first three seasons with the Jayhawks.
Turgeon was named 2010 Big 12 Coach of the Year by The Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News and Columbia (Mo.) Tribune.
Turgeon is the only coach in Big 12 history to win 24 or more games in each of his first three seasons.
Turgeon's 73 wins at A&M were the most ever by an A&M coach in a three-year period. The previous mark was 70 by Billy Gillispie (2004-07).
Turgeon has led the Aggies to 4 straight 20-win seasons, including 4 of the top 7 victory totals in the school's 99-year basketball history.
Turgeon is the only coach in school history to win 23 or more games four times.
Turgeon's 25 wins in 2007-08 tied for the most by a first-year coach in the history of any Big 12 school and were an A&M record for a coach in his debut. Tom Penders went 25-9 in his first year at Texas (1988-89) prior to the formation of the Big 12.
Turgeon has led his teams to at least 20 wins in 7 of the last 8 seasons (his Wichita State team won 17 games in 2006-07) ... his teams have advanced to postseason play 7 times in the last 8 years. Turgeon's record in the last 7 years is 161-71 (.694).
Turgeon has led his teams to four NCAA Tourneys in the last five years, winning at least one game in each appearance.
As a player, assistant coach and head coach, Turgeon has compiled a 26-12 NCAA Tournament record (8-4 as a player, 13-4 as an assistant, 5-4 as a head coach). Turgeon is the only active Big 12 head coach to play and coach in an NCAA Final Four.
In 13 NCAA Tournament appearances as a player, assistant coach and head coach, Turgeon has lost a first-round NCAA game just once (Oregon in 1995 under Coach Jerry Green).
MOST WINS IN FIRST FOUR SEASONS AT A BIG 12 SCHOOL
1. Larry Brown, KU (1983-86) 108
2. Bill Self, KU (2003-07) 105
3. Roy Williams, KU (1988-92) 103
4. Mark Turgeon, A&M (2007-11) 96
Eddie Sutton, OSU (1990-94) 96
6. Tom Penders, UT (1988-92) 95
7. Frank Martin, KSU (2007-11) 94
8. Rick Barnes, UT (1998-02) 90
Bob Knight, TTU (2001-05) 90
10. Mike Anderson, MU (2006-10) 88
Saluting the Seniors
A&M's Class of '11--Marshall Carrell, Andrew Darko, BJ Holmes, Derrek Lewis and Nathan Walkup--has a four-year record of 96-38 entering the Big 12 Championship, the third winningest class in school history (100 by 2010, 98 by 2009).
A&M's senior class needs 5 more wins to become the winningest class in school history ... the Class of 2011 passed the Class of '08 (95-37, .720) with victory No. 96 against Texas Tech (March 5) ... it is just the fourth class in school history to total at least 90 victories ... the Class of 2011 is 96-38 (.716) entering the Big 12 Championship, trailing only the 2010 (100-38, .725), and 2009 (98-37, .726) classes in the record books.
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 finished its career with a 62-9 record at Reed Arena ... 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.
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.
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of March 6), A&M ranked 13th nationally in rebounding margin (+7.0) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded 24 of 30 opponents this season ... A&M is 85-15 under Turgeon (21-3 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
A&M also ranked 14th in the country in scoring defense (60.4 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (56.5).
Protecting the Ball
Texas A&M did a good job limiting turnovers in conference play ... the Aggies committed 191 turnovers (11.9 per game) in Big 12 play, second fewest in the league (Texas, 183) ... A&M, which averaged 14 turnovers per game in non-conference play, has committed 387 on the entire season, the third fewest of any Big 12 team (Colorado 362, Texas 370).
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).
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
A&M finished with a 15-2 home record this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents shot 40.2 percent inside Reed and averaged 59.2 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
The Aggies are the only Big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last seven consecutive seasons.
A&M has won 33 of its last 36 home games, including 16 of its last 19 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 46-5 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with an 19-5 mark in conference games ... those losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5), Baylor and Kansas State.
The Aggies are 80-8 (.909) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 112-14 (.889) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
A&M has won 28 of its last 29 home games against unranked opponents (12 of last 13 in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 51-4 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 16-4 mark against unranked Big 12 teams.
A&M is 154-56 (.733) in 13 seasons at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 113-15 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 has averaged crowds of 9,000 or better for five straight seasons (averaged 9,000 in 2010-11) ... A&M has posted its top six single game marks, and two of the top three season averages, under Turgeon.
Locking it Down
The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings en route to a 23-7 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 29.5 percent shooting (46-of-156) from the field and 25.0 percent (16-of-64) 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.
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.
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. 2004-05/1921-22 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 57.4 points per game and were out-rebounded by a margin of 10.4 boards ... they were held to 38.6 percent shooting from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range ... the combined record of the teams on the streak (as of Jan. 17) was 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.
Up Next
Texas A&M will await the NCAA selection announcement on Sunday, March 13 (CBS, 5 p.m. CT).
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.
Tobi Oyedeji (1992-2010)
Tobi Oyedeji (pronounced O-yuh-day-jee), a member of the incoming Class of '14, was lost tragically following a car accident in Houston on May 16, 2010.
A memorial scholarship has been set up in Tobi's honor and he has a locker inside the Aggies' Reed Arena locker room.
His good friend, Ray Turner, has switched jerseys to No. 35, Tobi's number, for this season.
The team will wear a memorial patch with Tobi's last name emblazoned on it on the right shoulder of the jersey.
NBA Aggies
There are currently 3 Aggies playing in the NBA: Antoine Wright (Sacramento Kings), Acie Law IV (Golden State Warriors) and DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers) ... prior to 2007, A&M never had more than one active NBA player.
An Aggie has been chosen in four of the last six NBA Drafts. DeAndre Jordan in 2008 (second round to the Los Angeles Clippers).
Prior to Wright's selection in 2005, A&M had not had a player drafted since Winston Crite in 1987.
Aggies Ink Two Texas Standouts
COLLEGE STATION (11/10/10)--Jamal Branch and Jordan Green signed national letters-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, the school announced. "We are excited about our 2011 class so far," Aggie coach Mark Turgeon said. "We feel like we have added two quality, high-character young men that will fill needs for our program. Jordan and Jamal will fit in great with what we have coming back next year, plus Jamal and Jordan will complement each other throughout their careers." Branch (Arlington) and Green (Flower Mound) are highly-rated guards out of the Dallas area and will join the A&M program for the 2011-12 season. "These two guys play well off each other, Jamal being the facilitator and Jordan being the drop-the-hammer, go get buckets kind of guy," said Dave Telep, ESPN.com's college basketball recruiting analyst. "I think these guys together should be the backcourt of the future for Texas A&M."
JAMAL BRANCH (G, 6-3, 170, Arlington/Grace Preparatory Academy): A consensus four-star prospect ... a 6-3, 170-pound point guard who plays at Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, Texas ... named the best defender in the Class of 2011 by scout.com and ranked No. 47 nationally ... rated the No. 8 point guard in the country and No. 53 overall by ESPN.com ... a member of the ESPNU 100 ... grades at 94 out of 100 by ESPN.com ... the No. 5 prospect in Texas and No. 67 nationally by rivals.com ... is the No. 2 player on the Maroon and White Report's Hoops Hot List for 2011 ... chose Texas A&M over Texas, Kansas and UCLA.
JORDAN GREEN (G, 6-4, 180, Flower Mound/Flower Mound HS): A 6-4, 180-pound shooting guard from Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas ... rated among the top shooting guards in the class by both ESPN.com and Scout.com ... ranked 12th overall in Texas by rivals.com and 114th nationally ... rated fourth on the Maroon and White Report's Hoops Hot List for 2011 ... is the first player in his school's history to sign a Division I basketball scholarship straight out of high school ... chose Texas A&M over Marquette, Oklahoma State, UNLV and Utah. 
