AGGIES FACE NO. 21 TEMPLE IN FINAL GAME OF OLD SPICE CLASSIC
TEXAS A&M BASKETBALL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Complete PDF Release: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/tam/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/1011-game06temple.pdf
ORLANDO - The Texas A&M Aggies (4-1) close out play in the fifth annual Old Spice Classic on Sunday morning when they take on the 21st-ranked Temple Owls (3-1) at the HP Field House inside ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Tip-off is set for 10 a.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU and ESPN 3D.
Texas A&M AGGIES (4-1)
vs #20/21 Temple OWLS (3-1)
Sunday, November 28, 2010 • 11:00 AM (ET) • TV: ESPNU/ESPN3D
HP Field House (5,000) • Orlando, Florida
TELEVISION:
ESPNU HD
Play-by-Play Bob Picozzi
Commentary Dan Dakich
ESPN 3D
Play-by-Play Justin Kutcher
Commentary Bob Wenzel
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play Dave South
Commentary Matt Simon
Local/Internet WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio TBD
SERIES • A&M STREAK Temple, 1-0 • Lost 1
Last Meeting Temple, 60-44
(1957-58 in Philadelphia)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 4-1, 0-0 Big 12
Ranking: RV (ESPN/USAT)
Streak: Won 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 4-1
Last Game: def. Manhattan (N), 74-45 (Friday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ‘87)
Record: 230-151 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 77-32 (4th year)
vs. Temple: never faced
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 1.6 2.2 4.0 5 / 25.2
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.2 5.6 --- 5 / 21.0
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.0 3.4 4.6 5 / 26.4
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 16.2 4.8 3.2 5 / 26.2
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 13.2 5.4 1.2 5 / 23.4
TEMPLE OWLS
Record: 3-1, 0-0 A-10
Ranking: #20 (ESPN/USAT), #21 (AP)
Streak: Won 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-1 / 3-1
Last Game: def. Georgia (N), 65-58 (Friday)
Head Coach: Fran Dunphy (La Salle '70)
Record: 397-213 (22nd year)
at Temple: 87-50 (5th year)
vs. Texas A&M: never faced
Temple Probable Starters*
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
4 Juan Fernandez G 6-4 180 Jr. 9.5 4.3 3.8 4 / 33.0
23 Ramone Moore G 6-4 180 Jr. 11.3 4.8 2.0 4 / 29.5
24 Lavoy Allen F 6-9 225 Sr. 9.5 5.3 3.0 4 / 28.8
33 Scootie Randall F 6-6 205 Jr. 8.3 5.3 0.8 4 / 31.0
50 Micheal Eric F/C 6-11 240 Jr. 9.0 6.3 1.5 4 / 24.3
* based on last game
GAME NOTES
Key Game Notes
• The Aggies will get their first crack at a ranked opponent this year when they face No. 21 Temple Sunday ... A&M played 12 ranked teams last season ... the Aggies will play 9 games against teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25 poll, including Kansas State (4th), Kansas (6th), Missouri (11th), Baylor (12th, 2 games), Washington (13th), Texas (20th, 2 games) and Temple (21st).
• A&M rebounded from a tough two-point loss to Boston College Thursday with a 29-point win over Manhattan Friday afternoon ... the Aggies never trailed in the game, and held the Jaspers to 7 points over the final 13 minutes ... under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 11 of their last 12 games following a loss.
• Points off turnovers proved to be the difference in Thursday's loss to Boston College, a trend A&M corrected against Manhattan ... after allowing 25 points off 14 turnovers on Thursday in a loss to Boston College, A&M gave up just 4 to Manhattan off 13 turnovers.
• This weekend marks the fourth straight preseason tournament in which the Aggies have participated under Mark Turgeon ... Texas A&M is 10-3 under Turgeon in early-season tourney action.
• Last season, A&M had a strong showing at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, finishing third with wins over No. 19 Clemson (69-60) and No. 16 Minnesota (66-65) ... the Aggies' lone loss was a 7-point setback to No. 8 West Virginia (73-66).
• The Aggies have won 8 of their last 12 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of last season ... three of those four 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) and Thursday vs Boston College (67-65).
• Texas A&M entered the weekend ranked 2nd in the Big 12 in scoring offense (83.7 PPG), trailing only Kansas (95.0), and second in rebounding (44.0) ... ranked 3rd in scoring defense (55.7), free-throw percentage (.721) and steals (9.67) ... and 4th in field goal percentage (.483), free throw percentage (.739) and rebounding (42.0).
• Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 199-125 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 15 points into the locker room.
• Texas A&M trailed the entire game in Thursday's loss to Boston College ... despite erasing an 11-point second-half deficit, the Aggies were unable to eclipse the tie ... A&M did not trail at all in Friday's win over Manhattan ... prior to the Old Spice Classic, A&M had trailed for a total of 1 minute, 26 seconds this season.
• After being whistled for 61 fouls in the first two games, the Aggies matched a Reed Arena record by committing just 9 in their next game, a win over A&M International (Nov. 19) ... Alcorn State (37) and A&M (35) combined for a school-record 72 fouls in the opener (Nov. 12).
About Temple (3-1)
• Temple (Philadelphia, Pa.) enters Sunday's game at 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Old Spice Classic ... the Owls dropped their first game of the season, 57-50, to Cal in Thursday's opening round ... Temple rebounded to defeat Georgia, 65-58, on Friday night ... the squad entered the tournament off two home wins, coming over Seton Hall (62-56) and Toledo (82-49).
• Temple averages 64.8 points per game, shoots 45 percent from the floor and 58 percent from the free-throw line ... the Owls are holding opponents to just 55 points per game ... Temple is led by junior G Ramone Moore (11.3 ppg/4.8 rpg) and senior F Lavoy Allen (9.5 ppg/5.3 rpg).
• The Owls return 3 starters from a 2009-10 squad that went 29-6 and 14-2 to win the Atlantic 10 ... Temple's No. 22 preseason ranking was the school's highest to start the year since 2001 ... the Owls were the No. 5 seed in the NCAA's East Regional, but was upset in the first round by 12th-seed Cornell (and current Boston College head coach Steve Donahue), 78-65, in Jacksonville ... Temple is in its fifth season under head coach Fran Dunphy.
• Temple has won the last 3 Atlantic 10 Conference championships.
• The Owls are the sixth winningest program in the history of NCAA Division I basketball (1,743 victories) ... the Owls are one of just seven programs nationally to reach the 1,700-win plateau ... Temple has made 28 NCAA Tournaments, advancing to 5 regional finals and 2 Final Fours (1956 and 1958).
Series Notes (Temple, 1-0)
• Texas A&M and Temple have met just once in basketball, in the winter of 1957 ... the Aggies fell to the 10th-ranked Owls, 60-44, in Philadelphia.
• The Aggies are 8-18 all-time against Atlantic 10 foes, but have won 3 of the last 4 games ... A&M defeated St. Louis (69-33) and Fordham (84-61) in the 2006-07 season, the last meetings against A-10 teams ... A&M's most common A-10 opponents are George Washington (5) and St. Louis (5) ... the only two league teams the Aggies have not faced are St. Bonaventure and UMass ... A&M will join A-10 member Xavier and six other teams in the 2011 Diamond Head Classic next winter in Honolulu.
• Temple is not scheduled to face another Big 12 team this season ... the Owls' last meeting with a Big 12 team was in an 84-52 home loss to Kansas last January.
• A&M is 8-9 all-time against schools from the state of Pennsylvania ... La Salle (4 games) is the Aggies' most common foe from the Keystone State.
Up Next
• The Aggies will return home to open a four-game homestand ... A&M's opponents on the stretch combined for 88 wins last season (SFA - 23, Pacific - 23, Prairie View A&M - 16, Washington - 26).
• Texas A&M will play seven of its next eight at Reed Arena ... the Aggies will not leave the state of Texas again until they open Big 12 play at Oklahoma on Jan. 8 ... A&M's only game away from College Station over that span is a matchup with former Southwest Conference rival Arkansas at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 18.
LAST TIME OUT: Texas A&M 74, Manhattan 45
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Nov. 26)—Khris Middleton scored a career-high 20 points to lead Texas A&M to a 74-45 win over Manhattan Friday in the second round of the Old Spice Classic. B.J. Holmes and Kourtney Roberson both added 12 points for Texas A&M (4-1), which was coming off a disappointing 67-65 loss to Boston College on Thursday. After Michael Alvarado's three-point play pulled Manhattan within 43-38 seven minutes into the second half, Middleton gave Texas A&M some breathing room with five straight points. He hit a 3 right after teammate Ray Turner misfired on a slam dunk attempt and then added a rebound basket that made it 48-38 with 11 minutes to play. Texas A&M extended its advantage to 60-42 when Middleton connected on a 3-pointer with 6 1/2 minutes remaining. Holmes had 10 first-half points to help Texas A&M take a 39-25 lead into the locker room. Manhattan (2-3) got 11 points from Rhamel Brown.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "I thought we played in spurts today. We started well, then didn't play well, then finished the half well. We started the second half really poorly, and I wasn't going to call a timeout to bail the guys out. We have to toughen up. We had a stretch there where we really guarded and we got aggressive defensively and rebounded better. Then we stated to really share the ball. We started to finish better. We didn't finish well most of the game but there we were able to finish. Manhattan got tired. They have some injuries and don't have the depth they need and they got tired. I thought they played well to keep it close as long as they did. We finally got more aggressive when they cut it to five and were able to do some things. I think we learned a lot about our team today. I just wish we were more consistent. That's what I have to keep harping on with them and hopefully we'll get better with it."
Postgame Notes: Manhattan
• The 29-point margin of victory was the largest in the five-year history of the Old Spice Classic ... it also marks A&M's largest margin of victory in an early-season tournament under Mark Turgeon.
• Texas A&M led the entire game ... the Aggies led by as many as 17 points in the first half (23-6, 9:05 and 39-22, 2:05) ... A&M's largest lead was at the final buzzer (29) ... A&M led by just five (43-38) with 12:20 to play, then went on a 31-7 run to close out the game ... the Aggies allowed the Jaspers just two buckets and three free throws in the final 12-plus minutes.
• Texas A&M out-rebounded Manhattan, 43-31 ... the Aggies have out-rebounded their opponent in every game this year ... A&M's bench outscored Manhattan, 26-6.
• Texas A&M's 10 3-pointers were a season high ... the Aggies have now hit a 3-pointer in 307 consecutive games dating back to January of 2001.
• After allowing 25 points off 14 turnovers on Thursday in a loss to Boston College, A&M gave up just 4 to Manhattan off 13 turnovers.
• Manhattan's 45 points were the fewest allowed by an Aggie team under Turgeon in an early-season tournament ... the previous low was 47 to Ohio State in the 2007 NIT Season Tip-Off finals.
• Texas A&M has now won 8 of its last 12 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of 2010.
• Sophomore Khris Middleton set a new career high with 20 points ... his previous was 19, set in the NCAA Tournament last year vs Utah State and matched Thursday against Boston College ... Middleton's 8 rebounds tied a career high ... Middleton has scored in double figures in all 5 games this year and in 9 of the last 10 dating back to last spring.
• Junior Dash Harris' game-high 7 assists was one shy of his career best ... Harris had one more assist than the entire Manhattan team ... A&M is now 28-5 over his career when Harris has at least 3 assists.
• Senior B.J. Holmes hit double figures (12) for the third time in the last four games.
• Frehsman Kourtney Roberson scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in just 15 minutes off the bench ... both numbers were two shy of his season/career highs..
OFFENSE NOTES
Fast-Paced Offense
• Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 199-125 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 15 points into the locker room.
• Texas A&M is 32-2 under Mark Turgeon when scoring at least eight fast-break points (2-0 this year).
• The Aggies are 23-3 under Turgeon when scoring at least 80 points and 51-5 when scoring at least 70. A&M has scored 74 or more in all four wins this year.
• A&M is 63-11 under Turgeon when leading at halftime (4-0 this year), and 12-19 when trailing (0-1).
In the Lead
• Texas A&M trailed the entire game in Thursday's loss to Boston College ... despite erasing an 11-point second-half deficit, the Aggies were unable to eclipse the tie ... A&M did not trail at all in Friday's win over Manhattan ... prior to the Old Spice Classic, A&M had trailed for a total of 1 minute, 26 seconds this season.
Make Shots, Win Games
• A&M shot a season-low 42 percent in Friday's win over Manhattan, yet still won the game by 29 points ... the Aggies had shot 45 percent or better in the four previous games ... the Aggies are 53-7 under Turgeon when hitting better than 45 percent from the field and a perfect 31-0 (1-0 this season) when hitting at 50 percent or higher.
Protecting the Ball
• After a 20-turnover game in the opener, the Aggies responded well by holding on to the ball ... A&M committed just 12 and 10 turnovers, respectively, in its next two games.
• Points off turnovers proved to be the difference in Thursday's loss to Boston College, a trend A&M corrected against Manhattan ... after allowing 25 points off 14 turnovers on Thursday in a loss to Boston College, A&M gave up just 4 to Manhattan off 13 turnovers.
• A&M is 53-14 all-time under Turgeon (3-1 this year) when committing fewer than 14 turnovers.
Strong Down Low
• The Aggies' big men down low have been very productive in the early part of the year ... David Loubeau (5.6) and Kourtney Roberson (5.2) lead the team in rebounding and rank third (11.2) and fifth (8.2), respectively, in points per game.
• Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in the paint in two games this year ... A&M did so just four times last year ... this season, the Aggies are averaging 34 points down low (28.6 average in 2009-10).
• Under Turgeon, A&M is 74-24 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (4-1 this year).
Take Another Chance
• The Aggies are averaging 19.6 second-chance points through four games ... A&M only went over 20 in that category one time last year (home vs Texas) but has already done so twice this season.
From Way Downtown
• Texas A&M has hit at least one 3-pointer in 307 consecutive games ... the last time the Aggies did not connect from behind the arc was at Colorado on January 13, 2001 (0-for-6).
Balancing Act
• The loss of A&M's top three scorers from last year (Donald Sloan, Derrick Roland, Bryan Davis) appeared to be a challenge that would have to be met by a "team" effort, and so far that's been the case ... the Aggies have three players averaging in double figures through the first five games of 2010-11 in Khris Middleton (16.2), Nathan Walkup (13.2) and David Loubeau (11.2). Two others (B.J. Holmes, 9.0 and Kourtney Roberson, 8.2) are on the cusp.
• Middleton is the only Aggie to hit double figures in all five games ... Hibbert, a sophomore, has done so three times after just one double-figure game to his name last year.
• Texas A&M has seen a total of four players reach double figures in all but one so far ... 6 players have combined for a total of 19 double-figure outings thus far (Middleton 5, Hibbert 3, Walkup 3, Roberson 3, Holmes 3, Loubeau 2).
DEFENSE NOTES
Rebounding
• Texas A&M has out-rebounded its opponents by an average of 42-27 this season ... the Aggies are 68-13 under Turgeon (4-1 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes ... A&M is just 8-17 under Turgeon when being out-rebounded.
• Texas A&M has out-rebounded two teams this year by 20 or more boards ... the Aggies beat Alcorn State on the glass by 20 and A&M International by 25 ... A&M did not out-rebound anyone last season by more than 18.
• Five players are averaging between 3.4 and 6.0 rebounds per game ... it's very early, but by comparison just three did so last season—Bryan Davis (8.1), David Loubeau (4.7) and Khris Middleton (3.7).
Forcing Turnovers
• Texas A&M's quick defense has already paid big dividends in the early part of the season ... the Aggies have put up two of the highest P.O.T. totals in the Mark Turgeon era in the first five games ... A&M scored 31 points off turnovers in the win at A&M-Corpus Christi, the second-highest output in the Mark Turgeon era ... the Aggies scored 34 off turnovers last season against North Dakota ... A&M also had 28 points off turnovers in the season opener against Alcorn State, matching the total in the 2007-08 opener against McNeese State (28), Turgeon's first game as head coach.
• Texas A&M is averaging 21.8 points off turnovers per game.
• Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 50-9 (4-0 this year) when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.
• Texas A&M's 16 steals in the win at A&M-Corpus Christi were the most by an Aggie team in the Mark Turgeon era and the most since a win over Grambling State in December 2006.
Stout "D"
• A&M has held three of its opponents under 36 percent shooting from the field ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 43-4 (3-0 this year) when their opponent shoots under 40 percent and are 69-20 (4-1) when they make under 50 percent.
• Texas A&M is 66-12 under Turgeon (4-1 this year) when opponents score under 70 points.
