COLLEGE STATION, Texas—No. 14 Texas A&M faces its toughest test of the season and puts its 12-game win streak on the line Saturday when the Aggies host No. 12 Missouri in a nationally-televised showdown at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN2.
Fans can get in for as low as $5 through the Old Army Spirit Company promotion. Visit oldarmyspirit.com for more information. In addition, $10 tickets will be available at the Reed Arena Box Office on gameday.
The Aggies (15-1, 2-0) are off to the second-best start in school history, including a 71-48 defeat of Oklahoma State on Wednesday before 12,000-plus at Reed. A&M moved up to No. 13 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and No. 14 in The Associated Press rankings, both released Monday. It marks the Aggies' highest ranking in three seasons.
Mizzou (15-2, 1-1), meanwhile, has won 10 of its last 11 games, most recently a 77-69 win over Nebraska in Columbia. The Tigers' lone losses came in the league opener at Colorado and an overtime setback to then-No. 16 Georgetown at Kansas City's Sprint Center.
GAME 17: (#13/14) Texas A&M AGGIES (15-1, 2-0)
vs (#12/15) Missouri TIGERS (15-2, 1-1)
Saturday, January 15, 2011 • 12:05 PM (CT) • TV: ESPN2 HD
Reed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas
TELEVISION: ESPN2 HD
Jon Sciambi, Play-by-Play
Fran Fraschilla, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local/Internet: WTAW-AM 1620/radioaggieland.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 121/XM 141
SERIES: MU leads, 11-8
In Columbia: Missouri leads, 6-2
At Mizzou Arena: A&M leads, 3-0
In College Station: A&M leads, 5-3
At Reed Arena: A&M leads, 4-2
At Neutral Sites: Missouri leads, 3-0
At Big 12 Tournament: Missouri leads, 2-0
Current Win Streak: A&M, 6 games
Longest A&M Win Streak: 6 games (current)
Longest Missouri Win Streak: 6 games
Largest A&M Win: 91-63 (2004-05)
Largest Missouri Win: 93-62 (1999-00)
Mark Turgeon vs. Missouri: 3-0
Mike Anderson vs. A&M: 0-4
Last Meeting: A&M, 77-74 (Feb. 3, 2010 in Columbia)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 15-1, 2-0 Big 12
Ranking: 13th (USAT/ESPN), 14th (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 25 / 16
Streak: Won 12
Last 5 / Last 10: 5-0 / 10-0
Last Game: def. Oklahoma State (H), 71-48 (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ‘87)
Record: 241-151 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 88-32 (4th year)
vs. Mizzou: 3-0
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 3.8 2.9 3.8 16 / 26.5
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.4 5.1 0.5 16 / 24.5
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.3 2.6 3.6 16 / 27.9
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 15.0 4.6 2.9 16 / 27.3
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 10.3 6.1 1.4 16 / 23.4
MISSOURI TIGERS
Record: 15-2, 1-1 Big 12
Ranking: 12th (USAT/ESPN), 15th (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 33 / 30
Streak: Won 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 9-1
Last Game: def. Nebraska (H), 77-69 (Wednesday)
Head Coach: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82)
Record: 192-89 (9th year)
at Mizzou: 103-48 (5th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 0-4
Missouri Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
10 Ricardo Ratliffe F 6-8 240 Jr. 11.4 7.0 1.5b 17 / 25.2
11 Michael Dixon G 6-1 180 So. 11.1 2.6 4.8 15 / 24.9
12 Marcus Denmon G 6-3 185 Jr. 17.6 3.9 1.9 17 / 30.1
23 Justin Safford F 6-9 230 Sr. 7.5 4.3 1.1 17 / 18.2
24 Kim English G 6-6 200 Jr. 10.6 3.1 2.4 17 / 26.3
UP CLOSE: MISSOURI TIGERS
About Missouri (15-2, 1-1)
• Missouri is 15-2 on the season and has won 10 of its last 11 entering the weekend ... the Tigers are 1-1 in league play after losing the opener at Colorado (89-76) and rebounding Wednesday night with a home win over Nebraska (77-69) ... MU's only other loss on the season was an overtime setback to Georgetown (111-102) at Kansas City's Sprint Center.
• Mizzou returns 8 letterwinners and 2 starters from a 2009-10 team that went 23-11 and finished fifth in the Big 12 at 10-6 ... the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament's second round last spring ... Mike Anderson is in his fifth year in Columbia with a record of 103-48.
Series Notes
• Mizzou leads the series, 11-8, but the Aggies have won the last 6 ... MU's last victory over A&M came in the 2004 Big 12 Tournament (74-68) at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
• The Aggies claimed a 77-74 victory over Mizzou last season in Columbia (recap below).
• A&M has beaten Missouri 4 straight times at Reed Arena and hold a 4-2 record in the series in the venue ... the Tigers' wins in the building came in 1999 and 2001.
Sidebars
• Guards Kim English (Missouri) and Naji Hibbert (A&M) both hail from Baltimore, Maryland.
• A&M assistant coach Bill Walker is a native Missourian (Warrensburg) and earned his undergraduate degree from Missouri-Rolla (1987) ... Walker spent 7 seasons at Missouri-St. Louis (1989-96) and another 3 at Central Missouri State (1996-99).
A&M/MIZZOU RECAPS
Last Time They Met: Texas A&M 77, Missouri 74
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Feb. 3, 2010)—David Loubeau scored all but five of his 17 points in the second half, and Texas A&M held Missouri without a basket for more than 10 minutes of the second half, ending the Tigers' 32-game homecourt winning streak with a 77-74 victory Wednesday night. Donald Sloan added 17 points and eight rebounds and Khris Middleton had 16 points for the Aggies (16-6, 5-3 Big 12). Missouri coach Mike Anderson is 0-4 against Texas A&M, the only Big 12 school he has not defeated. Kim English had 15 points and Laurence Bowers added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri (16-6, 4-3), which lost at home for the first time since the home finale in 2007-08 against Oklahoma State. The winning streak was halted two shy of the school record from 1988-90 at the old Hearnes Center.
Last Time at Reed Arena: Texas A&M 96, (#15) Missouri 86
COLLEGE STATION (March 7, 2009)—Texas A&M has been trying for weeks to show it deserves an NCAA tournament bid. After winning their sixth straight, 96-86 over No. 15 Missouri, the Aggies believe they've earned it. The Aggies (23-8, 9-7 Big 12) built an early lead and were up by 26 points with about 16 minutes remaining. But Missouri (25-6, 12-4) went on two separate runs to whittle the lead. The second one was an 11-4 stretch that made it 81-71 with about 5 minutes left. DeMarre Carroll cut the lead to seven points twice after that, but Donald Sloan answered with a dunk on a fast break to push the lead to 90-81 with 32 seconds left. The Aggies made six free throws in the final seconds to secure the win. Carroll led Missouri with 18 points and Zaire Taylor added 17. The Aggies haven't lost since a defeat at Baylor on Feb. 14 dropped their conference record to 3-7 and had most figuring their fourth straight NCAA tournament bid was out of the question. Josh Carter and B.J. Holmes both had 13 points for the Aggies. All but two of Carter's points came in the second half after he injured his ankle and sat out for a span in the first half. The Aggies led 62-36 before Missouri went into desperation mode, shooting 3-pointers on almost every possession. They made four 3s to fuel a 20-7 run to get within 69-56 with about 10 minutes left. A win would have given the Tigers a chance for a share of the Big 12 title for the first time in school history. Instead Missouri followed up a nearly flawless win over No. 4 Oklahoma with a sloppy and unenthusiastic first half. The Aggies scored nine straight points on 3-pointers to stretch their lead to 27-14 about midway through the first half. Missouri scored a basket before A&M went on a 7-0 run to stretch the lead to 32-16. Texas A&M led 51-29 at halftime.
GAME NOTES
Looking for a Baker's Dozen
• Texas A&M has rattled off 12 straight wins since suffering its only loss of the year, a two-point setback on Thanksgiving Day to a hot-shooting Boston College squad in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando ... the 11-game streak is the longest in 90 years and the third-longest in school history, and includes wins over then No. 20 Temple, then No. 21 Washington and against Arkansas on a neutral court in Dallas ... a look at the longest win streaks in program history:
LONGEST WIN STREAKS, TEXAS A&M HISTORY
Year(s) Wins
1. 1919-21* 25
2. 1914-16* 20
3. 2010-11 12
4. 2004-05 11
1921-22 11
6. 2008-09 10
2005-06 10
1959-60 10
1918-19 10
* spanned two seasons
• The 12-game win streak is A&M's longest since the school-record 25-game streak which spanned the 1919-20 and 1920-21 seasons ... it also is the longest in Mark Turgeon's coaching career, as his 2006-07 Wichita State team won its first 11 games of the season ... it is the third time a Turgeon-coached A&M team has won at least eight straight games (12 games, 2010-11; 10 games, 2008-09; 8 games, 2007-08).
• Over the 11-game win streak, the Aggies have held their opponents to a sparse 37 percent shooting from the floor and 27 percent from 3-point range ... during that span, Aggie foes have averaged just under 55 points per game and been out-rebounded by a margin of 10.8 boards ... a closer look at the numbers:
WIN STREAK STATS
Category
Record 12-0
A&M Points/Game 70.7
Opponent Points/Game 54.8
Margin of Victory +15.9
Opponent FG Pct. .371
Opponent 3-Pt FG Pct. .274
Rebound Margin +10.8
Opp. Combined Record (as of 1/12) 107-76 (.585)
Locking it Down
• The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings to keep their current win streak alive ... a look at some of the defensive efforts that have led to victories along the 12-game win streak:
LATE-GAME DEFENSIVE STANDS, CURRENT WIN STREAK
Opponent Clock Situation Opponent rest of game Result Notable
Oklahoma St. 15:08 left up 3 (43-40) 1 FG, 4 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 on the win streak, the Aggie defense has held foes to 18.5 percent shooting (10-of-54) from the field.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
• A&M is 10-0 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting just 36.8 percent inside Reed and averaging 55 points per game.
• Only 2 teams have shot better than 40 percent on A&M's home floor—Pacific (41.4) and McNeese State (41.8).
• Only 2 teams have scored more than 60 points on A&M's home floor—Prairie View A&M (63) and Washington (62).
Hot Start
• Texas A&M has matched the second-best start in school history by winning 15 of its first 16 games ... the 2007-08 team, also coached by Mark Turgeon, opened 15-1.
• Only one team in school history has had a better start than this year's Aggies (15-1) ... the 1919-20 team ran the table and finished a perfect 19-0 ... a win against Missouri would give A&M its best start in 91 years.
• Mark Turgeon's other A&M teams were 15-1 (2007-08), 14-2 (2008-09) and 12-4 (2009-10) through their first 16 games.
Big 12 Notables
• The Aggies are 2-0 in Big 12 play for just the second time ever (2006-07).
• 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 43 Big 12 games since the start of the 2007 league season ... prior to that, A&M had totaled only 43 victories in the first 10 years of Big 12 play.
• With a win at Oklahoma on Jan. 8, Texas A&M has now won 4 of its last 5 Big 12 openers after going winless in its first 10 tries.
Home, Sweet Home
• A&M has won 28 of its last 29 home games, including 11 of its last 12 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 41-3 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with a 14-3 mark in conference games.
• The Aggies are 75-6 (.926) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 107-12 (.899) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
• A&M has won 25 straight home games against unranked opponents (9 straight in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 48-3 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 13-3 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 149-54 (.734) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 108-13 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 18 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.
Road Warriors
• The Aggies have won 11 of their last 15 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 most recently on Thanksgiving Day vs Boston College (67-65).
Success Against Ranked Teams
• The Aggies are 2-0 this season against ranked opponents, picking up a 54-51 win over Temple (No. 20 USAT/ESPN, No. 21 AP) at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando and a 63-62 win over Washington (No. 21 AP, No. 22 USAT/ESPN) this past Saturday at Reed Arena ... it marks just the third time in school history that an A&M team has scored at least two regular-season wins against ranked non-conference foes ... two of the three times have come under Mark Turgeon (2009-10 and 2010-11) ... legendary coach Shelby Metcalf won 4 in the 1978-79 season.
• Mark Turgeon is 4-2 at A&M in games against ranked non-conference opponents during the regular season ... his teams have won three straight.
• A&M played 12 ranked teams last season and two already this year (Temple, Washington) ... the Aggies will play 5 other games against teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25 poll (Jan. 10), including Kansas (3rd), Texas (12th, 2 games), Missouri (15th) and Kansas State (21st).
Making a Stand
• A&M has held 9 of its 16 opponents under 38 percent shooting from the field ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 50-4 (10-0 this year) when their opponent shoots under 40 percent and are 80-20 (15-1) when they make under 50 percent.
• Only two of the Aggies' foes—Boston College (48.9%) and A&M-Corpus Christi (46.7%)—have shot better than 42 percent in a game this year.
• On the current 12-game win streak, opponents are being held to 37.1 percent shooting ... in the last 3 minutes of games on the win streak, the Aggie defense has held foes to 18.5 percent shooting (10-of-54) from the field.
• Texas A&M is 77-12 under Turgeon (15-1 this year) when opponents score under 70 points ... the high-water mark for an opponent this year is 67 points (Boston College, Nov. 25).
• A&M faced the nation's leading scorer, Nicholls State's Anatoly Bose (25.0 PPG), on Jan. 3 ... the Aggies held Bose to just 6 points on 1-of-12 shooting ... 4 of his 6 points came from the free-throw line ... Bose had hit double figures in 23 consecutive games dating back to last year and had not scored fewer than 15 points this season ... his only field goal came with just under 17 minutes left in the game.
• Texas A&M's defense, which had been strong all season, faced a tough test on Dec. 11 from the nation's best offense in Washington and shined brightly ... A&M held Washington, who entered the contest averaging 95.5 points per game, to a season-low 62 points ... the Aggies held the Huskies to a season-low 37.7 percent shooting (entered averaging 51.3%) ... A&M's defense allowed UW 6-of-22 (27.3%) shooting from the 3-point arc (entered averaging 47.5%) ... A&M forced Washington into a season-high 20 turnovers.
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
• In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Jan. 9), A&M ranked 2nd nationally in rebounding margin (+12.4), trailing only Pitt (13.8) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded every opponent this season ... the Aggies are 78-13 under Turgeon (14-1 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
• A&M also ranked 7th in the country in scoring defense (56.2 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (52.3).
• The Aggies are holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the floor, which ranks 13th nationally ... A&M ranks 26th nationally in 3-point field goal defense, with foes shooting just 29.2 percent from behind the arc.
Senior Watch
• A&M's senior class needs 11 more wins to become the winningest class in school history ... the Class of 2011 is 90-32 (.738) entering Saturday's game against Missouri, trailing only the 2010 (100-38, .725), 2009 (98-37, .726) and 2008 (95-37, .720) classes in the record books ... this year's group surpassed the 1982 (85-40, .680) squad with their 86th win, which came vs Wagner, on Dec. 21.
• 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.
Elite Poll Company
• Texas A&M (No. 18 football, No. 14 basketball) is one of only THREE schools nationally to be ranked in the top 20 in the latest AP poll in both football and men's hoops ... Ohio State (#2 MBB/#6 FB) and Missouri (#15 MBB/#14 FB) are the others.
• A&M (No. 18 football, No. 13 MBB, No. 7 WBB) is the ONLY school to be ranked in the top 20 in the latest AP poll in football, men's basketball and women's basketball.
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 four players averaging at least 9 points per game in Khris Middleton (15.0), David Loubeau (11.4), Nathan Walkup (10.3) and B.J. Holmes (9.3).
• A total of 8 players have combined for 50 double-figure outings thus far (Middleton 13, Holmes 9, Walkup 9, Loubeau 8, Hibbert 6, Roberson 5, Harris 1, Lewis 1) through the first 16 games.
Miscellaneous
• Mark Turgeon (88 wins) needs 3 more victories to pass D.X. Bible (90 in seven seasons) and become the third-winningest coach in school history ... Turgeon needs 5 more to eclipse Bob Rogers (92 in six seasons) as the second-winningest coach in A&M annals ... Shelby Metcalf (438 wins in 26 1/2 seasons) is the Aggies' all-time winningest coach.
• The Aggies out-rebounded Wagner by 27 (47-20) in an 86-51 win on Dec. 21 ... the 27-board advantage was A&M's largest since besting Louisiana-Monroe by 27 rebounds on January 3, 2004.
• Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 565-435 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 8.1 points into the locker room ... the Aggies have led at the break in 11 of 16 games and are 11-0 when ahead at the half.
• The Aggies dished out 20-plus assists in back-to-back games for the first time in the Mark Turgeon era in early December ... A&M had 21 against Pacific (Dec. 4) and added 20 in a win over Prairie View (Dec. 8) ... the last Aggie team to accomplish that feat was the 2006-07 squad.
• A&M hit 10-plus 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time in the Mark Turgeon era (10 vs Pacific, 11 vs Prairie View) ... the 2006-07 squad was the last to hit 10 or more 3-pointers in back-to-back games.
• Texas A&M was 0-for-8 from 3-point range against Washington (Dec. 11), snapping a streak of at least one 3-pointer in 310 consecutive games which dated back to Jan. 17, 2001 ... the Aggies still defeated UW, however, 63-62.
• A&M rebounded from a tough two-point loss to Boston College on Nov. 25 with a 29-point win over Manhattan the next day ... 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.
• Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (115-39, .747) ... the Aggies are 158-57 (.734) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
Up Next
• The Aggies will head to Austin Wednesday to face the rival and 14th-ranked Texas Longhorns (8 p.m., ESPN).
LAST TIME OUT: (#13) Texas A&M 71, Oklahoma State 48
COLLEGE STATION (Jan. 12)—Nathan Walkup and David Loubeau each scored 16 points and No. 13 Texas A&M extended its winning streak to 12 games with a 71-48 victory over Oklahoma State. The streak is the third-longest in Texas A&M history and leaves the Aggies without a loss since a 67-65 defeat by Boston College on Thanksgiving. The Aggies (15-1, 2-0 Big 12) led by six at halftime and didn't trail in the second half. The Cowboys cut the deficit to three points with about 15 minutes remaining, but the Aggies responded with an 8-1 run that included five points by Andrew Darko to push the lead to 51-41. Oklahoma State (13-3, 1-1) got 11 points from Ray Penn. Marshall Moses had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Walkup opened the second half with a 3-pointer and finished with four from long range to tie a career high. Texas A&M led by 14 with about 5 minutes left before Dash Harris grabbed a rebound on a missed 3-pointer by the Cowboys and took it back for a monster dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Harris clung to the rim to allow players to vacate the area, but nearly straddled Loubeau when he finally came down, with one of his legs landing over Loubeau's shoulder. That dunk was part of an 11-0 run that included a 3-pointer by Harris that stretched A&M's lead to 71-48. Oklahoma State's last points came on a jump shot by Moses with almost 6 minutes remaining and the Cowboys missed nine field goal attempts after that to finish with their fewest points this season. Their previous low came in a 56-51 loss to Virginia Tech. Jean-Paul Olukemi, the Big 12 rookie of the week last week, had a tough night. He scored just one point and fouled out with 6 minutes remaining. The Cowboys led by one after a dunk by Darrell Williams about 8 minutes before halftime. The Aggies used an 11-5 spurt in the next 4 minutes to take a 30-25 lead. Oklahoma State scored four straight points after that to close the gap to one before a 3-pointer by B.J. Holmes and a basket by Loubeau pushed A&M's lead to 35-29 at halftime.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "I didn't expect this. I thought Oklahoma State was potentially, and I still feel this way, the best team we've played all year. They have inside presence, shooters, they guard you. I just didn't expect this. I think (OSU) missed their last nine shots. It looks really good, 48 looks good, but they're better than that. We defend, we put a lot into it, we talk about it a lot. We weren't great rebounding, but our defense looked good tonight. I thought we did a great job on (Marshall) Moses. He had 12 (rebounds) and 10 (points), but I thought he earned every one of those points. I thought our post defense was good tonight. (This win) gives us confidence. I've been on these guys pretty hard, and I'll continue to do that, but it gives us confidence. It was great to see a lot of fans here, and we'll need it on Saturday. This was a smash mouth, who's tougher kind of game. What you see on Saturday will be more of the finesse game. Our guard play is going to have to be better."
Postgame Notes
• Texas A&M led the game, 43-40, with 15:08 to play ... the Aggies outscored OSU, 28-6, the rest of the way ... 6 of those final 8 Cowboy points came from the line, and the only field goal over the last 15 minutes was OSU's final points of the contest, with 5:41 remaining.
• Texas A&M is 2-0 in Big 12 play for just the second time in school history (2006-07).
• A&M extended its win streak to 12 games, the longest in 90 years and the third longest in school history (25, 1919-21 seasons and 20, 1914-16 seasons) ... it is also the longest win streak in Mark Turgeon's coaching career.
• With a 15-1 record, only one team in school history has had a better start than this year's Aggies (1919-20 team went 19-0) ... Turgeon's 2007-08 team is the only other one to open the year 15-1.
• Texas A&M has won 7 of the last 11 meetings with Oklahoma State.
• The 23-point Aggie win was the largest ever against OSU (previous high 20, 66-46 in 2007).
• The Aggies have won 28 of their last 29 home games, including 11 of their last 12 in Big 12 play ... A&M has won 25 straight home games against unranked opponents.
• Wednesday's crowd of 12,310 was the third-largest to watch a conference home opener in Texas A&M history (12,811 vs Texas, 1/12/05; 12,634 vs Colorado, 1/12/08).
• The Aggies' 27 points off turnovers was the third highest of the season and most since racking up 31 points off turnovers in the second game of the year, at A&M-Corpus Christi (11/15).
• A&M out-rebounded OSU, 34-28, and has out-rebounded every opponent this season.
• The Aggies held OSU to a season-low 48 points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: DEFENSE
Rebounding
• The Aggies out-rebounded Wagner by 27 (47-20) in an 86-51 win on Dec. 21 ... the 27-board advantage was A&M's largest since besting Louisiana-Monroe by 27 rebounds on January 3, 2004.
• In the latest NCAA rankings (released Monday), A&M ranked 2nd nationally in rebounding margin (+12.7), trailing only Pittsburgh ... the Aggies have out-rebounded every opponent this season ... the Aggies are 79-13 under Turgeon (15-1 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 three teams this year by 20 or more boards ... the Aggies beat Alcorn State on the glass by 20, A&M International by 25 and Wagner by 27 ... A&M did not out-rebound anyone last season by more than 18.
• Four players are averaging at least 4.4 rebounds per game—Nathan Walkup (6.1), David Loubeau (5.1), Khris Middleton (4.6) and Kourtney Roberson (4.4) ... it's early, but by comparison just two did so last season—Bryan Davis (8.1) and Loubeau (4.7).
Forcing Turnovers
• Texas A&M is averaging 16.8 points off turnovers per game ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 56-9 (10-0 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.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: OFFENSE
Fast-Paced Offense
• Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 565-435 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 8.1 points into the locker room ... the Aggies have led at the break in 11 of 16 games and are 11-0 when ahead at the half.
• Texas A&M is 38-2 under Mark Turgeon when scoring at least eight fast-break points (8-0 this year) ... the Aggies' 21 fast-break points against Prairie View (Dec. 8) were a season high.
• The Aggies are 25-3 under Turgeon (4-0 this year) when scoring at least 80 points and 56-5 (9-0) when scoring at least 70 ... A&M has scored 74 or more in 7 of its 15 wins this year.
• A&M is 70-11 under Turgeon when leading at halftime (11-0 this year), and 16-19 when trailing (4-1).
Sharing the Ball
• Texas A&M is averaging 15.3 assists per game this year, on pace for its highest average since the 2006-07 season.
• The Aggies dished out 20-plus assists in back-to-back games for the first time in the Mark Turgeon era ... A&M had 21 against Pacific (Dec. 4) and added 20 in a win over Prairie View (Dec. 8) ... the last Aggie team to accomplish that feat was the 2006-07 squad.
• Texas A&M dished out a season-high 21 assists in a win over Pacific (Dec. 4) ... it was the most in a game by an Aggie team since they totaled 21 in a 77-71 win over Kent State on Nov. 29, 2008.
From Way Downtown
• A&M hit 10-plus 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time in the Mark Turgeon era (10 vs Pacific, 11 vs Prairie View) ... the 2006-07 squad was the last to hit 10 or more 3-pointers in back-to-back games.
• Texas A&M was 0-for-8 from 3-point range against Washington (Dec. 11), snapping a streak of at least one 3-pointer in 310 consecutive games which dated back to Jan. 17, 2001 ... the Aggies still defeated UW, however, 63-62.
Make Shots, Win Games
• Texas A&M is 59-7 under Turgeon (9-1 this year) when hitting better than 45 percent from the field and a perfect 33-0 (3-0) when hitting at 50 percent or higher.
Strong Down Low
• Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in the paint in three games this year ... A&M did so just four times last year ... this season, the Aggies are averaging 30.6 points down low (28.6 average in 2009-10).
• Under Turgeon, A&M is 83-24 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (13-1 this year).
Take Another Chance
• The Aggies are averaging 15.4 second-chance points through 15 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.
TURGEON QUOTEBOARD (1/10 press conference)
You commented heading in to the Oklahoma game that you weren’t sure what you had. Now after the OU game, where do you think things stand?
• “We just didn’t perform very well for two games, that’s why I felt that way. We practiced better. We played well Saturday, but it’s just one game. Hopefully we learned from it. We learned a lot from the film of the game--different ways they guarded us, different things they did, different things we did defensively--so hopefully we’ll mature from it and continue to get better. That’s the key. Sometimes with this group it’s been inconsistent, but hopefully they’re ready to grow up some and keep getting better the rest of the season.”
Does it help when you have the week of practice you did and the team sees the results on the court?
• “Yeah, no question. It helps, like you said. They worked really hard. Sometimes people get caught up in the records, but I get caught up with how were playing. So they were struggling with me a little bit last week, but the results were definitely there. We just did a lot of little things that made us look more like a team and act more like a team. Not just Xs and Os, and what happens X-and-O wise, but in being a team and being a good teammate we did a lot of good things too.”
On the team “flying under the radar” nationally so to speak up to this point…
• “To me we haven’t really started yet. I know we have some good wins out there, but I told the players that. When the league starts, that’s kind of when you make a name for yourself. I think that’s what everyone’s kind of waiting to see on us, (to see) if we are any good. We beat a really good Temple team, beat a really good Washington team, and beat an Arkansas team who played really well that day. So now they’re just waiting to see if we can continue to do it. That’s kind of where we are. I think people are aware of us and what we’re doing and what we’ve done.”
On the 11-game win streak matching the longest of his career…
• “Well, I don’t look at it as a winning streak. I look at it is as how we’re playing. I enjoy it when we play well like we did against Oklahoma. That’s kind of how I’ve judged it. But if you’d have told me before the year we’d be where we are today, I’d have never thought that’s where we’d be. So I’m happy with what we’ve done and where we are, but the exciting thing for me is I just think we can get a lot better. We’ve learned to play a lot of different ways. We’ve played fast, we’ve played slow. We’ve played big, we’ve played small. We’ve played with experience, we’ve played with youth. That’s exciting to me. The thing I’m excited about is you’re seeing tiny steps out of the Naji Hibberts, the Dash Harris’s, the Ray Turners, the Kourtney Robersons, and they’re making our team better. If those guys can continue to improve with the leadership we’ve had from the upperclassmen, then we can get better and have an exciting year.”
In what area has the team exceeded your expectations the most this year?
• “Just winning. And as you guys know I’m on them hard. It’s been a tough team to coach at certain times, but just winning close games and continuing to stick together and figuring out ways to do it. That’s probably why we’re where we are to this point. Nate’s (Walkup) had a fantastic year so far. B.J. (Holmes) is having a great senior year so far. And then our young kids have played better than I’ve expected. Naji Hibbert—he’s come a long ways, just in the last month or six weeks. So you know, it’s exciting, and that’s allowed us to be where we are today. With that said, there are a lot of really talented teams in our league and we have to play well on game day to win.”
Is it hard to keep the team balanced and grounded?
• “No. So far no, we’ll see. We’ve got a tough week ahead of us. They really practiced hard last week. And you know, you look at it, we’ve played three or four or five teams, and the other games we were scheduled to win. Our players understand that and our coaches understand that. We’re not really caught up in ourselves. We know the rankings right now are about the schedule you’ve played and that the ball’s bounced your way. But we know the way we’re really going to be judged is how we play over the next eight weeks. We understand that. And we’ve been there before. My first year we were 15-1 and we had to win at Baylor to get in the NCAA Tournament. We were 13-1 our second year and we were 3-7 in the league. So it can change quickly. We’ve learned from those experiences more than anything else we’ve talked about. And I think we’re more mature and we’re much further along of where we want to be, and in consistency, and how we’re going to play, and that type of thing. But it can change quickly and we understand that. So we stay pretty focused.”
On the next stretch of games being a big judge of where the team is…
• “I want to see truly where we are. I think Oklahoma State’s phenomenal. They had a game that they lost, Virginia Tech, that they probably should have won. They were ahead seven with about four to go, and had a tough break. Something happened, or they’d be like 15-1 or whatever and they’d be ranked too. I think they’re really good. Then you play a Missouri team that’s ranked, then a Texas team that’s ranked, then a Kansas state team that’s ranked. So it’ll be good for me to see where we really are. I know we’ve beat some good teams, but consistently for four straight games to do that…we’ll see how tough we are and what we’re all about.”
TURGEON QUOTEBOARD (OSU POSTGAME)
On the win over OSU...
"I didn't expect this. I thought Oklahoma State was potentially, and I still feel this way, the best team we've played all year. They have inside presence, shooters, they guard you. I just didn't expect this."
On Nathan Walkup as a mismatch...
"They had a big guy on him, and it was hard for them to chase. They made adjustments, took some things away on screens in the second half, but Nate took advantage of it when he could. It's good to see Nate knocking down some shots."
On limiting OSU to such low scoring...
"I think they missed their last nine shots. It looks really good, 48 looks good, but they're better than that. We defend, we put a lot into it, we talk about it a lot. We weren't great rebounding, but our defense looked good tonight."
On defending Marshall Moses...
"I thought we did a great job on Moses. He had 12 (rebounds) and 10 (points), but I thought he earned every one of those points. I thought our post defense was good tonight."
On the bench's play...
"I thought Darko's three was huge. Things weren't falling for us, and he came in and made that shot. It got the crowd going, and really there was no looking back after that."
On what this game gives going into Missouri...
"It gives us confidence. I've been on these guys pretty hard, and I'll continue to do that, but it gives us confidence. It was great to see a lot of fans here, and we'll need it on Saturday. This was a smash mouth, who's tougher kind of game. What you see on Saturday will be more of the finesse game. Our guard play is going to have to be better."
On whether he expected the team to play so well...
"No, especially because of the way we played over Christmas. I just got caught up in how we play, and I thought tonight, second half, we really defended and did a good job."
On Middleton being limited...
"Khris was cramping up early, so we played most of the second half without him. They did a good job on him, they're physical. We'll get fluids in him and he'll be good to go."
