COLLEGE STATION, TX -- No. 22 Texas A&M closes out the road portion of its Big 12 schedule on Wednesday night when the Aggies (22-6, 9-5) head to Lawrence to face No. 2 Kansas (27-2, 12-2). Tipoff at Allen Fieldhouse is set for 8 p.m. and the game will air nationally on ESPN2.
A&M can clinch third place in the conference and the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with a victory. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, can clinch a share of the Big 12 title with a win.
(#22/24) Texas A&M AGGIES (22-6, 9-5)
at (#2/2) Kansas JAYHAWKS (27-2, 12-2)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 • 8:05 PM (CT) • TV: ESPN2 HD
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) • Lawrence, Kansas
TELEVISION: ESPN2 HD
Mark Jones, Play-by-Play
Hubert Davis, 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 122/XM 143 (Kansas broadcast only)
Series: Kansas leads, 16-1
Current Win Streak: Kansas, 4 games
In Lawrence: Kansas leads, 6-1
At Allen Fieldhouse: Kansas leads, 6-1
In College Station: Kansas leads, 7-0
At Reed Arena: Kansas leads, 6-0
At Neutral Sites: Kansas leads, 3-0
At Big 12 Tournament: Kansas leads, 2-0
Longest A&M Win Streak: 1 game
Longest Kansas Win Streak: 11 games
Largest A&M Win: 69-66 (2006-07)
Largest Kansas Win: 85-45 (2002-03)
Mark Turgeon vs. Kansas: 0-5
Bill Self vs. A&M: 8-1
Last Meeting: Kansas, 59-54 (Feb. 15, 2010 in College Station)
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 22-6, 9-5 Big 12
Ranking: 22nd (USAT/ESPN), 24th (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 29 / 33
Streak: Lost 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 6-4
Away from Home: 8-4
Last Game: lost to Baylor (A), 58-51 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ‘87)
Record: 248-156 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 95-37 (4th year)
vs. Kansas: 0-5
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 4.3 2.5 3.2 28 / 27.6
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.2 4.9 0.4 28 / 25.7
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 9.5 2.9 3.1 28 / 29.8
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 14.6 5.2 3.0 28 / 29.4
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 9.7 5.8 1.3 28 / 24.4
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Record: 27-2, 12-2 Big 12
Ranking: 2nd (USAT/ESPN), 2nd (AP)
NCAA RPI / Sagarin Rating: 2 / 2
Streak: Won 3
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 9-1
At Home: 15-1
Last Game: def. Oklahoma (A), 82-70 (Saturday)
Head Coach: Bill Self (Oklahoma State '85)
Record: 436-150 (18th year)
at Kansas: 229-45 (8th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 8-1
Kansas Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
12 Brady Morningstar G 6-4 185 Sr. 6.5 1.9 3.1 29 / 27.4
14 Tyrel Reed G 6-3 193 Sr. 9.8 2.9 1.9 29 / 27.4
15 Elijah Johnson G 6-4 195 So. 3.9 1.4 2.0 27 / 13.8
21 Markieff Morris F 6-10 245 Jr. 13.6 8.4 1.2b 29 / 24.1
22 Marcus Morris F 6-9 235 Jr. 17.3 6.9 1.4 29 / 27.2
About Kansas (27-2, 12-2)
• Kansas is 27-2 on the year and ranked second nationally in both polls ... the Jayhawks are tied for first in the Big 12 with a 12-2 record ... KU has won three straight after suffering its second loss of the year, on "Big Monday" at Kansas State on Feb. 14 ... the Jayhawks are 15-1 at Allen Fieldhouse this season.
• Kansas returns 14 letterwinners and two starters from a 2009-10 team that went 33-3 and won the Big 12 Championship with a 15-1 mark ... KU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... Bill Self (Oklahoma State '85) is in his eighth season in Lawrence with a record of 229-45 and has 436 career victories in 18 years as a head coach.
Sidebars
• A Kansas native, A&M 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 Turgeon at point guard and current KU Coach Bill Self 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, which included the Jayhawks' runner-up finish to Duke in the 1991 NCAA Tournament.
• Turgeon still ranks 11th in KU history in career assists with 437. He and KU assistant coach Danny Manning were teammates for three years.
• Kansas freshman Josh Selby and Aggie sophomore Naji Hibbert were teammates for several seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Baltimore.
A&M/KANSAS RECAPS
Last Time They Met: (#1) Kansas 79, (#23) Texas A&M 66
KANSAS CITY (March 12, 2010)—Xavier Henry scored 11 points in a stunning 21-2 run that broke a tight game wide open and carried No. 1 Kansas past No. 23 Texas A&M 79-66 in a rough-and-tumble Big 12 semifinal. Texas A&M (23-9) led by as many as nine points early in the second half while the regular-season Big 12 champion Jayhawks (31-2) fouled and fumbled and committed turnover after turnover. But the Aggies, who outplayed Kansas throughout the first half, ran into a sudden field goal drought that lasted more than 8 minutes and Kansas suddenly could hardly miss. Sherron Collins had six of his 26 points in the big run that made Kansas 16-1 all-time against the Aggies and sent them into the finals against the winner between No. 9 Kansas State and No. 21 Baylor. Donald Sloan, playing in his school-record 136th game, hit a jumper at the 8:52 mark that put the Aggies on top 57-56. But A&M didn't have another bucket until Sloan connected with 45.8 seconds left. Sloan led the Aggies with 24 points. Marcus Morris, the Jayhawks' third-leading scorer, picked up his fourth foul with 11:58 to play and the Aggies holding a 51-48 lead. Less than a minute later, Cole Aldrich went to the bench with his third. With Morris and Aldrich both on the bench and A&M leading 55-51, Kansas coach Bill Self went with a small lineup with only one player over 6-foot-6. Henry immediately drained a 3-pointer that ignited the game-turning run that gave Bill Self his 200th win as coach of the Jayhawks, one game after the storied program recorded all-time win No. 2,000. Texas A&M, a 59-54 loser at home to Kansas in February, also got 14 points from Khris Middleton and 12 from B.J. Holmes. Henry had 15 points and Markieff Morris had 10 while Cole Aldrich, plagued by turnovers in the first half had nine points and nine rebounds. The Aggies took advantage of an uncharacteristic 12 turnovers by Kansas to seize a 38-35 halftime lead.
Last Year: (#1) Kansas 59, (#24) Texas A&M 54
COLLEGE STATION (Feb. 15, 2010)—Xavier Henry scored 12 points, including several free throws down the stretch, to help top-ranked Kansas escape with a 59-54 win over No. 24 Texas A&M. It's the 11th consecutive victory for Kansas (25-1, 11-0 Big 12) and breaks a 16-game home winning streak for Texas A&M (18-7, 7-4). Kansas trailed for much of the second half and was behind by four before going on a 7-2 run, capped by a free throw by Henry, to take a 55-54 lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. The Jayhawks pushed the lead to 57-54 moments later when Bryan Davis was called for goaltending on a shot by Cole Aldrich.Henry hit two more free throws with about 30 seconds remaining to seal the win. Marcus Morris and Aldrich added 12 points apiece for Kansas. Texas A&M was led by David Loubeau's 17 points and Donald Sloan had 15.
Last Time in Lawrence: Kansas 73, Texas A&M 53
LAWRENCE (Jan. 18, 2009)—Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich each had 16 points and Kansas downed Texas A&M 73-53, stretching its home winning streak to 35 in a row. The Jayhawks (14-4, 3-0 Big 12) haven't lost in Allen Fieldhouse since Texas A&M beat them 69-66 on Feb. 3, 2007. The Aggies (15-4, 1-3) are still the only Big 12 South team to win in Lawrence since the conference was formed in 1996. Tayshawn Taylor and Mario Little each hit their first four shots as the Jayhawks roared to a big early lead, which reached 16-4 when Collins drove in for a layup at the 14:49 mark. Little, coming off the bench, scored seven straight points and helped put the Jayhawks on top 40-23 at halftime. Little wound up with 15 points and Marcus Morris had 10. Bryan Davis and B.J. Holmes each had eight points for the Aggies, whose 20 turnovers were almost twice their season average.
GAME NOTES
Aggie Trends
• Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have won 13 of their last 16 games following a loss.
• Texas A&M is 14-1 this season when leading (or tied) heading in to the locker room ... the Aggies have overcome halftime deficits 7 times.
• The Aggies are a perfect 18-0 this year when having the lead with 5 minutes to play.
• A&M is 21-3 this year (86-22 all-time under Turgeon) when it holds foes to under 50 percent shooting ... 20-2 (78-14 under Turgeon) when the Aggies hold opponents to under 45 percent from the floor ... and 12-0 (52-4 under Turgeon) when foes shoot less than 40 percent.
• One of A&M's goals every game is to make more free throws than the opponent shoots, which emphasizes the need to get to the charity stripe ... this year, that strategy has proven true, as the Aggies are 19-1 when they shoot more free throws then their opponents.
• Texas A&M has emerged victorious in 20 of 23 games this year where the Aggies win the rebounding battle.
• Turgeon has called this one of the best passing teams he's ever had ... when Texas A&M totals 10 or more assists, the team is 21-2 this year.
• The Aggies are 20-4 this year (82-15 all-time under Turgeon) when holding foes to under 70 points.
• Four of A&M's 6 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 15.3 points off turnovers per game ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 57-12 (12-3 this year) when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.
• Texas A&M is averaging 13.6 assists per game this year, on pace for its highest average since the 2006-07 season.
• Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in the paint in four games this year ... under Turgeon, A&M is 90-27 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (20-4 this year).
• The Aggies are averaging 13.4 second-chance points through 25 games (10.9 per game last year).
• Three players are averaging at least 4.9 rebounds per game—Nathan Walkup (5.8), Khris Middleton (5.2) and David Loubeau (4.9) ... by comparison just one did so last season—Bryan Davis (8.1).
• Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (122-43, .739) ... the Aggies are 165-61 (.730) since the beginning of the '04-05 campaign.
• A&M shot 48.4 percent (122-for-252) on its 5-game win streak (Feb. 9-23).
Late-Season Surge
• Over the last three Big 12 seasons (2009-11), Texas A&M is a combined 17-5 in the back half of the Big 12 schedule (final 8 games of each year) ... the Aggies closed league play 6-2 in 2009, 6-2 in 2010 and are currently 5-1 in 2011 with 2 games remaining.
Emerging Big 12 Power
• Texas A&M opened the 2009 Big 12 campaign with a 3-7 record ... from that point on (starting with an 81-66 win over Texas on Feb. 16 of that year), the Aggies have posted a 26-10 Big 12 record (6-0 to close 2009, 11-5 in 2010 and 9-5 in 2011) ... it's the second-best record over that span among conference teams, trailing only Kansas (32-4).
• Texas A&M recorded its 9th Big 12 victory against Oklahoma (Feb. 23), assuring the Aggies of a winning league season ... it is A&M's third consecutive winning season in Big 12 play ... Mark Turgeon is the first coach in program history to guide the Aggies to three consecutive winning campaigns in Big 12 action ... A&M finished 9-7 in 2009 and 11-5 last year.
• The 9 Big 12 wins is already the fourth highest total in school history, with 3 games remaining (13 in 2007, 11 in 2010, 10 in 2006).
• Texas A&M won its fifth straight Big 12 game with a victory over Oklahoma (Feb. 23), matching the third-longest Big 12 win streak in school history ... it is already the fifth time under Mark Turgeon that an Aggie team won at least 4 Big 12 games in a row ... before Turgeon arrived in Aggieland, a Big 12 win streak of at least 4 games had happened just three times in school history.
LONGEST BIG 12 WINNING STREAKS, A&M HISTORY
Year Wins
1. 2006 7
2. 2009 6
3. 2011 5
2008 5
2007 5
• 2011 is the seventh consecutive year that the Aggies have won at least 8 Big 12 games ... A&M had never won more than 6 Big 12 games prior to 2005.
• The Aggies won 4 of their first 5 Big 12 games, matching the 2006-07 team for the best Big 12 start in school history.
• Texas A&M matched its best-ever finish in Big 12 play last season, tying for second place with an 11-5 record ... it was the Aggies' second-best record in league history, trailing only the 2006-07 squad (13-3) ... A&M was 7-1 at home and 4-4 on the road in conference tilts in 2010.
• The Aggies have won 48 Big 12 games since the start of the 2007 league season ... prior to that, A&M had totaled only 43 victories in the first 10 years of Big 12 play.
• 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.
Racking Up the Ws
• Texas A&M has reached the 22-win mark for just the eighth time in the program's 99-year history ... the Aggies' 22 victories rank seventh all-time, and is five shy of the record (27), set in the 2006-07 Sweet 16 season.
MOST SINGLE-SEASON WINS, A&M HISTORY
Year Wins
1. 2006-07 27
2. 1979-80 26
3. 2007-08 25
4. 1978-79 24
2008-09 24
2009-10 24
7. 2010-11 22
2005-06 22
• With a 71-66 win over Iowa State on Feb. 16, Texas A&M secured its seventh consecutive 20-win season ... before this stretch, which started with the 2004-05 season, Aggie basketball had six 20-win seasons in its entire history ... A&M's other 20-win campaigns were in 1974-75, 1975-76, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82 and 1985-86.
• Mark Turgeon recorded his fourth straight 20-win season at A&M … Turgeon is the only coach in school history to record 4 straight 20-win campaigns … he has led his teams to at least 20 wins in now 7 of the last 8 seasons ... only the legendary Shelby Metcalf (6) has more 20-win seasons to his name in Aggie history.
• A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last seven seasons.
Down to the Wire
• Texas A&M is 7-2 this year in "last possession" games (3 or fewer points, or OT) ... the Aggies have a 1-point win over Washington (63-62), a 1-point win at Oklahoma State (67-66), a 2-point win over Missouri (91-89), and 3-point wins over Temple (54-51), Colorado (73-70) and Texas Tech (70-67) ... the Aggies took Arkansas to overtime before emerging victorious, 71-62 ... A&M's 2-point losses this year came to Boston College (65-67) and Baylor (74-76).
• Overall, A&M is 8-2 this year in games decided by fewer than 5 points ... and 11-4 this year in games decided by fewer than 10 points.
Protecting the Ball
• Texas A&M has done a good job limiting turnovers in conference play ... the Aggies have committed just 161 turnovers (11.5 per game) in Big 12 play, fewest in the league ... A&M, which averaged 14 turnovers per game in non-conference play, has committed 357 on the entire season, the third fewest of any Big 12 team (Colorado 350, Texas 355).
• A&M is averaging 7.1 turnovers in the first half against Big 12 foes ... A&M averages just 4.4 turnovers the rest of the game (including overtime).
• The Aggies have allowed Big 12 opponents 108 first-half points off turnovers, but just 61 the rest of the way.
TURNOVER TOTALS, BIG 12 GAMES
Category 1H Total 1H Avg. 2H Total* 2H Avg.*
Turnovers 99 7.1 62 4.4
Opponent Pts off TOs 108 7.7 61 4.4
* includes overtime periods
Road Warriors
• Texas A&M is 8-4 away from Reed Arena this season ... in those games, the Aggies are holding opponents to 61.7 points and 42.0 percent shooting per game ... A&M has out-rebounded teams away from home this year by an average of 5.9 boards (34.4-29.5).
• The Aggies have won 14 of their last 21 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of last season ... three of those seven 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) and most recently at Baylor (58-51).
• Mark Turgeon has won more Big 12 road games (15) than any Aggie coach in the 15-year history of the league.
• A&M's Big 12 wins this year have come in some very tough venues ... Oklahoma was unbeaten (8-0) at Lloyd Noble before the Aggies took a league-opening win in Norman ... both Colorado (12-1) and Oklahoma State (11-1) had experienced just one loss before Texas A&M earned victories on those trips.
BIG 12 ROAD WARRIORS
Opponent Home Record* Losses* Final Score
Oklahoma (1/8) 8-0 — 69-51
Colorado (2/8) 12-1 Kansas 73-70
Texas Tech (2/12) 10-5 TCU, N Mex, BU, TEX, KU 70-67
Oklahoma State (2/19) 11-1 Texas 67-66
* entering A&M game
• The Aggies' road losses in Big 12 play this year have come at Texas (Jan. 19), Nebraska (Jan. 29) and Baylor (Feb. 26) ... those two teams are a combined 47-5 at home this year (combined 17-4 in Big 12 play).
• A&M's Big 12 road record (4-3) trails only Kansas (6-1) and Texas (5-2) ... the Aggies, Horns and Jayhawks are a combined 15-6 away from home in league play, while the other nine teams are a combined 11-52.
Turgeon Ranks No. 2 in Aggieland
• Mark Turgeon (95 wins) passed Bob Rogers (92 in six seasons) as the second-winningest coach in school history with a Feb. 16 win over Iowa State ... the win was also the 20th of the season for the Aggies, making Turgeon the first ever coach to lead A&M to 4 straight 20-win seasons ... Shelby Metcalf (438 wins in 26 1/2 seasons) is the Aggies' all-time winningest coach.
WINNINGEST COACHES, SCHOOL HISTORY
Coach Wins Seasons Years
1. Shelby Metcalf 438 28 ½ 1964-90
2. Mark Turgeon 95 3+ 2007-
3. Bob Rogers 92 6 1958-63
4. D.X. Bible 90 7 1921-29
5. Tony Barone 76 7 1991-98
Big 12 Bits
• Texas A&M ranks second in scoring defense for both the entire season (60.5 ppg) and Big 12 play (64.4) ... the Aggies are second in league play in turnover margin (+1.3).
• For the entire season, the Aggies lead the league in rebounding defense (29.5/game) ... are second in scoring defense (60.5) ... third in offensive rebounds (12.9) and 3-point FG defense (31.7% by foes) ... and fourth in scoring margin (+8.9).
• Senior BJ Holmes ranks third in the Big 12 over the whole season in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0).
Let's Keep Playing
• Texas A&M has already played a school-record 4 overtime games this year, and is 3-1 in those contests.
• The Aggies have set a school record with 3 OT wins this season.
• Texas A&M's back-to-back OT games with Baylor (Feb. 5) and Colorado (Feb. 9) marked just the third time in school history the Aggies have played consecutive overtime games ... the most recent came in the fall of 2003, when A&M went extra with Grambling (2OT) and Houston (OT) ... the only other time it has occurred in school history was in 1984 (SMU and TCU).
• A&M's 73-70 win at Colorado on Feb. 9 was the Aggies' first overtime win on the road since an 86-78 win at Alabama in the fall of 2008.
• The victory in Boulder marked only the Aggies' second road OT victory in Big 12 history ... the other came at Iowa State in 2006 (86-81) ... A&M is 4-7 all-time in Big 12 overtime games (2-4 home, 2-3 away).
Locking it Down
• The Aggies have used quite a few key defensive showings en route to a 22-6 record ... a look at some of the defensive efforts that have led to victories so far this season:
A&M'S LATE-GAME DEFENSIVE STANDS
Opponent Clock Situation Opponent rest of game Result Notable
Texas Tech 3:33 left down 2 (65-63) 1 FG, 0 FT W, 70-67 layup came with :10 left & 3-pt lead
Colorado 3:29 left down 6 (58-52) 0/3 FG, 2/2 FT (reg/OT) W, 73-70 (OT) CU 3-16 (19%) from field over span
Kansas State 4:55 left tied (48-48) 2 FG, 2 FT W, 64-56 late 3-ptr came with :12 left & 9-pt lead
Missouri 1:35 left-OT down 2 (87-85) 1 FG, 0 FT W, 91-89 (OT) MU's bucket came on tip-in at end of game
Oklahoma St. 15:08 left up 3 (43-40) 1 FG, 6 FT W, 71-48 OSU scoreless over final 5:41
Nicholls St. 4:09 left up 9 (62-53) 0 FG, 2 FT W, 66-55
McNeese St. 3:43 left up 3 (56-53) 2 FG, 0 FT W, 66-57 last MSU FG came w/:00.1 left in game
Arkansas 6:42 left down 6 (58-52) 0 FG, 2 FT W, 71-62 (OT) UA also scoreless in OT until layup w/:16 left
Washington 5:02 left up 5 (61-56) 2 FG, 2 FT W, 63-62
Pacific 5:19 left up 9 (63-54) 1 FG, 2 FT W, 79-59 FG was 3-pointer with :06 left in game
SFA 3:00 left up 7 (57-50) 1 FG, 0 FT W, 62-53
Temple 6:42 left down 1 (47-46) 1 FG, 2 FT W, 54-51
Manhattan 12:49 left up 5 (43-38) 2 FG, 3 FT W, 74-45
• In the last 3 minutes of games this season, the Aggie defense has held foes to 28.8 percent shooting (42-of-146) from the field and 23.7 percent (14-of-59) 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.
Reed Arena Struggles for Foes
• A&M is 14-2 at home this year, a feat due in no small part to the Aggies' defensive effort all season long ... opponents are shooting 40.4 percent inside Reed and averaging 59.6 points per game.
• Only 3 teams have shot better than 45 percent on A&M's home floor—Missouri (52.2), Baylor (51.8) and Texas (50.0).
• Only 2 teams have scored more than 70 points at Reed, with both games going to OT—Missouri (89) and Baylor (76).
Home, Sweet Home
• A&M has won 32 of its last 35 home games, including 15 of its last 18 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 45-5 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with an 18-5 mark in conference games ... those 4 losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5), Baylor and Kansas State.
• The Aggies are 79-8 (.908) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 111-14 (.888) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
• A&M has won 27 of its last 28 home games against unranked opponents (11 of last 12 in Big 12 play) ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 50-4 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 15-4 mark against unranked Big 12 teams.
• The Aggies are the only Big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last six consecutive seasons.
• A&M is 153-56 (.732) in its 13th season at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 112-15 since.
• The Aggies have won 60 straight non-conference games at Reed Arena ... the streak dates back to the start of the 2005-06 season and includes wins over Arizona, Alabama, LSU and Washington, among others ... the last home non-conference loss for the Aggies was to St. Joseph's (58-51) in the 2005 NIT quarterfinals ... A&M is 92-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.911).
• Texas A&M has won 73 consecutive regular-season non-conference home games ... the last non-conference team to beat the Aggies at Reed Arena was Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (82-80) in 2003.
• Texas A&M broke its home attendance record three times in 2010, including the current mark of 13,717 vs. Texas (Feb. 27) ... A&M sold out four games, topping the 13,000 mark in each game ... the Aggies' season average of 9,889 ranked second on the school chart behind the record of 10,343 set in Turgeon's first season in 2007-08 ... A&M has posted its top five single game marks, and two of the top three season averages, under Turgeon.
• The top 20 single-game attendance marks in A&M history have been set since the start of the 2005-06 season ... the top 15 non-conference attendance marks also have been set in that time span.
Aggies in the NCAA Rankings
• In the latest NCAA rankings (as of Feb. 28), A&M ranked 13th nationally in rebounding margin (+7.2) ... the Aggies have out-rebounded 21 of 26 opponents this season ... A&M is 83-13 under Turgeon (19-2 this year) when matching or out-rebounding their foes.
• A&M also ranked 15th in the country in scoring defense (60.5 ppg) ... Stephen F. Austin, whom the Aggies beat at Reed Arena on Dec. 2, leads the nation (56.0).
Success Against Ranked Teams
• The Aggies are 4-2 this season against ranked opponents, picking up a 54-51 win over Temple (No. 20 USAT/ESPN, No. 21 AP) on Nov. 28 at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, a 63-62 win over Washington (No. 21 AP, No. 22 USAT/ESPN) on Dec. 11 at Reed Arena, a 91-89 home victory over Missouri (No. 12 USAT/ESPN, No. 15 AP) on Jan. 15, and a 64-56 defeat of Kansas State (No. 24 USAT/ESPN) on Jan. 22 ... the Aggies' only losses have come to Texas.
• Texas A&M has the second most ranked wins (4) in the Big 12, behind Texas (6).
• The four wins against ranked opponents ties for the second-most in school history and is one shy of the all-time record, held by the 1978-79 team (5) ... both last year's squad and the 2006-07 Sweet 16 team had 4 wins vs ranked foes.
MOST TOP-25 WINS, SCHOOL HISTORY
Season Wins Teams (ranking)
1. 1978-79 5 Indiana (10), UNLV (15), USF (19), Kentucky (11), Arkansas (11)
2. 2010-11 4 Temple (20), Washington (21), Missouri (12), K-State (24)
2009-10 4 Clemson (19), Minnesota (16), Baylor (20), Texas (21)
2006-07 4 Oklahoma St (12), Kansas (6), Texas (25), Louisville (16)
5. 2005-06 3 Colorado (25), Texas (6), Syracuse (21)
Senior Watch
• A&M's senior class needs 6 more wins to become the winningest class in school history ... the Class of 2011 matched the Class of '08 (95-37, .720) with victory No. 95 against Oklahoma (Feb. 23) ... it is just the fourth class in school history to total at least 90 victories ... the Class of 2011 is 95-37 (.720) entering Wednesday's game against Kansas, trailing only the 2010 (100-38, .725), and 2009 (98-37, .726) classes in the record books.
• An NCAA bid would make the 2011 seniors just the third class in school history to advance to four NCAA Tournaments, joining those from the Classes of 2009 and 2010.
Balancing Act
• The loss of A&M's top three scorers from last year (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 9.5 points per game or more in Khris Middleton (14.6), David Loubeau (11.2), Nathan Walkup (9.7) and B.J. Holmes (9.5).
• A total of 9 players have combined for 84 double-figure outings (Middleton 24, Holmes 15, Walkup 15, Loubeau 14, Hibbert 6, Roberson 6, Harris 2, Turner 1, Lewis 1) through 28 games.
Hot Start
• Texas A&M matched the best 20-game start in school history with a 17-3 record to open the year.
BEST 20-GAME STARTS, SCHOOL HISTORY
Season 20-Gm Record Final Record Postseason
1. 2010-11 17-3 ?? ??
2006-07 17-3 27-7 NCAA Sweet 16
1959-60 17-3 19-5 —
4. 2007-08 16-4 25-11 NCAA 2nd Round
1978-79 16-4 24-9 NIT Final 6
1975-76 16-4 21-6 —
7. 2008-09 15-5 24-10 NCAA 2nd Round
2004-05 15-5 21-10 NIT Quarterfinals
1979-80 15-5 26-8 NCAA Sweet 16
• Mark Turgeon's 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's coaching career, as his 2006-07 Wichita State team won its first 11 games of the season ... it was the third time a Turgeon-coached A&M team has won at least eight straight games (13 games, 2010-11; 10 games, 2008-09; 8 games, 2007-08).
• Over the 13-game win streak, Aggie foes averaged just under 55 points per game and were out-rebounded by a margin of 10.4 boards ... a closer look at the numbers:
WIN STREAK STATS
Category
A&M Points/Game 72.2
Opponent Points/Game 57.4
Margin of Victory +14.8
Opponent FG Pct. .386
Opponent 3-Pt FG Pct. .286
Rebound Margin +10.4
Opp. Combined Record (as of 1/17) 127-88 (.591)
• Every Aggie opponent on the 13-game streak was held under its season average (not counting overtime periods) ... in addition, only two teams on the streak shot better than their season average (Missouri and Pacific).
• In the last 3 minutes of games on the win streak, the Aggie defense held foes to 24.2 percent (16-of-66) from the field.
Cracking the Top 10
• Texas A&M earned its first top-10 ranking in over three years this month, checking in at No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll (Jan. 17) ... the last time the Aggies sat in the national top 10 was on Nov. 26, 2007, when they were ranked ninth in both major polls.
• It also marked just the fifth time in school history that a Texas A&M team has broken the top 10 in a season, joining the 1959-60, 2006-07 and 2007-08 squads ... A&M's school-record ranking in the polls is No. 6, set in the 2006-07 season.
Up Next
• Texas A&M will play its final regular-season game on Saturday against Texas Tech (12:45 p.m., Big 12 Network) ... the Aggies will honor their five seniors (Marshall Carrell, Andrew Darko, BJ Holmes, Derrek Lewis, Nathan Walkup) prior to tipoff.
LAST TIME OUT: Baylor 58, (#17) Texas A&M 51
WACO, Texas (Feb. 26)—LaceDarius Dunn and Perry Jones scored 16 points each and Baylor beat No. 17 Texas A&M 58-51 on Saturday night. Quincy Acy added 10 points for the Bears (18-10, 7-7 Big 12), who took a 76-74 overtime win in College Station on Feb. 5, the last loss before Texas A&M went on a five-game win streak. Baylor led 41-32 with 10:29 left before Texas A&M went on a 7-0 run. Dunn then took over, hitting two 3-pointers, a pair of free throws after an intentional foul by David Lebeau, and two more foul shots for a 53-43 lead. Two free throws by Acy with 1:58 left made it 55-43, the largest lead of the game. Khris Middleton had 12 points and 9 rebounds for the Aggies (22-6, 9-5). Loubeau scored 14. The Bears finally got things going offensively in the second half, and Dunn's 3-pointer with 8:53 to play gave him a basket from long range in 42 consecutive games, a school record and the third-longest streak in Big 12 history.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: ""I thought Baylor was great again. Baylor really plays well against Texas A&M and they did this year in both games. Their zone was fantastic. It felt like they had six guys out there, and they were everywhere. Our zone attack wasn't very good. It was good early and it wasn't very good the rest of the way. I didn't think we played very smart against the zone. It's hard to put pressure on a team when you can't score. I was surprised we shot 35 percent to be honest with you; it didn't feel like it. We didn't get to the free throw line and when we did we didn't make free throws. (LaceDarius) Dunn made a big shot, which he's been doing his whole career. Our kids fought hard. We really defended and tried hard defensively. We just were so bad offensively, we couldn't overcome it."
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.
TURGEON QUOTEBOARD (2/28 press conference)
How much time have you spent looking back and thinking about the zone? Not necessarily Baylor, but the fact that you may figure to see it again down the road?
• “Well, I don’t think we’ll see a zone that good. That zone was fantastic the other night. They played with great energy and great length, and it was their night. We’ve moved forward, just like when we do when we win, we move forward when we lose. If we see a zone again hopefully we’ll do a better job with it and hopefully I’ll do a better job coaching our guys against it.”
What did you learn from it? Can you tell us what you saw on the film?
• “Well, when you can’t make a jump shot, and you can’t finish at the rim and you don’t make free throws, it’s pretty hard to score. So with that said, we didn’t play very smart against it. We had guys flying at us and we should have shot-faked. We were shooting over hands. And then we lost our confidence a little bit there for a stretch against the zone. Early, we did attack it well. But what I did learn is you can be atrocious on offense against a team that plays great, and you’re still right there because you played unbelievably hard and had a lot of fight in you and defensively you played well. It’s disappointing, but we’ve got to move on.”
Did the players learn that as well?
• “Yeah, I think the guys know we played hard. We know we didn’t play great at times, but you’ve got to give Baylor a lot of credit. They’re as talented as anybody you’ll play. They played that night.”
What’s it like for you these days when you walk into Allen Fieldhouse as the coach of the opposing team?
• “Well, I’ll always get excited when I walk into that building. I grew up walking into that building and I grew up dreaming I’d play for KU. So I’ll be fired up when I walk in it, but this is totally different the second time through. The first time was the first time and obviously we didn’t play great, but this is to me just another road game where I know a lot of people. We haven’t played too well in the state of Kansas since I’ve been the coach here, so hopefully we’ll play a little bit better on Wednesday.”
When you look back at your time at Kansas, do you have a singular moment or memory that stands out?
• “That’s really hard to do. Obviously as a player, playing in the Final Four is a pretty great memory. Won a few championships, cut down a few nets, things like that. Just the whole thing was kind of a blast, for a guy growing up in Kansas and no one ever thought you’d play there, so to play there was pretty fun.”
Talk about Kansas’ offensive execution...
• “Bill (Self) does a great job with his team. They run a system and they can really space you. They’ve got the Morris twins inside who are playing great. Thomas Robinson, another big, puts a lot of pressure on you. Their guards are playing well, (Brady) Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are just having tremendous years for them. They’re shooting the ball well and they’re just really hard to guard. Some teams try to take away the Morris twins and guys are hitting threes on you. Or, you try and let the Morris twins get their twos and they end up with 27 (points) and 10 (rebounds) and 24 and 8 or whatever. I saw they shot 71 percent in the first half against Oklahoma the other day and those numbers are kind of hard to get to. So yeah, they’re really good offensively. They really spread you. And you know what? Their ball movement is pretty special. The ball doesn’t stick in one guy’s hands, they really move the ball well and pass it well. That’s what makes them hard to guard.”
Is this team one of the more challenging you’ve coached from a mental standpoint?
• “Every season is exhausting for a coach. But this team in the last month has really grown up. They’re practicing better. They’re more of a team. Our leadership is better. For a while it was a pretty good fight with these guys, but they’ve started to figure it out. The effort’s been there. They’ve been very coachable here lately. It’s been tough but every team is tough in its own right. This team’s also been a lot of fun because they’ve overcome a lot and won a lot of close games up to this point. I’ve been proud of this group and what they’ve been able to accomplish. I said it last week, to be where we are record-wise, right now, is quite an accomplishment. You always say ‘Well, we could have won this game’ or ‘we should have won that game’, but we also ‘could have lost that game’ or ‘lost that game’. But this group, to this point? I’m really proud of them and what they’ve been able to accomplish. I’m looking forward to coaching them for hopefully three or four more weeks and seeing what happens.”
As good as Marcus (Morris) is, do you think Markieff (Morris) is one of the most improved players?
• “Yeah, and I think Markieff has been really consistent for them. Last year against us, Markieff played better against us than Marcus did. Marcus was in foul trouble both those games. It’s hard to tell the difference to be honest with you. They are both so skilled and can do so many different things. (Markieff) kind of goes a little bit unnoticed but they could both be first-rounders by the end of this year, the way they’re playing.”
Can you talk about what’s been the biggest challenge since you took this job?
• “You know, coaching is coaching. Every place has different challenges. But this is a great job. There are a lot of positives about this place. There are so many positives--the University and what it stands for, all the players in Texas, the support we’ve had, financially and the new practice gym, and our crowds have been great for four years, they really have. So I don’t know what a challenge would be. Probably the biggest thing I had to adjust to was recruiting when I got here. It’s really cut-throat at this level. I’m not a guy that likes to get sand kicked in his face, so I learned to fight back pretty quickly. That was the biggest challenge from coming from the Missouri Valley. It was a little bit easier to get involved and get those kids. But it’s something you get used to pretty quick. It’s hard to get kids. There’s not as many out there who can play at that level and get you where you want to be. But we’ve got a lot to sell here, so that really helps. There’s a lot of players in the state, so that really helps. And we’ve had six or seven really good years now, and that helps.”
On “politicking” as a coach and A&M’s tournament resume...
• “I think what we’ve done speaks for itself. Hopefully we’ll finish strong. That’s the whole key. We’ve still got two regular-season games left and the Big 12 Tournament before selection Sunday. But the one thing that we’ve been is really consistent. Not at the highest level, but we’ve been really consistent at this level. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s bad. No one talks about us right now, because we’re not a 1-seed and we’re not a bubble team. So there’s not a lot of talk about A&M, which is probably pretty good. It takes pressure off the players and they can just go out and try and get better.”
On what the team’s working on over the final stretch of the season...
• “There’s a lot we’re working on. You guys get tired of hearing me say it, but we’re just trying to get better. I’m trying to get our young guys better, trying to get my young guys more consistent, trying to be more efficient on offense...we were really efficient on offense in that five-game win streak, we were shooting close to 49 percent. We were taking care of the ball better, our assist-to-turnover ratio was better during that stretch. And then we’ve been much more consistent on defense. Probably the most disappointing thing has been our rebounding. And we really tried to rebound the other night. I mean we fought, and we hit guys, but they were just physically a little bit bigger and stronger than we were across the board. I was proud of our effort. We’ll just keep working on that, and I think if we can approach it as just keep trying to get better, we will get better. And we’ll be tougher to guard and tougher defensively and will rebound better, and we will just stay confident. We should be a confident team. We’ve won five out of six so we should be a very confident team right now.”
On the senior floor leaders...
• “I just think BJ (Holmes) and Nate (Walkup) are having unbelievable years. Neither one of them played great the other night but they just have had great years. In our last two home games Nate’s been really good in those and helped us win. He’s rebounded well and his toughness for his size (were big factors). Add what BJ’s done and their leadership has just gotten better. I think Andrew Darko, another senior, has had a fantastic year. He brings it every day to practice and that rubs off on the other guys. Those guys have been a pleasant surprise for me.”
