COLLEGE STATION—Texas A&M looks to rebound from a hard-fought loss to No. 6 Baylor when the Aggies (12-9, 3-6) take to the road to face the Kansas State Wildcats (15-6, 4-5) on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff at Bramlage Coliseum is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised by the Big 12 Network.
A&M sits in a three-way tie for seventh at 3-6 in league play, with five of its losses coming to the top four teams in the standings. K-State, meanwhile, is one game ahead of the Aggies in a tie for fifth place at 4-5.
GAME 22:
Texas A&M AGGIES (12-9, 3-6) at Kansas State WILDCATS (15-6, 4-5)
Saturday, February 4, 2012 • 3:01 PM CT • TV: Big 12 Network
Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) • Manhattan, Kansas
Media Coverage
TELEVISION: Big 12 Network
Mitch Holthus, Play-by-Play
Jon Sundvold, Commentary
Local: CW Texas (KBTX-DT 3.2)
Satellite: ESPN Full Court
Clearance List: Click Here (big12sports.com)
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local: WTAW-AM 1620
Satellite Radio: Sirius 94/XM 191 (KSU feed)
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: aggieathletics.com
Snapshot: Texas A&M
Record: 12-9, 3-6 Big 12
Ranking: NR
Streak: Lost 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 2-3 / 4-6
on the Road: 1-6
Last Game: lost to (#6) Baylor (H), 63-60 (Wed.)
Head Coach: Billy Kennedy (SE Louisiana '86)
Record: 223-188 (14th year)
at Texas A&M: 12-9 (first year)
vs. K-State: never faced
A&M Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
2 Naji Hibbert G 6-5 192 Jr. 3.3 2.2 0.9 15 / 17.1
4 Keith Davis C 6-10 231 So. 1.4 4.1 0.7b 19 / 17.5
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 234 Sr. 10.7 4.5 0.5 19 / 26.3
20 Daniel Alexander F 6-9 212 RFr. 2.9 2.6 0.4b 17 / 10.1
31 Elston Turner G 6-5 211 Jr. 14.3 3.5 2.1 19 / 31.9
Snapshot: K-State
Record: 15-6, 4-5 Big 12
Ranking: RV (AP), RV (USAT/ESPN)
Streak: Lost 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-2 / 5-5
at Home: 9-2
Last Game: lost at Iowa State (A), 72-70 (Tue.)
Head Coach: Frank Martin (FIU '93)
Record: 110-49 (fifth year)
at K-State: 110-49 (fifth year)
vs. Texas A&M: 3-2
K-State Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
13 Angel Rodriguez G 5-11 180 Fr. 7.1 2.3 2.5 20 / 18.0
22 Rodney McGruder G 6-4 205 Jr. 15.4 5.3 1.4 21 / 32.1
32 Jamar Samuels F 6-7 230 Sr. 10.5 6.4 1.2 19 / 25.5
42 Thomas Gipson F 6-7 275 Fr. 8.5 5.6 1.0 21 / 19.8
55 Will Spradling G 6-2 180 So. 10.0 2.3 2.8 21 / 30.2
Series History: K-State leads, 15-7
A&M Streak: Won 1
In Manhattan KSU leads, 9-0
At Bramlage Coliseum KSU leads, 8-0
In College Station A&M leads, 6-2
At Reed Arena A&M leads, 5-2
At Neutral Sites KSU leads, 4-1
At Big 12 Tournament KSU leads, 2-1
Longest A&M Win Streak 1 game (current)
Longest KSU Win Streak 4 games (twice)
Largest A&M Win 14 (65-51, 01/22/05)
Largest KSU Win 32 (81-49, 12/28/90)
Billy Kennedy vs. KSU never faced
Frank Martin vs. A&M 3-2
• the teams have split the last 6 meetings.
• A&M grinded out a 64-56 win over No. 24 K-State in last year's meeting at Reed Arena.
• The series has been dominated by the home team ... the Aggies have won 6 of 8 meetings in College Station ... A&M is winless in 9 trips to Manhattan, however, including its eight visits to Bramlage Coliseum.
Last 10 Meetings:
Date AM/Op Rk Site Score
— complete series history can be found in media fact book —
2004 J21 Manhattan L 61-70
2005 J22 College Station W 65-51
2005 M10 Kansas City L 62-68
2006 J18 Manhattan L 54-58
2007 J6 11/— College Station W 69-65
2008 J18 9 /— Manhattan L 54-75
2008 M14 Kansas City W 63-60
2009 F7 College Station L 60-65
2010 J12 —/12 Manhattan L 65-88
2011 J22 10/24 College Station W 64-56
Tale of the Tape
A&M KSU
62.9 points/game 73.6
59.7 opp. points/game 64.0
+3.2 scoring margin +9.6
.442 field goal % .446
.382 opp. field goal % .398
.319 3-point % .334
36.7 rebounds 39.2
+3.5 rebound margin +6.6
13.0 assists 14.5
13.8 turnovers 15.2
5.5 steals 6.0
2.6 blocks 4.6
Quick Hits
• A&M held Baylor, who entered Wednesday's game ranked eighth nationally in FG% (.494), to just 39.7 percent from the floor ... it was the third-lowest shooting output this year by the Bears, behind Mississippi State (34.5) and A&M earlier this year (39.2) ... the Aggies and MSU are the only two teams to hold BU under 40 percent shooting this season.
• A&M committed a season-low 7 turnovers against Baylor, the fewest by an Aggie team since March 2010 (7 vs Nebraska).
• The Aggies have shared the ball well in the last 2 games ... A&M had 16 assists on 24 made buckets vs the Bears (2/1) ... A&M dished out a Big 12-high 18 assists in the win over Oklahoma State (1/28) on 28 made buckets.
• The Aggies lead the Big 12 in two defensive categories (through Feb. 1): scoring defense and 3-point FG% defense; A&M ranks second in field-goal percentage defense and defensive rebound percentage, and third in defensive rebounds.
• Through games of Jan. 29, Texas A&M ranked 11th nationally in field-goal percentage defense, eighth in 3-point FG% defense and 25th in scoring defense.
• A&M held No. 5 Kansas to 64 points on Jan. 23, a low for the Jayhawks this year at Allen Fieldhouse and (at the time) KU's third lowest scoring output of the season (61 vs Duke, 63 at USC) ... the Aggies held Kansas to 42.6 percent from the floor, KU's lowest output in Big 12 play and its fourth-lowest overall on the year.
• A&M tied a Big 12 season high with 7 three-pointers at KU and were one shy of their season high from beyond the arc.
• The Aggie defense held OSU to 37.9 percent from the floor in a 76-61 win (1/28) ... it was Oklahoma State's second-lowest shooting output in Big 12 play.
• A&M shot 58.3 percent from the field against OSU, a Big 12 season high and the second highest this season (65.4 vs Liberty, 11/9) ... it marked the highest FG% by an Aggie team in Big 12 play since 2009 (62 percent vs Missouri, 3/7/09).
• The Aggies' conference road losses this year have come to Baylor, Texas, Missouri and Kansas, squads that have combined to go 47-4 at home.
• Six of A&M's nine losses this year have come to teams currently ranked in the top 20 nationally, all but one away from home (#4 Missouri, #6 Baylor [twice], #8 Kansas,#11 Florida, #19 Miss. State).
• A&M played three games against top-5 ranked opponents in Big 12 play—all on the road—through the first seven games of the conference season ... the only other year A&M had three top-5 teams on the Big 12 slate was 2003 ... the Aggies matched a school record on Wednesday with their fourth top-10 Big 12 opponent of the year (Baylor, No. 6):
most ranked opponents in single season, Big 12 play:
Category Games (Year)
Top 5 Opponents 3 (2012, 2003); 2 (2011, 2010, 2009, 2002)
Top 10 Opponents 4 (2012, 2005); 3 (2012, 2011, 2008, 2002)
Top 25 Opponents 7 (2005, 2004, 2002, 2000); 6 (2010, 2003, 2001)
• Texas A&M has posted a 30-17 Big 12 record since February of 2009 (6-0 to close 2009, 11-5 in 2010, 10-6 in 2011) ... it’s the second-best record over that span among conference teams, trailing only Kansas (42-5).
• The Aggies have won 52 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 (52-35 since 2006, 43-116 from 1997-2006).
• A&M has finished .500 or better in Big 12 play in each of the past 7 years, one of just 3 teams to do so (Kansas, Texas).
• Nearly half of Texas A&M's points this season have come in the paint (582 of 1266, or 46.0%) ... by comparison, last season 40 percent of A&M's points came in the paint (973 of 2192, or 40.1%).
• A&M is one of just 12 schools that have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 6 seasons (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin, Xavier).
• Texas A&M is one of only 8 schools in the entire country that have won 24 or more games in each of the last 5 seasons (Butler, BYU, Kansas, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, VCU, Xavier).
• A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last 7 seasons.
Sidebars
• A&M freshman Jordan Green and K-State freshman Thomas Gipson were AAU teammates (Team Texas).
Scouting Kansas State
• K-State is 15-6 on the year and 4-5 in Big 12 play, and is receiving votes in both major polls ... the Wildcats have lost two in a row, both tough setbacks to Oklahoma and Iowa State by a combined 5 points ... K-State's other league losses are to Baylor, Kansas and another to OU ... the game with the Aggies marks a stretch of 3 of the next 4 at Bramlage Coliseum, where the Wildcats are 9-2 this year.
• Three Cats are scoring in double figures—Rodney McGruder (15.4 ppg), Jamar Samuels (10.5 ppg) and Will Spradling (10.0 ppg) ... McGruder ranks second in the league in scoring in conference games, averaging 19.3 a game in Big 12 action ... K-State ranks sixth in the league in scoring (73.6/game) while its defense ranks fifth (64.0).
• Frank Martin (FIU '93) is in his fifth season in Manhattan with a record of 110-49.
Aggie Trends
• The Aggies have improved shot selection and offensive execution over the last 6 games of Big 12 play, and the offensive improvement shows in the numbers ... A&M has seen its shots start to fall on a more consistent basis over that span ... after opening league play 0-3, A&M is 3-3 on the stretch with all the losses coming to top-6 ranked teams (at Missouri, at Kansas, home to Baylor).
Offensive Improvement
Big 12 Stretch (Record) FGA FG % 3-Pt % FT % PPG
First 3 Games (0-3) 59.3 32.6 25.0 61.8 51.0
Last 6 Games (3-3) 51.7 45.8 36.5 67.3 64.8
Change -7.6 +13.2 +11.5 +5.5 +13.8
• In its last 8 halves of basketball, A&M has shot 48 percent or better in 6 ... the Aggies have connected at 47.7 percent from the floor over the last four games.
• A&M's defensive effort has been strong through a very tough Big 12 schedule thus far ... the Aggies have allowed just one Big 12 foe to score more points than its season average (Oklahoma, who needed OT to do so) ... A&M has allowed only two teams to shoot higher than their season average from the floor (Iowa State and Oklahoma).
Aggie Defense in Big 12 Play
Opponent FG% (entering) FG% (game) PPG (entering) Pts (game)
@ Baylor 49.0 39.2 77.6 61
Iowa St 46.0 46.7 76.4 74
@ Texas 45.0 43.9 76.7 61
Texas Tech 47.2 33.3 65.3 54
@ Missouri 51.2 40.4 83.9 70
Oklahoma 43.6 49.2 73.3 75*
@ Kansas 48.3 42.6 76.4 64
Oklahoma State 41.8 37.9 66.6 61
Baylor 49.4 39.7 78.0 63
* in OT (65 in regulation)
• Texas A&M's starting rotation has seen lots of action in conference play ... in Big 12 games, A&M starters are averaging 29.0 minutes a game (after averaging 25 a game in non-conference play) ... all five starters played at least 30 minutes against Texas (Jan. 11), the first time that's happened on an Aggie team since March 2007 (Big 12 quarterfinal vs Oklahoma State).
• A&M has averaged 17.8 bench points in its last 6 league games (3-3), after averaging just 9 in the first 3 (0-3).
• A&M has seen its free-throw percentage take a slight up-turn in Big 12 play ... the Aggies shot 61.6 percent from the line in non-conference play, but has shot 65.9 percent in Big 12 action ... A&M has connected at a 67 percent clip or better from the charity stripe in 6 of its 9 league contests.
• In its last four games, Texas A&M is shooting 67.5 percent from the free throw line (52-for-77) ... the Aggies began the Jan. 21 game with Oklahoma 1-of-8 from the line but finished making 11 of its final 14 (78.6 percent).
• A&M is shooting 70.7 percent from the line in the second half of Big 12 games (53-of-75) ... the Aggies have shot just 56.9 percent in the first half (29-for-51).
• A&M is averaging 15.3 assists in its last 4 games, after averaging 7.8 over the first 5 games of Big 12 play.
• A&M is 7-2 this year when dishing out 15 or more assists (losses to #13 Florida, #6 Baylor) ... the Aggies totaled 23 in the win over Arkansas Tech (Dec. 29), the most by an A&M squad since December 2007.
• The Aggies are 11-1 this year when leading at halftime (loss at Kansas) and 11-0 when leading with 5 minutes to play.
• A&M is 10-2 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the field (both losses to Baylor).
• The Aggies have held 10 of their opponents under 60 points and are unbeaten in those games.
• A&M has held 8 opponents under 35 percent shooting (8-0).
• The Aggies are 8-0 this year when shooting more free throws than their opponent and 9-1 when out-rebounding them (loss is to Texas).
• A&M has already bested last year's total for blocks, and done so in just 20 games ... the Aggies are averaging 2.6 blocks per game this year (55 blocks), up from last year's average of 1.5 (51 in 33 games).
• The Aggies have won 4 of their last 5 overtime games dating back to last season.
• A&M has won over 70 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (136-54, .716) ... the Aggies are 178-72 (.712) since the start of the ‘04-05 campaign.
Player Notables
Dash Harris
• has missed last 2 games recovering from right foot injury suffered at end of first half at Kansas (1/23).
• joins Phil Pressey (Missouri) and Pierre Jackson (Baylor) as the only players ranked in the top 7 of the Big 12 statistics in both assists and steals ... is third in the league in steals in conference games (2.3/game).
• over his last 8 games, is averaging 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists ... Harris has scored in double figures in 5 of his last 9 outings ... he matched a career high with 14 in the win over Oklahoma (1/21).
• leads the team and ranks seventh in the Big 12 in assists (4.3/game) ... he leads the squad, ranks third in the Big 12 and 54th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) ... he was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list.
• moved into the top 10 in school history in career assists and steals in win over Texas Tech (Jan. 14) ... ranks ninth in both categories (358 assists, 133 steals) ... he is one of only 8 players in A&M history to record 300 assists and 100 steals (list on page 9).
Elston Turner
• Over his last 4 games, is averaging 19.5 pts, 4.5 rebs and 4.8 assists ... scored a then career-high 23 points against Oklahoma (1/21) then bested it 2 days later with 24 at No. 5 Kansas (1/23) and poured in 23 vs Oklahoma State (1/28) ... became the first Aggie since Acie Law in 2007 to score 20-plus in three straight Big 12 games (31 vs Baylor on 2/24/07, 33 at Texas on 2/28, 20 vs Missouri on 3/3).
• In four games against ranked opponents, is averaging 17.2 points, 4 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
• averaging 16.4 points per game in Big 12 play, sixth-best in the league.
• has scored 10-plus points in 9 of the last 10 games and in 17 of 21 overall this year ... he did so just 9 times in 66 games in two seasons at Washington ... he is in the top 10 of the Big 12 rankings in points, minutes, 3-point field goals and 3-point field goal percentage this season.
Naji Hibbert
• avg 5.8 pts over last 6 games ... has started last 3 games ... earned his first start of the season and second of his career at No. 5 Kansas (1/23).
• has hit 14 of his last 32 field goal attempts (43.8%), including 7 of 15 from behind the arc (46.7%) ... Hibbert began the year 9-for-30 (30%) from the field and 1-of-13 (7.7%) from long distance.
David Loubeau
• After averaging 6 points and 3 rebounds through the first 4 games of Big 12 play, has benefitted from A&M's improved offensive execution ... in his last 5 games, Loubeau is averaging 14.0 points and 4.4 rebounds.
• became only the 16th player in school history to score 1,000 career points and grab 500 career rebounds ... Loubeau reached the points milestone against Arkansas Tech and the rebounds milestone against Iowa State ... he is the 32nd member of the school's 1,000-point club and the 22nd of the 500-rebound club (1,080 points, 526 rebounds).
Ray Turner
• averaging 12.4 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds at home (14 games).
• averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds off the bench in Big 12 play (8 games).
• has scored 10-plus points in 13 of A&M's 20 games this year ... the Aggies are 9-4 in those contests.
• has posted four double-doubles—the first of his career—including a 13-point, 12-rebound effort against Iowa State (1/7) and a 13-point, 11-board game against Baylor (2/1)... his 15 boards vs Arkansas Tech (12/29) were a career high and the most by an Aggie in a game since March 2010.
Jordan Green
• strong 31 minutes of play against OSU after getting the starting nod ... scored 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting, a personal best in Big 12 play ... primary focus was limiting Cowboys' guard Keiton Page (entered 14.7 ppg), and held him to 2-of-13 from the floor and 9 total points.
Daniel Alexander
• averaging 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds over last 3 games, including going 7-of-11 from 3-point range ... in his last 6 games, is shooting 56.5% from the floor (13-for-23) and 60% from behind the arc (9-for-15).
• has set career highs in each of his last 2 games, scoring 12 against Baylor (2/1) after posting 11 against Oklahoma State (1/28) on 5-of-6 shooting.
• matched a then season (and career) high with 6 points, coming on a career-best 2 treys, in A&M's game at No. 5 Kansas.
Alex Baird
• reserve senior walk-on point guard played 21 minutes against OSU (1/28) in lieu of injured Dash Harris, dishing out 3 assists, posting 0 turnovers and grabbing 4 rebounds ... took the floor against the Cowboys with a total of 6 career minutes of action in 8 games played.
• played 9 minutes (0 assists, 0 turnovers) and grabbed 2 boards against Baylor (2/1).
Running the Big 12 Marathon
• Throughout A&M's recent stretch of basketball success, the power, toughness and top-to-bottom strength of the Big 12 has proved to be a grind ... several of the Aggie teams that have made up the stretch of postseason runs have struggled out of the gate in league play yet continued to battle and improve as the season went along. A look at some of those squads:
Year Head Coach (Year) thru 9 games Final Record Postseason
2004-05 Billy Gillispie (1st) 4-5 8-8 NIT (Quarterfinals)
2005-06 Billy Gillispie (2nd) 2-7 9-7 NCAA (2nd Round)
2008-09 Mark Turgeon (2nd) 3-6 9-7 NCAA (2nd Round)
Big 12 Bullets
• Texas A&M has posted a 30-17 Big 12 record since February of 2009 (6-0 to close 2009, 11-5 in 2010, 10-6 in 2011) ... it’s the second-best record over that span among conference teams, trailing only Kansas (42-5).
• The Aggies have won 52 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 (52-35 since 2006, 43-116 from 1997-2006).
• A&M has finished .500 or better in Big 12 play in each of the past 7 years, one of just 3 teams to do so (Kansas, Texas).
• The Aggies are coming off back-to-back 10-plus win seasons in Big 12 play for just the second time ever (2006, 2007 and 2010, 2011) ... it is only the second time in the last 25 years that an A&M team has accomplished that feat ... prior to ‘06-07, the last time an Aggie squad recorded consecutive 10+ win seasons in conference play was in 1985 (10) and 1986 (12).
• 2011 was A&M’s third consecutive winning season in Big 12 play, the first time the Aggies have accomplished that feat in the Big 12 era (9-7 in 2009, 11-5 in 2010, 10-6 in 2011) … it marked the first time since the late 60s (1967-70) that a Texas A&M team finished above .500 in league action for three straight seasons.
Up Next
• The Aggies will play their fourth and final Monday game of the Big 12 season, against Texas (8 p.m., ESPN) at Reed Arena.
