NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Big 12 Forces Its Way Into Nation's Elite

Terrance Harris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Big 12, Missouri

It seems like every year the usual suspects are lined up as contenders for the best basketball conference in the country.

Big East. ACC. Pac-10. Big Ten.

But the Big 12 never seems to get much love, despite some impressive numbers that suggest the newest of the major conferences deserve to be part of the conversation. No conference has advanced more teams to Elite Eight (13) and Final Four (six) since 2002. The Kansas Jayhawks even cut down the nets in 2008.

Also consider that in the last three seasons, it has been the Big 12, and not the Big East or ACC that has produced the top player in the country: Texas forward Kevin Durant (2007), Kansas State forward Michael Beasley (2008) and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin (2009).

This season, the Big 12 has the preseason No.1 team in the nation and the squad many predict will likely end as the national champion in Kansas. And oh, the Jayhawks could be playing preseason No.3 Texas in this season's Final Four.

All those are reasons why the Big 12 coaches trumpet their league as one of the best, even if no one else will.

"Years ago people used to say -- or ask the question -- is our league ever going to be considered one of the best leagues in the country, or it can't be until you win the national championship," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "Obviously, Kansas having done that, I don't know what other questions people can ask about our league. If we're not the best league in the country, we've got to be in that discussion every year.

"You go back and look at the success year in and year out, I think also in the tournament, obviously in the recruiting, where there's a lot of games won during those months."

But as special as the Big 12 has been in the past, it could be even more exciting this season with a star-studded lineup of premiere players across the league. Several players such as Texas forward Damion James, Iowa State center Craig Brackins and Oklahoma guard Willie Warren gave up the chance to be instant millionaires as potential NBA first round picks to return to school this past spring.

You combine them with proven commodities such as Kansas' two preseason player of the year candidates, point guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, along with Oklahoma State guard James Anderson and you have a league that is certain to produce lots of exciting moments this season.

"When you look at some guys that could have been gone to go make some money and make big money, and yet they choose to stay in the league, that's a credit to those coaches and those relationships they've got with those kids," said Kansas State coach Frank Martin. "It's a credit to the league and just how much fun it is.

"It's not fun when it's late January and you get your brains beat in, but it's tremendous basketball. If you've got any hope at being any good, you've got to be excited about being in such a great conference as this."

Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel agrees.

"Like I've said since I've been here, there's some great coach in this league," said Capel, whose Sooners are picked to finish third in the league race. "Because of the talent level that our league has been able to attract, it makes the basketball a very, very high level.

This season, it all starts with the Jayhawks, who return their top nine scorers from last season's 27-8 Big 12 championship squad that advanced to the Sweet 16. Throw in another highly regarded recruiting class, which includes Top 5 recruit Xavier Henry, and it's easy to see many believe the Jayhawks will be the last team standing come April.

Kansas coach Bill Self, however, has joked throughout the preseason that it's hard for him to even think about winning the national championship when he knows how difficult it will be to win the Big 12 title.

"I really like our team," said Self, whose team is the only one of the Big 12 members to win the national title since the league's inception during the 1996-97 season. I think we have a chance to be a special group. We'll have to be very special because I think the league is the best since I've been in it, and I think it's the best it's going to be since the inception of the league.

"We've had success in the league the last few years, and certainly it will be much more difficult to maintain that because of the quality of teams in the league."

Without question Kansas and Texas will be the two premiere teams in the conference and it could be that the Longhorns could actually break through this season. Their frontcourt of Damion James and Dexter Pittman could be the most formidable in the conference and with the nation's top recruit Avery Bradley expected to add scoring pop, Texas could be the team to give the Jayhawks serious trouble. The biggest question mark for the Longhorns will be at point guard, where Justin Mason has slid over to his more natural two guard spot. Florida transfer Jai Lucas is expected to run the Longhorns offense, but he won't be eligible to play until mid-year under NCAA transfer rules.

"People are a year older, a year wiser, and I think they understand that this team will have tremendous balance," said UT coach Rick Barnes. "We want to be a transition team, and we want to get up and down the floor."

After the Jayhawks and Longhorns, the Big 12 boasts teams like Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State that should make some noise throughout the season and could all end up in the NCAA tournament should the league get six bids again.

But consider this a testament to how truly tough the conference may be this season. The Iowa State Cyclones have a unanimous preseason All-Big 12 player in Brackins and the preseason newcomer of the year in Marquis Gilstrap, yet the league coaches still picked them to finish eighth in the preseason poll.

"I think it is a testament to the league. I think you could argue -- and it's an easy argument -- the seven teams that are picked ahead of us are picked ahead of us for a reason," said ISU coach Greg McDermott. "Generally, preseason polls are based on how you did last year and what you return. There's just a lot returning in our league.

"Some of the newcomers that are entering our league come from very successful backgrounds in high school or junior college, and I think they're going to have quite an impact right away. So we're picked probably about where we should be picked, but I'll be disappointed if that's where it ends up at the end of the day."

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The Team That Will Surprise: Iowa State

With the 6-foot-10 Brackins in the post and junior college swing man Marquis Gilstrap, the Cyclones could easily break into the top five of the conference this season and challenge for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Team on Decline: Missouri

After Mike Anderson's squad stormed into the Elite Eight last season with its version of 40 minutes of hell, look for the Tigers to take a step back to recover from the loss of leading scorer DeMarre Carroll and Leon Lyons along with Matt Lawrence.

Player of the Year: Sherron Collins

The senior Kansas guard will indeed prove this season he is the best point guard in the nation and the most valuable player to his team.

Best Chance to Win it All: Kansas

The Jayhawks have the experience, depth and explosiveness to win the Final Four. The biggest question coming into the season is which of the five returning starters will come off the bench once Xavier Henry is inserted into the starting lineup?

Big 12 Forces Its Way Into Nation's Elite originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Is Pick to Win Big 12

Terrance Harris — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:18:00 EST

Filed under: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Big 12, Missouri

The Kansas Jayhawks are the No.1 choice almost every preseason basketball publication, now they are also the unanimous pick to win the Big 12 championship by the league coaches, according to the poll released Wednesday.

The Jayhawks, who return all five starters and pretty much all of their scoring from a season ago, received all 11 possible first-place votes by the Big 12 coaches (head coaches can not vote for their own team). In addition to the retuning starters, which include All-Big 12 First Team selections Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, Kansas also brings aboard one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.Collins and Aldrich have also been selected the preseason co-Players of the Year.

Texas, which obviously received KU coach Bill Self's first-place, was picked second in the poll and has the lone remaining first place vote. The Longhorns return four starters from last season have been largely regarded as a top five team nationally by most basketball experts.

Following the Jayhawks and Longhorns are Oklahoma (third), Kansas State (fourth) and Texas A&M (fifth).

Team (First place votes) Points
1. Kansas (11)* 121
2. Texas (1) 111
3. Oklahoma 95
4. Kansas State 92
5. Texas A&M 74
6. Oklahoma State 69
7. Missouri 66
8. Iowa State 57
9. Texas Tech 34
10. Baylor 33
11. Nebraska 27
12. Colorado 13

Preseason Co-Players of the Year
Cole Aldrich, Kansas, C, 6-11, 245, Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
Sherron Collins, Kansas, G, 5-11, 205, Sr., Chicago, Ill./Crane

Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Marquis Gilstrap, Iowa State, F, 6-7, 215, Sr., Covington, Ga./East Side/Gulf Coast CC [Fla.]

Preseason Freshman of the Year
Avery Bradley, Texas, G, 6-2, 180, Fr., Tacoma, Wash./Findlay Prep [Nev.]

2009-10 Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Name School Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous school(s)

Craig Brackins, Iowa State** F 6-10 230 Jr. Palmdale, Calif./Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Cole Aldrich, Kansas C 6-11 245 Jr. Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
Sherron Collins, Kansas** G 5-11 205 Sr. Chicago, Ill./Crane
Willie Warren, Oklahoma G 6-4 199 So. Fort Worth, Texas/North Crowley
James Anderson, OSU G/F 6-6 205 Jr. Junction City, Ark./Junction City
Damion James, Texas G/F 6-7 225 Sr. Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches

** - Unanimous Selection.
A tie in the voting created six spots on the preseason squad

Kansas Is Pick to Win Big 12 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas, Kansas Claim Big Presence on ESPN's Big Monday Schedule

Terrance Harris — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:23:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Big 12, Media Watch, Missouri

Kansas and Texas should be the class of the Big 12 next basketball season and ESPN is certainly banking on as much.

The Big 12 and ESPN released its Big Monday package for the 2010 campaign and both the Jayhawks and Longhorns will appear four times each in the eight-game package, which includes an anticipated February 8th showdown between the two power teams. Kansas will likely enter the season as the nation's No.1 ranked team while Texas is bringing in an influx of young talent that should make the Longhorns a Top 10 team.

The Big 12 kicks off its longstanding relationship with ESPN's Big Monday platform when rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State meet on January 11. Here is the full slate of Big 12 Big Monday games:

Date Game Time (CT)
January 11 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma 8 p.m.
January 18 Texas at Kansas State 8 p.m.
January 25 Missouri at Kansas 8 p.m.
February 1 Texas at Oklahoma State 8 p.m.
February 8 Kansas at Texas 8 p.m.
February 15 Kansas at Texas A&M 8 p.m.
February 22 Oklahoma at Kansas 8 p.m.
March 1 Oklahoma at Texas 8 p.m.

Texas, Kansas Claim Big Presence on ESPN's Big Monday Schedule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big 12 Hoops Coaches Say League Will Be Best Next Season

Terrance Harris — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Big 12, Missouri

The debate about which conference is the best basketball league usually heats up in December.

But the Big 12 coaches set fire to the debate early by staking claim as the best basketball conference Tuesday, some five months before the 2009-10 season begins. So the Big East, ACC, Pac-10 and SEC will have to just lineup for second best.

"I do think it's going to be the best with what we have retuning and the things that we've done in the last few years," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said during the Big 12 summer teleconference call Tuesday. "I've talked to some so-called experts out there and they think we are going to be the best league, too.

"As far as talk goes this season, we'll be No.1 and I think rightfully so. We have some really good teams at the top and we have some good depth so as a coach it's going to be a challenge but it's going to be exciting, You're going to be getting a lot of publicity throughout the year. "

Such bravado is fueled by the league's recent success in the NCAA tournament combined with the uncharacteristic return of NBA-quality talent for next season. Texas' Damion James, Kansas' Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, Oklahoma State's James Anderson and Oklahoma's Willie Warren all defied the recent trend of early entries into the NBA to remain in school.

During last season's NCAA tournament, the league went 6-0 in the first round, had three teams advance to the Sweet 16, two to the Elite Eight and even Baylor made it to the NIT championship. But the Big 12 coaches insist the proof is in the players next season where they several frontline guys and arguably the best depth of any of the major conferences.

"With those people returning for their junior and senior years for the most part, probably made this league unfortunately for coaches probably the best league that's going to be in the country this next year," said Nebraska coach Doc Sadler. "If the guys from Kansas would have left or James Anderson would have left or Damion James would have left, all of those guys are obviously very very good players that can make a difference in your league and probably some day will be playing in the NBA.

"All that does is add to the depth that everybody in the league wants you to have. It's going to be an interesting year. The league is going to be really fun to watch."

Kansas, which is a year removed from winning the national title and lost a hard-fought Sweet 16 contest with eventual national runner-up Michigan State this past season, returns all five starters and its top nine scorers to go along with a top five recruiting class. Can you say preseason No.1 lock?

But most believe Texas will be in the national contending conversation before the season is out with big man Dexter Pittman and James combining with what most are trumpeting as the best recruiting class in the country.

The loss of national player of the year Blake Griffin and several key players from last year's 30-6 Elite Eight team won't prevent Jeff Capel's Oklahoma Sooners from making some noise next season. OU is bringing in a stellar recruiting class that includes Keith Gallon to combine with Warren.

The Sooners, along with Texas A&M, Kansas State and Missouri could bring Big East-like competition to the Big 12 next season.

"Kansas and Texas are going to be very good, the rich get richer," said Texas Tech coach Pat Knight. "But with those two programs, I think you will see some teams that were struggling last year that are going to be better because they had young players and some teams did a good job recruiting.

"I just think this league is always going to be tough."

But Knight says the key to the national knowing how tough the league is is through exposure. The ACC and Big East seem to be the media favorites, while attention certainly seems destined to return to Kentucky next season with the arrival of John Calipari and a big-time recruiting class.

Not being afraid to say how good your league is, no matter how early, might be the first step in the big 12 getting the recognition it believes it deserves as the best basketball conference next season.

"We were talking about that in the coaches meetings, we have to get better exposure for this league because we really feel, if not the top basketball league it's going to be top two," Knight said. "We just have to do a better of promoting it from a conference standpoint and a coaches standpoint."

Big 12 Hoops Coaches Say League Will Be Best Next Season originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas A&M Rises Above Bubble

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:14:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M, Big 12, Missouri

A couple weeks ago, Texas A&M wasn't even in the bubble discussion. They were 3-7 in the Big 12 and dead in the water. The second year of the Mark Turgeon era was looking like a bitter mistake for Aggie fans.

Then they reeled off five straight wins -- including three on the road -- to get back in the discussion. Finishing off the Missouri Tigers at the end of the season moves Texas A&M into "lock" status.

Missouri, meanwhile, suddenly has some big questions heading into the postseason.

Texas A&M 96, No. 12 Missouri 86: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

While the Aggies' wins in this streak have included some of the bottom feeders of the Big 12, it also included bubble team Nebraska in Lincoln and Texas -- good wins. Coupled with knocking off Arizona and LSU in the non-conference, and the Aggies appear secure. Texas A&M suddenly looks like a definite NCAA Tourney team.

As big a story as the resurgent Tigers have been, meanwhile, they have looked very non-competitive in their past two road games. Kansas absolutely dismantled them last Sunday. And now there's this game with Texas A&M. Unless the Tigers go on a major run in the Big 12 Tournament, their seed will slide a bit, from a possible No. 2 to 4 to somewhere in the No. 5 to 7 range.

Texas A&M Rises Above Bubble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas A&M Upends Texas

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M, Texas, Big 12, Campus, Coaches

Rick Barnes' Texas team came into a Rivalry Week matchup against Texas A&M needing a big win to make sure they didn't find themselves on the oh-so-slippery NCAA Tournament bubble.

Instead, they got straight up punched in the mouth by their disregarded in-state rivals, as the Aggies used a balanced attack -- five different scorers hit double-figures -- to down the Longhorns, 81-66, Monday night.

Texas A&M's leading scorer this season, Josh Carter, got 11 points but shot poorly from the floor (3-of-14) and beyond the arc (3-of-9). Fortunately for the Aggies, the front court had his back, as Chinemelu Elonu and Bryan Davis each scored 15 poins while combining for 15 boards.

Despite being outrebounded by the Longhorns, 32-25, the Aggies were more efficient from the floor and the free throw line, hitting at an impressive 85.7% from the stripe as a team.

This was a game, too, that wasn't really ever close; the Aggies started to pull away near the end of the first half, taking a seven-point lead into the locker room. A few brief runs to open up the half let the Aggies really pull away, leading by as many as 19 points with about 13 minutes to go in the game.

The Longhorns were able to cut the lead down to four with seven minutes to go, but the Aggies pulled away again on the strength of their free-throw shooting. And Texas found itself bouncing quickly onto the bubble.

It seems crazy to think that the Longhorns won't make the tournament (Digger Phelps called them an "Elite Eight Team" at halftime!) but a win over the Aggies would have put them in the pole position for fourth in the Big 12. And if you look at their schedule, which features Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas Tech down the stretch, and you're Rick Barnes, there is most certainly a sudden cause for concern.

Texas A&M Upends Texas originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That Fork in the Back of Texas A&M Has Gotten Much Deeper

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:29:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Big 12

For Texas A&M, Saturday's game against Kansas State could've been considered a must-win kind of tilt. The Aggies didn't play a challenging non-conference schedule, but did roll through it to a 14-1 start. Conference play, however, has exposed them, and, after a 65-60 loss to Kansas State, consider them officially off the bubble and out of NCAA tournament discussion.

Neither team cracked 40-percent shooting in a tight, defensive game. But Kansas State had much more effective guard play. Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente provided the slashing and drives to the basket, while Fred Brown hit the 3-pointers to keep Texas A&M from collapsing on the Wildcats' interior.

Texas A&M had its opportunities, but could never quite convert. Whether it was missing free throws, not hitting the threes, making a bad turnover at the wrong moment, or failing to box out Darrin Kent for putbacks just as the game seemed to be turning, the Aggies did just enough to get close, but no more.

The Wildcats will likely not make the NCAA tournament as an at-large team, but they've really turned their season around. In a weak non-con slate, the Wildcats lost three straight against the only quality opponents on the schedule. Then they started the Big 12 portion with four straight losses. Since then, however, they have won five straight including Missouri and Texas. Right now, they are the team in the Big 12 no one else wants to play.

Credit needs to be given to K-State coach Frank Martin. He was hired mainly to make sure Bill Walker stayed and Michael Beasley came to the Wildcats. He has actually done a fine job and much more than just recruiting talent. Now he's winning with it too.

That Fork in the Back of Texas A&M Has Gotten Much Deeper originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did UCLA Get Another No-Call?

Charles Rich — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:58:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA Basketball, Texas A&M Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, March Madness, West

No matter what the final score actually turned out to be, UCLA won. The Bruins came back and Texas A&M wilted under the pressure. Donald Sloan, the Aggies leading scorer had the ball and was driving to tie the game and send it to overtime. The UCLA defense blocked his attempt and stripped the ball to send it the other way. Well, blocked might not be the correct word as these photos indicate.

These aren't photos FanHouse has permission to post. So, we can only link to them. They do suggest that UCLA continues to lead a charmed life when it comes to late calls -- made or not. Last I checked Josh Shipp getting all wrist, is not the usual way to get a clean block.

Actually, maybe not in this case. Making the free throws -- no lock itself, as Sloan is only a 67% FT shooter and the Aggies were 3-7 at the line that night -- would have only sent the game into overtime. Texas A&M hardly looked like the team it had been for the first 30-35 minutes. Neither did UCLA. The Bruins would have been the team heading into the OT with the momentum and energy.

Still, you never know. I also know I don't want to be anywhere near UCLA fans when the late calls start swinging the other way.

Did UCLA Get Another No-Call? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCLA-Texas A&M Score Changed

Shiloh Carder — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:21:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA Basketball, Texas A&M Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Video, West

Many people were a bit puzzled that the final dunk at the end of last night's UCLA-Texas A&M game counted. The final score was listed as 53-49 even though the dunk clearly came after the buzzer. If you don't know about it, go to the 1:31 mark of the video above.

Today, it has been changed to 51-49:

"Amidst the activity courtside, there was a misinterpretation of the signal," Hank Nichols, national coordinator of men's basketball officiating, said in a release Sunday. "But the ruling on the court was that the basket should not have counted, making the final score 51-49, not 53-49."

Sure, it doesn't mean anything in the long run -- UCLA won the game. The line as UCLA by 10, so betters aren't affected by the outcome. Still, it is quite disturbing that signals between the officials and the official scorer were misinterpreted like that.

UCLA-Texas A&M Score Changed originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin Love, Darren Collison Lead UCLA Past Texas A&M

Michael David Smith — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:44:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA Basketball, Texas A&M Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, March Madness, Texas A&M, West

No. 1 seed UCLA managed to survive a tough onslaught from No. 9 Texas A&M tonight in Anaheim, holding on to win 53-49 in by far the toughest challenge a 1 seed has had so far in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Most of the UCLA players turned in lousy performances, but Kevin Love and Darren Collison carried the Bruins on their backs, making two crucial shots apiece down the stretch. Collison and Love combined for 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting; their teammates combined for 13 points on 6-of-20 shooting, including a dunk by Russell Westbrook at the buzzer that looked, to these eyes, like it was actually after the buzzer.

"We made big plays by big-time players down the stretch," UCLA coach Ben Howland said of Love and Collison.

Donald Sloan led A&M with 12 points.

Kevin Love, Darren Collison Lead UCLA Past Texas A&M originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas A&M Leads UCLA at Halftime

Michael David Smith — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA Basketball, Texas A&M Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, March Madness

For the first time in this year's NCAA Tournament, a No. 1 seed is in trouble. It's halftime in Anaheim, and UCLA, the 1 seed in the West region, trails 9 seed Texas A&M 29-26.

UCLA has gotten a big game from Darren Collison, who has 14 points and is 4-for-4 from the field, with all four shots coming from beyond the arc. Kevin Love has eight points and five rebounds. But UCLA's other three starters -- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Josh Shipp and Russell Westbrook -- have combined for zero points on 0-for-11 shooting.

A&M has eight points apiece Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan, and DeAndre Jordan has come off the bench to score six. Jordan, a 7-foot freshman who was one of the top recruits in A&M history, will need to have a big second half against Love, the more celebrated 7-foot freshman, for A&M to pull this one out.

UPDATE: Kevin Love, Darren Collison Lead UCLA Past Texas A&M

Texas A&M Leads UCLA at Halftime originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas A&M Reaches New Lows

Charles Rich — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:21:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Oklahoma Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

10 points.

That's how many points the Aggies scored in the the first half at Oklahoma. Texas A&M shot a pathetic 5-27 in the first half, including 0-11 on 3s. As if that wasn't enough, the Aggies committed 11 fouls and DeAndre Johnson had 3 fouls -- he was also their leading scorer with a whopping 4 points.

Oklahoma has hardly been that impressive, but the shear incompetence of A&M makes them look like a top-teir team. At the half they were up 28-10.

It seems impossible for almost any D-1 team, let alone one in a major conference fighting for an NCAA berth, but Texas A&M went from 12:51 in the first half to 16:40 in the second between scores for the Aggies. 16 minutes and 9 seconds between points.

Texas A&M is down 21 points 4 minutes into the second half. They look like they have already packed it in for the season.

Texas A&M Reaches New Lows originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NIT or NCAA: Texas A&M

Charles Rich — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:08:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

Throughout the season we'll look at bubble teams and assess whether they have a better chance of ending up in the NIT or NCAA Tournament.

Team: Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 21-7 (7-6 Big 12)

Good Wins: Ohio St. (neutral court), Texas

Bad Losses: At Texas Tech, Oklahoma State

Comments: The Aggies have spent most of the season ranked in the top-25. They have fallen out recently on the heels of their second 3-game losing streak in the conference. It hasn't been an easy transition from Billy Gillespie to Mark Turgeon coaching the team.

Their non-con, which looked good in January hardly impresses at the end of February. The wins over Alabama and LSU looked nice but both are 4-9 in a weak SEC. Washington has been only 15-13. The Aggies got beaten by Arizona in their one true non-con road game -- and the Wildcats are a bubble team themselves.

Other Views: They are 43d in RPI, 28th on Basketball State, 28th by the Sagarin Ratings.

Verdict: Hard to believe this team is putting itself on the bubble with more than 20 wins, but A&M's struggles in the Big 12 do just that. None of their remaining 3 games are gimmees -- at Oklahoma, at Baylor and Kansas -- meaning they could finish only .500 or worse.

The Aggies are probably in right now but they need to finish above .500 in the Big 12 to avoid sweating it.

NIT or NCAA: Texas A&M originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas Tears Into Texas A&M

Charles Rich — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:10:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Texas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

Unlike most of the other games in Texas' 6 game winning streak, this was not close early. The Longhorns came out from the start of the game and put the beating on the Aggies on their way to a 77-50 rout.

D.J. Augustin came out on fire. He scored 17 of his 27 points in the first half. Texas A&M scored all of 19 points in the first half, and were down by 21 at the half. It was never close. In the first five minutes of the game, the Longhorns were up 16-4.

As vibrant the Texas offense was, their defense was even more impressive. Their frontcourt completely dominated the Aggies. They had 12 blocked shots and just had control of the lanes. The Longhorn defense held the Aggies to just over 30% shooting. They contested the shots in the perimeter and were more physical inside.

Texas A&M, which had appeared to turn a corner after a rough start to the conference play with 5 straight wins, now rides a 2 game losing streak. The questions about this team return as the Aggies are really struggling to score points.

Texas Tears Into Texas A&M originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oklahoma State Finally Wins a Road Game

Charles Rich — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:12:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

It had to happen some time. No team could really go a second full season without winning a road game, could they? The last time Oklahoma State had won a road game was in early February 2006. Oklahoma St. Coach Sean Sutton gets his first road win as the Cowboy head coach with a huge 59-54 upset win over Texas A&M. The relief on the entire Oklahoma State team and Sutton was so visible and palpable.

The Aggies had been rolling with a 4 game winning streak including wins over Texas and beating Oklahoma State in Stillwater. A&M had been doing it with excellent defense and forcing turnovers. Oklahoma State had found numerous ways to lose games. The big factors had been that the Cowboys kept turning the ball over and poor free throw shooting.

This time, Oklahoma State took care of the ball with only 10 turnovers and made nearly 73% of their free throws. The Cowboys just scrapped the entire game. The Aggies led early, but could not draw away. The second half saw Oklahoma State take the lead and only lost it once the rest of the way. Until the closing seconds, neither team led by more than 4 points in the second half.

Oklahoma State Finally Wins a Road Game originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Defense First Gets Texas A&M Wins

Charles Rich — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:37:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Oklahoma Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

There was a moment of surprising self-pity from Coach Mark Turgeon a couple weeks ago.

"I know no matter what I do, Gillispie is getting the credit if we win," said Turgeon, referring to former A&M coach Billy Gillispie, who guided the Aggies on a successful three-year run before leaving last spring for Kentucky. "If we lose, it's my fault. I'm in a no-flipping-win situation this year, and that puts me in a bad mood.

"I've got no chance this year. If we win, it's because of Gillispie. If we lose, it's because of Mark Turgeon. So I can't win."

Texas A&M has since responded, and Turgeon has recovered. They lost a 5 OT game to Baylor but have now won 3 straight and moved back into the upper-half of the Big 12 standings. Not coincidentally, they have allowed opposing teams to sub-60 points.

Both Oklahoma and Texas A&M feature former All-American High School players, who as freshmen have done nothing to repudiate their honors. In this game, however, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin and Texas A&M's DeAndre Jordan deferred to a couple seniors who carried their teams. Joseph Jones and Texas A&M were able to scrap out a win over David Godbold and Oklahoma, 60-52.
In a great defensive effort by both teams, Texas A&M came up with the better effort in the final minutes. With 3 minutes left in the game, Oklahoma only managed one shot attempt and a couple free throw attempts. The Aggies defense deprived the Sooners of looks and even getting shots off.

Jones for Texas A&M was solid inside with Bryan Davis to stop Griffin and Longar Longar. Jones didn't shoot particularly well, but was continually around the basket and drew fouls to get to the line and finish with 18 points.

Godbold kept the Sooners in the game from outside with 22 points including 6-10 from the 3-point line. By the end of the game, though, Godbold, who had 14 of the points in the second half, couldn't get free for any good looks in the final 4 minutes as the Aggie defense keyed on him.

Defense First Gets Texas A&M Wins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big 12 Power Poll: Road Revenge

Charles Rich — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:14:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Texas Basketball, Oklahoma Basketball, Oklahoma State Basketball, Iowa State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

Yes, Kansas still is dominant in the conference. That is probably the one constant in the Big 12 this season. That and Oklahoma State still can't win a road game. Everything else is up for debate.

Last week, I noted that the Big 12 is a difficult conference to notch road wins. Naturally the road teams went 5-7 this past week to make things a little less skewed. Considering the road teams had won 5 games all season until last week, that was a huge swing.

Having a bad week: Missouri and Oklahoma State. Suspensions and extended losing streaks taking the hope out of the fans.

Having a good week: Oklahoma and K-State. Blake Griffin back much earlier than expected to help the Sooners win two big games, and the Wildcats are undefeated in the conference to make tonight's meeting with Kansas that much more dramatic.

Kansas -- Undefeated in conference and out of conference. In 5 conference games, only once have they let a team score more than 59 points. That is more impressive to me than the 81+ points they have averaged in conference play.
Kansas State -- The other undefeated Big 12 team in Kansas. They have been very impressive since the New Year.
Texas -- Not exactly dominant at times, but they are winning.
Oklahoma -- Bake Griffin returns two weeks earlier than expected and the Sooners have two big wins over Baylor and Oklahoma State. Not a coincidence.
Baylor -- The conference's best story this season. Live and die by the 3, though.
Iowa State -- Quietly playing solid basketball. They look like a team that will be right in the middle all season.
Texas A&M -- Rebounded from losing the quintuple-OT game at home to get a road win over the Cowboys. Tonight's home game with Texas will decide a lot about the rest of the season.
Texas Tech -- Undefeated at home, winless on the road and 2-2 on neutral sites. Distinctively average.
Oklahoma State -- Now riding a 5 game losing streak, the Cowboys lack something inside. Sean Sutton sweats a lot during a game, and is probably starting to sweat a bit about his job security.
Missouri -- On the court, a good week. Then they went home and are down to six scholarship players and a couple walk-ons for the foreseeable future. That drops them quickly to the bottom tier.
Colorado -- Actually looked like they might get a second win last night, leading at halftime in Ames, Iowa. Then the second half was a disaster. The inability to score is getting worse.
Nebraska -- They have yet to win in the conference. The only good news is that they have gotten their two games against Kansas out of the way early. That alone, lightens the schedule the rest of the way.

Big 12 Power Poll: Road Revenge originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas A&M-Oklahoma State: Someone Had to Break a Losing Streak

Charles Rich — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

Both teams came in with 3-game conference losing streaks. Both in desperate need of a win with only 1 conference win at this point. Ultimately it was the team that could do the basic thing -- make free throws -- that won the game. Texas A&M snapped their losing streak and won on the road in the Big 12, 59-56.

The Aggies are a slow tempo, offensively efficient team. They keep it slow and look to find the best shot available. The last few games, their slow tempo has cost them when the shots haven't hit. Against the Cowboys, they did control the tempo, and shot over 50% (57% eFG%). They did, however, struggle, to hold onto the ball. They were -8 in turnovers, and that allowed Oklahoma to keep the game tight despite shooting much worse (50% eFG%). Oklahoma State had more opportunities to score.

Ultimately what did Oklahoma State in was an inability to make free throws. OK St. was only 5-12 on free throws while A&M hit 10-13. Really, it was remarkable that the Cowboys were so close to winning. They got a total of 13 points from Terrel Harris, Marcus Dove and Byron Eaton. Those 3 have been the Cowboys' 2nd, 3d and 4th leading scorers for over 31 points per game.

Oklahoma State hasn't been able to win on the road for over two seasons. Now they are starting to struggle at home as they fall to 1-4 in the Big 12. Sean Sutton is going to start feeling heat.

Texas A&M-Oklahoma State: Someone Had to Break a Losing Streak originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baylor-Texas A&M 5-Overtime Highlight Video

Michael David Smith — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:11:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Video

Did you see last night's great Baylor-Texas A&M five-overtime thriller? Of course you didn't. It wasn't on TV. But thanks to the miracle of Internet video, you can see some highlights here:

The game was streamed online via the official Texas A&M web site, and those ESPN highlights come from that video stream. Better than nothing, I guess. But not much better.

It's a shame that more people didn't see it, because Baylor has turned into the best story in college basketball. Five years removed from one of the most appalling scandals in the history of college sports, Baylor is 16-2, 4-0 in the Big 12 and ranked for the first time since 1969. And maybe you'll even get to see them on TV some time this year.

Video via Ballhype.

Baylor-Texas A&M 5-Overtime Highlight Video originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Big 12 Needs A New TV Deal

Charles Rich — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:43:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Media Watch

I'd love to tell you all about the quintuple overtime game between Baylor and Texas A&M. I can tell you that Baylor finally prevailed 116-110 in College Station. I can't, however, tell you about the action. Very, very few can.

Somehow, this game never made it to real television. Somehow a battle between #25 Baylor and #18 Texas A&M was not on any -- any -- TV. No cable network stepped in and thought, this might be a game worth showing. Instead, it was only on radio, or video streamed through the Texas A&M website (and if you lived outside of Texas, you had to pay).

That no Texas cable affiliate, no regional sports network, didn't realize that this game was not televised and try to pick it up is stunning. That the Big 12 Conference would have its conference games not appear on some sort of television broadcast is incompetent. I realize football is king in the conference, but it's not like this was some meaningless patsy non-con game. How do they not have a TV contract that has all of their conference games being televised somewhere? At the very least, considering Texas A&M was a preseason top-25 team, how can one of their home games not appear anywhere?

Someone in the Big 12 is going to have to explain this.

The Big 12 Needs A New TV Deal originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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