Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies
A battle of Top 20 Big 12 basketball powers tips off Monday when Texas A&M (17-3, 4-2) hosts conference-leading Texas (18-3, 6-0) at sold-out Reed Arena in College Station. Let’s see how they match up.
Despite ranking 101st in the nation in scoring, and 109th in the nation shooting from the field, the Aggies took a 17-2 record on the season into Nebraska this past Saturday.
Its only two losses this campaign were a nail-biter to Boston College and a 21-point blowout against Texas.
As expected, it was the offense that was the culprit in 57-48 loss to the Huskers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Despite outrebounding Nebraska, 19-9, and being up 31-24 at halftime, A&M’s marshmallow attack went super soft in the second half, accounting for just 17 points.
The Aggies shot 24 percent from the field in the last 20 minutes and 39 percent for the game. They also
made just six of 14 free throws. In the end, A&M won the rebounding advantage for the 19th time in 20 games but lost 14 turnovers to Nebraska’s seven.
"We just weren't tough enough," A&M head coach Mark Turgeon said. "It was physical, real physical, and we didn't respond. We've been able to in the past, but we didn't today."
The Longhorns have played one of the hardest schedules in college basketball, and at the same time, they find themselves 18-3 and ranked inside the Top 10 in the polls.
Rick Barnes’ team is tearing up the Big 12 with six straight wins – all conference foes and all by double-digits - and showing no signs of slowing down.
Sophomore guard Jordan Hamilton leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game, and freshman Tristan Thompson is leading the Longhorns in rebounding.
Hamilton had 16 points and a career-high 13 boards in Saturday night’s 71-58 victory over Missouri, helping Texas remain undefeated in the Big 12.
Like the five teams before them in Texas' run, the Tigers came away impressed by the Longhorns' bruising play near the baskets.
"There's no secret how they play," Missouri guard Kim English said. "They are a physical team. They pressure the ball. Big, strong guys."
UT senior forward Gary Johnson promised more rugged, physical defense.
"We lost to a team that played that way at Pittsburgh," Johnson said. "We didn't like it. Good defense beats good offense on any given night. That's what we do."
The only three losses this team has suffered are against highly ranked Pittsburgh, at USC, and against ranked Connecticut.
Texas A&M is 93-10 straight up at home the last six seasons, including 29-1 the last 30 games and 12-0 this campaign.
A battle of Top 20 Big 12 basketball powers tips off Monday when Texas A&M (17-3, 4-2) hosts conference-leading Texas (18-3, 6-0) at sold-out Reed Arena in College Station. Let’s see how they match up.
Despite ranking 101st in the nation in scoring, and 109th in the nation shooting from the field, the Aggies took a 17-2 record on the season into Nebraska this past Saturday.
Its only two losses this campaign were a nail-biter to Boston College and a 21-point blowout against Texas.
As expected, it was the offense that was the culprit in 57-48 loss to the Huskers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Despite outrebounding Nebraska, 19-9, and being up 31-24 at halftime, A&M’s marshmallow attack went super soft in the second half, accounting for just 17 points.
The Aggies shot 24 percent from the field in the last 20 minutes and 39 percent for the game. They also
made just six of 14 free throws. In the end, A&M won the rebounding advantage for the 19th time in 20 games but lost 14 turnovers to Nebraska’s seven.
"We just weren't tough enough," A&M head coach Mark Turgeon said. "It was physical, real physical, and we didn't respond. We've been able to in the past, but we didn't today."
The Longhorns have played one of the hardest schedules in college basketball, and at the same time, they find themselves 18-3 and ranked inside the Top 10 in the polls.
Rick Barnes’ team is tearing up the Big 12 with six straight wins – all conference foes and all by double-digits - and showing no signs of slowing down.
Sophomore guard Jordan Hamilton leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game, and freshman Tristan Thompson is leading the Longhorns in rebounding.
Hamilton had 16 points and a career-high 13 boards in Saturday night’s 71-58 victory over Missouri, helping Texas remain undefeated in the Big 12.
Like the five teams before them in Texas' run, the Tigers came away impressed by the Longhorns' bruising play near the baskets.
"There's no secret how they play," Missouri guard Kim English said. "They are a physical team. They pressure the ball. Big, strong guys."
UT senior forward Gary Johnson promised more rugged, physical defense.
"We lost to a team that played that way at Pittsburgh," Johnson said. "We didn't like it. Good defense beats good offense on any given night. That's what we do."
The only three losses this team has suffered are against highly ranked Pittsburgh, at USC, and against ranked Connecticut.
Texas A&M is 93-10 straight up at home the last six seasons, including 29-1 the last 30 games and 12-0 this campaign.
