Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball

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Texas A&M Aggies
2017–18 Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team
Texas A&M University logo.svg
University Texas A&M University
Head coach Billy Kennedy (7th season)
Conference SEC
Location College Station, Texas
Arena Reed Arena
(Capacity: 12,989)
Nickname Aggies
Colors Maroon and White[1]
         
Uniforms
Kit body thinsidesonwhite.png
Home jersey
Kit shorts blanksides2.png
Team colours
Home
Kit body thinwhitesides.png
Away jersey
Kit shorts whitesides.png
Team colours
Away


NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1951, 1969, 1980, 2007, 2016, 2018
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
1980, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018
NCAA Tournament appearances
1951, 1964, 1969, 1975, 1980, 1987, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018
Conference tournament champions
Southwest Conference
1980, 1987
Conference regular season champions
Southwest Conference
1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1951, 1964, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1986
Southeastern Conference
2016

The Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college basketball. The Aggies play home games at Reed Arena, a 12,989-capacity arena in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University.

In the 2006–07 season, Texas A&M was the only program in the Big 12 Conference to have both men's and women's teams competing in the NCAA Tournament – the men as a 3 seed and the women as a 4 seed.[2][3] The men's basketball team received a number 3 seed in the 2015-16 season as well.

History[edit]

See also: Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball seasons

Metcalf era[edit]

Shelby Metcalf took over the A&M basketball program in 1963. His impact was immediate, winning the Southwest Conference with a 13–1 conference record for Texas A&M's first title in 13 years. In his 26 years as head coach at Texas A&M, he won six Southwest Conference titles, two Southwest Conference tournament titles, and led A&M to six NCAA Tournament and four NIT appearances. He was fired by former A&M football player and then-athletic director John David Crow after coaching 19 games of the 1989–1990 season. When asked by the media what happened between the two, Metcalf remarked, "I made a comment that I didn't think John David was all that bright. And I thought I was being generous." Metcalf finished his career at A&M with an overall record of 438–306, making him the all-time winningest men's basketball coach in Southwest Conference history.

The Dark Ages[edit]

After Metcalf was fired, A&M went through the next fourteen years making only one postseason appearance (1994 NIT), finished above .500 in conference play only twice, and posted an overall record of .500 or above only twice. John Thornton finished out the 1990 season as head coach after Metcalf was fired. Soon after, Kermit Davis, Jr. was hired prior to the 1990–91 season, after posting a 50–12 (.806) record in two seasons at Idaho. He resigned after one season at 8–21 and Texas A&M began investigating recruiting violations by Davis.[4] He was soon placed on a two-year probation by the NCAA and coached at a community college in Florida. Tony Barone was hired from Creighton in 1991 to replace Davis. Barone lasted seven years as head coach of the program, finishing below .500 six times. It was in 1994 that he finished with a 10–4 league record for 2nd place in the Southwest Conference and was invited to the NIT. After Barone finished last in the Big 12 Conference in 1998, Melvin Watkins was hired out of UNC-Charlotte. While a good recruiter, Watkins never finished above seventh in the Big 12. He resigned after going winless (0–16) in conference play in 2004.[5]

Modern resurgence[edit]

Gillispie era[edit]

After Watkins resigned, Billy Gillispie, was hired out of UTEP after leading the Miners to an NCAA Tournament appearance and having the largest turnaround of any team in the nation, from 6–24 in 2002–03 to 24–8 in 2003–04. The Aggies, though picked by Big 12 coaches to finish last in the conference, immediately improved under Gillispie, winning their first 10 games and finishing at 21–10, 8–8 in conference.[6] Along the way, the team defeated ranked, in-state rivals Texas and Texas Tech. The team earned an NIT bid, Texas A&M's first postseason in 11 years, reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Gillispie's second year featured further improvement, with the Aggies defeating three ranked opponents in Colorado, Texas, and Syracuse. The team finished with a league record of 10–6 and a win in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas A&M's first since the conference first began play in 1996–97. The Aggies reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1987 as a 12-seed, upsetting fifth-seed Syracuse in the first round. The Aggies fell in the second round to LSU on the final shot of the game.

In 2007, A&M was ranked as high as #10 in the pre-season polls. Despite early-season losses to LSU and UCLA, the Aggies accomplished several feats not seen in years by the Aggies, including a win at Allen Fieldhouse over then-#6 Kansas, a first for a Big 12 South team since the conference was formed. They suffered three losses in conference play, a sweep by Texas Tech and a double-overtime loss to a Kevin Durant-led Texas in Austin, and were able to secure the #2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. The Aggies lost in the quarterfinals to Oklahoma State. The Aggies received a #3 seed in the 2007 NCAA championship tournament, their highest seed ever along with 2016s 3 seed, and reached the Sweet 16. In the postseason, the Aggies achieved a #9 ranking by the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls, the highest ranking ever attained in school history.[7]

On April 6, 2007, Gillispie resigned his position as head coach at Texas A&M to coach at the University of Kentucky.[8] Four days later, on April 10, Mark Turgeon, head coach of Wichita State University, was announced as the new men's basketball head coach at A&M.[9]

Turgeon era[edit]

The Aggies started the 2007-08 season ranked 14th in the preseason Coaches Poll. Once the season progressed, they won the 2007 NIT Season Tip-Off to extend their winning streak to 7–0. Their first loss of the season came to unranked Arizona. After the Arizona game, they would then win eight straight home games against unranked opponents. Team performance spiraled down once conference play had begun, losing to three straight unranked teams—at Texas Tech, at Michael Beasley-led Kansas State, and at home to Baylor in a 5-overtime classic. The Aggies would post wins at their next five matchups, including one over the 10th-ranked rival Texas Longhorns and three away games. They then regressed, losing to Oklahoma State and Nebraska at home. Another high point came when they defeated Texas Tech 98–54 at home, matching their highest margin of victory in school history (set in 1959 against Texas).[10] The Aggies regressed once again, this time losing 64–37 at Oklahoma. After the blowout, the Aggies were able to revenge Baylor in Waco, though came back home to lose their final regular season game to eventual national champion Kansas to finish the season at 8–8 in conference play. The team received a No. 6 bid to the Big 12 tournament, defeating Iowa State and Kansas State in the first two rounds, but lost to Kansas again in the semifinals. With their 24–10 record after the Big 12 tournament, the Aggies received a No. 9 at-large bid to the West Regional of the NCAA tournament. In the first round, they defeated 8th-seeded BYU 67–62 at Anaheim. In the second round, they faced UCLA at the same site, though allowed them to escape with a close 51–49 win.[11] The Aggies finished the season with a 25–11 record. The 25 wins matches the record for most wins by a first-year coach at a Big 12 school, set by former Texas coach Tom Penders in the 1988–89 season.[12]

The 2008–09 Aggies, led by Turgeon in his second year, went 14–1 in non-conference play, with wins over Alabama, Arizona, and LSU; the one loss was handed to them by Tulsa.[13] Josh Carter and Bryan Davis received preseason Big 12 honorable mention.[14] The team did not make the top 25 of the preseason AP or Coaches polls, though received votes.[15] During the 2009 signing period, the Aggies signed Naji Hibbert, Khris Middleton, Kourtney Roberson,[16] and Ray Turner,[17] all of whom were listed in the Rivals.com Top 150 prospects for the class of 2009. The Aggies went 9–7 in Big 12 play to make the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year; they defeated BYU in the first round for the second consecutive year before losing to UConn. Josh Carter became an All-Big 12 Third Team selection, while Derrick Roland was selected to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.[18] The Aggies finished 24–10, giving Turgeon 49 wins over two years.

In the 2009–10 season, the Aggies played a considerably tougher non-conference schedule, going 10–3. Senior guard Derrick Roland broke his leg grotesquely in December and missed the rest of the season. The team was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 in the preseason coaches' poll but finished tied for second. With their 22–8 regular-season finish and 11–5 mark in conference play, the Aggies participated in the 2010 Big 12 Tournament and defeated Nebraska before losing to No. 1 Kansas in the semifinals. They received an at–large bid to the NCAA tournament and earned a 5 seed in the South Region. They defeated 12 seed Utah State in the first round before falling to 4 seed Purdue in overtime in the second round to finish their season at 24–10. Donald Sloan made All-Big 12 First Team as a senior and Bryan Davis was named to the All-Big 12 Defensive team; they graduated with 100 wins, the most by any class in Aggie basketball history. Turgeon's 73 wins at the conclusion of the season surpassed Gillispie's 70 in three years at A&M.

Prior to the beginning of his last year at Texas A&M, Turgeon had negotiated a contract extension and salary increase, but he was growing more unhappy with the Aggie fanbase.[19][20] During his final season coaching the Aggies Turgeon publicly express unhappiness with the inconsistent fan support from both students and public ticket holders.[21] On the evening of May 9, 2011 at 8pm (local time), Turgeon met with his coaching staff and players to inform them that half an hour earlier he accepted the head coach position at the University of Maryland.[22] He had visited the campus earlier that day and left with an offer.[23] When asked about his decision at an Aggie Athletics press conference he said "Maryland's got a great basketball tradition. [Texas A&M and Maryland are] real similar. It's a gut feeling." In their meeting earlier that night he told the Aggie players "it was the hardest decision [he] ever had to make... because of [them]."[24] Turgeon said that fan attendance at A&M did not factor into his decision.[25]

Kennedy Era[edit]

Following the 2010 season, Mark Turgeon left the Texas Aggies for Maryland University, opening the door for Billy Kennedy to become the new head coach of the team. Kennedy, who arrived after coaching at Murray State, was known for his good coaching record for the Racers his final years there.

Kennedy's first two years at Texas A&M began as a slow progression in terms of quality of the teams, going 18–15 and 18–16 respectively, with his 2nd year team being invited to the annual end-of-year CBI basketball tournament.

The 2014–15 season saw the Aggies vie for a spot in the NCAA tournament, but the team lost 4 of their last 5 games, so they were instead invited to the NIT. They finished the season with a record of 21–12.

His next year saw one of the best years in Aggie men's basketball in nearly a decade, with the team winning a share the conference regular season title. The Aggies were invited to the NCAA tournament as a 3 seed, and played all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, where they were eventually defeated by Oklahoma, finishing the season with a record of 28–9.

The next year was considered by many to be a rebuilding year, as 4 starting seniors were graduating, with 3 heading for the NBA: Danuel House, Alex Caruso, and Jalen Jones. The team, which was led by mostly sophomores, went on to finish the season with a record of 16–15, and were not invited to any postseason tournaments for the first time since 2013.

The following year, the Aggies returned most of their starters from the previous year, now as mostly juniors, and began the season with a lot of promise, landing a No. 25 spot in the preseason AP poll and reaching as high as No. 5 during the regular season. After a string of injuries and suspensions, the team hobbled to the end of the season, but not without landing a spot in the NCAA tournament. Earning a 7 seed, the team went on to defeat Providence and the defending national champions, North Carolina, to earn a spot in the Sweet Sixteen, the 2nd one in 3 years. The team would lose to Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen, and finish the season with a record of 22–13. Sophomore starting center Robert Williams, as well as juniors Tyler Davis and D. J. Hogg would then declare for the NBA Draft.

Top 25 poll finishes[edit]

The AP Poll first appeared on January 20, 1949, and has since been published continuously. The Coaches' Poll began selecting the top 20 teams on a weekly basis during the 1950–1951 college basketball season. It was initially published by United Press from 1950 through 1990, followed by USA Today/CNN from 1991 through 1996, and USA Today/ESPN from 1997 through 2004, and USA Today from 2005 to the present. In the 1990–1991 basketball season the poll expanded to a top 25, and it has since retained this format. Both polls referred to below are the final regular-season polls; that is, not the final post-tournament polls.[26]

Season AP rank Coaches rank
1950–1951 n/a 18
1963–1964 n/a 18
1979–1980 n/a 18
2006–2007 9 9
2009–2010 23 24
2010–2011 24 20
2015–2016 15 15
2017–2018 n/a 24

Postseason[edit]

The Aggies have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 14 times. Their combined record is 13–15.

NCAA Tournament results[edit]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result/Score
1951 Sweet Sixteen Washington L 40–62
1964 Round of 25 Texas Western L 62–68
1969 Round of 25
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game		 Trinity
Drake
Colorado		 W 81–66
L 63–81
L 82–97
1975 Round of 32 Cincinnati L 79–87
1980 #6 Round of 48
Round of 32
Sweet Sixteen		 #11 Bradley
#3 North Carolina
#2 Louisville		 W 55–53
W 78–61
L 55–66
1987 #12 Round of 64 #5 Duke L 51–58
2006 #12 Round of 64
Round of 32		 #5 Syracuse
#4 LSU		 W 66–58
L 57–58
2007 #3 Round of 64
Round of 32
Sweet Sixteen		 #14 Penn
#6 Louisville
#2 Memphis		 W 68–52
W 72–69
L 64–65
2008 #9 Round of 64
Round of 32		 #8 BYU
#1 UCLA		 W 67–62
L 49–51
2009 #9 Round of 64
Round of 32		 #8 BYU
#1 Connecticut		 W 79–66
L 66–92
2010 #5 Round of 64
Round of 32		 #12 Utah State
#4 Purdue		 W 69–53
L 61–63 OT
2011 #7 Round of 64 #10 Florida State L 50–57
2016 #3 Round of 64
Round of 32
Sweet Sixteen		 #14 Green Bay
#11 Northern Iowa
#2 Oklahoma		 W 92–65
W 92–88 2OT
L 63–77
2018 #7 Round of 64
Round of 32
Sweet Sixteen		 #10 Providence
#2 North Carolina
#3 Michigan		 W 73–69
W 86–65
L 72–99

NIT results[edit]

The Aggies have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 7–7.

Year Round Opponent Result
1979 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Lamar
Washington
Purdue		 W 79–68
W 67–64
L 68–72
1982 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Lamar
Washington
Purdue		 W 60–58
W 69–65
L 65–69
1985 First Round New Mexico L 67–80
1986 First Round Wyoming L 70–79
1994 First Round New Orleans L 73–79
2005 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Clemson
DePaul
Saint Joseph's		 W 82–74
W 75–72
L 51–58
2015 First Round
Second Round		 Montana
Louisiana Tech		 W 81–64
L 72–84

CBI results[edit]

The Aggies have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2014 First Round
Quarterfinals		 Wyoming
Illinois State		 W 59–43
L 55–62

Notable former players[edit]

Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Walt Davis 1952 Former NBA player [27]
John Beasley 1966 Former ABA player [27]
Sonny Parker 1976 Former NBA player [27]
David Britton 1979 Former NBA player [27]
R.C. Buford 1980 San Antonio Spurs General Manager [28]
Doug Lee 1984 Former NBA player [27]
Jimmie Gilbert 1986
Winston Crite 1987 Former NBA player [27]
Darryl McDonald 1988 NBL player [29]
Bernard King 2003 Player for Mersin BŞB. S.K.

Former Big 12 career scoring leader

[30]
Antoine Wright 2006 NBA player for the Sacramento Kings [27][31]
Antanas Kavaliauskas 2007 Lithuanian national basketball team player [32][33]
Acie Law IV 2007 NBA player for the Golden State Warriors [34]
DeAndre Jordan 2008 NBA player for the Los Angeles Clippers [27][35]
Joseph Jones 2008 French League player [36]
Dominique Kirk 2008 Holds A&M record for games started (132), Plays EuroLeague in Turkey
Josh Carter 2009 Holds A&M records for games played (135), wins and winning percentage (98–37=.725), 3 point baskets made and was the first Texas A&M player to play in 4 straight NCAA tournaments (9 games) [27]
Chinemelu Elonu 2010 Spanish League Player for Zaragoza [27]
Khris Middleton 2012 NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks [27][37]

Aggies in the NBA[edit]

Management[edit]

Current players[edit]

Retired jerseys[edit]

1 – Acie Law IV

Records[edit]

Career Points Scored[edit]

[38] Name Seasons Points
1 Bernard King 1999–2003 1,990
2 Vernon Smith 1977–1981 1,778
3 Joseph Jones 2004–2008 1,679
4 Acie Law IV 2003–2007 1,669
5 John Beasley 1963–1966 1,594
6 Winston Crite 1983–1987 1,576
7 Josh Carter 2005–2009 1,566
8 Donald Sloan 2007–2010 1,522
9 Rynn Wright 1977–1981 1,495
10 Claude Riley 1979–1983 1,383
11 Carroll Broussard 1959–1962 1,382
12 Bennie Lenox 1961–1964 1,344

Regular-season tournaments[edit]

Texas A&M has played in the following regular-season tournaments since 2006.

Year Tournament Location Result
2006 Shelby Metcalf Classic College Station TX 3–0
2007 NIT Season Tip-Off College Station TX, New York City 4–0
2008 South Padre Island Invitational College Station TX, South Padre Island TX 3–1
2009 76 Classic Anaheim CA 2–1
2010 Old Spice Classic Lake Buena Vista FL 2–1
2011 2K Sports Classic College Station TX, New York City 3–1
2012 CBE Classic College Station TX, Kansas City MO 3–1
2013 Corpus Christi Challenge College Station TX, Corpus Christi TX 2–2
2014 Puerto Rico Tipoff San Juan PR 2–1
2015 Battle 4 Atlantis College Station TX, Paradise Island 3–1
2016 Wooden Legacy California 3–1
2017 Legends Classic Brooklyn 2–0

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Web Color Palette". Texas A&M University Brand Guide. Texas A&M University. Retrieved May 16, 2018. 
  2. ^ "2007 NCAA Basketball Men's Viewable Brackets". NCAA. 2005-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-13. 
  3. ^ "2007 NCAA Basketball Women's Viewable Brackets". NCAA. 2005-03-12. Retrieved 2007-03-13. 
  4. ^ "Aggies' Coach Resigns". The New York Times. 1991-03-16. Retrieved 2007-03-15. 
  5. ^ "Melvin Watkins Resigns As Texas A&M Basketball Coach". AggieDaily. 2004-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-15. [permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Men's hoops plays earliest road game in school history". 
  7. ^ "Aggies Ranked No. 9 in Final USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll". Texas A&M Athletics. 2007-04-04. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2007-04-05. 
  8. ^ Billy Gillespie to become new UK basketball coach | SPORTS | WHAS11.com | News for Louisville, Kentucky Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ "Turgeon Named Texas A&M Men's Basketball Coach". Texas A&M Athletics. 2007-04-10. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  10. ^ Davis, Brian (2008-02-28). "Texas A&M snaps losing skid in win over Texas Tech". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2008-02-28. 
  11. ^ Miller, John (2008-03-24). "Last-second loss to UCLA mirrored much of season". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2008-03-31. [dead link]
  12. ^ "WEST REGION". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-03-31. [dead link]
  13. ^ "Turgeon's Aggies off to another good start". 
  14. ^ "OU's Griffin Leads Preseason All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Individual Honors" (Press release). 
  15. ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings (Nov. 10)". 
  16. ^ "Turgeon Signs Impressive 2009 Recruiting Class". Archived from the original on 2008-12-18. 
  17. ^ "Turgeon Adds Turner to Stellar Recruiting Class". Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. 
  18. ^ "Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards Announced". 
  19. ^ "Texas A&M, Mark Turgeon agree to contract extension". Dallas Morning News. April 5, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  20. ^ "Too many differences for Turgeon, A&M to work". Dallas Morning News. May 9, 2011. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  21. ^ "Empty seats need 12th Man". The Battalion. February 22, 2011. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  22. ^ "Source: Mark Turgeon accepts offer". ESPN.com. May 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  23. ^ "Mark Turgeon leaving Texas A&M, accepts Maryland coaching offer". Dallas Morning News. May 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  24. ^ "Texas A&M Basketball Quotes". AggieAthletics.com. May 9, 2011. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  25. ^ "Turgeon & Byrne meet with media following Maryland decision". TexAgs.com. May 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
  26. ^ "2012–13 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 18, 2013. 
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Texas A&M University". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2007-06-23. 
  28. ^ "RC Buford San Antonio Spurs". Hoopshype. Retrieved 2007-06-23. 
  29. ^ "44. Darryl McDonald". Melbourne Tigers. Archived from the original on 2007-04-17. Retrieved 2007-06-23. 
  30. ^ "Bernard King:2007–2008 Season Game Log". Retrieved 2008-02-03. 
  31. ^ "Toronto Raptors Roster". nba.com. 
  32. ^ "Texas A&M Student-Athletes are Set to Graduate" (Press release). Texas A&M Athletics. 2007-08-09. Archived from the original on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-01-15. 
  33. ^ "Antanas Kavaliauskas Basketball Player Profile, B.C. Zalgiris Kaunas, Texas A&M, News, LKL stats, Career, Games Logs, Best, Awards – eurobasket". eurobasket.com. 
  34. ^ "Charlotte Hornets 2018 Team Roster – ESPN". ESPN.com. 
  35. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Roster". nba.com. 
  36. ^ "Joseph Jones Basketball Player Profile, Beirut Club, Texas A&M, News, LBL stats, Career, Games Logs, Best, Awards – eurobasket". eurobasket.com. 
  37. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Roster". nba.com. 
  38. ^ http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/mbasketball/docs/0708-factbook.pdf[permanent dead link] (Texas A&M Basketball Media Guide 2006–07 pg. 120)

External links[edit]

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