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Basketball rebounds at Texas A&M
02:08 AM CST on Tuesday, February 20, 2007
By RACHEL COHEN / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – One look at the current Big 12 standings for men's and women's basketball brings to mind pigs in flight or some other seemingly impossible occurrence.
With two weeks to go before the Big 12 tournament, both Texas A&M teams are near the top of the standings and control their destiny to win a regular-season conference le. That would be stunning enough if the squads had often languished near the bottom of the standings. But the Aggies weren't just bad, but the worst – each held the distinction as the conference's losingest program for much of its 11-year history.
Colleges
Big 12 men's standings
Big 12 women's standings
There are scores of stats that put this reversal into perspective, but consider this:
•Through the Big 12's first seven seasons, the women won 22 conference games. Gary Blair has won 27 in less than four years as coach.
•Through the Big 12's first eight seasons, the men won 25 conference games. Billy Gillispie has won 28 in less than three years as coach.
The bigger question may be which is more shocking: That the Aggies are so good, or that they were so bad. Past failed coaches lamented a lack of administrative support. Gillispie and Blair credit fifth-year athletic director Bill Byrne, who hired both, for providing the necessary commitment.
"I've always said people with resources – whether from football or basketball – can build any program, but you've got to have a recruiting base," which this state does for basketball, said Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, whose men's and women's teams each made the Final Four in 2003.
AP
Texas A&M's Acie Law is greeted by fans after the Aggies' upset of Kansas. Of A&M, Dodds said: "It's just obvious when you make an effort, it's going to improve. That's what's happening."
Only twice in the history of the Big 12 has a school swept the men's and women's crowns. Iowa State did it in 2000, when the women shared the le, and Kansas won both championships outright in 1997.
Both A&M teams have put themselves in position that if they win out, they will at least share the regular-season le. Each also has the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament.
The men, ranked No. 8, hold the tiebreaker over Kansas because they won their lone head-to-head meeting. They defeated Texas at home but still must face the Longhorns in Austin on Feb. 28.
The women, ranked No. 16, hold the tiebreaker over Oklahoma after sweeping the Sooners. They beat Baylor in College Station but take on the Lady Bears on the road Sunday.
TEXAS A&M MEN
Big 12 men's ulative records, 1997-2004 (before Billy Gillispie's hiring)
1. Kansas: .828 (106-22)
2. Texas: .695 (89-39)
3. Oklahoma: .688 (88-40)
4. Okla. State: .656 (84-44)
5. Missouri: .547 (70-58)
6. Iowa State: .500 (64-64)
7. Colorado: .477 (61-67)
8. Nebraska: .414 (53-75)
9. Texas Tech: .414 (53-75)
10. Kansas State: .305 (39-89)
11. Baylor: .281 (36-92)
12. Texas A&M: .195 (25-103)
Men's achievements this season
•Became the first Big 12 South team in the conference's history to win at Allen Fieldhouse after Kansas won the first 31.
•Reached the highest ranking in school history (6th)
•Have stayed in poll a school-record 16 consecutive weeks.
Dubious men's basketball streaks and droughts before Billy Gillispie's arrival
17: straight losses (started: Jan. 10, 2004; ended: Nov. 19, 2004)
20: straight losses against Big 12 compe ion (started: March 8, 2003; ended: Jan. 12, 2005)
20: straight Big 12 road losses (started: Jan. 18, 2003; ended: Feb. 19, 2005)
0: Big 12 tournament wins through the event's first nine years
18: seasons without an NCAA Tournament berth (1987-88 to 2004-05)
25: seasons without being ranked (1981-82 to 2005-06)
The men's results since the inception of the Big 12:
Season Overall Big 12 Finish Postseason Coach
1996-97 9-18 3-13 T10th None Tony Barone
1997-98 7-20 1-15 12th None Tony Barone
1998-99 12-15 5-11 T10th None Melvin Watkins
1999-00 8-20 4-12 T8th None Melvin Watkins
2000-01 10-20 3-13 T12th None Melvin Watkins
2001-02 9-22 3-12 12th None Melvin Watkins
2002-03 14-14 6-10 T7th None Melvin Watkins
2003-04 7-21 0-16 12th None Melvin Watkins
2004-05 21-10 8-8 7th NIT Billy Gillispie
2005-06 22-9 10-6 4th NCAA Billy Gillispie
TEXAS A&M WOMEN
Big 12 women's ulative records, 1997-2003 (before Gary Blair's hiring)
1. Texas Tech: .777 (87-25)
2. Iowa State: .661 (74-38)
3. Texas: .625 (70-42)
4. Oklahoma: .571 (64-48)
5. Colorado: .545 (61-51)
6. Baylor: .500 (56-56)
7. Kansas: .491 (55-57)
8. Kansas State: .473 (53-59)
9. Nebraska: .411 (46-66)
10. Missouri: .375 (42-70)
11. Okla. State: .375 (42-70)
12. Texas A&M: .196 (22-90)
Women's achievements this season
•Longest-ever conference win streak (six games)
•Highest ranking in school history (10th)
•In poll for a school-record 22 consecutive weeks.
•First win over Texas Tech in Lubbock since 1980
•Achieved highest ranking in school history (10th)
•Beat ranked opponents in back-to-back games for the first time
•Ended Oklahoma's record 26-game win streak against Big 12 opponents – and did it on the road. The women's results since the inception of the Big 12:
Season Overall Big 12 Finish Postseason Coach
1996-97 9-18 3-13 T-10th None Candi Harvey
1997-98 9-19 4-12 T-9th None Candi Harvey
1998-99 7-20 2-14 12th None Peggie Gillom
1999-00 11-16 3-13 11th None Peggie Gillom
2000-01 12-16 2-14 tied 11th None Peggie Gillom
2001-02 13-16 5-11 9th None Peggie Gillom
2002-03 10-18 3-13 T-9th None Peggie Gillom
2003-04 9-19 2-14 T-11th None Gary Blair
2004-05 16-15 4-12 T-9th WNIT Gary Blair
2005-06 23-9 11-5 3rd NCAA Gary Blair
we're awesome.
Does anyone even give a about womens ball?
Why doesn't Jim post articles after an A&M loss?
we don't lose.
LOL this article took up 85% of the front page and like 65% of another page in the 4 page sports section for Tuesday. LOL
Aggie mania
The "Red River Shootout" commands about 95% of the sports section whenever that Saturday borefest rolls around. I wish you would stop acting like UT never gets any respect.
Dude, this is The Dallas Morning News, not the Bryan Eagle.
Can you read?
If you do not think that this storyline is quite amazing, then you are not a sports fan.
Nope. Yet the WNBA still exists and ESPN keeps shoving women's basketball down our throats. I've tried to watch it but I just dont get excited about 1.5" verticles and ugly es.
given that you post any aggie related article, i think we know that a&m has a good team now.Dude, this is The Dallas Morning News, not the Bryan Eagle.
Can you read?
If you do not think that this storyline is quite amazing, then you are not a sports fan.
I was alluding to the fact that he was mocking the article being from the local sports page, when in fact it was from a major newspaper.
A Major Texas newspaper. Talking about a Texas sports team that is doing well. Whodathunk?
This coming from Blackshirt Superfan himself...
"Go Jays!"
Dude, this is The Dallas Morning News, not the Bryan Eagle.
Can you read?
If you do not think that this storyline is quite amazing, then you are not a sports fan.
Dude, I read the Dallas Morning News every day at lunch, and the sports section on Tuesday was 4 whopping pages
maybe 6, but 6 TOPS
it was a slow day i guess
But as for Ron Mexico's comment, if you actually read the Dallas Morning News, you'd know it is the most anti-UT major newspaper in south u.s.
Their major college football analyst for years is this fat blob named Keith Whitmire, the most sooner neocon you'll ever read in your life
so yes we get lots of red river shootout coverage, but the twist htey put on it is funny
Well, the Houston Chronicle is very pro-UT and I've read that in college and since I moved to Houston. I don't listen to the Dallas Morning News becuase they shower too much love on the Mavs.
i wish i had the pleasure of reading something non-dallas related, but im stuck with what im stuck with, and actually i've heard more than one person call the publication The Oklahoma Morning News
I read the whole aggie article, not taking away from what the article says, but it was funny because the sports section was unusually small that day
thats all i was saying
ROFL in college football reporting??
Yes, you've apparently never read it. All they did was applaud UT last year over and over again prior to the Red River Shootout. I don't even want to get into what happened after 2006 Rose Bowl. Let's not forget this is a publication and a city that put out a "NLCS Championship DVD" after the Astros got swept in the World Series.
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