The clock has already begun ticking on Texas A&M head coach Melvin Watkins’ tenure as men’s basketball coach.
Eight and counting – that’s the number of consecutive Big 12 conference losses Watkins’ Aggies have suffered through dating back to last season. One would have to travel all the way back to January of 2002 to find the last time A&M won consecutive Big 12 games.
The No. 18 Texas Longhorns added to A&M’s woeful streak Saturday as they defeated the Aggies 69-59 in front of a near-capacity crowd at Reed Arena. It marked the Longhorns’ (14-3, 5-1 Big 12) 10th consecutive victory over the Aggies (7-10, 0-6) in College Station.
Texas was led by a front-line rotation that kept the Aggies out of the paint and, once again, out of the win column. Big men reserves Brian Boddicker and Jason Klotz combined to score 21 points and grab 12 rebounds.
“They were bringing everybody to the goal,” said A&M senior Nick Anderson of the Texas front line. “They take Klotz out and bring Boddicker in – they’re huge.”
As in its other Big 12 losses this season, A&M was able to hang with Texas for a good portion of the game, even taking a 48-43 lead off of a Marcus Watkins jumper with 12:41 remaining in the second half. That, however, would be the last field goal the Aggies would make all afternoon, as the Longhorns responded with a 20-1 run that put the game out of reach.
Once again, a second-half letdown was more than the team could overcome.
“We played 20 minutes of basketball today,” Watkins said. “And obviously you have to play two halves to win it.”
For the first time this season, it wasn’t the defense that lost the game for A&M. This loss can mostly be attributed to offense, or the lack thereof. Facing a 2-3 zone for most of the second half, the Aggies just couldn’t hit their shots. After the jumper by Watkins, A&M went 0-13 from the field, scoring their last 11 points from the free throw line.
This scoring ineptitude prompted a group of Longhorns fans to start the chant, “Worse than Baylor.” Coincidentally, Baylor is the last Big 12 opponent the Aggies have managed to defeat.
“Some nights (shots) don’t fall for you, and that’s what I think happened to A&M a little bit,” said Texas head coach Rick Barnes. “They had some pretty good looks because we did break down a few times when they had some good things going for them offensively, but the shots just didn’t go for them.”
Whether its struggles on offense or defense, the Aggies can’t seem to find a way to win, and disappointment is obviously mounting.
“It’s really getting frustrating,” Anderson said, head buried in arms. “It’s just terrible, it’s getting so frustrating.”
One thing is for certain: The schedule is not going to save the Aggies. Next up, the Aggies have to face the only Big 12 team that has been able to defeat the Longhorns this year – the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
With the losses mounting, the pressure for Watkins to get his team to come together and perform has never been greater. His last chance to prove himself may have already passed.