When the Texas A&M men’s basketball team hosts No. 3 Oklahoma University on Saturday, the two teams will each be in recovery mode.
The Aggies will enter the game fresh off of a 40-point loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, which gave A&M its sixth straight conference road loss. The Aggies were unable to get anything going offensively in Kansas, as A&M’s leading scorer, junior Leandro Garcia-Morales, finished the game with only nine points.
Things will not get any easier for A&M (13-11, 5-8 Big 12), which has only two home games remaining before the Big 12 Tournament begins on March 13. Aggie Head Coach Melvin Watkins said he realizes how important it is to finish the season strong at home.
“It is very important,” he said. “That is something we have said all year long. You have to defend your home court.”
The Aggies have done just that so far this season, posting a 9-3 record at Reed Arena. The record is A&M’s best start at home since the 1994-1995 season at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Much of this early success has come thanks to senior guard Bernard King and freshman guard Antoine Wright. The two are part of an A&M backcourt that has scored an impressive 53.2 points per game. Wright is an early candidate for National Freshman of the Year, leading the Aggies in rebounding, steals and blocks, and is second only to King in scoring. King has scored in double digits in 18 straight games and has averaged just more than 22 points in the Aggies’ last four outings.
Oklahoma, a team that beat Kansas a week ago and pulled into a tie for the Big 12 Conference lead, went on to lose convincingly on the road at Missouri. The Sooners (19-5, 10-3 Big 12) led by one point with 10:40 to go, but a late Missouri surge from Arthur Johnson and Ricky Clemons led to the 67-52 Tigers’ victory.
“Missouri played like the game was more important to them than it was to us,” said OU Head Coach Kelvin Sampson. “We have to find a way to put (the game) behind us.”
If the Sooners are to rebound from the disappointing loss in Missouri, junior guard Hollis Price will no doubt be a factor. Price, who averages 3.5 three-pointers per game led the Sooners with 16 points and had five rebounds in the loss. Price has a hot hand, as he leads the nation with a 94.5 percentage from the free-throw line.
Oklahoma will look to utilize Price and Quannas White to put quick points on the board. The Sooners have won an astounding 48 of their last 50 games when scoring at least 80 points.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Reed Arena.