The Aggie Women’s basketball team put a hard fought game, but fell short to advancing to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year, but lost to Gonzaga 72-71 in a second round game.

The A&M team knew what it would take to beat the Gonzaga team, after playing them in December in Las Vegas and pulling out the 80-76 win. But the Bulldogs, never looked back from the loss to the Aggies going into the NCAA game on a 19-0 run since the Dec. 20 matchup.

The Bulldogs had about as close to a home crowd as you could get with many of their fans coming to the game in Seattle, a good four or five hour drive from Spokane.

A&M would come out and pressure West Coast Conference MVP Courtney Vandersloot, as they did in December, but a new Bulldog was emerging for a big night for Gonzaga. Vivian Frieson led the Bulldogs in all categories with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks.

The Aggies would struggle the first half, going into halftime down by 11. That was followed by a fiery speech by Coach Gary Blair, who was wired up for ESPN, and he made the Aggie players well aware of what was happening with Frieson.

Just in case people questioned Blair’s intensity on this game, the message got across when Blair questioned a few calls by officials, and received a technical which in return started an Aggie turnaround.

After the technical on Blair, the team went on a 34-20 run to get their largest lead of the game 65-62, with four minutes left. That play is also where the troubles started. The Aggies went from an outstanding free-throw percentage against Portland State two days prior, to one of their worst performances at the line. The Aggies free-throw problems were most apparent when they were fouled while making a two-point basket (an “and-1” play).

The Bulldogs ended up going on a 10-6 run to win the game and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in their program’s history.

The Aggie team ended their season with a record of 26-7, and a senior class who racked up the most wins in a four-year period in Aggie Women’s Basketball.

Blair said his team was special this year, never giving up and getting better day-by-day.

“We’re not used to being behind, but I’m proud of our team and the fight we had in this ball game,” Blair said. “We had some things not go our way, we missed some easy stuff, but they missed some easy stuff as well. It’s a shame one of us has to go home because I think you’ve got two good basketball teams that could go on and be great in the regional. By far this is the hardest second round game that we’ve had to play since I’ve been in the NCAA’s.”

Blair said his senior class has given everything this year and really showed the country what Aggie women’s basketball was all about.

“Tanisha has given me everything a person could possibly want in a player and I’m just proud of this basketball team,” he said. “We weren’t even picked in the AP to start the season, but we quickly got in after we beat Duke in the first ball game. This team has gotten better and better, but we just ran into a very good team and it was more or less a home game for them.”

Blair said the team is not going to point fingers at calls or shots but take this as getting beaten by a better team.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board,” Blair said. “And you’re going to see us every year, we’re going to be right back in here (in the NCAA’s) and keep recruiting the right type of student athletes.”

It is those right type of athletes and the right type of coaching that has Blair’s program being noticed and Gonzaga’s coach Kelly Graves said he has been following the Aggie coach and his teams.

“We’ve followed them with great respect and to see what they’ve done,” Graves said. “And he is about as classy a coach as I’ve ever met and he probably doesn’t realize how much I’ve learned from him over the years by just watching his teams play.”

The game against Gonzaga is merely a bump in the road for the Aggie program. The team will have a slew of returning talent on the team for the 2010-2011 season and will also have the addition of one of the nation’s best recruiting classes.

If there is one thing for certain about this year of Aggie men’s and women’s basketball it is that we belong in the club of “basketball schools,” the tournament may not have proven it this year but as Coach Blair pointed out after the game the trend is on an upward swing for Aggie Basketball.

“I’m just proud of Texas A&M for what the men and the women have done in the last five years,” he said. “You go check across the country and you see how many people have accomplished what both our programs have done – and remember we were a football school before we got this thing going.”

The Texas A&M basketball season came to an end on Sunday as the Aggies lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to the Purdue Boilermakers in overtime, 63-61. The season ending loss came two days after the Aggies picked up their fifth straight win in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Utah State. The Aggies and the Pittsburgh Panthers are now the only two teams in the country that have won at least one game in the tournament the last five years in a row.

On Friday, the Aggies faced the other Aggies of Utah State as the two teams faced off in Spokane, Washington. Our Aggies played about as well as you could hope as they dismantled what many considered to be a very dangerous team in Utah State.

Khris Middleton has been progressing nicely all season long and really put it all together and showed the kind of player he can be as he finished with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting including 5-for-6 from three point range. Middleton was recruited as a shooter. With his size and athleticism, if he can live up to his billing as the best three point shooter in the country coming out of high school, he could be a star. He will be an extremely important part of this team next season.

David Loubeau also did a nice job as he added 14 points with 6 rebounds. B.J. Holmes also played well as he added 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three. Bryan Davis did a nice job on the boards as he gathered in 9 rebounds but he finished with just 6 points and 4 turnovers and struggled with foul trouble throughout.

On top of the fine offensive performance, the Aggies also held a very good shooting team in USU to just 38 percent from the field and just 25 percent from three. The suffocating defense and the execution on offense had the Aggies looking like a tough out heading into the sweet sixteen.

The Aggies would meet a depleted Purdue team that has struggled down the stretch of this season after losing their star player Robbie Hummel to a season ending injury. But this was still a team that had a lot of fight left in them.

Bryan Davis had a monster game in this one as he had an impressive stat line of 17 points to go along with 15 rebounds as well as 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 3 assists. He was an absolute stud in this one and really finished his career off strong. But he was about the only guy that showed up to play in this one!

Donald Sloan quite simply had an off game at the wrong time. The Aggies win this game if he plays just a little bit better. Sloan took 17 shots and made just 23 percent of them and had 3 turnovers. He missed a lot of shots that he normally makes and put up some others that made you scratch your head and wonder what he was thinking. It really is a shame that such a great career and an even better senior season had to come to such a disappointing end. Donald Sloan has been so valuable to this program for four years; this game will not overshadow that.

Sloan was not alone in disappointing performances. After Middleton’s huge game in round one, he was just 1-for-6 from the field against Purdue and was essentially a non-factor. B.J. Holmes was 2-for-9 from the field and 0-for-5 from three. Nathan Walkup was a combined 0-for-7 from three in the two games and really had a pair of disappointing performances.

The Aggies played great defense again in this one but the number of missed layups and missed opportunities eventually became too much. The Aggies had what appeared to be a secure 9 point lead in the second half and just gave it away. This was about as bad as the Aggies could have played and they still almost came away with the win. The result wasn’t what all Aggie fans hoped for but I for one love the fight that this team has shown all season.

The Aggies finish this season with a 25-10 overall record and send this year’s senior class out as the winningest class in Texas A&M history with 100 wins. As disappointing as this last game was, this season was a huge success. After losing Junior Elonu to the draft and Derrick Roland to an injury, most people considered this team finished.

No one expected the 11 wins in conference and the extension of the streak of consecutive years with at least on tournament win. Expect Mark Turgeon to receive a much deserved contract extension this off-season.

As the Aggies head into next season, I have to think that they will take at least a small step back. Donald Sloan was the only player on this team this year capable of creating his own shot. I just don’t see another player on this team next year that can fill that role. He will be sorely missed.

Bryan Davis will probably be easier to replace because the Aggies have four players coming in over 6’8” and will have a very deep frontline next season. This issue will be who will step up in the backcourt as the go to guy when the shot clock is running down. Dash and B.J. are proven solid players, but the Aggies will be looking to relatively unproven players like Naji Hibbert, who had a very underwhelming freshman year, and redshirt freshman Jeremy Adams.

I see this team winning about 8 or 9 games in conference next year and just getting into the tournament. I think the 2012 season is shaping up to be perhaps the best in A&M history. Hopefully the 2011 team can exceed expectations just like the 2010 team did.

Analysis: Look for Aggies to be a dangerous team in the tournament

By Turner Dawson
Photos by Joe Buvid

The Texas A&M basketball team closed out the regular season with two more wins to stretch their record to 22-8 overall and 11-5 in the Big 12. The Aggies hosted the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Reed Arena and honored five senior players on senior night before traveling to Norman to take down the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Aggies honored seniors Donald Sloan, Derrick Roland, Bryan Davis, Shawn Schepel, and Chris Chapman before the game and the winningest senior class in school history went out with a bang.

Four of the five seniors saw action in this game. The only one that didn’t was guard Derrick Roland because he has not recovered from the broken leg that he suffered earlier this season. But he was honored with chants of “We Want Roland” at the end of the game.

The Aggies jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead as Sloan hit a three on the Aggies first possession and then Khris Middleton hit back to back threes. The Aggies continued to build the lead before falling apart a little bit when Oklahoma State started to press. The Aggies began turning the ball over and went into halftime up by only three.

But the Aggies came out firing again in the second half and took control the rest of the way. Donald Sloan led the way as he finished with 19 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. The biggest weakness the Aggies had last season was the lack of a go to guy on offense. Sloan’s emergence this season as the guy will make this team very dangerous now that the Aggies head into post season play.

David Loubeau has continued to grow and mature as the season has gone along and he had another good game as he added 14 points. He has emerged as one of the best back to the basket players in the entire Big 12. He is virtually impossible to guard one on one, which is why I continue to be confused why teams don’t double the post on us. As good as Loubeau is one on one, he really struggles at times against the double team. With Sloan and Loubeau leading the way the Aggies won on senior night, 76-61.

The Aggies then went on the road to Norman to take on the struggling Oklahoma Sooners on their senior night. Oklahoma came out hot and rode that emotion of the pre-game festivities as they were on fire from three point range to start. But the Aggies got things under control and made a run at the end of the first half and went into halftime with the lead, 36-32.

Just like in the OSU game, the Aggies came out firing in the second half and stretched the lead out to double figures and cruised to victory. It was a nice, well rounded performance by the Aggies and a big road win. Khris Middleton showed his continued maturation as he finished with a quiet 15 points. He will be an x-factor in the Big 12 and NCAA tournament for the Aggies. If he can hit some shots and be effective, this is a very dangerous team.

Bryan Davis also was big as he picked up a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and one block. Davis has been plagued throughout his career by inconsistency and a propensity to try to do things he isn’t physically capable of. Lately he has been playing within himself and doing the dirty work down low. He is a tremendous player when he does those things and he showed his value in this game.

The Aggies now go into the Big 12 tournament as the number four seed and will have a first round bye. They will play the winner of the Missouri vs. Nebraska first-round game. The Aggies are without question in the NCAA tournament; at this point the Aggies are just trying to get a better seed.

If the Aggies lose to Missouri in their first game in the tournament, I think the Aggies are probably a 5 seed and possibly a 6. If the Aggies win their first game against Missouri and then lose to Kansas, then I think they are definitely a 5 seed. If they win their first two games, and then lose in the championship of the Big 12 tournament, I think the Aggies are a 4 seed, but maybe still a 5. And if the Aggies win the whole tournament, I think they deserve a 3 seed but they could still end up with a 4.

Ultimately, I see this Aggie team getting a 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and making some serious noise. If that is the case, the Aggies will play a 12 seed with a chance to become one of four teams in the entire country to win at least one NCAA tournament game each of the last 5 years. Coach Mark Turgeon deserves a lot of credit for the incredible job he has done with this team despite losing Junior Elonu to the draft and Derrick Roland to injury. I think this is a top ten  team if we still have those two players.

By Turner Dawson

The Texas A&M basketball team was able to get the split in two tough games this past week as they traveled to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears and then returned home to face the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena. The Aggies came up just short against the Bears but put a beating on the Longhorns.

The game against Baylor was marked by comebacks. Baylor would get out to a sizable lead and A&M would cut into before Baylor would stretch it out again. Late in the second half, the Aggies cut the Baylor lead to 1 point three different times but couldn’t get over the top and finish it off.

Donald Sloan led the way for the Aggies as he finished with 22 points with 3 assists and no turnovers. Donald is such a valuable player for this team because of his ability to create his own shot. He is really the only player on the team capable of doing that and that will be greatly missed nest year. It will be interesting to see who steps up into that role next season.

Bryan Davis also had a solid game in this one as he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He did have three turnovers but you just have to take the good with the bad at times with Davis. I thought he played well overall in this game. David Loubeau really hurt the Aggies by having one of his worst performances of the season. Loubeau had just 4 points on 2 for 8 shooting and eventually fouled out.

Loubeau’s lack of production was countered by 10 points from Josh Lomers for Baylor. Lomers has had a career full of awful performances against the Aggies but he got one good one to end his career as he also added 7 rebounds and his customary 5 fouls. I’m not sure there has ever been a dirtier player than Lomers in the history of college basketball. He got hard foul calls in both games against the Aggies this year and throws more elbows than anyone I have ever seen. As much as the Aggies have been helped over the years by how awkward and uncoordinated that guy is, I for one will be glad to never see him again.

It was also disappointing to see the complete lack of class on the part of the Baylor fans. One group had a sign saying “Hey Aggies, break a leg.” The sign, obviously referencing Aggie senior guard Derrick Roland’s gruesome broken leg earlier in the year, was in very bad taste. I wonder how Baylor fans would have felt if we had made signs poking fun at their star quarterback having a serious season ending knee surgery. I’m all for rivalries and poking fun at each other, but making a joke out of something as horrific as what Roland went through is embarrassing.

If that weren’t enough, many of the Aggie fans that made the trip were cursed at as they were leaving the arena, even though the Baylor fans were completely unprovoked. I think most people have come to expect this sort of thing from Texas Tech fans, but in general most wouldn’t expect it from a school like Baylor. But from this game and the game two years ago when their fans threw everything in sight from the stands at our players, they are beginning to show they might be the most classless group of fans in the entire Big 12.

Against Texas, the Aggies were clicking on all cylinders. Donald Sloan finished with 19 points and hit some very timely shots late in the shot clock. He also added four assists and played some pretty good defense throughout the game, including helping to shut down star guard Avery Bradley of the Longhorns.

David Loubeau got off to a pretty rough start, having issues holding onto the ball and he couldn’t seem to finish around the basket. But he eventually got it together and was able to finish with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Bryan Davis only had 4 points but he also had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. He was a force on the inside even without scoring points.

My favorite part of this game was the production provided by Ray Turner. Both teams were really struggling to get any sort of scoring going early on but Turner came into the game and scored six consecutive points and got the team and the crowd going. The energy and boost he provides off the bench have been huge in a number of games in conference play. He is going to be one heck of a player. He has so much talent that once he starts to figure out some of the small things, the sky will be the limit for him.

The win against Texas pushed the Aggies to 9-5 in conference play. This next week the Aggies will play host to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Reed Arena on Wednesday night and will close out the conference slate by traveling to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Aggies currently sit at fifth place in the conference and would be in pretty good shape to get one of the top 4 seeds in the Big 12 tournament and a first round bye. If they don’t get the bye it wouldn’t be the worst thing, it might even be good for their resume to get an extra win against an Iowa State or Colorado. The Aggies are guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament at this point, now they are playing for seeding.

A lot still at stake for two Sydneys and rest of Aggie Women’s Basketball team

By Chelsea Reber

photos by Glen Johnson/Texas A&M Athletics

In the last few years, Gary Blair has created a promising tradition of winning women’s basketball teams. With four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament, Blair and his girls are looking for another shot at the big show.

The rest of the Big 12 conference teams are not making it an easy road. Five out of the Aggies’ six losses in conference have been a difference of less than 10 points, and three of those have been a difference of less than five points.

“We’ve had some really close games where we have been challenged and tested and we haven’t necessarily come out on the winning side,” Sydney Colson, the junior sociology major said. “I think these are good games to be in because it shows that we still have that fight in us when we are down; even if we do get a loss, at least we get it with some dignity.”

The Aggies are tired of being “so close” and hanging onto the saying, “there is always the next time.” Sooner than later, that next time will turn into the Big 12 Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament where there is not another next time.

Even though the Aggies have slipped a little during season, Colson believes they are still reasonable contenders for a Big 12 Tournament Championship and a very high finish in the NCAA Tournament.

“There were some people at the beginning of the season who predicted us to be in the final four and I think that is still possible. I think we can do it if we go out in our last few games and play hard and get some momentum,” Colson said.

One big slip came on Big Monday against Baylor, when the Aggies lost an upsetting 65-63 game at home. Brittney Griner, the 6’8’’ freshman for the Bears, proved to be all she is hyped up to be, unstoppable. But Colson and the Aggies new she would play great defense and rack up some points; it was the other players they didn’t handle well.

“When you are going up against someone like Griner, you expect her to get points. Our job in games like that is to contain the other players and when we played at Baylor and here at home, we let that get away from us,” Colson said.

“We just want to beat them so bad, and it is almost like we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win,” Sydney Carter, sophomore guard from DeSoto, said.

The Aggies know they have to move past their losses and really focus on the remaining conference games. A lot is still at stake and in their minds; it is never too late to turn things around.

“We need to have more intensity throughout the whole game, we need to lose the negative attitudes, and we just really need to get on the same page,” Colson said.

Even though only a sophomore, Carter has strived all season to take on that leadership role and help her teammates to buy into her “never surrender” mentality.

“It gets frustrating when you lose games that you shouldn’t and it gets hard to stay motivated and positive,” Carter said. “It is just my personality to not give up, and I think if we can get everybody on that same page, we can really go far.”

One thing that the Aggies have not necessarily had much control on this season is injuries. Colson, a team captain for the past two years, has only been about 60 percent during the last few games with an injured leg. She has been getting treatment everyday and is even wearing a support boot when she is not practicing or playing.

Carter has also suffered some more minor injuries this year, but realizes there is a difference between injury and pain.

“I came in the day after a hip pointer and played against Oklahoma, and two days after a sprained ankle and played in the Tech game. It is just a matter of pain tolerance and whether it is actually pain or injury,” Carter said.

“Sydney’s is an injury and she just has to take it day by day; I applaud her for the effort she has given. She gave me 12 great minutes against Texas and that is just someone who wants the best for their team and willing to give themselves up no matter what it takes,” said Carter about Colson.

“I’d rather not be out there and let someone do a better job who is 100 percent healthy,” said Colson.

Even with all the obstacles the Aggies have fought against this season, they are definitely not ready to throw the towel in yet. Their hopes are still high for an epic finish in the 2009-2010 season.

“It is almost over, but I’m not going to let it be over sooner than it should be,” Carter said.

By Turner Dawson

The Texas A&M basketball team traveled to Ames, Iowa to play Iowa State last weekend and picked up a tough win in front of a hostile crowd on the road. The win pushed the then-number 24 ranked Aggies to 8-4 in conference play and guarantees the Aggies will go at least .500 in conference play this season.

This was an ugly win for the Aggies but it counts as a win just the same. The Aggies shot under 40 percent from the field in this game and 27 percent from three. The lid continues to be on the basket for the Aggies as they continue to have problems scoring points.

Kris Middleton led the team in scoring with 14 points and was huge for the Aggies in this one. As the season has progressed, Middleton looks more and more comfortable. He was recruited because of his ability to shoot the three but his shot just hasn’t been falling this year. He’s finding ways to score and contribute with his defense. When his shot starts falling he’s going to be extremely dangerous.

Donald Sloan added 12 points but it was on 4 of 16 shooting from the field and 0 for 5 from three. As I have said before, Donald is the best player on this team and one of the only guys that can create his own shot, but he should not be taking that many shots, especially when he’s shooting 25 percent from the field. Down the stretch this season, the Aggies are going to need Sloan to start making some of those shots he missed against Iowa State and also show some better shot selection.

Bryan Davis had some issues with his shot as he was just 1 of 6 from the field, but he made his presence felt with 13 rebounds. And as much as he has struggled with turnovers throughout his career, he managed to not turn it over in this game. You could argue that some of his missed shots should count as turnovers, but the fact that he didn’t have any actual turnovers in the box score is big for Bryan.

Dash Harris has really been struggling over the last 4 games since he hurt his hand. He has been battling tendonitis and has had a really hard time taking care of the basketball since. He is averaging 4 turnovers a game over the last 4 games. And this is a guy that before this stretch had the best assist to turnover ratio in the entire Big 12.

B.J. Holmes also had a pretty solid game as he finished with 9 points including 2 three pointers. One of the things that I love about this team that also frustrates me is the fact that you never know where the points are going to come from. The Aggies have so many guys that can hurt you and on any given night any of those guys can step up and be the hero.

What is frustrating about that is that there is so much inconsistency. The hero one night is a complete non-factor the next. The guy that is hitting all of his shots one night misses them all the next. The guy that makes all the right decisions and perfect passes one night puts up terrible shots and turns the ball over the next. The question for the Aggies for the rest of the season and going into the tournament will be how consistent can they be and can they get everyone to show up together on the same night.

This next week the Aggies have two tough games. First the will go on the road to Waco to take on Baylor who will be looking to get revenge after their loss at Reed a few weeks back. Then the Aggies will be back at home to take on archrival Texas at Reed Arena.

The Baylor game is going to be a really tough one to win. Baylor is a very talented team and the Baylor fans are going to be extremely fired up for that game. They seem to hate us a lot more than we hate them.

Texas is one of the most talented teams in the country but also one of the most difficult to figure out. They came out early in the season and beat some big name programs but over the last 10 games they are 4-6. The Aggies narrowly lost in Austin early this year in overtime, 72-67. Look for Aggie fans and players to be fired up and ready to take down the Longhorns. If the Aggies can go 1-1 this week, that will put them at 9-5 in conference play and in great position to get a good seed in the NCAA tournament as well as get a bye the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

Coming off of a huge week with wins over Missouri and Baylor, the No. 23 ranked Texas A&M basketball team traveled to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech on Saturday before returning home to face the No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks at Reed Arena in ESPN’s Big Monday matchup.

On Monday night the Jayhawks came to town in one of the most hyped games in A&M history. It marked the first time a number one ranked team has come to Reed Arena and it was a huge opportunity for the Aggies to finally gain some national respect… and Reed Arena was rocking.

Donald Sloan came out hot and scored 12 points in the first half. But then he cooled in the second half and finished with just 15. Once again Sloan put up a pretty good point total but it came at a cost. He put up 18 shots and made just 6 of them. In his defense, he is frequently relied on late in the shot clock to try and create something himself and he has to force up some tough shots, but he definitely had some questionable shot selection. Ideally you want Sloan taking the most shots on the team, but I think 18 is too many, unless he’s on fire.

But what really hurt the Aggies in this game was Bryan Davis. He was in foul trouble all night and was limited to just 23 minutes. In those 23 minutes, Davis had more turnovers, 6, than points, 4. That cannot happen.

David Loubeau picked up the slack in the paint as he finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds and only had 1 turnover to go along with it. He was fantastic in this game. He is a tremendous low post scorer and his defense has greatly improved. He was a huge reason the Aggies stayed in this game.

Another factor that hurt the Aggies in this one was the fact that the Aggies made just 5 of 11 free throw attempts and 5 of 21 three point attempts. Those are two areas that the Aggies have been very inconsistent in this season and they were both evident in this one. It’s hard to win shooting 35 percent from the field, 24 percent from three, and 46 percent from the line. B.J. Holmes, who had appeared to be heating up in the last couple of games, finished 0 for 6 from the field with 0 points.

Yet despite all of those problems, the Aggies had the lead with about 4 and ½ minutes to play but didn’t score a point in the final 3.5 minutes. It speaks volumes about the toughness of this team and their ability to stay with the best team in the country, even when they played poorly. Some of those problems were caused by Kansas, but the free throws and the missed wide-open shots are on the Aggies. The fact that they hung with the Jayhawks I think gained the Aggies a lot of respect around the country.

Before Kansas, the Aggies put away the Red Raiders in a weekend road game in Lubbock. The Aggies came out with a sluggish start but eventually got it going to grab the lead at halftime, 35-30. Tech would make another run in the second half and lead the Aggies by four midway through the second half. The Aggies went on a 10-2 run and hit their free throws down the stretch to ice it.

B.J. Holmes and Bryan Davis really carried this team in this game as Holmes scored 18 points with 4 three pointers and Davis added 13 points with a stunning 16 rebounds. This was without question Davis’ best game of the season.

Donald Sloan also added 14 points but it came at a price. He shot just 36 percent from the field and had 7 turnovers. Point guard Dash Harris also had 5 turnovers in this game.

Next week, the Aggies do not play until Saturday as they travel to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State. The Cyclones are a dangerous team and are lead by an NBA caliber player in Craig Brackins. While the Cyclones are certainly capable of beating the Aggies, they are just 2-8 in Big 12 play and it is a game that the Aggies should absolutely win. It’s a road game but I wouldn’t expect much of a crowd at the game. The Aggies are currently in third place in the Big 12 and are 7-4 in conference. A win against the Cyclones would get the Aggies to 8 wins and would virtually guarantee them a birth into the NCAA tournament.

Women’s Basketball struggle in Big 12 Play

The women’s basketball team fell to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 67-63 at Reed Arena Sunday.

The team led the game until the last minute of play when the Cowgirls came back led by Andrea Riley who scored 31 points. Aggie Danielle Adams led the Aggies with 24 points.

The Aggies are on the road for two games – Saturday, Feb. 6 at Nebraska (TV: FSN) and Feb. 10 at Texas Tech.

The team returns home February 13 for the 4th Annual “BTHO Breast Cancer” game vs. Kansas State. T-shirts are on sale for $5 at basketball games and online at AggieAthletics.com. All proceeds from shirt sales go to the Kay Yow Foundation.

Big 12 shines in Texas A&M Challenge

The Big 12 represented by Texas A&M, Texas and Baylor captured the men’s and women’s titles in the Texas A&M challenge. Head Coach Pat Henry said this meet showed that the Big 12 is growing into a track and field power.

“The Big 12 is developing a pride about track and field as a conference,” Henry said. “I think it’s pretty evident that the Big 12 is stepping up to be the premier conference, in my opinion. Of course, I’m a member of the Big 12. I think we are going to continue to get better in this conference.”

Four Aggies broke school records in the event, while Oregon’s Ashton Eaton shattered a collegiate record for total points in the heptathlon.

Texas A&M wraps up its home indoor season with another challenge featuring Big 12, SEC and Conference USA, Saturday, Feb. 13. The meet will feature the following teams: Big 12 – Texas A&M, Texas & Texas Tech. SEC – Alabama, Mississippi & Tennessee. C-USA – Houston, Rice & UTEP.

Women’s tennis starts season with two losses

The Aggie women’s tennis season started on the road at the ITA Kick-off with losses to No. 14 Clemson and Illinois.

The Aggies fought a long battle with Clemson, clinching the doubles point, but falling by a score of 4-3. The Aggies had to turn around for an 8a.m. faceoff against Illinois and lost 4-2.

The team is on the road until early March, with trips to Baton Rouge, Las Vegas, Tampa and Fort Worth.

By Cody Lillich

Who can argue that the Big 12 is not one of the nation’s best basketball conferences this year? Certainly not me. It is hands down one of the most competitive in the nation in both men’s and women’s basketball.

In both, home court advantage is key, but in any Big 12 game, picking up that “W” is a tough task. Take that game on the road, and that “W” may seem miles away.

In men’s basketball, seven teams were listed as either ranked or receiving votes in the Week 11 rankings of the AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Today Polls.

Earlier in the season, when there were three undefeated teams playing, two of those teams belonged to the Big 12. As in years past, the big power has been in the Big 12 north’s Kansas Jayhawks, dominating the number one spot in Big 12 standings through the first half of conference play.

The only thing a ranking does in the Big 12 is put a target on your team’s back; make that ranking a high one and the target gets bigger.

On the women’s side seven Big 12 teams were ranked in the eleventh week of rankings. But honestly, when Big 12 play is ongoing, rankings mean nothing. It is about which team shows up to play and has the determination to finish the job and pull away the “W.”

A force to be reckoned with this year in women’s basketball will be Nebraska. They started the season undefeated through 18 games. The Aggies now have to make the difficult trip to Nebraska and face that team this week.

In his weekly letter, Athletic Director Bill Byrne mentioned something that is really key if you want to gauge this conference: look at the struggle to be a fairly new coach for a Big 12 team. The Associated Press did a piece featuring Texas Women’s basketball coach Gail Goestenkors. She was the former Duke head coach and had numerous Sweet Sixteen and higher performances (including a runner-up finish in 2006). When she made the change from ACC to Big 12, the challenge became an even tougher one. Her record over the two seasons at Texas is 42-24 and making it to the first and second rounds of the tournament. It is nothing against her coaching, her record at Duke says it all, the top is possible – just when you are playing in the Big 12, the top is moved a little bit higher.

Bottom line is this conference has been transformed over the years to a headquarters for competitive, best-in-the-nation basketball. The nation is starting to see the quality of Big 12 basketball and see that there will be several men’s and women’s teams from the Big 12 dancing into March.

By Chelsea Reber

Photo courtesy of Chris Shepperd

A leader is defined as someone who rules, guides, or inspires others. This definition fits Donald Sloan to a T, and he has been nothing less than a leader for the 2009-2010 Texas A&M men’s basketball team.

Sloan, a senior, agricultural leadership major from Dallas, has experienced much success as an Aggie and has done his best to leave his mark in College Station. It all started his freshman year during the 2006-2007 season when he appeared in all 34 games. He started all 36 games of his sophomore year and at the end of his junior year, the Aggies were 39-8 in his career when he had at least three assists and 33-13 when he scored in double figures.

So far, his senior season has been all that we expected: outstanding. Sloan is leading the team with an average of 18.5 points a game and is one of only three players to start every game this season. He brings both a rush of excitement and wave of calm when he steps onto the court. Everyone from his teammates and coaches to the thousands of Aggie basketball fans know the ball will be taken care of in Sloan’s hands.

Texas A&M has started conference play strong with key wins over Nebraska and Oklahoma and a tough overtime loss against Texas. Even though the season looks to be a great start on paper, the team had to overcome a major obstacle in December. Derrick Roland, a senior guard, broke two bones in his lower right leg in a game against the University of Washington, which would bring his college career to an early end. Roland, also known as “D-Ro,” had gone to high school with Sloan, and the two were not only teammates, but also great friends.

While the rest of the team headed back to Texas after the game, Sloan would remain with Roland during his surgery and recovery at a hospital in Seattle.

“When his aunt arrived, she did her best to lift everyone’s spirits and it was then that I realized if he was going to be ok, so was I,” Sloan said. “It inspired me to be tougher and see that he didn’t want me to be worrying about his leg or how he was going to be; he just wants me to go out and play.”

Roland’s injury would be a tough blow, not only mentally for the team, but physically as he was the heart and soul of their defense. However, his words of encouragement have inspired everyone around him to step up and play harder to achieve their goals for the season.

“He said everyone is going to have to take it to another level. He was a very important part of this team, and without him it is going to be hard. Now that we know he won’t be with us physically on the court, we all need to step it up,” Sloan said.

With everyone on their best game, the Big XII will still be a tough road for the Aggies. With several teams making appearances in the top 25 AP poll, no one is an easy opponent in the conference.

“No matter what a team’s record is, whether they are 1-4 or 4-1, they are going to play with the same intensity. Even the higher ranked teams never take a day off, they play just as hard as they would if they weren’t ranked,” Sloan said.

The Aggies are one of a handful of teams across the nation that have made it to the NCAA tournament for the past 4 years in a row, and the hunger will never cease for a return trip. It is always one of the most important goals the team sets at the beginning of the year.

A key factor in their success has been their “togetherness,” which Sloan said has been better than ever this season.

“I think we have done a great job from the beginning of the season,” he said. “I think this is one of the best teams we have had since I have been here in terms of togetherness.”

Not only is Sloan an exceptional leader on the court, but off the court as well. As a senior, he knows the underclassmen look up to him; therefore he is especially conscious of his actions out of the gym.

“Guys look to the leaders and see how they respond to certain situations. There is also how I handle things off the court, not getting in trouble, making sure I am always attending classes; they see me doing the right thing and they are going to do the right thing too,” Sloan said.

Sloan and the Aggies have the support of thousands of A&M basketball fans, who have already proved to give a true home court advantage this year. With the Reed Rowdies, D-Ro’s encouraging words from the sidelines and Sloan’s exceptional skills on the court, A&M basketball is looking at another very successful season.