Spring Break
Men's basketball team travels to Tech
By: David Arno
Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: Sports
On Saturday evening, the Texas A&M men's basketball team will take on Big 12 rival Texas Tech at 5 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock.
The Aggies (18-8, 4-7) enter Saturday's game looking to win their second straight game and are still looking to win their first Big 12 game on the road. With their chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament on life support after their upset 81-66 win over Texas in Reed Arena, the Aggies will be looking to sweep the season series against the Red Raiders.
"I think we've been better on the road the last few games. I think our last three road games have been Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor. We've played well in those games. We just didn't play well enough to win in the end. This time of year you should be a good road team because you've done it so many times, so you should be a good road team," said A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon. "We've got to defend a little bit better, which we need to do. We need to continue to rebound and then we've got to execute better offensively and take care of the ball. If we do those things I think that helps you in close games. We did that on Monday, so hopefully we can take that on the road."
Having lost three straight, including a crushing 92-82 loss at home to Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders (12-15, 2-9) are looking to get back on track against A&M. The Aggies have lost their last two games in Lubbock.
The last time that these two teams met, A&M came out on top in a 79-70 win over Tech in College Station. In that game, sophomore B.J. Holmes scored a career-high 24 points and tied a Big 12 record with making his first six three-pointers.
"They were really good the first time we played them…They started playing a 2-3 zone and I think offensively they've gotten a lot better. They're really hard to guard and they're good. They've got really good young players, and I think they've gotten better as the season has gone on," Turgeon said. "They've had their ups and downs. They are really good one game and then not so good the next, but they've been really good at home. We've got a lot of respect for them because we played really well in our building that night and it was a four-point game with about a minute to go. It's not like we blew them away. They got off to a great start on us and we had trouble guarding their ball screens, so we have to do a better job with that Saturday."
The Aggies (18-8, 4-7) enter Saturday's game looking to win their second straight game and are still looking to win their first Big 12 game on the road. With their chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament on life support after their upset 81-66 win over Texas in Reed Arena, the Aggies will be looking to sweep the season series against the Red Raiders.
"I think we've been better on the road the last few games. I think our last three road games have been Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor. We've played well in those games. We just didn't play well enough to win in the end. This time of year you should be a good road team because you've done it so many times, so you should be a good road team," said A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon. "We've got to defend a little bit better, which we need to do. We need to continue to rebound and then we've got to execute better offensively and take care of the ball. If we do those things I think that helps you in close games. We did that on Monday, so hopefully we can take that on the road."
Having lost three straight, including a crushing 92-82 loss at home to Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders (12-15, 2-9) are looking to get back on track against A&M. The Aggies have lost their last two games in Lubbock.
The last time that these two teams met, A&M came out on top in a 79-70 win over Tech in College Station. In that game, sophomore B.J. Holmes scored a career-high 24 points and tied a Big 12 record with making his first six three-pointers.
"They were really good the first time we played them…They started playing a 2-3 zone and I think offensively they've gotten a lot better. They're really hard to guard and they're good. They've got really good young players, and I think they've gotten better as the season has gone on," Turgeon said. "They've had their ups and downs. They are really good one game and then not so good the next, but they've been really good at home. We've got a lot of respect for them because we played really well in our building that night and it was a four-point game with about a minute to go. It's not like we blew them away. They got off to a great start on us and we had trouble guarding their ball screens, so we have to do a better job with that Saturday."
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