For the record
It took some time for Big 12 officials to calculate all the records set in last Wednesday night’s quintuple overtime game between Baylor and Texas A&M, which the visiting Bears won 116-110.
Here’s the list, with some extra notes to ponder:
A RECORD SETTING NIGHT AT REED ARENA
BAYLOR 116, TEXAS A&M 110 (5 OVERTIMES)
The Baylor at Texas A&M contest was the first time in 196 meetings between the two schools that BOTH were nationally-ranked when the game was played.
The series now stands with Texas A&M holding a 124-72 advantage
RECORDS
Numerous individual and team records were set in a contest that saw 17 ties and 20 lead changes. The time of the game was more than 3½ hours.
• Longest game in Big 12, Baylor and Texas A&M men’s basketball history
• Third game in league history to go three overtimes or more
- Missouri 112, Iowa State 109 (4ot) – January 13, 2001
- Oklahoma State 105, Texas 103 (3ot) – January 16, 2007
• Baylor sets a Big 12 record for most points in a conference game
[Old record: Kansas 114 vs. Colorado on Jan. 15, 1997]
• Big 12 record for most combined points (226) in a league game.
[Previous record 221 - MU 112, ISU 109 - Jan. 13, 2001]
• Big 12 overall and conference game record for free throws attempted by Texas A&M (59)
• Big 12 overall and conference game record for rebounds by Baylor (70)
[Both teams topped the previous conference game record of 62 by Colorado against Texas Tech on Feb. 11, 1998. A&M grabbed 64 rebounds]
• Big 12 overall and conference game record for free throws attempted by Texas A&M (59)
• Big 12 overall and conference game record for field goals attempted by Baylor (97)
[Both teams surpassed the previous record of 90 by Missouri against Iowa State on Jan. 13, 2001. A&M attempted 94 field goals]
• Big 12 conference game record for free throws made was tied by Baylor (39).
[Record: Kansas State made 39 vs. Baylor on Feb. 13, 1999]
• Josh Carter and Donald Sloan of Texas A&M set a Big 12 overall and conference game record for minutes played (57). [Previous record: 56 minutes - Clarence Gilbert, MU vs. ISU, 1-13-01]
• Curtis Jerrells of Baylor set a Big 12 overall and conference game record for free throws made (20).
[Previous record: 18 - Four times]
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
• Five players in double figures for Texas A&M
Four players in double figures for Baylor
• Three Texas A&M players had 55+ minutes in the game
One Baylor player registered 50+ minutes
• Teams combined to shoot 106 free throws in the contest.
• Five Baylor players fouled out
Three Texas A&M players fouled out
BAYLOR NOTES
• Earlier this year, Baylor stopped a 25-game overall road losing streak and a 25-game conference road losing
streak. This season, the Bears are 7-1 away from home (4-0 road, 3-1 neutral)
• Baylor’s win snaps a streak of six straight losses to Texas A&M.
• The Bears are 6-0 this season when trailing at halftime.
• Baylor connected on its last 13 free throw attempts, including a perfect 11-for-11 in the fifth overtime.
• The Bears made 24-of-28 (83.0%) free throws over the five overtimes.
• Baylor’s 16 wins this season eclipses its win total from 2006-07 (15-16 overall) and marks the most wins in
the Scott Drew Era; also the most wins since winning 19 in 2000-01 (last postseason berth – NIT).
• Baylor made more free throws (39) than field goals (35).
• The Bears’ last win over the Aggies was a 67-61 overtime victory in College Station during the 2003-04
season (Scott Drew’s first at Baylor).
• Baylor’s win over No. 18 Texas A&M is the first over a ranked team this season and first since beating No.
13/14 Oklahoma State, 74-72, in 2002-03. The win snaps a string of 29 straight losses to ranked opponents.
• Baylor has won four straight true road games, but lost 35 of 37 prior (dating to 2002-03).
• Baylor is 2-0 in Big 12 road games this season (lost 25 straight before this season).
• The Bears win consecutive road games for first time since 2002-03 (wins at Oklahoma State, at K-State).
• Baylor’s 16-2 start is its best since the Bears began 24-2 in 1945-46 (SWC champs).
• The 4-0 league start is Baylor’s best start in Big 12 play since opening 5-0 in 1997-98.
• Trailing 22-8 with 10:35 remaining in the first half, Baylor put together a 12-0 run over 2:45 minutes to cut the
score to 22-20 with 7:50 remaining.
• Facing a 50-49 deficit, Baylor outscored Texas A&M 11-1 over the next 4:45 to build a 60-51 lead, its largest
lead of the game.
• Texas A&M made 36-of-59 free throws (61.0%). Baylor’s Big 12 opponents are shooting a collective 60.9%
(84-for-138) from the free throw stripe against the Bears this season.
Individual
• With 19 points and 18 rebounds, Kevin Rogers tallied a double-double for the second straight game. He
records consecutive double-doubles for the second time this season (all four on the road – at South Carolina,
at Southern, at Nebraska, at Texas A&M). The 18 rebounds also represent a career high.
• Curtis Jerrells scored a career-high 36 points, including 20-for-24 at the free throw line. He also recorded a
career-high eight assists to only two turnovers in 53 minutes (4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio).
• Aaron Bruce tallied a season high 20 points.
• LaceDarius Dunn recorded a career high 10 rebounds.
• Mamadou Diene recorded three blocked shots (has recorded 3 blocks in all four Big 12 games). He has 16
blocks over the last six games.
TEXAS A&M NOTES
• The loss ended A&M’s 15-game home winning streak, which was the 10th longest in the nation.
• A&M had won 36 of its last 37 home games and 12 of its last 13 Big 12 home games.
• A&M’s 110 points were its most ever in a loss.
• Bryan Davis scored a career-high 30 points with a career-best 14 rebounds, his first career double-double. It
was a season-high for an A&M player in both categories.
• Donald Sloan tied his career high with 18 points and set a career-best with seven rebounds. His seven assists
were one shy of his career high.
• Josh Carter scored 15 points and matched his career high with 10 rebounds, his second career doubledouble
and first this year.
• Joseph Jones scored 13 points with eight rebounds and made 9-of-11 free throws.
• Dominique Kirk scored 13 points with four rebounds, five assists and three steals.
• DeAndre Jordan scored eight points with eight rebounds and two blocks.
• Curtis Jerrells made 20-of-24 free throws, the most by an opposing player against A&M since Baylor’s David
Wesley made 20-of-25 in 1992.
• A&M’s 64 rebounds were their most in a game since it had 66 against UNLV in 1978-79.
• Baylor’s 70 rebounds were the second-most ever by an A&M opponent (79 by TCU in 1966-67).
• A&M’s 36 free throws made were the third-most in school history and the most since it made 40 against
Arkansas in 1957-58.
• A&M’s 59 free throw attempts were the second-most in school history (67 vs. Pepperdine in 1954-55).
• Baylor’s 39 free throws made were fourth-most ever by an A&M opponent since TCU made 40 in 1954-55.
• Baylor’s 38 fouls were the most ever by an A&M opponent.
Memphis-Kansas showdown?
If No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Kansas continue to take care of business, they’ll meet April 7 for the national title in San Antonio.
And even if the two teams get derailed along the way, Memphis coach John Calipari said he would like to schedule a regular-season game against the Jayhawks.
Calipari served as an assistant coach at KU for Ted Owens and Larry Brown in the early 1980s, and hopes the Tigers and Jayhawks continue their unbeaten ways this year.
“The only time I’m not going to root for Kansas this year is if it’s April 7 and we’re playing them,” Calipari said after Wednesday night’s 56-41 victory at Tulsa.
As for scheduling KU in the future, Calipari has often stacked his non-conference schedule with hefty opponents and said it’s not because his Tigers are members of Conference USA, which is perceived as weak.
“It all depends on what you’re trying to do. If you want to be the champion, you can’t fight in the undercard. You’ve got to take on all comers,” Calipari said. “Now will those teams play you on your home court? No, they’re not going to. So you’ve got to get in neutral events where you’re going to play those opponents.
“When I was at UMass we played Kentucky, we played Arkansas and we played
North Carolina; No. 1 ranked teams in the country all on neutral sites. And we won those games, but they were all on neutral sites. You’re never going to get those opponents at home, so you’ve got to risk it.
“Everybody says the league this, the league that. You’re crazy,” Calipari said. “Teams in this league know us better than anybody else knows us. So it’ll be hard (to finish unbeaten).”
King for a day
Stacey King’s jersey ceremony Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center will rekindle visions of Oklahoma basketball glory.
It was a time when the Sooners were No. 1 in the rankings, No. 1 in scoring and No. 1 in steals. They’re only downfall was not finishing No. 1 at the end of the NCAA Tournament.
Thanks in large part to King, OU nearly became king. His personality, deft shooting, rebounding, shot blocking and an ability to run baseline to baseline helped King earn national player of the year honors from The Sporting News as a senior. Having some talented teammates and a liberal-minded coach certainly helped the cause.
Those who want to relive those thrilling short-shorts days of yesteryear can do so by visiting the OU website at www.soonersports.com. On the far right of the page you will find pricless footage of King and the Sooners, including a post-game locker room celebration with Mike Tyson after beating UNLV in Las Vegas.
Poll ballots
Want to see how members of the Associated Press football poll voted on their final ballot?
Here you go:
Fiesta Bowl wildcard
When it comes to college bowl games, the Oklahoma football team knows all about wildcards — players who unexpectedly come to the forefront and excel.
Arkansas backup tailback Roland Sales is the most prominent figure who comes to mind, rushing for an Orange Bowl record 205 yards in the Razorbacks’ stunning 31-6 victory over the Sooners in 1978. At kickoff, Arkansas was a 24-point underdog.
Three years later, OU tight end Forrest Valora caught a pass on a game-winnning two-point conversion to beat Florida State 18-17 in the 1981 Orange Bowl.
Who might be the wildcard player in Wednesday night’s Fiesta Bowl between OU and West Virginia?
OU’s depleted defense has a number of candidates thanks to starters Reggie Smith, Lendy Holmes and DeMarcus Granger missing the contest for various reasons. Defensive back Dominique Franks plus linemen Jeremy Beal, Cory Bennett and Steven Coleman are good wildcard choices. (The Sooners are so deep offensively, no player really qualifies as a wildcard.)
The loss of Granger is expected to add firepower to the Mountaineers’ already explosive rushing attack, which ranks No. 4 nationally. This is why my pregame wildcard vote goes to WVU freshman running back Noel Devine.
Devine backs up one of the nation’s premier backs in Steve Slaton. But Slaton has had a somewhat pedestrian junior season, averaging 87.8 yards per game and failing to gain 100 yards in six of the last eight games.
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Devine has had flashes of brilliance this season, averaging a school record 27.2 yards per carry against Maryland (136 yards on five carries). Devine’s 8.65 yards-per-carry average is second only to Arkansas’ Felix Jones (9.08). Devine has 519 rushing yards and is averaging 89.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Will Devine win the game for the Mountaineers? Possibly. But I still like the Sooners to win by about 10 points.
Devine might not even touch the ball against OU. But if he does, things could get a little wild.
