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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2003)
Sports The Battalion Page 4 • Tuesday, January 14, 200; Aggies prepare to face challenging Big 12 schedule Texas A&M will have its hands full during conference play, facing the elite caliber of teams the Big 12 has to offer. Several of the Aggies’ strongest challengers hail from the northernmost schools in the conference, including Kansas, last year’s regular season conference champions. To maintain aspirations for post-season play, A&M will first have to survive the Big 12 gauntlet that extends into early March. Tech. Kansas swept through the Big 12 a season ago, remaining undefeated in conference play. “Kansas may be as good as ever,” said A&M head coach Melvin Watkins. “After a bumpy start, they appear to be playing their best basketball, and that is no surprise.” m > I TiTiTL T-orNFs: s* i; Ij " I L" Lit by Michael Crow COLORADO The Buffaloes rode a six-game winning streak into conference play thanks to impressive output by the team’s young talent. Junior guard Michel Morandais and sophomore center David Harrison paved the way for Colorado, each contributing just more than 16 points per contest. Injuries, hurt Colorado in 2002, and, according to CNNSl.com, head coach Ricardo Patton is hoping for better luck with his cunent team. “To win in this league is tough,” Patton said to CNNSI.com. “As well as being good, you’ve got to be a little lucky.” KANSAS STATE Kansas State returns a veteran team, this sea son. Seniors Gilson DeJesus and Pervis Pasco are dangerous offensively for the steadily improving Wildcats. “If this team plays up to its potential, with the quality of players we have returning in the pro gram, I believe we have a good shot at challenging for a postseason berth,” Wooldridge said to CNNSI.com. 'SIS u 1^* A glance at the Texas A&M men’s basketball schedule would likely send chills down the spine of any basketball coach in the country. Forced to play each of the other five Big 12 South schools twice this season will likely leave A&M head coach Melvin Watkins feeling the pain again this season. Led by the University of Texas at No. 4 in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll, the Big 12 South, with four teams ranked in the Top 25, is stacked with talent and is building a reputation as one of the toughest blocks \ of teams to play in the nation. into conference play, yet Sampson still isn’t pleasl with the offensive output of his team. “We’d like to score more/’ Sampson said Up the longer you’re in this profession, the more J realize that the name of the game is to win, J we’re pretty gcxxl at that.” To place Phone 845- Office: Room 015 ( IOWA STATE The Cyclones began the season on a tear, win ning 10 of their first 11 games prior to the daunting task of competing with the nationally ranked Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks in consecutive games. Junior Jake Sullivan’s leadership has led to the Cyclones’ early success. Sullivan’s 18.6 points per game are third in the Big 12 this season. Head coach Larry Eustachy and his team will try to bounce back from two straight losses on Jan. 18 when the Oklahoma Sooners visit Ames. NO. 11 MISSOURI The future looks bright for the Tigers, a team that gained its current level of recognition via junior leadership. Three juniors for the Tigers have each averaged more than 16 points per game. Forward Rickey Paulding’s 18.3 points per game lead all Missouri scorers. “Missouri is a team that can score a lot of points on you in transition, and they are also a team that will pound it inside,” Watkins said. BAYLOR Led by sophomore forward Lawrence Roberts, the Bears roughed up on their non-conference opponents en route to a 9-2 record before falling to No. 13 Missouri in their Big 12 opener. 77-69. The road does not look much easier for the Bears in the near future as they are in the midst of a Ftve- game streak against ranked opponents. Roberts is fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding with 9.1 boards per game. IJlU'llUll AD( Loving married co infant/young child love and affection esonly. www.he jlittlest Angels 1-8 ANNOU by Kevin Espen s NO. 24 OKLAHOMA STATE After defeating the Aggies on Saturday, 93-76, their conference opener, the Cowboys moved e the Top 25 poll this week. “Unfortunately, we were playing one of thebe ter teams in the conference.” Watkins mk “Oklahoma State was playing very well.” The Cowboys showed they might have enous punch to upend higher-ranked conference opa nents w hen they toppled No. 10 Michigan States her this season to begin a 10-game w inning strut NO. 12 KANSAS Not surprisingly, Kansas has been dominant offensively throughout the early stages of the bas ketball season, easily outscoring all other Big 12 teams at 88.3 points per game. Senior Nick Collison’s 19.2 points per game are second in the conference only to junior Andre Emmett of Texas <:T\q8-rnq9/'' I NEBRASKA Nebraska returned an experienced group of play ers this year including sophomore guard Jake Muhleisen. Muhleisen averaged just less than 12 points per game last season as a freshman. The Comhuskers pose a considerable threat defensively, and they emphasize limiting an opponent’s opportu nities outside the arch. This style of defense could prove a challenge for the Aggies, who frequently take the long shots. “They are a team that defends the three-point shot very well, and they rebound very well,” Watkins said. NO. 5 OKLAHOMA A year after visiting the NCAA Final Four, the Sooners are focused on defense and holding their own in the nation al spotlight. After struggling early in the non-confer ence season with losses against No. 8 Alabama and No. 17 Mississippi State, the Sooners have shown that they might not have the inside track in the Big 12. However, OU held No. 14 Michigan State and No. 3 Connecticut to only 58 and 63 points respectively in winning their final two games of the non-con ference schedule. Seniors Hollis Price and Ebi Ere are fourth and fifth respectively in scoring in the conference and are leading head coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad NO. 4 TEXAS The Longhorns have quietly risen to the top; the rankings despite carrying two losses into fit conference season. Sophomore T.J. Ford is leading the Longhorns scoring and leading the Big 12 in assists with’ per game. The Longhorns dropped two consecutive gamt earlier this season to the University of Notre Dar and No. 1 Arizona “We wanted to play teams that I thought cot win their league, said U I head coach Rick Bam “Hopefully what we have done so far has prepare BED AND us for conference play.” NO. 25 TEXAS TECH In his second year at Texas Tech University,hei end get ‘f'" a y s 1 coach Bobby Knight has turned the Red Raider tc s ' into a formidable basketball program again. Knight took the Raiders from a 10-18 season 2(KK)-2(K)I to a 23-9 finish last season. Led by junior Andre Emmett, who is leadingth Big 12 m scoring w ith 21.7 points per game, Raiders will look to reach the NCAA toumamenil 1 for the second consecutive year. The Formei J ® Jing interne! 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