When last we saw Texas A&M and Texas on the basketball court at the same time, the Longhorns were walking off relieved but with heads high, and the Aggies were frustrated but pleased with their effort.
Much has changed from that January night in Austin when the then-No. 1 Longhorns rallied to force overtime and went on to win, 72-67. It was one of those games that could give the winner momentum and send the loser spiraling.
It's been the exact opposite.
Since that time, the Longhorns are under .500, while the Aggies have won of 7 of 10. The Aggies, who were unranked, are No. 22, while the Longhorns have dropped to No. 21.
And now the Aggies get the Longhorns on their home court, where they've lost only once -- to Kansas, the No. 1 team in the nation and the only school in a major conference without a league loss.
So much has changed that since that first meeting there has been a 17-point swing on the betting line. Texas was a 16-point favorite on Jan. 16. A&M is favored by 1 on Saturday.
One of the biggest reasons statistically for the turn of events is the lack of production the Longhorns are getting from big man Dexter Pittman during Big 12 play. The 6-foot-10 senior was averaging 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds a game going into the last UT-A&M game. He is down to 10.6 and 6.0 now while averaging just 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in Big 12 games.
In addition, the Longhorns lost starting point guard Dogus Balbay for the season to a knee injury last week. Balbay's numbers didn't scare anybody, but he did lead the team in assists at 3.9 in just 21 minutes a game.
A&M coach Mark Turgeon thought the 6-1 junior's defense on Donald Sloan in the first meeting, especially down the stretch, was the key to the Longhorns' victory. Balbay had the biggest individual defensive play late in the game, stealing a bounce pass that appeared on target from David Loubeau to a cutting Sloan.
All that said, the two teams are essentially playing for the same two things on Saturday at Reed -- a bye in the Big 12 Tournament and seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas has already locked up the top seed for the league tournament and No. 6 Kansas State can clinch a bye and reduce its magic number for the No. 2 seed to one with a win on Saturday at home against Missouri.
Missouri is one game ahead of the three Texas teams -- the Aggies, Longhorns and Baylor Bears. But the Tigers have the toughest road remaining, with games at KSU and Iowa State before finishing with Kansas at home. If Missouri falls back into the pack, the only tiebreaker they would own would be against Texas.
So, essentially, four teams are battling for two byes in Kansas City.
Oklahoma State also has an opportunity but would likely have to win out, which would mean earning a victory at home against Kansas and one at A&M on Wednesday.
After Saturday, the two key games for positioning are OSU-A&M and Texas at Baylor on the final weekend of the regular season. A&M and Texas are not only tied in the standings, but both are plugged in as No. 6 seeds for the NCAA Tournament, along with Baylor, on Joe Lunardi's Bracketology on ESPN.com.
With everyone having in the neighborhood of five or six games remaining before Selection Sunday, not much can be read into who is seeded what and where they will play just yet. The Big 12 does appear solid for getting seven teams in, and with no one on Lunardi's bracket lower than a No. 9 seed.
TEXAS A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL
* Saturday's game: No. 21 Texas (22-6, 8-5 Big 12) at No. 22 Texas A&M (19-8, 8-5), 1 p.m.
* TV/radio: ESPN, Ch. 27/WTAW, 1620 AM
LINEUPS
Texas A&M (19-8, 8-5)
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG
Dash Harris G 6-1 175 So. 4.9* 3.2
Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 Sr. 18.1 3.7
Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 Fr. 6.0 3.7
David Loubeau F 6-8 230 So. 8.8 4.8
Bryan Davis F 6-9 250 Sr. 10.2 8.0
Texas (22-6, 8-5)
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG
J'Covan Brown G 6-1 185 Fr. 9.7* 2.3
Justin Mason G 6-2 195 Sr. 3.6 2.0.
Avery Bradley G 6-2 180 Fr. 12.5* 2.2
Damion James F 6-7 225 Sr. 17.7 10.7
Dexter Pittman C 6-10 290 Sr. 10.6 6.0
*assists per game
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