By ROBERT CESSNANot that long ago, it seemed no one wanted to come to Reed Arena unless it was for a bridal show. On Wednesday night no one wanted to leave, because basketball no longer is a bridesmaid at Aggieland.
The 23rd-ranked Texas A&M men's basketball team made Senior Night special with a 76-61 victory over Oklahoma State.
"I looked up at some of the banners and the things that have been accomplished here," A&M senior starting forward Bryan Davis said. "It just felt crazy coming out of the game that these four years have gone so fast."
Davis and senior point guard Donald Sloan left with 38 seconds left to standing ovations. They led A&M to a 15-1 record at home this season. The senior class was 65-8 (.890) in four years at Reed Arena.
"The emotions are going through you," Davis said as Sloan stared at the floor, opting not to answer.
The senior who shed the most tears was injured guard Derrick Roland, who suffered a broken leg 12 games into the season.
The 4,316 A&M students started shouting Roland's name in the final minute.
"He was soaking it all in," Sloan said. "It's kinda tough, going out the way he did, not being able to play, especially in a game like that."
But there's no doubt Roland has played a vital part in A&M's remarkable season. And the same goes for the fans, who have made Reed Arena one of the nation's toughest venues.
A&M head coach Mark Turgeon went over and saluted the students at game's end. They helped the Aggies beat a team that looked nothing like the one that had knocked off top-ranked Kansas on Saturday.
Then again, strange things have happened to opponents in Reed Arena in recent years.
The Cowboys, who live and die with 3-pointers, hit only 8 of 33. The Aggies made them jealous by hitting 10 of 21, including three straight to start the game, which forced OSU head coach Travis Ford to take a timeout.
Ford's defensive plan was not to allow A&M to drive the lane and pack the middle, forcing the Aggies to shoot from outside. Sloan hit the first one, then Khris Middleton buried two for a 9-0 lead.
"They're not going to lose too many games making shots like that," Ford said.
A&M's only home loss of the season was by 59-54 to Kansas on Feb. 15, but the Aggies are much better now than they were then.
"Our guys are just playing better," Turgeon said.
And harder.
The Aggies allowed the Cowboys to erase a 12-point deficit and tie the game late in the first half. A&M took some bad shots and uncharacteristically had some turnovers, but the home team didn't lose its poise.
A&M regained control with a 14-0 run to open the second half.
Turgeon saw the run coming. His team had made the Cowboys work hard to get back into it. He thought this team had too much depth and too much energy not to play well.
He was right. It was another impressive showing in the season's most important game. The Aggies, coming off a win over rival Texas, couldn't afford to allow OSU to sweep the season series.
The Aggies answered the challenge.
Turgeon said he really hasn't had time to enjoy this team like the fans have. He said when the season is over, he just knows he'll wish he had another month left with this team, because the players take coaching well.
The good news is there could be a month left in the season, which sure wasn't the case that long ago for the last home games at Reed Arena.
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