By ROBERT CESSNA
The Texas A&M women's basketball team has a chance to earn a bye for the first round of next week's Big 12 Tournament, but playing well and beating Kansas in the regular-season finale is more important than what seed the Aggies get.
"It's about momentum," A&M head coach Gary Blair.
The 15th-ranked Aggies (21-7, 9-6) have that after winning five of their last six games to pull into a four-way tie for fourth place with No. 14 Baylor (22-7, 9-6), No. 18 Texas (20-9, 9-6) and No. 20 Oklahoma State (21-8, 9-6). They are one game back of No. 13 Iowa State (22-6, 10-5) and No. 11 Oklahoma (20-9, 10-5).
The top four finishers get byes into Friday's quarterfinals.
Blair said he doesn't believe a bye is that critical since six teams are separated by just a game behind unbeaten Nebraska. He just doesn't want to face Kansas (15-13, 5-10) in back-to-back games, which is only a remote possibility. The Jayhawks, tied for eighth with Texas Tech and Kansas State, will finish eighth, ninth or 10th.
The Jayhawks have had a frustrating season. They lost senior Danielle McCray, the Big 12's preseason player of the year, to a knee injury. Kansas is 0-9 against ranked teams, with four of those losses to Big 12 South teams.
A victory over A&M would at least reward veterans Sade Morris and LaChelda Jacobs.
"On Senior Night, you don't want to play against seniors," Blair said. "They have a couple of pretty good ones who were good kids we looked at in high school and recruited. We know it won't be an easy game."
A&M has won two road games after a string of four straight losses that ended with a 57-54 defeat at unranked Texas Tech, which knocked the Aggies from title contention. The Aggies' lone loss since was 65-63 at home to Baylor.
A&M handed Oklahoma its worst loss of the season on Tuesday, 78-55. That came on the heels of a 34-point victory at Colorado.
"We are starting to come together and play as a team and everything is really starting to work for us," A&M sophomore starting point guard Sydney Carter said.
A&M WOMEN'S HOOPS
* Saturday's game: No. 15 Texas A&M (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) at Kansas (15-13, 5-10), 7 p.m.
* TV/radio: None/KZNE, 1150 AM
LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M (20-7, 8-6 BIG 12)
NAME POS. HT. CL. PPG RPG
Sydney Carter G 5-6 So. 8.1 3.4*
Tanisha Smith F 6-0 Sr. 15.2 5.4
Tyra White G 6-0 So. 10.2 4.2
Adaora Elonu F 6-1 So. 8.5 4.4
Damitria Buchanan F 6-2 Sr. 3.2 4.2
KANSAS (15-13, 5-10)
NAME POS. HT. CL. PPG RPG
LaChelda Jacobs G 5-10 Sr. 2.0 1.6*
Sade Morris G 5-11 Sr. 10.0 2.9
Monica Engelman G 5-11 Fr. 7.3 2.3
Aishah Sutherland F 6-2 So. 9.8 7.3
Carolyn Davis F 6-3 Fr. 9.1 5.1
*assists per game
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