KFDM COOP Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Heat turned up at A&M after pair of Big 12 losses Turgeon, Aggies discover that it's a new ballgame in the rarefied air of the Top 25 COLLEGE STATION — First-year Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon has known since signing on the dotted line last spring he was entering a tough situation. But the former Wichita State coach is finding out just how much of a thankless situation he might have inherited in the wake of a two-game losing streak in which the Aggies suffered blowout defeats in Big 12 road games. Turgeon, who took over a program that made a run to the Sweet 16 last season and opened this year ranked No. 16, has at times been brutal in his assessment of the players he inherited. But he took exception Monday when the finger was pointed at him after the Aggies were thumped by unranked Texas Tech and Kansas State in consecutive games last week. "I know no matter what I do, Gillispie is getting the credit if we win," said Turgeon, referring to former A&M coach Billy Gillispie, who guided the Aggies on a successful three-year run before leaving last spring for Kentucky. "If we lose, it's my fault. I'm in a no-flipping-win situation this year, and that puts me in a bad mood. "I've got no chance this year. If we win, it's because of Gillispie. If we lose, it's because of Mark Turgeon. So I can't win." Turgeon seems to have walked into a potentially difficult situation because of the expectations that were elevated and realized during Gillispie's tenure. A once-irrelevant program seemed to take the college basketball scene by storm the past two seasons, becoming a mainstay in the Top 25. The Aggies, 0-3 in true road games this season, were a consensus Top 10 team last week before suffering a 15-point loss to Tech last Wednesday and a 21-point defeat at Kansas State on Saturday. A&M (15-3, 1-2 Big 12) dropped to 18th in the Associated Press poll Monday. Inexperience on hand, too But Turgeon often has wondered out loud if the team he took over was worthy of such praise. Instead of focusing on pluses such as four-year starters Joseph Jones and Dominique Kirk, third-year player Josh Carter and Donald Sloan, who played significant minutes as a freshman, Turgeon has been concerned with what his team doesn't have. The Aggies lost clutch performer Acie Law off last season's team, along with quality defenders Antanas Kavaliauskas and Marlon Pompey. With the players returning and big-time recruit 7-0 DeAndre Jordan, A&M put together a 15-1 record against a mostly unimpressive non-conference slate that included winning the Preseason NIT Tournament. Turgeon often has called this team young because of the inexperience of reserve big men Bryan Davis and Junior Elonu, both of whom played sparingly last season under Gillispie, and wing Derrick Roland. Turgeon even labels Sloan inexperienced, despite the fact he averaged 17.8 minutes as a backup to Law and Kirk last year. "I just get a little defensive because I know I'm there every day," said Turgeon, whose team returns home tonight to host No. 25 Baylor. "I know what I have, I know what I'm trying to hide, and we've just been exposed the last couple games." The most glaring hole has been defense, which had become a staple under Gillispie and was something athletic director Bill Byrne promised would continue when he introduced Turgeon. After the Aggies' first three Big 12 games, they rank last in the league in field-goal percentage defense (52 percent) and ninth in scoring defense (70.7 points per game). They were second in the conference last season in field-goal defense (40 percent) and third in scoring defense (65.8 points per game). A&M's defensive deficiencies were never more evident than against Tech's motion offense. The Aggies were a step behind in defending and as a result were often reaching and lunging, drawing many fouls. An endorsement from Kirk The A&M players say part of the problem is the rankings and national attention might have caused them to lose some of the focus and grit that defined them the past few seasons. "I think we're in the position we need to be," Sloan said. "A lot of people were caught up in the rankings, and we're just not playing to our ability right now. I think the two losses we have had put something in everybody's mind. We need to get back greedy like we used to be." And that, Kirk insists, is no reflection on Turgeon and his staff and the way they approach teaching the game. "Everybody has their own opinion, but I believe coach Turgeon is a great coach just like coach G was," Kirk said. "It's just that we haven't put it together yet." Turgeon reminded reporters that two years ago the Aggies started league play 3-7 before going on a seven-game winning streak that propelled them to the NCAA Tournament. "We're not 3-6 yet, we might be," he said. "That was only two years ago, so it's not like it's been a long time. We had a special year last year; they can't ever take that away. But it's hard to have those years. We were tough enough, we had seniors and Joe and Dominique were veterans. "Give me a chance, give this team a chance and I think we'll be OK."
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