Acie Law IV didn't set any school records in the Aggies' double-overtime loss to Texas, but he scored 33 points and also hit a three-pointer to send the game into the first extra session.
The last time that the Texas A&M senior guard played against Texas, he went for a school-record 15 assists.
Or did he?
After a thorough review of the tape from the Aggies 100-82 victory over Texas on Feb. 5, there’s no way that Law really tied the school record. In fact, we had him for 11 assists.
The stat guy in College Station had an off-night – and not just for the Aggies. He was being overly generous for both teams.
How else to explain the fact that Texas actually took eight assists away from its players after reviewing the film.
``After normal film review, to maintain the integrity in the statistics, we felt it was in the best interest to remove eight of our assists from the game,” Texas sports information director Scott McConnell said.
``Assists are really a subjective statistic,” countered Texas A&M sports information director Collin Killian.
Here’s the definition of an assist (if you care). A player is credited with an assist when the player makes, in the judgment of the statistician, the principal pass contributing directly to a field goal. Only one assist is to be credited on any field goal and only when the pass was a major part of the play. … An assist should be more than a routine pass that just happens to be followed by a field goal.
There’s no logical explanation for how Aggies guard Acie Law IV picked up one assist late in the game.
It went like this: Law threw a lazy pass to Antanas Kavaliauskas at the top of the key. Kavaliauskas tossed it to the right side to Josh Carter, who drove to the basket for a hoop and a foul.
The Aggies stat crew credited Law with the assist.
Are you kidding me?
I wasn’t aware that Texas A&M had a hockey program.
We looked back at two other home games in College Station and found no improprieties in terms of handing out freebies when it comes to assists, but we truly didn’t have the time to double-check every home game. All we know is that the Aggies were credited with 24 assists on 25 field goals against Winthrop earlier in the season. It was 22 of 25 against Iowa State.
``Wow,” said one Division 1 head coach.
In games at College Station, the Aggies are assisting on astonishing 79 percent of their baskets. That’s beyond efficient. That’s ridiculous.
``That’s unfathomable,” one D-1 head coach said.
On the road, it’s a more realistic 43 percent.
Law is a heck of a player, but let’s not put him in the class of Kevin Durant for Big 12 Player of the Year. His assist numbers are inflated. The question is how inflated?
Texas is just getting more and more jealous as A&M has come into the spot light and they have lost it.
Durant is a young player and is VERY good, no doubt about it, but Acie Law has had a huge hand in leading A&M to the tournament last year and keeping A&M in the top 10 this year. Without a doubt, Acie law is one of the most underrated players and needs to be taken seriously as a candidate for PLayer of the Year in the big 12.
This is what you get paid to write on, not who wins or who the best team is but if the statistics are absolutely correct, man, I got the wrong degree, what an ####
Aggies & Sooners are ALWAYS getting caught cheating!!!
Even if you win tonight... Great, you've had one good year in the last 10.
Of course, another Aggie posted above me that seems to think it's ok to pad stats. Acie Law is a hell of a player and the stat keeper shouldn't do stupid #### to tarnish his rep!!!
Last edited by the_dude on February 28th at 12:16 PM.
Stats are, at times, over rated. My personal option is that a "Player of the Year" is not only one that is a great player but one that is a "team player". I do not think anyone could argue that Law plays team first and Law second. Can anyone say that about Durant? I see at times Durant doing this but not consistanly. I do not want to take anything away from Durant because that kid is unbilivable. I just get tired of people trying to find faults on anything A&M just because the times are changing. (And no I did not Graduate from A&M)
Last edited by msmartin4670 on February 28th at 12:21 PM.
Dude the only stat that matters is wins and loses, I am sure no one on the Ags basketball team cares whether they have 1 assist or 35 as long as they win, ya'll are just grasping for air because it is obvious that Gillispie has ya'll scared and ya'll are trying to distract people from the fact that A&M is a better team
Durant is a team player and can play at just about any position. I've never heard anyone accuse him of being a ball hog, except maybe when it comes to rebounds :)
I'm a huge Texas fan but I'll be the first to say that with out KD you could probably take at least 6 or 7 wins away from the Horns this year. He takes over games when the rest of the young squad aren't pulling their weight.
I would love to beat the Aggies tonight but the fact is A&M is the #7 team in the country and Texas starts four freshman and a sophmore. This much more mature A&M team SHOULD win against such a young group of Longhorns.
GO TEXAS!!!
foxispathetic: you are right that stats other than wins and losses SHOULDN'T matter. Bit the fact is that when it comes to picking conference and National players of the year it does. If someone has padded stats and wins an award that's given to an individual then that is not fair.
that's what whoever the hell wrote this article was trying to say... nobody is "grasping for air"
Last edited by the_dude on February 28th at 12:36 PM.
It seems pretty obvious UT can't stand not being the spot light. If you take the definition of player as the year as a hot shooter who scores a lot of points, focused on only their game, yeah durrant wins. However if you look at player of the year as someone clutch, who puts the team on their shoulders, and who performs under any amounts of pressure it's law hands down. It's just like the situation in football. UT is suing a small community t-shirt shop over a saw 'em off logo 10 years after it's creation. Why? because they can't stand to lose and have a serious lack of class. I don't blame them, they're outranked by the aggies in every sport now. #19 baseball, #2 softball, #6 basketball, #14 wbasketball big 12 wsoccer champs, wswimming team, golf team, etc.
finally i believe character should determine the winner. to quote durrant after the a&m game where UT lost by 18, "They ain't nothin special, i wasn't scoring cause i wanted to get my team involved. they ain't nothin special" you can make excuses or you can make something happen.
Anyone who says that Acie law should not be seriuosly considered for the Big 12 Player of the year is just plain blind. He is the most clutch player in the country. Durant is a defintely a rare talent and will be the better pro in years to come. If A&M wins tonight and defeats Missouri to win the Big 12 title. I just do not see how you can not vote for Acie.
Last edited by shoe11 on February 28th at 12:48 PM.
So you identify one scoring inconsistency for every three games. A&M has played 28 games. That's nine extra assists on the year----for the entire team. Hardly worth talking about if you ask me.
texas starts almost five freshman every game and still dominates. im happy to see a&m finally a contender in basketball after how many years? TEXAS GUARANTEE VICTORY TONIGHT!!
Never thought I would see an article about 4 assists on one of the largest national sports news outlets in my life. I just ate dinner, can we get an article about that asap, thank you. WHO CARES....100-82
You're writing a headline story about 1 game? There are probably statistical inconsistancies all over the NCAA. That doesn't make it right, but I would hope that you would have more data to back up your stance. You viewed 3 games, with only one having statistical errors. I suggest either reviewing more games and finding a pattern or spending your time writing about something that matters.
Offense scores points, but a great defense and great 3 point percentages wins the big game. Being very realistic this year, A&M has 4 loses. UCLA, LSU, and Texas Tech. With the exeption of lsu having an off year, the aggies were in every game that they were outscored. You better bet on the aggies, because this is their year.
Look yea everyone nows durant is good but then again u no he will go into the draft next year soo who cares the aggies and texas both have good coaches but the aggies are a good team and it doesnt matter about the last game its over get it threw your head acie will be him slef tonight and beatter show up acie and carter and kirk will play good we have the talent and we will beat texas GIG EM
how long did it take you to decide on "the dude"? Did you have a hard time deciding between it and "the man". I know tough decision, really when has Texas been anything more than show, double OT at home...kind of pathetic if you ask me. Texas slipped away tonight.
c'mon it takes double OT AT HOME to beat A&M. AT A&M we beat texas by 18 just like that. And where was the intentional foul at the end? We wouldn't be talking about texas winning if the correct call was made. Acie Law down by 1 with 3 seconds on the clock is money for A&M
Yes, A.C. Slater is a helluva player, but anyone who thinks he deserves Big 12 Player of the Year over KD is smoking some nasty crack. KD is going to win national player of the year, how can he not be the best player in his conference?! How can someone who scores less, rebounds less, shoots a lower FT%, lower 3pt %, and plays WORSE DEFENSE beat out KD in his own conference? And you know that A.C. Slater's "assists" are about as reliable as Enron's bookkeeping. Sure, KD is going to the NBA after one year. It just means he's THAT DAMN GOOD! Once they play on a neutral court in the Big 12 tourney, TEXAS will prevail - they are the better team 1 thru 5. (Margain of victory is bs. Just as the San Antonio Spurs.) TEXAS FIGHT!!!
Last edited by DBecks on February 28th at 9:13 PM.
Oh Aggies, they are always complaining about something. Acie Law is clutch and while Billy Gillespie can't handle his alcohol, he is a great coach. But WOW, just accept the fact that Aggies have a bad record of cooking the books. It is what you guys do best. I do have to admit, it is refreshing to have a bit of competition from you guys. Our games with you are typically blowouts. You guys think you are so clever with your biblical verses coexisting with cultish tasteless hatred for THE University of Texas in a slogan. Enjoy Aggie Basketball while you can, because it is all you have. The Horns came out on top tonight. So, I guess you really don't have much at all. HOOK'EM
KD is a great player and all but he can't take the LONGHORNS to far. He leaves next year, and whose gonna save Texas, D.J. Augustin? Rick Barnes is an #### for signing him cuz he knows that they were gonna become dependent on him, now he's gonna be gone. What's up wit A&M is gonna be bad in the future. A&M is here to stay in college basketball. we got the coach and recruits. Just look at their freshman and incoming players(DEANDRE JORDAN). Maybe TEXAS should beat Kansas so we win the Big XII title. o ya they can't.
YEAH AND YOU #### ALSO SAID WE COULDN'T BEAT THE AGGIES!!!
what are the Horns going to do without KD? The same thing we did after loosing 4 of 5 starters from last year.
great games against TX Tech this year!
By the way... two years ago when we beat you in football in ####gie Land, I p!ssed in my cup and poured it on your stupid sacred ####ing grass outside the stadium
Last edited by the_dude on February 28th at 9:53 PM.
Don't talk about Texas Tech u guys lost to KSTATE and Villanova and OK STATE. So maybe u beat us but at a neutral site we'd win by 10 probs. and the cup thing is just wrong. a waste of time
Goodman is a complete ####. this guy will go to all lanks to put down the Big XII. Every week that I read one of his articles I realize how poor basketball knowledge this guy has and I wonder why Fox has him as a writer. The only reason I think they let him be a writer is because they like all the people making comments about how much of a #### this guy is. People are not making him first team All-American because of his assists. The guy absolutely takes over games in the last 10 mintues. I'm sure Goodman will try to do some statistic that the points he scores should actually be credited to somebody else or they are not important baskets. I am so close to never reading Fox sports and switching completely over to ESPN for factual articles that are not a waste of time.
I started reading these comments and I just HAVE to say something about the_dude's remarks. Do you really think anyone is taking you serious when all you are doing is making derogatory comments about urinating on some grass? I can see where goodman's story could raise some questions, but the_dude is REALLY coming up empty on valid arguments if all he can talk about is how he doesn't like A&M's home town!
And for the record both Durant and Law are amazing talents. It'll be fun watching both of them in the NBA next year as well!
I'm surprised A&M fans on this blog are not complaining about the intentional foul at the end of the 2nd overtime. Or, maybe they know that they committed two intential fouls against Sasha Kaun in the last minute of the KU game to help them win and they know what goes around comes around. How the officials missed an intential foul when A&M tackled Kaun 20 feet away from where the basketball was at on the floor is beyond me.... Sure, Bill Self is an #### for keeping a 50% freethrow shooter in the game and Gillespie is a good coach and took advantage of the situation. But, we all know the best team in the league is KU and the A&M game was won due to missed intential foul calls.
Okay, so I never post comments on these sites, but I am choosing to throw one in today. I feel it's really petty to throw insults back and forth on one of these boards. I mean, WHY? What does it accomplish? I think all that needs to be said is that college basketball is GREAT! On nearly any given day, you can find an exciting game to watch. Now, I am probably one of the biggest Aggie basketball fans you could find, but that doesn't mean I am going to berate any Texas player or fan or anyone else, for that matter. Plain and simple - last night's match-up was one of the best of the year. And it could have gone to either team. Both played their hearts out. Kevin Durant has pure talent. Acie Law has worked hard to become the player he is today. They are both to be commended. There is no doubt in my mind that BOTH teams will make a great run in the NCAA tournament this year. Why can't we just be proud of the fact that we have two great teams from Texas, from one of the most underrated conferences in the nation, who will most definitely make their mark in college basketball?
I agree with Collegebasketballfan. No game will ever be called to perfection. Some go your way and some some don't. I think that last night game was one of this years best.
A couple of things, from a Longhorn's fan perspective.
1. AC deserves consideration as player of the year in the Big 12. He is a great player. Should he win, I would say no as KD is a better player and without him the Horns would be no where near the level they are. So he is a better player and helps his team more.
2. Not going after KD because he is only going to be here one year is a stupid comment. The Longhorn freshmen are growing up fast and will be a force next year. Of course having KD back would be great, but that's not likely to happen.
3. Beating your rival is always great and last nights game was FANtastic. I want to commend all the aggie players as well as their fans. They were great.
4. It's a game folks and denigrating people because they don't root for your team is pretty ignorant.
Who is this Goodman dirtbag? Everytime I turn around he is bashing A&M somehow. Goodman, did you even watch the game last night in Austin? Or were you too busy trying to make sure Acie didn't have more assists than he should have. How can you not say Acie Law is one of the best if not the best clutch player in the NCAA(that makes him in the same category as Durant). Yeah he doesn't score 60 points a game like Durant only to go on and lose cause he wouldn't share the ball but give me a break. Just like a tu t-shirt fan.
Aggies always make me laugh. Once a decade when they rise up to par with the Longhorns, they start mouthing off about 1) how great they are for their single season success, 2) how great their average set of players are, and 3) how they're going to be world beaters. However, true to form, as soon as they mouthed off, their feet go into their mouths...
1) Talk your trash AFTER you win a conference title or tournament. Or talk your trash when you at least play into Week 2 of the Big Show. Longhorns have been there, done that before, and can talk confidently about a program that maintains a high level of success year after year. When Law and the seniors leave after this year, will A&M still be a Top 25 team? The Longhorns lost their whole starting lineup from last year, and are on the verge of cracking the Top 10. Its good to get excited about your great year, especially when they are so rare for you. However, when you have a "PROGRAM" that expects and gets great results each year, then the excitement of a successful regular season is a bit subdued. Call us when you add a few Sweet 16s to your resume, or even a Great 8, or ahem Final 4s.
2) Last time I looked, a win is a win in the standings. Home vs Away, and final scores don't factor into anything. Aggies 1, Longhorns 1. Hope to see you in the conference tourney and Big Show.
3) Durant is more known nationally and has the stats to back it up. He will win both conference and national player of the years easily.
Oh I forgot to add before that Law is certainly a great clutch player and shooter. So was Reggie Miller, but it never earned him a championship or MVP trophy, despite his stats.
Durant is like Jordan. MVP is coming, and there will be lots of winning in his future.
This is a pretty weak argument to disqualify someone as a Player of the Year canidate. He burnt my jayhawks this year, but the guy is amazing. Sometimes I think that there is too much of an emphasis on stats. Truely it is boarderline geeky to put that much stock in them. Although helpful at times, purely overated. This guy puts clutch threes in the hole, scores, feeds his team mates (contrary to somes belief), and gives his team a shot to win every game. That is what it is all about.
As much as I hate Acie for dancing on Kansas' floor after their victory, you have to give him some kudos. The guy drains game winning and game tying shots like its no one's buisness. He is definatly more clutch than any other player in the Big 12. Its just a shame that there is no award for that category.
Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com - This is the only place you'll find continuous daily updates from the world of college basketball, so check back as often as you'd like.
