Fast breaks

A&M’s Jordan enters draft without agent

Texas A&M freshman DeAndre Jordan said Wednesday he will enter the NBA Draft without hiring an agent, giving him the option of returning to the Aggies.

The 7-foot center averaged 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for Texas A&M, which finished 25-11 and lost to Final Four qualifier UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Early entrants have until June 16, 10 days before the draft, to withdraw.

“I just want to test the waters and get a good feel for where I might be drafted,” Jordan said in a statement released by the school.

-- The Associated Press

Aggies move on

Behind a season-high 26 points from Josh Carter, which ties his career high, the Agges defeated BYU 67-62 on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It is the third straight year Texas A&M has advanced to the second round.

_ John Miller

BYU comes back

The Cougars finally started hitting their 3-pointers and it led to a 13-2 run for BYU with three 3-pointers that briefly gave the Cougars a 29-26. Josh Carter ended the run with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 29-29, which is the score at halftime.

_ John Miller

What's your favorite bracket moment?

What is your best pick ever in an NCAA bracket, when you researched and scoped out an NCAA Tournament field so well, nailed the sucker, that you won an office pool?

And what was your worst moment, the pick you have regretted ever since, that makes you grit your teeth and throw things to this day, inside information from some barfly that turned out to be bogus?

Give us your bracket memories in the Comment box. Click on the headline and move down to the Comment section.

And if you're a Texas alum and/or fan, how far will ride you ride the Longhorns? Can this Texas team go to the Elite Eight, as in 2006, or the Final Four, as in 2003?

Aggies fans, can A&M get past BYU and then knock off a somewhat-hobbled UCLA team? Is that A&M's destiny after an angst-ridden season?

Can Baylor, a 3-point underdog to Purdue, celebrate the 20th anniversary of its last NCAA appearance with a victory, or are the Bears just teasing us?

Is Kansas State, and super freshman Michael Beasley, one and done, or can Beasley go Austin Carr and carry the Wildcats to the Sweet 16?

Will UT-Arlington beat the point spread? Will UTA build a monument to this team, like a new arena?

The blogosphere is yours.

Jayhawks prevail over Texas A&M

Kansas' Russell Robinson scored on a drive with 34 seconds remaining and A&M missed a 3-point try on the other end as the Jayhawks won 77-71 to advance to Sunday's Big 12 title game against Texas.

A&M worked a play to perfection out of a timeout with 1:11 left to get Beau Muhlbach wide-open for a 3-pointer, which he nailed. That cut Kansas' lead to 75-71. A&M then fouled Mario Chalmers, who obliged by missing the front end of a 1-and-1. Dominique Kirk drew a shooting foul and canned both foul shots to cut the deficit to 73-71.

But Robinson broke down the Aggies' defense for the layup and a 75-71 lead, and a rushed Muhlbach 3-pointer was off. A tip just missed, and Kansas ran the clock down before A&M could foul. Brandon Rush hit the final free throws, giving him a game-high 28 points.

Kansas and Texas will meet in the final for the third straight year. Game time is 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN. The winner has a slim shot at a No. 1 seed NCAA Tournament seed, although it looks like the four No. 1 seeds -- North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Tennessee -- are locked in. The wiggle room might come if Tennessee loses in the SEC semifinals. Tennessee and Arkansas were tied 34-34 moments ago, late in the first half of that one.

Joseph Jones with the 3

Beau Muhlbach's 3-pointer cut Kansas' lead to 65-63 but Brandon Rush pushed the Jayhawks to a 70-63 cushion. Then Joseph Jones stepped outside and hit from behind the arc to make it a 70-66 game with 3:41 to play.

A&M hanging tough

Kansas went on a 12-2 run to lead Texas A&M 49-41 but the Aggies have recovered to cut the lead back to four at the 11-minute mark of the second half.

Gritty A&M men tied at halftime

Texas A&M rallied in the final stages of the first half and is tied with fifth-ranked Kansas 34-34 at the half of the second Big 12 men's semifinal at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Dominique Kirk scored five points after a Kansas timeout at the 2:01 mark to forge the tie. A&M led 11-6 early, but Kansas was up 30-22 before the Aggies reeled them back in.

A&M is trying to win its third game in three games and get into the Big 12 final Sunday against Texas, a 77-49 winner over Oklahoma earlier Saturday. The Aggies most likely have already earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Joseph Jones leads A&M with 11 points, Kirk has eight and Bryan Davis seven. Brandon Rush leads KU with eight points. DeAndre Jordan has played for A&M, with one point and three fouls in his line. A&M is only 5-of-10 on free throws.

Aggies win, face Kansas in the semifinals

Texas A&M defeated Kansas State 63-60 in a Big 12 quarterfinal game, with K-State missing a 3-point attempt at the buzzer. The win probably sealed an NCAA Tournament bid for the Aggies, if there was any doubt left after their victory Thursday night.

The Wildcats were down one, 61-60, when national Player of the Year candidate Michael Beasley missed a shot that would have given K-State the lead with nine seconds left. Josh Carter got the rebound and was fouled, and he made both free throws.

Beasley finished with 25 points and Dominique Kirk led A&M with 19. Kansas State, seeded third in the conference tournament, is also expected to receive an NCAA bid.

Aggies men in the locked and upright position

Texas A&M Aggies fans will be happy to know that SI.com's Stewart Mandel moved the Aggies into his "lock" category for the NCAA Tournament after their 60-47 victory over Iowa State on Thursday night. Check his complete list.