Texas A&M proves it's for real in loss

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Bill Self had no idea how right he was when he said going against close friend Billy Gillispie wouldn't be any fun.

Texas A&M -- 17-point underdogs despite an 11-0 record -- tied Self's second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at 58 when Antoine Wright hit a jumper with less than a minute to play.

Then, Kansas' Alex Galindo hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer, and Christian Moody and Aaron Miles each made two free throws in the final seconds for a hard-fought 65-60 victory in the first Big 12 game of the season.

"I am proud of him," Self said of Gillispie, who was his assistant coach for five years at Tulsa and Illinois. "I would rather not play friends."

Ironically, Galindo originally signed with Gillispie at Texas-El Paso. But he asked to be released and allowed to go to Kansas after Gillispie, at Self's urging, took the job at Texas A&M.

"Galindo makes a miraculous shot, one he will remember," Gillispie said.

He and Self still talk frequently. Self even said the two would probably get together later Wednesday night.

"I sat next to him for five years," Gillispie said. "His teams play hard and they don't turn the ball over. You expect his teams always to play great."

Texas A&M, which has lost 18 straight regular-season Big 12 games and not had a winning season in a decade, had generated little attention despite having its best start in 83 years.

But the Aggies made believers of the Jayhawks, who got their second big scare in as many games.

"They looked real good to me," said Miles, who fed a perfect pass for Galindo's big 3-pointer.

"They play hard," he said. "Regardless of how much talent a team has, if you play hard you're always going to have a chance."

Galindo, a 6-foot-7 freshman who was hampered by injuries most of the early season, also made a key 3-pointer in overtime of Kansas' 70-68 win on Saturday against No. 9 Georgia Tech.

"It gave me confidence," Galindo said. "Making a shot like that to win a game today is better than making a shot to win a game against Georgia Tech. This is the Big 12. That's one of our goals to win the Big 12 championship. We beat a great team."

Kansas (10-0), without injured star Wayne Simien, struggled all night against the Aggies' aggressive, pressing defense. Texas A&M held the Jayhawks to 41 percent shooting and outrebounded them 33-27.

The Jayhawks are off to their best start since the 1996-97 team won its first 22 games.

Galindo's 3-pointer put Kansas on top 61-58 with 40 seconds left. After Moody missed two free throws, Acie Law drove the lane and scored to bring the Aggies within a point.

Moody was then fouled immediately and made both of his free throws for a 63-60 lead. Miles added a pair of foul shots just before the buzzer to make it 65-60.

"Christian missed those two free throws and then when he got fouled the next time he said, 'I'm making these,'" Miles said. "We've got to have people step up and be confident like that."

Antoine Wright, the Aggies' 6-foot-7 junior and the second-leading scorer in the Big 12 with 18 points per game, had only one point in the first half but wound up with 14. Freshman Joseph Jones had 16 for the Aggies.

Miles had 15 for Kansas, and Michael Lee had 10. Keith Langford and Moody each had nine.

"They are a great team," A&M forward Chris Walker said. "We don't believe in moral victories."