The shorthanded Texas A&M Aggies came up just short falling 70-68 to the Texas Longhorns in what is the final scheduled matchup between the two schools.

Two Elston Turner free throws gave Texas A&M a 67-66 lead with 1:09 remaining in the game. Texas reclaimed the lead on their next possession with a J'Covan Brown layup that put the Longhorns back up 68-67. The Aggies turned the ball over on their next possession which led to two free throws from Brown to extend the lead to 70-67. Texas fouled Elston Turner before he could launch a game-tying attempt sending him to the line for two shots. Turner made the first and missed the second on purpose but the Longhorns secured the rebound and ran out the clock.

Elston Turner led the Aggies with 20 points and five rebounds. Dvid Loubeau added 14 points and six boards whileRay Turner chipped in 13 points off the bench.

J'Covan Brown scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half to lead the Longhorns including 4-4 shooting from three-point range and seven assists. Sheldon McClellan added 15 poins while Alexis Wangmene added 10 points.

Texas A&M falls to 12-11 with the loss and 3-8 in Big 12 play. Texas improves to 15-9 on the season and are 5-6 in conference play.

For more on this game Texas fans should check out Burnt Orange Nation and Texas A&M fans should stop by I Am The 12th Man. For more news and analysis on College Basketball be sure to check out SB Nation's College Basketball page.

The Texas A&M Aggies trailed by as many as nine points in the first half before closing the half on a 17-9 run to take a 34-33 lead at halftime. The Aggies are still undermanned with Dash Harris and Khris Middleton both sidelined due to injury but more than held their own in the first half against a youthful Longhorns team.

Ray Turner led the Aggies with eight points off the bench while David Loubeau added seven points. Elston Turner and Naji Hibbert scored five points each in the first half. Texas A&M hit half of its field goal attempts (11-22) in the first half and was 9-12 from the free throw line.

Sheldon McClellan leads the Longhorns with 13 points. Myck Kabongo, Alexis Wangmene and J'Covan Brown all scored six points for Texas in the first half.

For more on this game Texas fans should check out Burnt Orange Nation and Texas A&M fans should stop by I Am The 12th Man. For more news and analysis on College Basketball be sure to check out SB Nation's College Basketball page.

Expectations were as high as they have ever been for both Texas A&M football and basketball in 2011, with the Aggies projected as a pre-season contender for the Big 12 title in both sports.

However, just as the football team sunk to a disappointing 7-6 finish, the basketball team has dramatically under-performed pre-season expectations.

The transition to new coach Billy Kennedy's system became far more difficult when it was revealed that the former Murray State coach would miss the entire pre-season while battling with the onset of the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. On the court, star SF Khris Middleton, a pre-season first-team All Big 12 pick who would have likely been a first round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has struggled with a knee injury that has robbed him of his explosiveness and kept him in and out of the line-up all season long.

As a result, Texas A&M has struggled to a 3-7 conference record, ahead of only Texas Tech in the Big 12 basement.

However, just like the football team, they have a chance to ruin Texas' season when the Longhorns make their final trip to College Station Monday night.

Texas, at 4-6 in the conference, has struggled integrating six freshmen into their rotation and is only a game up on the Aggies. A loss to Texas A&M may effectively ruin their chances at being on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Both teams have played better in recent weeks, pushing Big 12 favorites Baylor and Kansas State to the brink in tough road losses, but neither has been able to break through for a signature victory.

Barring a re-match in the Big 12 Tournament, Monday's contest could be the last basketball game between the two programs for a very long time. And while it won't take the sting out of Texas dramatic 27-25 victory in Kyle Field which cost head coach Mike Sherman his job, Aggies fans would certainly enjoy ending Rick Barnes streak of 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

With Middleton and point guard Dash Harris still out with injuries, Texas A&M will try to slow the pace of the game to a crawl and pound the ball inside to David Loubeau, as they don't have the firepower to match the Longhorns improving young back-court in a shoot-out.