As a player, she helped make Ole Miss a women’s basketball powerhouse in the last 1970s.

And as an assistant coach with the WNBA Houston Comets, Gillom was part of the team’s inaugural championship season in 1997.

But for the past three years Gillom has had to deal with losing seasons. She brings in No. 12 and last-seeded Texas A&M to the Big 12 Tournament to face a surging No. 5 seed Missouri (19-8, 10-6) tomorrow.

"I know Missouri is playing well right now and we’re not playing as well as we should," Gillom said. "But this is the madness time. It’s Big 12 and hopefully my kids will come out and play. You don’t know what will happen."

It has been a slow, but steady progress for the Aggies under Gillom.

Winners of just seven games in 1998-1999 and 11 in 1999-2000, Texas A&M now has a record of 12-15 overall and 2-14 in conference play.

The Aggies gave the Tigers a scare earlier in the year as Missouri eked out a 69-61 home victory over Texas A&M on Jan. 10.

The Tigers won the close game despite having a 59-36 rebounding advantage.

"For us we played a great game there," said Gillom. "They out rebounded us by more than 20 and we only lost by seven there. That gives us confidence entering the tournament."

The Aggies have the No. 2 scorer in the Big 12 in Jaynetta Saunders, who is averaging 22.6 points per game and was selected to the All-Big 12 second team last week.

She is an athletic forward who can shoot from both inside and outside, drive to the hole and post up smaller players. But she is also only one of Aggie players to average double figures.

Despite the Aggies’ lack of multiple scoring options, Missouri coach Cindy Stein says that focusing solely on Saunders would be a mistake.

"Saunders is probably the one that gets the most attention, but we really want to concentrate on all of them," Stein said. "You don’t want to totally focus on Saunders and lose grasp of somebody else because somebody else can hurt you on that team.

"Our job is to make sure we have a team-oriented defense and obviously the offense to attack their defense. I don’t think we can get wrapped up in one player, but Saunders is tough, and she will be tough to stop."

Texas A&M has nothing to lose entering tomorrow’s contest, having been all but eliminated from postseason consideration.

"They’ve had some good wins early and they’ve struggled as of late, but I think it’s a new season for them right now," said Stein. "We have to be ready and have to match or overplay the intensity that they’re probably going to bring to the table.

"There is not one team in the Big 12 Conference that I do not feel will not do well in the NCAAs, just because we have a very powerful conference this year, and Texas A&M is one of them."