COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M first-year coach Billy Kennedy, recently diagnosed with an early stage of Parkinson's disease, hasn't been running the show during preseason practices. But his assistants are certainly running his up-tempo system.

"We want to play quick, and we want to play fast," associate head coach Glynn Cyprien said. "We had 19 turnovers in our exhibition game, and some of that was just being sloppy. Any time you play fast, you're going to have some turnovers, but we want to continue to push, push, push."

Big things expected

The No. 20 Aggies open their 100th season at 7 p.m. Wednesday at home against Liberty. Cyprien is expected to call the shots for the Aggies, as he's done in practices leading to the opener.

Kennedy, 47, has gradually re-emerged into the program, however, much to the happiness of his staff and players. He has started attending practices and will likely be at Wednesday's game, even if he's not directing traffic from the sideline.

The Aggies, for the first time in the 15-year history of the Big 12, are picked to win the league along with perennial power Kansas.

Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

"As a coach, you always wish you had more practice time (before an opener)," Cyprien said. "But having a veteran ballclub like we do really helps."

The Aggies, 24-9 last season, are led by junior Khris Middleton and seniors Dash Harris and David Loubeau. A&M is likely to receive help from junior guard Elston Turner. He made six of seven shots, including four of five 3-pointers, in the Aggies' 91-55 exhibition victory over Dallas Baptist last Thursday.

"I've prepared for this opportunity, and I felt like I had a lot of eyes on me," said Turner, who transferred from Washington. "Not necessarily a lot of hype, but (shooting) is what I do. If I'm open, I have to make shots."

First meeting

Liberty, of Lynchburg, Va., returns four starters from last year's squad that finished 19-13 and second in the Big South at 13-5. Liberty has played in the NCAA Tournament twice, with the Flames' last appearance in 2004. The programs have never played in basketball.

The Aggies will try to cut down on their turnovers from their exhibition, but Cyprien said many miscues are simply part of the early process of playing fast.

"I'm not happy with the (19) turnovers, but we know it's going to be a little bit raggedy right now," he said. "The thing we're trying to do is get the ball up the court as fast as we can."

brent.zwerneman@chron.com

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