Arizona's Jordan Hill had a hard time impressing the 42 NBA scouts after picking up two early fouls and sitting out much of the first half.

GREG BRYAN / arizona daily star

Other articles by Bruce Pascoe:

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The performances of Arizona's Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill didn't matter to just the Wildcats on Friday.

They also mattered to their professional futures.

A total of 42 NBA scouts representing 26 teams were on hand at Reed Arena on Friday, the most ever by far for a Texas A&M home game. The previous high was 16 to see Texas and Kevin Durant two seasons ago, Aggies spokesman Colin Killian said.

Although Texas A&M has some fringe NBA prospects, Killian said he was under the impression the NBA executives were primarily interested in Arizona's players.

One reason for the big NBA crowd Friday: At Thursday's UCLA-Texas game in Austin, about two hours from College Station, 34 scouts attended.

"They're kind of traveling as a pack," Killian said.

Budinger and Hill helped lead the Wildcats to an early 15-2 lead but Hill picked up two fouls within the first seven minutes and was forced to sit down for the rest of the half.

The Pac-10 and Big 12 are nearly locked in the Hardwood Series, with the Pac-10 having won 7 of 12 last season and going 2-2 so far this season entering Friday's game, but the series has been a success for both conferences.

Texas attracted 16,755 fans to its game with UCLA on Thursday night at a time of year when college and high school football capture the attention of Texans. Likewise, Pac-10 spokesman Dave Hirsch said, the series has resulted in many Pac-10 schools hosting Big 12 teams for games that attract crowds well beyond the average nonconference game.

"It's accomplished what we set forth to accomplish — generate excitement in college basketball when the focus is on football," Hirsch said. Texas had "a great atmosphere."

Texas A&M attracted about 10,000 fans for Friday's game, filling the entire lower bowl of Reed Arena.

● In the absence of Garland Judkins, who was suspended for a failure to meet unspecified team rules, UA interim head coach Russ Pennell started freshman Kyle Fogg. In the first half, Fogg had two points, four rebounds and two assists.

● To add to the atmosphere, the Aggies distributed about 7,000 white Texas A&M T-shirts on the chairs of lower-bowl seats. Killian said the Aggies normally try to create a "white out" for two or three games a season by giving the shirts away.

● Texas A&M fans routinely chanted "Don't Taze Me" at UA forward Jordan Hill, who prompted Tucson police to deploy a Taser on him during an Aug. 1 incident.