Aggie Basketball Game #15:
Texas A&M (8-6; 0-3 SEC) vs. LSU (9-5; 1-2 SEC)
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 · 7:30 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Tom Hart, Play-by-Play
Daymeon Fishback, Commentary
RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius Ch. 145 / XM Ch. 190
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
COLLEGE STATION – Returning to their home court after a pair of tough road contests, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team hosts cross border rival LSU on Thursday inside Reed Arena at 7:30 p.m.
The matchup will be nationally televised on SEC Network with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play action and Daymeon Fishback providing color commentary. Radio coverage will be provided on the Aggie Sports Network, which can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW (1620 AM).
For Texas A&M (8-6; 0-3 SEC) the return to the friendly confines of Reed Arena is a welcome one as the Aggies have stood out as one of the SEC’s best teams on their home court. In the last three seasons, A&M is 54-10 (.831) on its home floor and has won 38 of its last 51 home contests against league foes.
LSU (9-5), meanwhile, enters Wednesday’s affair seeking to even its SEC record at 2-2 after dropping home contests to Vanderbilt and Mississippi State and carding a road win at Missouri. The Tigers have won just once in five visits to Reed Arena.
The contest is billed as Maroon Mardi Gras at Reed Arena with a varied of promotions and giveaways planned for those in attendance.
Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Texas A&M Center Tyler Davis
Texas A&M Forward DJ Hogg
SETTING THE SCENE
• Texas A&M will attempt to shake off its recent struggles when it returns home to host LSU Wednesday inside Reed Arena.
• The A&M-LSU series has been dominated by the home team, with the Aggies owning a 9-2 record during games in College Station while the Tigers have won 13 of 15 games in Baton Rouge … The Aggie victory at the Maravich Center on Jan. 17, 2015 was the first by the Aggies in Baton Rouge since Dec. 14, 1941, snapping a nine-game Tiger home winning streak in the series.
AGGIES AMONG THE SEC & NATIONAL LEADERS (Through 1/8 games)
• The Aggies rank 16th nationally in blocked shots per game with an average of 5.8 per contest.
• On the offensive end, A&M has been efficient, ranking second in the SEC by shooting 47.2 percent from the field as a team as well as second in SEC in assists with an average of 17.1 per contest … The Aggies are third in the league with a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• In the SEC rebounding column, A&M checks in at third in rebounding margin at +5.4 while leading the entire league in offensive rebound percentage at 39.8 percent … The Aggies are 14th nationally in offensive rebounds per game.
• Nationally, the Aggies rank 12th in fewest fouls this season (231).
• Rookie Robert Williams continues to stand out as one of the SEC’s brightest freshman, ranking second in the league with 35 blocked shots for an average of 2.5 per game.
• Sophomore Tyler Davis leads the SEC in field goal percentage, shooting 60.0 percent from the field … He also ranks seventh in the SEC in total rebounding at 7.1 per contest while pacing the league on the offensive glass at 3.5 offensive rebounds per outing.
• Second-year guard Admon Gilder appears throughout the lists of SEC statistical leaders, ranking fourth in steals per game (1.9), fourth in minutes played (32.0) and fifth in assists per game (4.3).
• Sophomore DJ Hogg continues to rank among the SEC’s top sharpshooters, checking in at third in the league by shooting 43.0 percent from long range while making 2.6 3-point baskets per contest, third in the SEC.
TRENDS & SUPERLATIVES
• Freshman Robert Williams has collected a swat in all 14 games this season to post the longest streak by an Aggie since Bryan Davis had a 17-game block streak from Nov. 29, 2009 to Feb. 3, 2010.
• Additionally, Williams made his first career start in Saturday’s loss at South Carolina … The Vivan, La., native notched his third double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 14 rebounds … His 14 boards were not only a personal best but the most by an Aggie in a game this season.
• Sophomore sharpshooter DJ Hogg was hot from the field against the Gamecocks making 9-of-13 shots from the field, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range … His seven 3-point field goals were just one shy of the school record of eight which has happened on five occasions.
NOTING LSU
• The Tigers bring a 9-5 overall record with a 1-2 mark in SEC play into Wednesday’s contest … The team has dropped home contests in league play to Vanderbilt and Mississippi State with their lone conference win coming during a 88-77 victory at Missouri last Wednesday.
• Sophomore Antonio Blakeney was a Second Team Preseason All-SEC honoree this fall after garnering a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team a year ago … A 6-foot-4 guard from Sarasota, Fla., Blakeney leads the Tigers in scoring at 17.5 points per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Also highlighting the LSU roster is talented transfer Duop Reath, who came to Baton Rouge after spending the previous two seasons at Lee College in Baytown, Texas … The 6-foot-10, 235 pound forward averages 14.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.
• The team dismissed forward Craig Victor II in late December after playing in eight games with five starts.
• LSU alum Johnny Jones is in his fifth season leading the Tigers, compiling a 139-133 record in Baton Rouge with an appearance in the 2015 NCAA Tournament as well as a showing in the 2014 NIT.
• The Tigers were slotted 12th in a preseason poll of media that cover the SEC.
SERIES HISTORY VS LSU (LSU LEADS 18-16)
• Wednesday’s contest will be the 35th meeting between the Aggies and the Tigers on the hardwood and the 10th as members of the SEC.
• Last season, the two schools squared off three times with each squad winning on its home court during the regular season before the Aggies ended the Tigers’ run at the SEC Tournament with a 71-38 victory in the semifinal round.
• The series dates back to the 1916-17 season during the early days of each school’s men’s basketball program … LSU earned a 24-15 victory.
• Before the Aggies joined the SEC for the 2012-13 campaign, the last meeting between the schools came on Dec. 20, 2008, when the Aggies defeated LSU 72-61 at Houston’s Toyota Center.
• A&M head coach & Louisiana native Billy Kennedy is 4-6 against LSU, having faced the Tigers once while at Centenary and once as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana before coming to Texas A&M.
• The series has been dominated by the home team with the Aggies holding a 9-2 record in College Station and the Tigers owning a 13-2 mark in Baton Rouge.
UP NEXT AFTER THE LSU GAME
Texas A&M is back on the road for the third time in its first five conference affairs, traveling to Starkville, Miss., on Saturday to take on Mississippi State at Noon inside Humphrey Coliseum … The game is slated to be televised by CBS.