Aggie Basketball Game #20:
Texas A&M (11-8; 3-5 SEC) at No. 18 West Virginia (16-4; 5-3 Big 12)
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 · 11 a.m. (CT)
WVU Coliseum (14,000) · Morgantown, W. Va.
RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Mike Caruso, Commentary
TV: ESPN (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Bob Wischusen, Play-by-Play
Fran Fraschilla, Commentary
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius Ch. 84 / XM Ch. 84
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
COLLEGE STATION – After posting wins in its last two SEC affairs, Texas A&M takes a step out of league play this weekend as the Aggies travel to Morgantown, W. Va., to face No. 18 West Virginia during the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
The matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN with Bob Wischusen calling the play-by-play action and Fran Fraschilla 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).
Last season during the Big 12-SEC Challenge, Texas A&M carded a big NCAA resume win with a 72-62 victory over No. 14 Iowa State inside Reed Arena.
The win over the Cyclones helped Texas A&M post a perfect 4-0 mark against Big 12 foes during the 2015-16 regular season as A&M notched also Texas, Kansas State and Baylor. However, the run of success against its former conference came to an end for the Aggies during the postseason as a 77-63 loss to Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 ended their season.
Texas A&M (11-8; 3-5) enters Saturday’s match up following back-to-back wins over Georgia and Ole Miss seeking a their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
Among the many individual standouts for the Aggies during their modest two-game winning streak is freshman Robert Williams, who is coming off back-to-back double-double performances and averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds during his last three outings.
West Virginia comes into the Big 12-SEC Challenge with a 16-4 overall mark as well as a 5-3 record in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers are riding a high after posting one of the biggest wins of their season on Tuesday when they defeated No. 2 Kansas inside WVU Coliseum.
Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Aggie Guard Admon Gilder
TRENDS & SUPERLATIVES
• Sophomore Admon Gilder played all 40 minutes in Wednesday’s win at Ole Miss, marking the second straight contest he’s played the entire game … The Dallas native produced a career-best 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a 4-of-6 mark from beyond the 3-point arc and also tied his personal best in both assists (7) and rebounds (7).
• Also on Wednesday, sophomore Tyler Davis finished with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting to reach the 20-point plateau for the fourth time in his career.
• Freshman Robert Williams carded his fifth career double-double vs. the Rebels, producing 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with a career-high tying 14 rebounds … in his last three games, Williams is averaging 12.0 rebounds per game.
• A blocked shot against the Mountaineers would give Williams a swat in 20 straight games, tying the school record for a block streak, originally set by David Harris from Dec. 21, 1989, to March 9, 1990.
• A&M played without second-leading scorer DJ Hogg (13.1 points per game) Wednesday night as Hogg missed the Ole Miss game with a minor foot injury … He is listed as day-to-day.
AGGIES AMONG THE SEC & NATIONAL LEADERS (Through 1/25 games)
• The Aggies rank 15th nationally in blocked shots per game with an average of 5.6 per contest (second in the SEC).
• On the offensive end, A&M has been efficient, ranking second in the SEC by shooting 46.7 percent from the field as a team as well as second in the SEC in assists with an average of 16.8 per contest … The Aggies are third in the league with a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Defensively, A&M ranks third in FG percentage defense by allowing foes to shoot just .402 from the field.
• In the SEC rebounding column, A&M ranks second in the conference in rebounding margin at +6.2 and leads the league in offensive rebound percentage at 39.2 percent … The Aggies are 17th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.68).
• Nationally, the Aggies rank 29th in fewest fouls this season (319).
• Rookie Robert Williams continues to stand out as one of the SEC’s brightest freshmen, ranking second in the league (25th nationally) with 46 blocked shots for an average of 2.4 per game.
• Sophomore Tyler Davis leads the SEC and ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 60.7 percent from the field … He also ranks sixth in the SEC in total rebounding at 6.9 per contest while leading the league on the offensive glass at 3.1 offensive rebounds per outing.
• Second-year guard Admon Gilder appears throughout the lists of SEC statistical leaders, ranking first in steals per game (2.1), fourth in minutes played (32.0) and eighth in assists per game (4.1).
• Sophomore DJ Hogg continues to rank among the SEC’s top shooters, checking in at seventh in the league shooting 38.1 percent from long range while making 2.2 3-point baskets per contest, fourth in the SEC.
NOTING WEST VIRGINIA
• Tuesday night No. 18 West Virginia knocked off second-ranked Kansas on its home floor in Morgantown, 85-69, to bring their overall record to 16-4 and their Big 12 record to 5-3 … WVU entered the game vs. the Jayhawks having dropped their previous two games (Kansas State and Oklahoma) … the Mountaineers also knocked off then No. 1 Baylor on Jan. 10.
• West Virginia uses a balanced scoring attack, featuring four players who average double digits points on the season – Esa Ahmad (12.1 points per game), Jevon Carter (11.9 ppg), Nathan Adrian (10.7 ppg) and Daxter Miles, Jr. (10.2 ppg).
• The Mountaineers are first in the nation with 237 steals and sixth in the nation with 88.1 points per game.
• Junior guards Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles, Jr., were Honorable Mention Preseason All Big-12 … Carter leads the Big 12 with 62 steals.
• In the preseason the Mountaineers were picked to finish second in the Big 12 by the coaches of the league.
• Veteran coach and WVU alum Bob Huggins is in 10th year in Morgantown where he holds a 217-114 record and his 32nd year overall with a career record of 807-325.
SERIES HISTORY VS WEST VIRGINIA (WVU LEADS 1-0)
• Texas A&M and West Virginia have faced off just once on the hardwood on Nov. 27, 2009, during play at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. … The Mountaineers, ranked No. 8 at the time, earned a 73-66 win.
• A&M’s Billy Kennedy has never faced West Virginia during his career as a head coach … WVU’s Bob Huggins, meanwhile, has faced A&M twice — the 2009 meeting while leading the Mountaineers and on Jan. 6, 2007, when the Aggies defeated his Kansas State team 69-65 in College Station.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics