COLLEGE STATION – A clash of teams near the top of the SEC standings is on tap Tuesday evening as the Texas A&M men’s basketball team travels to Fayetteville to face No. 18 Arkansas inside Bud Walton Arena at 8 p.m.
Jostling for post-season position, the Aggies (19-7, 10-4 SEC) enter the week with a share of third place in the SEC standings, just one game back of the Razorbacks (22-5, 11-3), who own second place. Texas A&M is searching to secure the 14th20-win season in program history.
Tuesday’s contest will be nationally televised on ESPN with Brad Nessler calling the play-by-play and Sean Farnham providing color commentary. Additionally, 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).
Aggie junior Danuel House is coming off a standout week on the hardwood when the Fresno, Texas, native averaged 22.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in wins over LSU and South Carolina, while adding five assists, four blocks and a steal. Against the Gamecocks, House turned heads by hitting 7-of 11 shots from beyond the 3-point arc to fall just one long-distance basket short of A&M’s single game record.
House ranks fifth in the SEC with a 16.6 scoring average during league play.
The Aggies, who are 5-2 on the road in SEC play, will have a tall order on Tuesday as Arkansas’ Bud Walton Arena stands out as one of the toughest venues for road teams. This season is no exception as the Razorbacks are 16-1 on their home court.
On the court, Arkansas boosts one of the SEC’s best 1-2 offensive punches in sophomore forward Bobby Portis and junior guard Michael Qualls. Portis, who earned second-team All-SEC honors as a rookie last season, ranks second in the league this season, averaging 18.1 points per contest, while Qualls checks in at seventh by maintaining a 15.5 scoring average.
The Razorbacks enter the affair riding a six-game winning streak.