News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M men’s basketball team takes on the HCU Huskies in a 1 p.m. matchup at Reed Arena on Friday.
- It is the annual Fan Appreciation Game and admission and parking to the contest are free.
- Fans can visit Santa Claus in the Fan Zone at the north entry of Reed Arena prior to the game.
- Texas A&M holds an 11-0 advantage in the all-times series. The Aggies won last year’s meeting at Reed, 79-52, on 12/22/23.
PROMOTIONS UPDATE
FAN APPRECIATION GAME: FREE Admission & Parking for ALL fans!
SANTA AT REED ARENA: Arrive to the game early to visit Santa in the Fan Zone located at the North entry of Reed Arena!
AGGIE BASKETBALL FAN ZONE: Located at the North entry of Reed Arena, the Fan Zone includes games, giveaways, and activities for the whole family! For ALL fans opening one hour prior to tip-off.
‘TIS THE SEASON 12MR PUNCH CARD: Attend and check in to 12th Man Rewards at any (2) of (7) men’s and women’s basketball home games in the month of December to claim an A&M ugly sweater crewneck.
UGLY SWEATER HAWAIIAN SHIRT GIVEAWAY: Check in to 12th Man Rewards to receive a FREE ugly sweater Hawaiian shirt.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Statistic |
HCU |
Texas A&M |
FGM |
23.9 |
24.9 |
FGA |
56.7 |
60.1 |
FG% |
.422 |
.415 |
3PM |
7.2 |
7.1 |
3PA |
24.1 |
22.9 |
3P% |
.299 |
.310 |
FTM |
13.5 |
17.7 |
FTA |
19.2 |
25.5 |
FT% |
.703 |
.696 |
Off. Rebounds |
10.2 |
16.9 |
Def. Rebounds |
21.2 |
25.4 |
Rebounds |
31.4 |
42.3 |
Assists |
10.9 |
12.6 |
Steals |
7.7 |
7.6 |
Blocks |
2.8 |
4.1 |
Turnovers |
11.1 |
12.7 |
Points |
68.5 |
74.6 |
NEED-TO-KNOWS
- Texas A&M has played eight non-conference opponents from power conferences so far this fall, which is the most in school history. The Aggies’ last six games have been against non-conference power teams, which is also a program record.
- The Aggies are 3-0 against AP Top 25 opponents this fall. The three-game win streak is tied for the second-longest in program history behind the four-game string by Buzz Williams’ 2022-23 squad.
- The Aggies’ non-conference strength of schedule is No. 5 among power conference teams in KenPom’s non-conference SOS rating (No. 20 overall).
- Texas A&M has limited all 11 opponents to below their current season-long FG%.
- Last season’s NCAA leaders in offensive rebounds/G (17.4) are back at the top of the leaderboard at 16.9/G. The Aggies also sit atop KenPom’s offensive rebound % standings at 43.7%.
- A&M has been out-rebounded just once this season – 42-35 by Rutgers (11/30). The Aggies have won the rebound battle by at least six in nine of 11 games and own a 9.4/G rebound margin for the season.
- On a team that is shooting 41.5% from the field (38.2% from its starters), the bench has been instrumental to its 9-2 record with a 46.6 FG% and an average of 30.9 points/game.
- The Aggies connected on 44.0% of their 3-point shots vs. Purdue (9-of-22), marking the first time since the NCAA first round win over Nebraska last year that the team has shot better than 40% from beyond the arc against a power conference team.
- Texas A&M hits a modest 31.0% of its 3-point tries (No. 280), which is noticeable better than last season’s 29.3% (No. 334). The Aggies have hit 33.3% of their 3-point tries vs. AP Top 25 teams, which is tied for 11th-best among teams with at least three games vs. ranked foes.
- Texas A&M already has five games with 10+ steals in 2024-25 after logging just four double-digit theft games last season. Leading the way is transfer Zhuric Phelps with 22 total steals and at least two steals in eight games.
- Wade Taylor IV 2.2/1 assist/turnover ratio is well ahead of the 1.4 ratio for his first three seasons. Taylor is averaging 13.0 FGA/G, which is more than three attempts fewer than last season. His effective FG% is up from .450 to .494 in 2024-25.
DEFENSIVE MINDED
Texas A&M has held every opponent under its current season-long FG% (as of Dec. 18) and only one opponent has made more than 25 FGs (28 by Rutgers).
Aggies Putting Clamps on Opponent FG%
Date |
Opponent (Rk.) |
Season FG% |
FG% vs. A&M |
11/4 |
at UCF |
.424 |
.340 (17-50) |
11/8 |
East Texas A&M |
.418 |
.385 (20-52) |
11/11 |
Lamar |
.460 |
.375 (24-64) |
11/15 |
Ohio State (21) |
.495 |
.339 (20-59) |
11/2 |
Southern |
.462 |
.389 (21-54) |
11/26 |
vs. Oregon |
.460 |
.455 (25-55) |
11/27 |
vs. Creighton(21) |
.470 |
.383 (23-60) |
11/30 |
vs. Rutgers |
.462 |
.412 (28-68) |
12/3 |
Wake Forest |
.423 |
.283 (17-60) |
12/8 |
vs. Texas Tech |
.512 |
.451 (23-51) |
12/14 |
vs. Purdue (11) |
.494 |
.453 (24-53) |
OFFENSIVE GLASS EATERS
For the second straight year, Texas A&M leads D1 with an average of 16.9 offensive rebounds/G.
- Texas A&M has pulled down 12 or more offensive caroms in every game this season and earned an offensive rebound advantage in nine of 11 games.
- Models of consistency, the Aggie glass eaters have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in 48 of their last 50 games dating back to March of 2023.
- Since the arrival of offensive rebounding stalwarts Andersson Garcia and Solomon Washington in 2022-23, Texas A&M averages a D1-best 15.2 O-rebounds/G and has logged 10+ O-Rebs in 72 of 82 games.
2024-25 DI Offensive Rebounds Leaders
School |
Off-Reb./G |
Texas A&M |
16.9 |
Tennessee State |
16.8 |
Iona |
16.5 |
Idaho State |
16.0 |
Eastern Kentucky |
16.4 |
2024-25 Power Conference Offensive Rebounds Leaders
School (Conference) |
Off-Reb./G |
Texas A&M (SEC) |
16.9 |
Arizona (Big 12) |
15.0 |
Florida (SEC) |
14.7 |
St. John’s (Big East) |
14.7 |
SMU (ACC) |
13.9 |
2024-25 Offensive Rebounding % Leaders
(Source: KenPom.com)
School |
OR% |
Texas A&M |
43.7 |
Milwaukee |
41.9 |
Idaho State |
41.9 |
Iona |
41.1 |
Utah State |
40.8 |