No. 12 Texas A&M Basketball Hosts HCU for Fan Appreciation Game

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

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