News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
HOUSTON – The No. 13 Texas A&M men’s basketball team opens its 2024-25 season with a charity exhibition clash with the No. 4 Houston Cougars at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 at UH’s Fertitta Center.
CHARITY INFORMATION:
Proceeds from the game will benefit the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund, which assists those who were affected by the storm. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.
The Greater Houston Disaster Alliance is a partnership between the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Houston, both of which are 501I(3) nonprofit organizations. As of Oct. 2, the fund had raised nearly $6 million to assist those in need.
Fans can join the Cougars and the Aggies in donating to the Recovery Fund by clicking here (https://disasteralliance.org/give/)
TV INFORMATION:
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Thomas (play by play), former Phi Slama Jama-era standout Reid Gettys (analyst) and Austyn Iven (reporter) describing the action.
ESPN+ is a standalone streaming service that requires a subscription ($) separate from your TV provider credentials (YouTube TV, DirecTV, AT&T UVerse, Comcast, etc.). It can be accessed through the ESPN App on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices (such as Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, etc.) or via watchespn.com. If you do not have TV provider credentials you can sign up for ESPN+ here.
AGGIES VS. COUGARS:
With less than 100 miles separating the Texas A&M and UH campuses, the two teams have played more than 85 times since the first meeting just after World War II. The Aggies and Cougars faced off twice last season with UH taking a narrow 70-66 victory in a neutral site matchup at the Toyota Center in December and then ending the Aggies’ 2023-24 season in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March. In the all-time series, the Cougars hold a 55-32 advantage over the Aggies.
AGGIES AT A GLANCE:
- The Aggies return seven of their top eight players in scoring and minutes played from a team that won 20-plus games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24.
- The Aggies finished 2023-24 with a 21-15 overall mark while advancing to the second round of the “Big Dance.”
- The Aggies were ranked No. 13 in the preseason 2024-25 Associated Press Top 25, matching the highest preseason billing in program history. Billy Gillispie’s 2006-07 squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 was also ranked No. 13 in the first AP poll of the year. .
- Leading the way for the Aggies is two-time first-team All-SEC pick Wade Taylor IV, who is college basketball’s only player to log 500+ points, 100+ assists and 60+ steals in each of the past two seasons.
- Also returning is the SEC’s top rebounder from 2023-24, Andersson Garcia, who finished the year with 327 total rebounds to break the 42-year old school standard of 317 set by Claude “The Crockett Rocket” Riley in 1981-82.
- Other top returnees include Jace Carter (16 starts in 2023-24), Solomon Washington (20 starts in 2023-24), Henry Coleman III (73 career starts), Manny Obaseki (started final eight games of 2023-24) and Hayden Hefner (18 starts in 2023-24).
- The Aggies added three impact transfers in guard Zhuric Phelps (leading scorer at SMU), Pharrel Payne (leading shot blocker at Minnesota) and C.J. Wilcher (top bench scorer at Nebraska), along high school standouts Chris McDermott, Andre Mills, Janusz Ratowski and George Turkson Jr.