FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dec. 15, 2016
Texas A&M Men’s Basketball
Aggies Face No. 19 Arizona Saturday in Houston
TEXAS A&M NOTES l SEC BASKETBALL
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Aggie Basketball Game #10:
Texas A&M (7-2) vs. #19 Arizona (9-2)
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 · 11 a.m. (CT)
Toyota Center (18,043) · Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN2 (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Doug Sherman, Play-by-Play
Sean Farnham, Commentary
RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Mike Caruso, Commentary
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – The Aggie men's basketball team travels to Houston on Saturday for a marquee matchup with the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. inside the Toyota Center for the opening game of the Lone Star Shootout presented by 811.
Joining the Aggies and the Wildcats in the second half of the college hoops doubleheader is Texas and Arkansas with the old-Southwest Conference rivals slated to meet at 1:30 p.m. following Texas A&M-Arizona.
Saturday’s A&M-Arizona showdown will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Doug Sherman calling the play-by-play action and Sean Farnham providing color commentary. Additionally, radio coverage will be available on the Aggie Sports Network, which can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW (1620 AM).
The No. 19 Wildcats (9-2) bring a three-game winning streak to Bayou City following a 64-54 victory over Grand Canyon Wednesday in Tucson and a 79-60 road win over Mizzou last weekend. Their only two losses on the season have come by a combined 11 points and at the hands of top-25 programs Butler and Gonzaga. The Wildcats have been ranked in the AP poll for 84 consecutive weeks, trailing only Kansas for the longest active streak in the country.
The Aggies will get their third crack at a Pac-12 school on the season after falling in close contests to UCLA (67-74) and USC (63-65). Their last victory against the conference was a 72-71 thriller over Arizona State in December of 2014.
Texas A&M will be led by reigning SEC Player of the Week Tyler Davis who enters the Arizona contest after enjoying one of the best weeks of his collegiate career. The Aggie sophomore averaged 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 73.1 percent from the field in wins over A&M-Corpus Christi, Denver and South Carolina State last week.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Aggies will face their second ranked opponent of the season Saturday in Houston, taking on No. 19 Arizona inside the Toyota Center. (Another Aggie foe, USC, has moved into the national rankings but was only receiving votes when it played A&M in mid-November.)
• Saturday will be A&M's fourth neutral site game of the season, having defeated CSUN and Virginia Tech at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym and falling to then-No. 14 UCLA at Anaheim's Honda Center during the Wooden Legacy.
• This will be Texas A&M's fourth game inside the Toyota Center (1-2) and just the second under the direction of Billy Kennedy.
• It will also be the Aggies' third crack at a Pac-12 opponent this season, having dropped close affairs to USC (65-63) and UCLA (74-67) this season.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
• Like the Aggies, the Wildcats are one of the younger teams in college basketball this season. UA & A&M are two of only four schools nationally from a power-five conference (and the Big East) to lose three all-conference players from last season.
• UA is led in scoring this season by the freshmen trio of Lauri Markkanen (16.3 ppg), Rawle Alkins (12.4 ppg) and Kobi Simmons (12.2 ppg). The rookie trio makes Arizona one of only two programs (Auburn) in the nation to have its top three scorers all be freshmen averaging at least ten points per game.
• Under eighth-year head coach Sean Miller, the Wildcats are a tough defensive squad, ranking 27th nationally by limiting their opponents to just 62.0 points per game.
• Arizona is coming off a 25-9 campaign in 2015-16 that saw the Wildcats finish third in the Pac 12 with a 12-6 league mark before falling in the NCAA First Round to Wichita State.
• UA was predicted to finish second the Pac-12 to defending conference champion Oregon in the preseason poll of the media that covers the league.
SERIES HISTORY VS ARIZONA (ARIZONA LEADS 6-1)
• The Aggies and Wildcats have met seven previous times in men's basketball, most recently a two-game, home and home series during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons as part of the Big 12 / Pac 10 Hardwood Series.
• During the last contest between the schools, A&M erased a 40-29 halftime deficit to defeat Arizona 67-66 inside Reed Arena on Dec. 5, 2008 ... Nathan Walkup hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds to provide the final heroics in the come-from-behind victory.
• The first games between the schools took place with a pair of matchups (in San Antonio and Tucson) during the 1949-50 season. The Wildcats earned the win in each contest.
• A&M's Billy Kennedy has never faced the Wildcats as a head coach, but did coach against them as a Cal assistant from 1993-97.
UP NEXT AFTER THE LONE STAR SHOOTOUT
Following the showdown with the Wildcats, the Aggies will return to College Station for their final non-conference matchup before SEC play, facing the Saint Francis Red Flash on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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Dec. 15, 2016
Texas A&M Men’s Basketball
Aggies Face No. 19 Arizona Saturday in Houston
TEXAS A&M NOTES l SEC BASKETBALL
--
Aggie Basketball Game #10:
Texas A&M (7-2) vs. #19 Arizona (9-2)
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 · 11 a.m. (CT)
Toyota Center (18,043) · Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN2 (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Doug Sherman, Play-by-Play
Sean Farnham, Commentary
RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Mike Caruso, Commentary
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
--
COLLEGE STATION – The Aggie men's basketball team travels to Houston on Saturday for a marquee matchup with the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. inside the Toyota Center for the opening game of the Lone Star Shootout presented by 811.
Joining the Aggies and the Wildcats in the second half of the college hoops doubleheader is Texas and Arkansas with the old-Southwest Conference rivals slated to meet at 1:30 p.m. following Texas A&M-Arizona.
Saturday’s A&M-Arizona showdown will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Doug Sherman calling the play-by-play action and Sean Farnham providing color commentary. Additionally, radio coverage will be available on the Aggie Sports Network, which can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW (1620 AM).
The No. 19 Wildcats (9-2) bring a three-game winning streak to Bayou City following a 64-54 victory over Grand Canyon Wednesday in Tucson and a 79-60 road win over Mizzou last weekend. Their only two losses on the season have come by a combined 11 points and at the hands of top-25 programs Butler and Gonzaga. The Wildcats have been ranked in the AP poll for 84 consecutive weeks, trailing only Kansas for the longest active streak in the country.
The Aggies will get their third crack at a Pac-12 school on the season after falling in close contests to UCLA (67-74) and USC (63-65). Their last victory against the conference was a 72-71 thriller over Arizona State in December of 2014.
Texas A&M will be led by reigning SEC Player of the Week Tyler Davis who enters the Arizona contest after enjoying one of the best weeks of his collegiate career. The Aggie sophomore averaged 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 73.1 percent from the field in wins over A&M-Corpus Christi, Denver and South Carolina State last week.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Aggies will face their second ranked opponent of the season Saturday in Houston, taking on No. 19 Arizona inside the Toyota Center. (Another Aggie foe, USC, has moved into the national rankings but was only receiving votes when it played A&M in mid-November.)
• Saturday will be A&M's fourth neutral site game of the season, having defeated CSUN and Virginia Tech at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym and falling to then-No. 14 UCLA at Anaheim's Honda Center during the Wooden Legacy.
• This will be Texas A&M's fourth game inside the Toyota Center (1-2) and just the second under the direction of Billy Kennedy.
• It will also be the Aggies' third crack at a Pac-12 opponent this season, having dropped close affairs to USC (65-63) and UCLA (74-67) this season.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
• Like the Aggies, the Wildcats are one of the younger teams in college basketball this season. UA & A&M are two of only four schools nationally from a power-five conference (and the Big East) to lose three all-conference players from last season.
• UA is led in scoring this season by the freshmen trio of Lauri Markkanen (16.3 ppg), Rawle Alkins (12.4 ppg) and Kobi Simmons (12.2 ppg). The rookie trio makes Arizona one of only two programs (Auburn) in the nation to have its top three scorers all be freshmen averaging at least ten points per game.
• Under eighth-year head coach Sean Miller, the Wildcats are a tough defensive squad, ranking 27th nationally by limiting their opponents to just 62.0 points per game.
• Arizona is coming off a 25-9 campaign in 2015-16 that saw the Wildcats finish third in the Pac 12 with a 12-6 league mark before falling in the NCAA First Round to Wichita State.
• UA was predicted to finish second the Pac-12 to defending conference champion Oregon in the preseason poll of the media that covers the league.
SERIES HISTORY VS ARIZONA (ARIZONA LEADS 6-1)
• The Aggies and Wildcats have met seven previous times in men's basketball, most recently a two-game, home and home series during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons as part of the Big 12 / Pac 10 Hardwood Series.
• During the last contest between the schools, A&M erased a 40-29 halftime deficit to defeat Arizona 67-66 inside Reed Arena on Dec. 5, 2008 ... Nathan Walkup hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds to provide the final heroics in the come-from-behind victory.
• The first games between the schools took place with a pair of matchups (in San Antonio and Tucson) during the 1949-50 season. The Wildcats earned the win in each contest.
• A&M's Billy Kennedy has never faced the Wildcats as a head coach, but did coach against them as a Cal assistant from 1993-97.
UP NEXT AFTER THE LONE STAR SHOOTOUT
Following the showdown with the Wildcats, the Aggies will return to College Station for their final non-conference matchup before SEC play, facing the Saint Francis Red Flash on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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