February 13, 2006
The Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team moved up three spots to No. 21 in the Associated Press Women?â„¢s College Basketball Top 25 Poll which was released Monday.
The Aggies (19-5, 8-3) won a pair of games last week on the road as they topped Texas (73-53) in Austin before beating Nebraska (69-50) in Lincoln, Neb. A&M is in second place in the Big 12 Conference behind No. 9 Oklahoma and it in the AP Top 25 for a second straight week.
It is the highest ranking for the Aggies?â„¢ ranking since they were No. 21 in late December of 1995. A&M?â„¢s best ranking in the AP Poll was No. 18 set on January 24, 1995.
A&M coach Gary Blair is one of eight coaches to take three different teams into the AP Top 25 since the poll?â„¢s inception. He took Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas into the top 25 when he was each school?â„¢s head coach.
Blair is one of four active coaches to have taken three different schools to the top 25. The other three active coaches are C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers, Jim Foster at Ohio State, and Sharon Fanning at Mississippi State.
Blair ranks No. 16 among active coaches and No. 24 all-time in career top 25 weekly appearances with 148.
A&M will host No. 12 Baylor (17-5, 7-4) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena. It will be the first time that a ranked A&M team will face a ranked opponent at home since December 9, 1995 when then No. 19 A&M hosted then No. 21 Oklahoma State in non-conference play at G. Rollie White Coliseum. OSU won that contest 77-70.
A&M has teamed with local home builder Campbell Custom Homes to offer $1 tickets, $1 hot dogs, and $1 Coke products when the Aggies and Lady Bears to battle on Wednesday. Tickets must be purchased in person at the Reed Arena Box Office or at the Athletic Ticket Center at Kyle Field.