September 25, 2006
A school-record five national television games and 11 contests against opponents which advanced to postseason play a year ago highlight the 2006-07 Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball schedule as announced by head coach Gary Blair Monday.
Behind a successful 2005-06 campaign which included the program?â„¢s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996 and a school-record third-place finish in the Big 12 Conference, A&M (23-9) returns one of the nation?â„¢s most-experienced basketball squads having already received preseason billing as one of the top 25 teams in the country leading up to opening day.
?Our schedule is finally complete and we are very happy with the balance that we have in scheduling new teams to College Station,? said Blair, who enters his fourth season at A&M. ?The conference season both home and away looks like a tremendous opportunity for our fans to see quality top 25 basketball at Reed Arena.?
With last year?â„¢s success, the Aggies were rewarded with five nationally-televised contests. A&M will face Big 12 Conference South foes in Baylor (Jan. 13), Texas (Jan. 21) and Oklahoma twice (Jan. 27 and Feb. 10) on Fox Sports Net. Senior Day against rival Texas (Feb. 28) may be added to the television packet as part of the Big 12?â„¢s wildcard game on FSN. The Aggies will also make their first regular season and second all-time appearance on ESPN2, with an end-of-the-year matchup scheduled at Baylor (Feb. 25).
?Media attention for Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball is at an all-time high,? Blair said. ?We are looking forward to our national television dates on both networks. The added exposure will continue to help us put Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball on the national map. It (national television games) is just a tribute to our players, our program and what we have accomplished here in so little time.?
Three doubleheaders with the A&M men?â„¢s basketball team includes an action-packed Nov. 10 season-opener with the women taking on 2006 NCAA Tournament participant Pepperdine and the men facing Prairie View A&M, on the eve of the A&M-Nebraska football game at Kyle Field. Pepperdine is one of 11 schools on the 2006-07 slate that made a run in the postseason last year.
?We anticipate a sellout for this unique opportunity for our fans to see two NCAA Tournament teams open the 2006-07 season at home,? Blair said. ?Buying season tickets now will assure you of sitting in a premium seat.?
Last season, Texas A&M was the only Division I school in the state of Texas to have both its men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s basketball programs selected to the Big Dance. The Aggies were one of only two Big 12 Conference schools to have both teams in the tourney and one of only 18 schools in the entire country.
A&M?â„¢s 18-game home schedule will also be highlighted by non-conference tilts with Mercer (Nov. 16), McNeese State (Nov. 21), perennial Pac-10 Conference power Arizona (Nov. 28), North Texas (Dec. 18), Delaware State (Nov. 20), Sam Houston State (Dec. 29) and Mid-Continent Conference regular season champion and WNIT participant Western Illinois (Jan. 2).
Two west coast road trips also headline the non-conference portion of the schedule as the Aggies travel to Los Angeles for a team tournament hosted by Loyola Marymount over the Thanksgiving holiday. There, they will face off against Big East Conference power West Virginia in the opening round game (Nov. 24) and either American or LMU in the consolation or championship game (Nov. 25).
One of the team?â„¢s toughest road stretches will be return contests at Rice (Dec. 1) in Houston and at Washington (Dec. 6) in Seattle. Rice advanced to the Postseason WNIT, while Washington lost in the NCAA Second Round to Final Four participant LSU in 2005-06.
?The ability to play a game in Houston is very important to our program in recruiting and our fan base where so many Aggies live and work,? Blair said. ?Our return trip to Washington will be a much-anticipated matchup, just because it was our first big national win (79-65) a year ago at Reed Arena.?
The Aggies will then ring in the New Year with its Big 12 opener at 2006 Postseason WNIT champion Kansas State (Jan. 6) . Last season, A&M went a school-best 11-5 against league foes. In addition to their conference television dates with Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas, the Aggies?â„¢ Big 12 slate includes road contests at Texas Tech (Jan. 10), at Missouri (Feb. 7), at Iowa State (Feb. 14) and at Oklahoma State (Feb. 17). Their home schedule is completed by non-televised matchups against Colorado (Jan. 17), Nebraska (Jan. 24), Oklahoma State (Jan. 30), Kansas (Feb. 3) and Texas Tech (Feb. 21).
?Going through the Big 12 Conference race, is like going to a NASCAR race,? Blair said. ?The highs and lows of a 16-game conference season is one of the hardest things a coach has to do to keep his team on an even keel psychologically after a win or loss. Last season, we became a team that had a style that no one else in the Big 12 Conference had and we did a good job of using our strengths, hiding our weaknesses and exploiting our opponent's weaknesses. This year, we look to do the same if not better throughout the conference season.?