Fans can watch the game live on 12th Man TV, with Will Johnson calling the action. Cost of the game is $3.99, or fans can purchase all three remaining 12th Man TV games for $9.99 (Dec. 3 vs SFA, Dec. 10 vs ULM, Dec. 29 vs Arkansas Tech). iPad users who have downloaded the Aggie Athletics app can watch all three games free of charge. Log on to aggieathletics.com for details.
Recent A&M graduates can take advantage of a $5 ticket special for the game. Aggie grads from the class of 2000 to present can log on to tickets.12thmanfoundation.com for more information.
GAME 7:
(#25) Texas A&M AGGIES (5-1) vs SFA LUMBERJACKS (3-2)
Saturday, December 3, 2011 • 7:05 PM CT • TV: None • LIVE VIDEO: 12th Man TV
Reed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas
Media Coverage
TELEVISION: None
LIVE VIDEO: 12th Man TV (PPV)
Will Johnson, Play-by-Play
Cost: $3.99 (free for AggieAthletics iPad app users)
RADIO Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local: WTAW-AM 1620
Satellite Radio: Sirius 93
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: aggieathletics.com
Snapshot: Texas A&M
Record: 5-1, 0-0 Big 12
Ranking: 25th (AP), RV (USAT/ESPN)
Streak: Won 3
Last 5 / Last 10: 4-1 / 5-1
Last Game: def. Alcorn St (H), 56-44 (Wed.)
Head Coach: Billy Kennedy (SE Louisiana '86)
Record: 216-180 (14th year)
at Texas A&M: 5-1 (first year)
vs. SFA: 5-7
A&M Probable Starters (based on previous game)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 171 Sr. 4.2 2.3 4.7 6 / 25.3
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 234 Sr. 10.8 4.5 0.5b 6 / 22.3
13 Jordan Green G 6-4 181 Fr. 5.7 2.3 2.2 6 / 18.0
31 Elston Turner G 6-5 211 Jr. 11.0 3.2 2.2 6 / 29.5
35 Ray Turner F 6-9 232 Jr. 14.5 6.5 0.2b 6 / 24.0
Snapshot: SFA
Record: 3-2, 0-0 SLC
Ranking: NR
Streak: Won 2
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-2 / 3-2
Last Game: def. Wiley College, 72-66 (Wed.)
Head Coach: Danny Kaspar (NW State '93)
Record: 418-176 (21st year)
at SFA: 199-124 (12th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 0-2
SFA: Probable Starters*
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Exp. PPG RPG APG GP / Min
5 Antonio Bostic SG 6-2 175 Jr-1L 14.0 4.8 2.2 5 / 32.6
24 Darius Gardner PG 5-9 165 So-1L 7.4 3.6 3.2 5 / 29.0
25 Desmond Haymon SG 6-3 190 So-1L 7.6 3.2 0.4 5 / 29.2
34 Jacob Parker F 6-6 210 Fr-HS 1.6 2.8 1.8 5 / 19.8
55 Jereal Scott C 6-7 230 Sr-3L 12.8 4.2 1.0b 5 / 25.0
* based on last game
Quick Hits
- Over the last 3 games, Texas A&M has held foes to 48.0 points per game, 31.6 percent from the floor (48-for-152) and 23.9 percent from 3-point range (11-for-46).
- A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (129-46, .737) ... the Aggies are 172-64 (.729) since the start of the '04-05 campaign.
- A&M has won 64 straight non-conference games at Reed Arena (dating back to start of 2005-06 season) and 77 consecutive regular-season, non-conference home games (dating back to 2003).
- A&M is 96-9 (.914) all-time in non-conference games at Reed and 116-14 (.892) overall at home since the start of the 2004-05 season.
- The Aggies are shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, third-best in the Big 12 and 17th nationally (as of Nov. 28).
- The Aggies lead the Big 12 in scoring defense (55.0 ppg) and are third in field-goal pct. defense (35.0).
- The Aggies rank in the top 20 nationally (as of Nov. 28) in both field goal percentage (17th) and FG percentage defense (17th), one of just three teams to do so (Kentucky and St. Mary's).
- Over 57 percent of Texas A&M's points this season have come in the paint (226 of 394) ... in the season's opening week, the Aggies scored 45-plus points in the paint in consecutive games for the first time since 2004 ... by comparison, last season 40 percent of A&M's points came in the paint (973 of 2192, or 40.1%).
- A&M was outshot 38 to 3 at the free-throw line against St. John's (Nov. 18), yet still won the game ... it marked the fewest FT attempts by an Aggie team since 1979.
- For the first time in league history, Texas A&M has been picked to win the Big 12 Conference men's basketball championship ... the Aggies sat atop the preseason coaches' poll in a tie with Kansas.
- A&M is one of just 12 schools that have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 6 seasons (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin, Xavier).
- Texas A&M is one of only 8 schools in the entire country that have won 24 or more games in each of the last 5 seasons (Butler, BYU, Kansas, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, VCU, Xavier).
- Texas A&M opened the year ranked in the top 20 nationally (19th/USAT, 20th/AP) for just the fifth time in school history, but the third time in the last six years ... the Aggies' previous preseason ranked teams were: 1979-80 (14th/AP); 1980-81 (15th/AP); 2006-07 (13th/USAT, 13th/AP); and 2007-08 (14th/USAT, 16th/AP).
SFA: A Closer Look
- SFA is 3-2 on the young season and has won two straight entering Saturday's contest at Reed Arena ... the Lumberjacks are coming off a 72-66 win over Wiley College on Wednesday in Nacogdoches.
- Like A&M, SFA features a very strong defense-one holding opponents to 55.2 points per game ... the Lumberjacks went to El Paso on Nov. 26 and held UTEP to 35 points, the lowest point total by the Miners in Haskins Center history.
- Danny Kaspar (North Texas '78) is in his 12th season as the head coach of SFA ... he has a record of 202-126 at the school, leading the 'Jacks to the 2009 NCAA Tournament-the first appearance in school history ... SFA returns 1 starter and 4 letterwinners from an 18-win team in 2011.
Series History
- Texas A&M leads the all-time series, 17-3, and has won 13 straight ... the Aggies and Lumberjacks have played twice since 1999, with A&M pulling out victories in 2008 (55-48) and last December (62-53) at Reed Arena ... SFA's last victory over Texas A&M came Dec. 1, 1970 at G. Rollie White Coliseum (89-82) ... A&M has won 12 of 14 meetings between the schools in College Station ... the Lumberjacks are 0-4 all-time at Reed Arena ... the series dates back to the 1932-33 season.
- Aggie coach Billy Kennedy and SFA coach Danny Kaspar squared off 12 times while Kennedy was at Southeastern Louisiana, with Kaspar winning 7 ... Kennedy has won his last 3 meetings with SFA and has not faced the Lumberjacks since 2005.
Last Time Out: A&M 56, Alcorn State 44
- COLLEGE STATION (Nov. 30)-Ray Turner scored 16 points and No. 25 Texas A&M overcame a sleepy start and tough shooting to defeat Alcorn State 56-44. David Loubeau added 14 points and Naji Hibbert had eight rebounds for the Aggies (5-1), who won their 64th consecutive nonconference home game. KeDorian Sullivan led the Braves (1-6) with 11 points and eight rebounds. A&M, in its most off-kilter outing of the early season, missed all 17 of its 3-point attempts. Alcorn State was only 3 of 11 from beyond the arc. One place the Aggies looked good was on the run, outscoring Alcorn 20-2 on the fast break, and 42-26 in the paint in overwhelming the Braves with their size, if not shooting acumen. Alcorn led 9-8 with 11:33 remaining in the first half before a layup by Jamal Branch gave the Aggies the lead for good. A&M shot only 40.3 percent (25 of 62), while Alcorn was even worse at 32.7 percent (18 of 55).
- POSTGAME NOTES: Texas A&M held Alcorn State to 26.9 percent shooting in the first half ... over an 80-minute stretch of basketball (second half vs St. John's, all game vs A&M-Corpus Christi, first half vs Alcorn) the Aggies have held their opponents to a combined 26.7 percent shooting from the field (27-for-101) ... A&M has won 64 straight non-conference games at Reed Arena (dating back to start of 2005-06 season) and 77 consecutive regular-season, non-conference home games (dating back to 2003) ... the Aggies are 96-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed Arena ... A&M has won 37 of its last 40 home games overall ... with 42 points in the paint, A&M has now scored 57 percent of its points in the paint this season (226 of 394) ... A&M scored a season-high 20 fast-break points ... the Aggies' 5 blocks were a season high and the most since swatting 5 against Washington last season ... Dash Harris had season highs in assists (7) and rebounds (5) ... his 7 assists were one shy of his career high ... David Loubeau matched a season high with 14 points ... Naji Hibbert's 8 rebounds were a season high and one shy of his career best ... he also matched a season high with 6 points.
Defense Notables
- Texas A&M has held foes to 55 points per game, best in the Big 12 and 28th nationally (through games of 11/27) ... the Aggies have held five of their opponents to under 60 points and are unbeaten in those games.
- A&M is holding opponents to just 35.0 percent from the floor, ranking third in the Big 12 and 17th nationally (as of 11/27).
- The Aggies have forced an average of 13.3 turnovers per game and converted that into 12.5 ppg.
- A&M held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (11/26) to 27.8 percent shooting from the floor, the lowest by an A&M opponent since Iowa State in the 2008 Big 12 Tournament (27.4 percent).
- In the 2K Sports Classic semifinal against Mississippi State (11/17), the Bulldogs hit 11 of their first 15 shots (73.3%) through the first 10 minutes of the game, racing out to a 31-9 lead ... A&M's defense held MSU to 28.2 percent shooting (11-of-39) for the rest of the game and to 40.7 percent from the floor overall (22-of-54).
Fun with Free Throws
- Texas A&M got to the charity stripe just 3 times in the Aggies' 58-57 win over St. John's at Madison Square Garden (11/18), going 2-for-3 at the line ... the Red Storm, meanwhile, shot 38 FTs (making 23), good for a 35-shot advantage at the line.
- The 3 free throw attempts were the fewest by an Aggie team since Dec. 14, 1979 (32 years), when A&M went 1-for-2 at the line in a 72-67 loss to La Salle at the Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah ... Aggie star Rudy Woods shot both the free throws in the game ... La Salle went 20-for-25 from the line, shooting 23 more free throws than A&M ... the loss was just one of eight all season for the team, which won 26 games and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
- A&M's 2 made free throws were the team's fewest since going 1-for-4 at the line at Kansas State in 2002 (Feb. 12).
Hot Shots
- A&M is shooting 48.1 percent so far this year (156-of-324), a total which ranks third in the Big 12 and 17th nationally (as of 11/27) ... the Aggies are one of just three schools nationally who rank in the top 20 in both field goal percentage and FG percentage defense (Kentucky and St. Mary's).
- The Aggies shot 65.4 percent from the floor in the season opener against Liberty, the fifth-best shooting outing in school history ... A&M then connected on 56.6 percent shooting against Southern (11/13).
- A&M shot 55 percent or better just once last season (57.8 vs Missouri, Big 12 tourney quarterfinals) and a total of 4 times in the last 3 seasons combined (once in '10-11, none in '09-10, three times in '08-09).
- In fact, the last time an Aggie team shot 55 percent or better in back-to-back games was Dec. 19 and 22, 2007, against Detroit (57.7) and UC Irvine (63.0) ... that's a span of 92 games.
Picking Up the Pace
- A main goal of coach Billy Kennedy and his staff heading into the season was to play fast and try to score in the first seven seconds of the shot clock ... through five games, the Aggies have hit double figures in fast-break points 5 times (after doing so just 8 times all of last year) ... A&M is averaging 12.3 fast-break points per game.
- A&M showed a very fast-paced style in season-opening wins over Liberty and Southern, racking up 32 fast-break points (16.0 average) ... last year's team averaged 6.9 for the season and 7.7 through non-conference play.
Getting Physical Inside
- Over 57 percent of Texas A&M's points this season have come in the paint (226 of 394) ... by comparison, last season 40 percent of A&M's points came in the paint (973 of 2192, or 40.1%).
- A&M's season average stands at 37.6 through 6 games (averaged 27.5 overall in 2010-11 and 30.4 in non-conference play).
- A&M's 48 points in the paint against Liberty (11/9) were the most by an Aggie team since putting up 48 against Angelo State in 2009 (Nov. 13) ... A&M followed with 46 points in the paint against Southern (11/13).
- Before the first week of the season, the last time A&M scored 45 or more points in the paint in consecutive games was against Louisiana-Monroe (50) and Chicago State (54) in Dec. 2004 ... the Aggies posted back-to-back games with 40 points in the paint just once last year.
On Point
- Senior Dash Harris leads the team in assists (4.67/game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.55) ... A&M is 44-10 over Harris' career when he has at least 3 assists (5-1 this year, 14-5 as a junior, 15-3 as a sophomore and 10-1 as a freshman).
- True freshman Jamal Branch has had a solid Aggie debut ... the Arlington, Texas product is averaging 5.8 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game.
- Combined, the A&M tandem averages 10.0 points, 7.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.74.
Up Next
- Texas A&M will continue its season-long 5-game homestand on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the Aggies host Sam Houston State at Reed Arena ... the game will be broadcast live by FOX Sports Southwest ... A&M will close the homestand with a game against ULM (Dec. 10, 7 p.m.).
Aggie Hoops Turns 100
- The Aggies are in the midst of the 100th season of basketball at Texas A&M University ... the first team was fielded for the 1912-13 campaign.
- The inaugural team was coached by F.D. Steger and won its first ever game (date unknown) over Marlin (Texas) High School, 78-8 ... the first "collegiate" opponent for the program was later that season with a pair of games against Sam Houston Normal Institute (now Sam Houston State University) ... the Aggies will play SHSU later this winter.
This Week in History
- DEC. 4, 2006: Texas A&M achieves a No. 6 ranking in both major polls, the highest in school history.
- DEC. 5, 1962: The Aggies play the 1,000th game in program history-a 64-49 win over Houston.
- DEC. 5, 1963: Shelby Metcalf coaches his first-ever game at Texas A&M, a 61-58 win over Houston ... Metcalf would go on to become the winningest coach in Texas A&M and Southwest Conference history.
- DEC. 6, 1975: Texas A&M scores a school-record 127 points against Houston Baptist ... the Aggies scored 72 second-half points en route to a 127-80 win.
- DEC. 8, 1993: UNLV visits G. Rollie White Coliseum ... a crowd of 6,331 watches A&M top the Rebels, 68-62.