HARTFORD, CONN. - The fourth-ranked and defending national champion Texas A&M women's basketball team travels to No. 2 and seven-time national champion Connecticut in the 10th annual Jimmy V Women's Basketball Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The much-anticipated non-conference matchup between the Aggies and the Huskies is televised nationally on ESPN2 from the XL Center at 6 p.m. (CT).
Coming off a disappointing loss at No. 13 Purdue, the Aggies look to get back on the winning track and put a stop to an NCAA-record 90-game home winning streak held by UConn.
#8/4 TEXAS A&M (6-1) vs. #2/2 CONNECTICUT (7-0)
Game 8
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011 • 6 p.m. (CT)
Hartford, Conn.
XL Center (16,294)
Television: ESPN2
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: First Meeting
Internet: ESPN3.com, Free Live Audio and Live Stats at AggieAthletics.com
TEXAS A&M
Record: 6-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Ranking: #4 (AP), #4 (Coaches)
Last Result: L, 51-60 at #13/16 Purdue on 12/4/11
Up Next: at TCU on 12/11/11
Head Coach: Gary Blair, Ninth Season
Texas A&M Record: 194-80 (.708)
Career Record: 602-243 (.712)
CONNECTICUT
Record: 7-0 (0-0 BIG EAST)
Ranking: #2 (AP), #2 (Coaches)
Last Result: W, 92-31 vs. Towson on 11/30/11
Up Next: at Seton Hall on 12/9/11
Head Coach: Geno Auriemma, 27th Season
UConn Record: 778-124 (.863)
Career Record: 778-124 (.863)
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ON THE TUBE
- Tuesday, Texas A&M will appear on the tube before a national television audience for the third time this season. The Women's Final Four staff of play-by-play announcer Dave O'Brien, color analyst Doris Burke and sideline reporter Rebecca Lobo will call the action live on ESPN2. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN3.com.
QUICK HITS
- Four Aggies are averaging double figures this season with Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Kelsey Bone (13.4 ppg) leading the way. She is followed by senior forward Adaora Elonu (12.9 ppg), Preseason All-Big 12 selection Tyra White (12.4 ppg) and senior guard Sydney Carter (12.3 ppg).
- Bone is also leading the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg). Elonu is second with 5.6 rpg and sophomore Karla Gilbert averages 5.1 rpg.
- The Aggies are in the middle of a five-game road stand having played their last home game against Mississippi State on Nov. 20 before taking to the road for nearly a month. The team does not have another home game at Reed Arena until Sunday, Dec. 18.
- The Aggies have forced their opponents into an average of 24.7 turnovers per game
- The Aggies boast the seventh-best turnover margin in the nation at +9.9.
TWO TOUGHEST ROAD TESTS
- In the history of Texas A&M women's basketball, #13 Purdue and #2 Connecticut are the highest-ranked opponents the Aggies have ever faced consecutively on the road.
- The last time A&M faced back-to-back ranked opponents on the road was Jan. 22, 2011 (No. 20 Iowa State) and Jan. 26, 2011 (No. 12 Oklahoma), both of which resulted in wins.
- A&M has only faced back-to-back ranked non-conference opponents twice in the history of the program. The last time was Dec. 15, 2007 (home vs. No. 14 Auburn - W) and Dec. 20, 2007 (away vs. No. 22 George Washington - L). The only other time was Nov. 17, 1995 (home vs. No. 16 Duke - W) and Nov. 19, 1995 (away vs. No. 11 Colorado - L).
AGGIE TOP 5 HITS
- Texas A&M is 8-19 all-time against top 5 opponents and is 5-10 against the same competition when the Aggies are ranked.
- A&M is 5-12 against top 5 teams in the Gary Blair Era.
- The Aggies have never beaten a top 5 opponent on the road. In fact, nine of A&M's 19 losses have come on the road.
- Texas A&M was 2-4 vs. top 5 teams last season, three losses of which came against Baylor.
- The Aggies have won their last two games against top 5 teams (vs. No. 3 Baylor on 3/29/11 and vs. No. 2 Stanford on 4/3/11).
MORE ON THE JIMMY V CLASSIC
- The Jimmy V Men's and Women's Basketball Classic kicks off at 6 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Dec. 6 ends the fifth annual Jimmy V Week, a weeklong initiative featuring special content across multiple ESPN platforms and programs to help raise funds for cancer research.
- The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $95 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide.
A&M IN THE JIMMY V CLASSIC
- The Aggies are 0-1 in the Jimmy V Classic, falling 58-61 at No. 5 Duke on Dec. 6, 2010. Jasmine Thomas' off-balanced jumper was the go-ahead basket with 55 seconds left to secure the win for the Blue Devils. Tyra White had 11 points for A&M and Danielle Adams had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
SCOUTING CONNECTICUT
- The University of Connecticut is located in Storrs, Conn., has an enrollment of 30,034 and was founded in 1881.
- The Huskies finished the 2010-11 season with a 36-2 overall record and a 16-0 mark in the BIG EAST to finish atop the league.
- UConn made its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance last year and lost in the Women's Final Four to NCAA runner up Notre Dame.
- The Huskies have only played one ranked opponent this season in then-No. 3/5 Stanford and came away with a 68-58 victory.
- UConn has played each of its first seven games at home and Texas A&M will be its eight-straight home game this season.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
|
No. |
Name |
2011-12 Stats |
|
32 |
Adrienne Pratcher, G, 5-7, Jr. |
7.7 ppg, 4.7 apg |
|
04 |
Sydney Carter, G, 5-6, Sr. |
12.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg |
|
20 |
Tyra White, G, 6-0, Sr. |
12.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg |
|
21 |
Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Sr. |
12.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg |
|
23 |
Kelsey Bone, C, 6-4, Jr. |
13.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg |
CONNECTICUT
|
No. |
Name |
2011-12 Stats |
|
03 |
Tiffany Hayes, G, 5-10, Sr. |
14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg |
|
05 |
Caroline Doty, G, 5-10, Jr. |
5.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg |
|
14 |
Bria Hartley, G, 5-7, So. |
15.0 ppg, 4.0 apg |
|
31 |
Stefanie Dolson, C, 5-7, So. |
10.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg |
|
34 |
Kelly Faris, G, 5-11, Jr. |
5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg |
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
|
2011-12 Category |
TAMU |
UCONN |
|
Overall Record |
6-1 |
7-0 |
|
Conference Record |
0-0 |
0-0 |
|
Points Per Game |
75.9 |
84.4 |
|
Scoring Margin |
+19.6 |
+44.6 |
|
Rebounds Per Game |
42.7 |
45.4 |
|
Rebounding Margin |
+7.0 |
+15.3 |
|
Field Goal Percentage |
43.2 |
49.7 |
|
Field Goal% Defense |
36.7 |
27.5 |
|
3-Point FG% |
26.2 |
37.1 |
|
Free Throw Percentage |
62.3 |
71.4 |
|
Turnovers Per Game |
14.9 |
13.3 |
|
Assists Per Game |
16.3 |
21.0 |
|
Blocks Per Game |
3.6 |
6.3 |
|
Steals Per Game |
11.9 |
15.4 |
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Texas A&M faces Connecticut for the first time in program history.
A&M VERSUS THE BIG EAST
- Texas A&M is 9-3 all-time against schools hailing from the Big East Conference including Cincinnati (1-0), DePaul (0-1), Louisville (1-1), Notre Dame (2-0), Pittsburgh (1-0), Seton Hall (1-0), Rutgers (2-0), South Florida (0-1) and West Virginia (1-0). The Aggies are 7-1 versus Big East opponents in the Gary Blair Era, having last defeated Louisville, 76-58, on Nov. 15, 2011 at Reed Arena.
PRESSURE DEFENSE
- Texas A&M is known for its pressure defense and has forced six of its first seven opponents into season high turnovers: Lamar (28), Louisville (27), UALR (24), Mississippi State (18), Iowa (25) and Temple (27).
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
- A&M has been ranked in the AP Poll for 69 consecutive weeks and 50 all-time in the top 10
- A&M has been ranked in the Coaches Poll for 105 consecutive weeks and 55 all-time in the top 10.
TWELVE STRAIGHT
- Prior to their loss at Purdue, the Aggies had won 12 straight games (including six from last season) which matched a school-record 12-game streak that occurred on three other occasions - during the 2010-11, 2008-09 and 2007-08 seasons.
A&M IN THE BAHAMAS
- Texas A&M got two victories and won the Lucaya Division championship of the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Bahamas, last week. The Aggies improved their all-time record at the tournament to 3-1 and had Carter named MVP and Elonu selected to the all-tournament team.
BLAIR GETS 600TH WIN
- With a victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 20, 2011, A&M head coach Gary Blair earned his 600th career win as a Division I head coach. The victories included 192 at A&M (2003-present), 198 at Arkansas (1993-03) and 210 at Stephen F. Austin (1985-93) for 600 total wins.
- Blair became the 25th-fastest all-time coach (in all divisions) to reach 600 victories, the 22nd all-time Division I coach and the 36th all-time coach (in all divisions) to reach 600 victories. He is one of just 13 active Division I coach with 600 victories.
2011 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
- In April, Texas A&M won its first NCAA National Championship in program history in its first-ever trip to the NCAA Women's Final Four and eighth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance.
- Texas A&M ended the season with a 33-5 record, the most victories in program history. It was the first 30-win season in 37 all-time season of Aggie Basketball.
- Texas A&M made a school-record sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to the streak, the Aggies had never played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments and had not been a part of March Madness since 1996.
- A&M received a program-best No. 1 national ranking in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll, improving on its previous school-best of No. 3 in the Coaches Poll in 2008.
WHAT'S BACK
- The Aggies return three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's national championship squad, including Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention Sydney Carter (DeSoto, Texas), senior Adaora Elonu (Houston, Texas), and Preseason All-Big 12 Tyra White (Kansas City, Mo.).
AGGIES PICKED SECOND IN BIG 12
- A&M was selected to finish second in the Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll. The Aggies received one first-place vote and 73 points, listed only behind preseason favorite Baylor (81).
- A&M was picked second for the second consecutive year, which is its highest spot in the preseason poll since the team was chosen as the favorite prior to the 2007-08 season.
- For the sixth consecutive year, the Aggies were selected among the top five teams in the league. A&M was the preseason favorite to win the regular-season title in 2007-08 (Big 12 postseason champion and NCAA Elite Eight), picked second in 2006-07 (Big 12 regular-season co-champion), fifth in 2008-09 (NCAA Sweet 16), fourth in 2009-10 (Big 12 postseason champion) and second in 2010-11 (NCAA National Champions)
2011-12 Big 12 Preseason Poll
|
1. |
Baylor (9) |
81 |
|
2. |
Texas A&M (1) |
73 |
|
3. |
Texas |
60 |
|
4. |
Oklahoma |
58 |
|
5. |
Iowa State |
43 |
|
6. |
Texas Tech |
37 |
|
7. |
Kansas |
35 |
|
8. |
Oklahoma State |
30 |
|
9. |
Kansas State |
23 |
|
10. |
Missouri |
10 |
WHAT'S NEW
- For the third straight year, Texas A&M welcomes one of its highest-ever rated recruiting class with the addition of three freshmen in 6-foot-7 center Rachel Mitchell out of Atascocita High School in Houston, 5-foot-10 guard Tori Scott from John Ehret High School in Marrero, La., and 5-foot-8 guard and Big 12 Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year Alexia Standish out of Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. This class was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country by The Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
CARTER TAKES CHARGE
- Texas A&M is known for its signature defense and Sydney Carter is its spokeswoman, regularly given the daunting task of guarding the opponent's best perimeter player. Her play has earned her a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive team last year and she took home the team's Miss Defense Award the past two seasons. Add to that, the fact that she has led the team in charges taken every year she's been at A&M.
Carter's Charges:
29 - Junior (2010-11)
28 - Sophomore (2009-10)
12 - Freshman (2008-09)
FROM THE SIDELINES
- Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is in his 27th overall season as a Division I head coach. He currently ranks in the top 15 in career victories (602) and in the top 25 by winning percentage (.712) among active Division I coaches in the NCAA women's basketball record books.
- Blair is the all-time winningest coach in program history with 192 wins and a .708 winning percentage (194-80). He surpassed former head coach Lynn Hickey, who compiled 154 career victories from 1984-1994, with an 84-53 win over Portland State in the NCAA First Round on March 20, 2010 in Seattle, Wash.
- Blair is one of only three all-time NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches to lead two different teams to the NCAA Women's Final Four (Texas A&M and Arkansas) next to C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers, Iowa and Cheyney) and Marianne Stanley (Stanford and Old Dominion).
- Blair is one of only four active Division I coaches (six all-time) to lead three different programs to the NCAA Tournament next to Stringer of Rutgers, Joanne P. McCallie of Duke and Jim Foster of Ohio State. Blair previously coached at Stephen F. Austin (1985-93) and Arkansas (1993-03).
- Blair and Stringer are the only two coaches to guide three different teams to the NCAA Sweet 16.
PURDUE RECAP
TEXAS A&M 51, PURDUE 60
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Adrienne Pratcher, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone... It marked the seventh start of Bone's Aggie career, the eighth career start for Pratcher, 61st for Carter, 78th for White and 81st for Elonu.
- Texas A&M's is now 1-1 on national television this season.
- Texas A&M dropped to 1-3 in the all-time series against Purdue and 20-22 all-time against the Big Ten.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- White has now started in 65 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
- Elonu's 3-pointer in the first half was the sixth of her career.
- Pratcher scored a first-half career-high 8 points.
- Carter's six rebounds were a season high.
COMING IN 2012-13
Next season, Blair and his coaching staff will welcome A&M's highest-ever rated recruiting class that was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz, The Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, Premier Basketball Report and All-Star Girls Report. The Aggie signees were: 5-foot-10 wing Chelsea Jennings from Fort Worth, Texas, 5-foot-6 point guard Jordan Jones from DeSoto, Texas, 5-foot-7 combo guard Curtyce Knox from Humble, Texas, six-foot wing Peyton Little from Abilene, Texas, 5-foot-8 wing Courtney Walker from Edmond, Okla., and 6-foot-1 forward/guard Courtney Williams from Houston.
AGGIES ON THE RADIO
All Texas A&M women's basketball games can be heard via a radio broadcast on the Texas A&M Sports Network. Play-by-play announcer Mike Wright will call the action live from the XL Center alongside color analyst Steve Miller on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on RadioAggieland.com.