Aggie Basketball Game #11:
Mercer (6-7) at Texas A&M (7-3)
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 · 7 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Matt Stewart, Play-by-Play
Darrin Horn, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Colin Killian, Play-by-Play
Mike Caruso, Commentary
Local: WTAW 1620 AM (College Station/Bryan)
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – Searching for its 200th all-time victory at Reed Arena, the Texas A&M men's basketball team returns to the court Tuesday night when the Aggies host Mercer at 7 p.m.
Tuesday's contest will be nationally televised on SEC Network with Matt Stewart calling the play-by-play and Darrin Horn providing color commentary. Additionally, radio coverage will be provided on the Aggie Sports Network, which can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW (1620 AM).
The match-up is a part of the “Holiday Hoops Presented by Texas A&M Health Science Center” promotion, which features $5 general admission tickets.
Texas A&M enters the game looking to continue a trend of domination against non-conference opponents inside the friendly confines of Reed Arena, where they are 123-12 (.911) all-time against non-league foes since the building opened in the fall of 1998.
Steady performer Alex Caruso is coming off a milestone during the Aggies' last outing at Kansas State on Dec. 20. The College Station native nabbed his 153rd career steal against the Wildcats to move past Kyle Kessel (1994-96) into eighth place on the program's all-time steal list. Up next on the roll is Acie Law IV, who notched 156 steals from 2003-07.
Caruso also leads the SEC in assists per game (5.9) this season while ranking 12th all-time in program history with 341 helpers during his three-year career.
Offensively, a duo of Aggie newcomers has carried the banner for the team as both Danuel House and Jalen Jones average 12.7 points apiece. Jones, who is shooting 47.9 percent from the floor, also paces A&M in rebounding with a 5.8 rebound-per-game clip.
The Bears (6-7) come to College Station for their third consecutive match-up with an SEC opponent as Mercer lost at Tennessee 64-54 on Dec. 22 before dropping a triple-overtime affair to Georgia in Athens, 86-77, on Saturday.
Mercer is led by junior guard Ike Nwamu, who paced the team and ranks fourth in the Southern Conference by averaging 17.5 points per contest.
Under the direction of head coach Bob Hoffman, the Bears made headlines nation-wide last spring when they upset third-seeded Duke during the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
QUICK HITS
• The Mercer Bears represent the sixth team on the Aggies' non-conference schedule that made the NCAA Tournament last seasons ... A&M is 2-3 against the group.
• Texas A&M is searching for its 200th all-time victory at Reed Arena, entering play with a 199-42 (.734) inside the facility ... the Aggies are 123-12 vs. non-conference opponents at Reed (911).
• In Dec. 24th's edition of the NCAA RPI rankings, the Aggies check in at No. 51 ... A&M is one of seven SEC teams in the top 63 spots.
• The Aggies will be the third straight SEC opponent for the Bears, who played at Tennessee on Dec. 22 (L, 64-54) and at Georgia on Dec. 27 (L, 86-77 3 OT).
• In a milestone watch, Alex Caruso enters the Mercer game ranked eighth in program history with 153 career steals (up next is Acie Law IV with 156 steals from 2003-07) ... he also ranks 12th in the record books with 341 career assists (up next is Kyle Kessel with 344 assists from 1994-96).
• Senior forward Kourtney Roberson continues to climb A&M's list for career rebounds as the Arcadia, La., native has pulled down 667 boards during his tenure in College Station to rank 15th in program history ... Damon Johnson (No. 14 - 679 rebounds from 1991-95), Steve Niles (No. 13 - 680 rebounds from 1968-71) and Randy Knowles (No. 12 - 683 rebounds from 1971-74) are all within striking distance of Roberson.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MERCER (A&M LEADS 1-0)
• Saturday marks just the second all-time meeting between Mercer and Texas A&M.
• The lone meeting in the series occurred on Dec. 1, 1990, when the Aggies, led by then-head coach Kermit Davis Jr., defeated the Bears 72-62 during the Marshall Memorial Classic at Huntington, W.V.
• During the first meeting, a young Billy Kennedy was on the A&M sideline as an Aggie assistant.
• As a head coach, Kennedy is 3-0 all-time vs. the Bears ... All three meetings came during Kennedy's two-year tenure as the head coach at Centenary College (1997-99) when both schools were members of the Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference).
UP NEXT
The Aggies will hit the hardwood for the first time in 2015 on Saturday, Jan. 3, when they welcome Hartford to Reed Arena for a 4 p.m. contest ... The match-up with the Hawks will be A&M's final tune-up before SEC play begins on Jan. 6.
BEARS CONTINUE AGGIES' STRONG NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The 2014-15 campaign will see the Aggies play one of the strongest non-conference schedules in program history, facing a total of six teams who made the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The Aggies are currently 2-3 against the group.
After it's run through the non-conference slate, the Aggies will face the always tough SEC schedule which includes six teams who made the post season a year ago - Arkansas (NIT), Florida (NCAA Final Four), Georgia (NIT), Kentucky (NCAA Tournament runner-up), LSU (NIT) and Missouri (NIT).