Battle of the Brazos Returns to the Hardwood Tuesday
Dec 08, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Aggie Basketball Game #8:
Texas A&M (6-1) at Baylor (7-1)
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 · 8 p.m. (CT)
Ferrell Center (10,284) · Waco, Texas
TV: ESPN2 (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Dave Flemming, Play-by-Play
Stephen Howard, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
John Thornton, Commentary
Local: WTAW 1620 AM (College Station/Bryan)
Satellite (Baylor Broadcast): Sirius Ch. 93 / XM Ch. 200
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – After a two-year hiatus the Battle of the Brazos returns to the hardwood Tuesday night as the Texas A&M Aggies and Baylor Bears square off inside the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, at 8 p.m.
The former Southwest Conference and Big 12 Conference rivals, whose home arenas are separated by 88 miles, have met 205 previous times on the basketball court as the Bears are the second-most common opponent in Texas A&M men's basketball history.
The Aggies hold a 127-78 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1914-15 season and was played annually from 1931 until 2012 when Texas A&M joined the Southeastern Conference.
Tuesday's contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Dave Flemming calling the play-by-play and Stephen Howard 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).
Both squads are off to hot starts this season with the Aggies (6-1) coming off a come-from-behind victory over Arizona State during their most recent outing on Saturday at Reed Arena. Trailing by 13 midway through the second period, A&M hit the comeback trail behind an inspired effort by junior Alex Caruso.
With ASU leading by 10 and 11:34 to play, Caruso put the Aggies on his back, scoring 13 of the team's final 22 points during the late-game rally. The College Station native's impressive all-around game was on display as he paced all players in points (23), rebounds (6), assists (6) and steals (6).
Senior forward Kourtney Roberson's clutch free throw with five seconds remaining proved to be the winning margin during the 72-71 Texas A&M win, while junior Jalen Jones hit the double-digit point plateau for the sixth time in seven games this season.
Baylor (7-1), meanwhile, will be seeking its second straight victory over an SEC opponent as the Bears' most recent venture saw them earn a 66-63 road win over Vanderbilt in Nashville. Their lone loss this season came against Illinois in Las Vegas on Nov. 28 during the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.
Under the direction of 12th year head coach Scott Drew, the Bears are 4-0 at the Ferrell Center this season after making a run to the Sweet 16 during last spring's NCAA Tournament.
Junior forward Prince Taurean leads the way for the Bears offensively, averaging 13.7 points per game, while seniors Royce O'Neale (11.3) and Kenny Chery (10.3) also average double-digit scoring on the year.
Forward Rico Gathers regularly approaches a double-double as the LaPlace, La., native paces the Bears in rebounding at 10.3 boards per contest while averaging nine points per outing.
QUICK HITS
• Battle of the Brazos returns to the hardwood Tuesday night (8 p.m. on ESPN2) for the first time since the 2011-12 season ... the meeting will be the 206th between the Aggies and Bears ... Texas A&M leads the all-time series 127-78.
• The Bears represent one of six 2014 NCAA Tournament teams on the Aggies' 2014-15 non-conference schedule (Dayton, New Mexico, Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas State and Mercer) ... Texas A&M is 2-1 against the group.
• Junior Alex Caruso put forth one of the most complete statistical performances in recent memory during Saturday's win over Arizona State ... The College Station product produced game-highs in points (23), rebounds (6), assists (6) and steals (6), becoming the first Aggie to tally at least 20 points, six rebounds and six assists since Acie Law IV (21 points, seven rebounds & seven assists) on Feb. 17, 2007, at Oklahoma.
• More importantly, Caruso put the Aggies on his back against the Sun Devils, who led by as many as 13 during the second half ... with ASU leading by 10 (60-50) and 11:34 to play, Caruso scored 13 of the Aggies' final 22 points during the late-game rally.
• Junior forward Jalen Jones continues to be one of the Aggies' most steady performers this season, against the Sun Devils Jones contributed 13 points to hit the double-digit mark for the sixth time in seven games this season.
• In milestone watch, Caruso enters the Baylor game ranking eighth in program history with 147 career steals (up next is Bernard King with 152 steals from 1999-02).
SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR (A&M LEADS 127-78)
• Tuesday marks the 206th all-time meeting between Baylor and Texas A&M on the hardwood ... The Bears stand out as the second-most common opponent in A&M men's basketball history behind only Texas (222).
• The last seven meetings have been decided by an average of 5.1 points.
• A&M has beaten Baylor eight of the last 11 times the two have faced off in College Station ... Baylor's 3 wins over that span have all come in overtime.
• The Battle of the Brazos series dates back to the 1914-15 season when the Aggies defeated the Bears in the first two meetings between the programs
• The teams met twice annually for 81 consecutive seasons beginning during the 1930-31 campaign before Texas A&M moved to the Southeastern Conference in 2012-13.
• A&M has played 11 overtime games against Baylor, more than any other opponent.
• 88 miles separate the two school's home arenas.
UP NEXT
Following the trip to Waco, the Aggies return home to host Youngstown State at Reed Arena on Dec. 13 ... the game is slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off and will be streamed on SEC Network PLUS.
HOUSE'S BIG SHOT SINK BEARKATS
Dec. 3 saw the Aggies engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Sam Houston State and the Aggies in need of a hero to step up and make a big shot. Junior guard Danuel House proved to be the man of the night.
With the shot clock off and a tie game at 63-63, the Aggies came down the court with one final chance to take the game before a potential overtime. Running the point Alex Robinson approached the top of the key before dishing out to House on the left wing, where after initially bobbling the ball, House recovered to jump high over a defender with a successful 3-pointer. The bucket came with only 3.3 seconds remaining, leaving the Bearkats only a futile half court attempt before the final seconds faded from the game clock.
While not a true buzzer beater, House's shot lifted the Aggies to their fourth consecutive win as well as their 19th consecutive victory over Sam Houston State.
CARUSO NAMED TO COUSY AWARD WATCH LIST
Junior Alex Caruso has been recognized nationally as he was named to the watch list for the 2015 Bob Cousy Award, which is presented annually to the top point guard in college basketball.
Caruso is coming off one of his best games as an Aggie, leading all players in points (23), rebounds (6), assists (6) and steals (6) as A&M overcame a 13-point second half deficit to defeat Arizona State on Saturday.
The initial watch list of candidates for the Cousy Award will be narrowed down from 35 to 20 in early February, before thinning to a final five in early March. The winner will be announced on Championship Monday in Indianapolis at the Hall of Fame's Class of 2015 announcement and press conference.
Texas A&M is no stranger to the Cousy Award as Aggie standout Acie Law IV garnered the accolade in 2007. Joining Law on the list of previous winners are Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), DJ Augustin (Texas), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Kemba Walker (Connecticut), Kendall Marshall (North Carolina), Trey Burke (Michigan) and last year's winner Shabazz Napier (Connecticut).
In addition to Caruso, the SEC placed four other players on the watch list - Kasey Hill (Florida), Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) and Jarvis Summers (Ole Miss).
TEXAS A&M BAHAMAS-BOUND TO BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS IN 2015
ESPN announced on Nov. 28 that the Texas A&M men's basketball team will join an impressive field at next year's Battle 4 Atlantis, which will take place at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas, Nov. 25-27, 2015.
Joining the Aggies for Thanksgiving in the Bahamas next season will be Charlotte, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Michigan, Syracuse, Texas and Washington.
Players Mentioned
