Aggie Basketball Game #14:
No. 1 Kentucky (14-0, 1-0 SEC) at Texas A&M (9-4, 0-1 SEC)
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015 · 12 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: CBS (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Kevin Harlan, Play-by-Play
Clark Kellogg, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, 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 – For just the second time in school history, the Texas A&M men's basketball program will host the country's top-ranked team as No. 1 Kentucky comes to Reed Arena for a noon contest on Saturday.
The marquee SEC match-up will be nationally televised on CBS with Kevin Harlan calling the play-by-play and Clark Kellogg 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 visit by the Wildcats stands out as the first appearance by a top-ranked team in College Station since then-No. 1 Kansas earned a 59-54 win at Reed Arena on Feb. 15, 2010. Overall, the Aggies have faced the country's No. 1 team six times (0-6), most recently on March 12, 2010, when they lost 79-66 to the Jayhawks during the second round of the Big 12 Tournament at Spring Center in Kansas City.
Individually, freshman Peyton Allen reached double-digit scoring for the fourth time during his rookie campaign with a team-high 13-point performance at Alabama Tuesday night. The Springfield, Mo., native hit 4-of-8 field goal attempts, including a trio of 3-point baskets, in 23 minutes of action in Tuscaloosa.
Second-year forward Tavario Miller also enjoy a solid outing during the Aggies' most recent contest, pulling down a career-high eight rebounds in 18 minutes against the Crimson Tide.
Senior Kourtney Roberson, who joined the prestigious 500-Rebound Club last season, continues to ascend the list of the most prolific rebounders in school history. The Arcadia, La., native climbed three spots into 12th place on the all-time rebounding list with a six-board performance at Alabama and enters the Kentucky game with 684 career boards.
Kentucky, meanwhile, has been college basketball's flagship team this season and comes to Aggieland with a pristine 14-0 record to sit atop both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' Poll.
The Wildcats earned a hard-fought victory in their SEC opening contest Tuesday night, needing overtime before dispatching Ole Miss 89-86 inside Rupp Arena.
On a roster littered with McDonald All-Americans, Texas natives Aaron and Andrew Harrison led the way for UK as Aaron paces the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game, while Andrew has dished out a team-high 59 assists on the year.
QUICK HITS
• The Aggies return to Reed Arena Saturday to host No. 1 Kentucky in a noon contest that will be nationally televised on CBS.
• The contest will mark just the second time in Texas A&M basketball history that the program has hosted a top-ranked team in College Station (based on AP poll) ... the lone other occurrence came on Feb. 15, 2010, when No. 1 Kansas defeated the Aggies 59-54 in front of 13,657 fans at Reed Arena.
• Reed Arena has given a definite home court advantage for Texas A&M this season as the Aggies are 7-0 inside the facility and have won their home contests by an average margin of 15.6 points per game.
• The Aggies have circled the wagons after each of their first three losses of the season, owning a 3-0 record when coming off a defeat ... A&M has won each of its bounce back trips to the court this season by an average of 14 points.
• Leading scorer Jalen Jones sat out Tuesday's contest at Alabama with a sprained ankle ... the junior forward is listed as day-to-day.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY (UK LEADS 4-2)
• Saturday will be the seventh meeting between the Aggies & Wildcats on the hardwood and the fourth in SEC league play.
• The two schools first met during the 1941-42 season when the 'Cats earned a 49-29 victory.
• Last year on Jan. 21, the 14th-ranked Wildcats defeated the Aggies 68-51 in Lexington ... Alex Caruso and Davonte Fitzgerald led the Aggies with 12 points apiece.
• During A&M's first season in the SEC during, the two squads split a pair of meetings with each team winning on the road ... On Jan. 12, 2013, the two teams faced off at Lexington's Rupp Arena with A&M earning an 83-71 victory ... It was the first-ever home SEC loss for the Wildcats under head coach John Calipari ... Kentucky evened the score with a 72-68 overtime win over the Aggies at Reed Arena on Feb. 2. 2013.
• A&M's Billy Kennedy is 1-2 against Kentucky.
• Kennedy's head coaching counterpart, UK's John Calipari, is 3-1 all-time against the Aggies ... Before his tenure at UK, his lone contest against Texas A&M came on March 22, 2007, while coaching at Memphis ... The Tigers defeated the Aggies 65-64 during the NCAA Tournament's South Regional semifinal at San Antonio's Alamodome.
UP NEXT
The Aggies' two-game homestand continues as they host Mississippi State on Tuesday night at Reed Arena. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. as the contest will be televised on SEC Network.
AGGIES ALL-TIME VS. TOP-RANKED TEAMS (AP RANKINGS)
In program history, the Aggies have faced the top-ranked team six times (0-6), most recently on March 12, 2010, when the Aggies fell to No. 1 Kansas during the second round of the Big 12 Tournament at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Texas A&M All-Time vs. (AP) Top-Ranked Teams
Date Opponent Location Results
March 12, 2010 Kansas Kansas City, Mo. L, 79-66
Feb. 15, 2010 Kansas College Station, Texas L, 59-54
Jan. 16, 2010 Texas Austin, Texas L, 72-67 (OT)
Dec. 9, 2006 UCLA Anaheim, Calif. L, 65-62
Jan. 22, 1997 Kansas Lawrence, Kan. L, 89-60
Dec. 11, 1971 UCLA Los Angeles, Calif. L, 117-53