Aggie Basketball Game #15:
Mississippi State (7-8, 0-2 SEC) at Texas A&M (9-5, 0-2 SEC)
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015 · 8 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: CBS (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Matt Stewart, Play-by-Play
Daymeon Fishback, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, 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 – After taking No. 1 Kentucky to the wire in a double-overtime contest over the weekend, the Texas A&M men's basketball team is back in action Tuesday when the Aggies host Mississippi State in an 8 p.m. contest at Reed Arena.
The league match-up will be nationally televised on SEC Network with Matt Stewart calling the play-by-play and Daymeon Fishback 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 will pit a pair of squads looking to claim their first victory in league play against one another. The contest against Kentucky saw A&M junior Danuel House put together his best performance while wearing Maroon & White as the Fresno, Texas, native paced all scorers with 25 points to reach the 20-point plateau for the second time as an Aggie.
Additionally, freshman point guard Alex Robinson showed fans glimpses of his potential on the court Saturday, coming off the A&M bench to score 10 points against Kentucky.
Junior Alex Caruso, meanwhile, pulled down a career-best 10 boards and dished out three assists to bring his SEC-leading assist total up to 86 on the year.
The Bulldogs venture to College Station with a 7-8 overall record and a 0-2 SEC mark after falling at home to Tennessee Wednesday and dropping a 72-47 contest at Florida on Saturday.
The all-time series between Mississippi State and Texas A&M is tied at 3-3, but the Aggies own a 2-1 edge since joining the SEC before the 2012-13 campaign.
QUICK HITS
• The Aggies try to bounce back and notch their first win in SEC play on Tuesday as they host Mississippi State in an 8 p.m. contest at Reed Arena.
• After struggling last Tuesday at Alabama, junior guard Danuel House bounced back in a big way during Saturday's bout against No. 1 Kentucky ... the Fresno, Texas, native led all scorers with 25 points against the Wildcats, making 8-of-20 field goal attempts and converting 7-of-11 attempts at the free throw line ... it was House's second 20-point performance of the season, eclipsing a 21-point outing against Youngstown State on Dec. 13.
• Last season, forward Davonte Fitzgerald enjoyed a coming out party during the first meeting with the Bulldogs (Jan. 17, 2014), scoring a career-best 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting as the Aggies dropped an overtime affair in Starkville.
• In four career games against the Bulldogs, senior forward Kourtney Roberson has scored 35 points (8.8 points per contest) while pulling down 33 boards (8.3 rebounds per contest) ... meanwhile, in three games against MSU junior guard Alex Caruso has dished out 17 assists while averaging seven points.
• Texas A&M's team defense has ramped up the intensity recently as the team has held its last three opponents to just a 32.7 combined shooting percent ... during their most recent contest against top-ranked Kentucky on Saturday, the Aggies held the Wildcats to just 28.1 percentage shooting, a figure that matches Jan. 3rd's contest against Hartford as the lowest by an A&M opponent.
• Junior forward Jalen Jones, who leads the Aggies in scoring (13.3 points per game) and rebounding (6.0 rebounds per game) is still listed as day-to-day as he deals with a sprained ankle.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE (SERIES TIED 3-3)
• Tuesday will be the seventh all-time meeting between the Aggies & Bulldogs on the hardwood and the fourth as SEC competitors ... It will also mark Mississippi State's second ever visit to College Station.
• During the most recent match-up between the two schools, the Aggies earned a 72-52 win in College Station ... Jamal Jones led the Aggies with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting while Kourtney Roberson added 14 points.
• Two of the last three meetings in the series have gone into overtime with each team claiming a victory.
• Prior to the Aggies joining the SEC, Texas A&M last faced Mississippi State at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17, 2011, during the 2K Sports Classic ... MSU earned a 69-60 victory ... current Aggie assistant Rick Stansbury was the head coach of the Bulldogs during the contest.
• Aggie floor general Billy Kennedy is 2-7 against the Bulldogs, while MSU's Rick Ray is 1-2 against the Aggies.
UP NEXT
The Aggies are back on the road this weekend as they make a trip across the Sabine River into the Pelican State to face LSU on Saturday inside the Maravich Assembly Center ... Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. as the contest will be nationally televised by ESPN2.
CARUSO MOVING UP ALL-TIME CAREER STEALS & ASSISTS LIST
With steal against Kentucky on Jan. 10, junior Alex Caruso passed Reggie Roberts (1980-83) to move into fifth place on Aggie basketball's list of all-time steals. Up next is Darryl McDonald (1986-88), who sits in fourth place with 173 steals.
Additionally, Caruso enters the Mississippi State game with 368 career assists, which ranks him in a tie for ninth in program history.
ROBERSON ASCENDING AGGIE REBOUNDING LIST
Senior Kourtney Roberson joined the prestigious 500-Rebound Club last season and has continued into his senior season, moving up 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 on Jan. 6. Roberson enters the Mississippi State game with 692 career boards.
TEXAS A&M-MISSISSIPPI STATE CONNECTIONS
A&M's Rick Stansbury - The A&M assistant's ties to the Bulldog basketball program run deep ... Stansbury spent 22 seasons at MSU, including the last 14 as head coach (1999-2012), where he compiled a 293-166 (.638) record while guiding the Bulldogs to the postseason 11 times, including six NCAA appearances ... he stands out as the all-time coaching wins leader at Mississippi State and ninth-winningest coach in the history of the SEC.