Aggie Basketball Game #17:
Missouri (7-10, 1-3 SEC) at Texas A&M (11-5, 2-2 SEC)
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 · 6 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Dave Neal, Play-by-Play
Joe Dean, Jr., Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local: WTAW 1620 AM (College Station/Bryan)
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 93 / XM Ch. 190
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – Riding the momentum of two straight SEC wins, including a come-from-behind victory at LSU on Saturday, the Texas A&M men's basketball team is back in action at Reed Arena Wednesday night when the Aggies host Missouri in a 6 p.m. contest.
Wednesday's SEC showdown will be nationally televised on SEC Network with Dave Neal calling the play-by-play and Joe Dean, Jr. 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 Aggies (11-5, 2-2 SEC) will be looking to avenge a pair of close losses to the Tigers last season, including a double-overtime thriller that knocked Texas A&M out of the 2014 SEC Tournament.
The former Big 12 foes are no stranger to one another on the hardwood as the series with Missouri stands out as the Aggies' longest active annual series, dating back to 1997. A pair of Aggies, Jordan Green and Kourtney Roberson, have played in six career contests against the Tigers entering this season.
The victory at LSU allowed Texas A&M to level its SEC record at 2-2 and move into a seven-way tie for fourth place in the SEC standings alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss.
Texas A&M's defense was a big key to the win in Baton Rouge as the Aggies held LSU to just nine points during the game's final 12 minutes, allowing the Aggies to rally from a 13-point second-half deficit.
Junior Danuel House, who is averaging almost 21 points during his last three games, provided the final heroics as his jumper with 23 seconds remaining gave A&M its first lead since the game's early minutes. The Fresno, Texas, native sealed the Aggie win by hitting a pair of free throws with just eight seconds remaining.
Additionally, junior forward Jalen Jones notched 18 points against the Bayou Bengals, giving the Dallas native double-digit points in 11 of 14 games played this season.
Missouri, meanwhile, comes to Aggieland with a 7-10 overall record on the season and a 1-3 mark in league action.
Led by first-year head coach and Missouri alumnus Kim Anderson, the Tigers opened SEC play with a 74-67 overtime win over LSU in Columbia on Jan. 8 before dropping consecutive contests to Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee.
On the court, Missouri has been led by sophomore forward Johnathan Williams III, who is currently averaging 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game after seeing his production jump from just 5.8 points per game as a rookie last season.
QUICK HITS
• Coming off back-to-back wins in league play that evened their SEC record at 2-2, the Aggies return home to host Missouri Wednesday night at Reed Arena.
• During the win over LSU, rookie Alex Robinson provided a big spark for the Aggies off the bench by contributing a game-high six assists to go along with six points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
• After struggling during the Aggies' SEC opener Alabama, junior guard Danuel House has bounced back in a big way during his last three games when the Fresno, Texas, product is averaging 20.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
• Since rejoining the A&M lineup after missing the first two games of league play, junior forward Jalen Jones has provided a big lift on the court ... the Dallas native, who leads the Aggies with a 13.8 point-per-game scoring average, has contributed 33 points (16.5 points per game), 11 rebounds (5.5 rebounds per game) and is shooting 60.9 percent from the floor since his return.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSOURI (MU LEADS 16-11)
• Wednesday will be the 28th meeting between the Aggies and Tigers, but only the fifth as members of the SEC.
• The Tigers have won five of the last six meetings in the series, which was dominated by the Aggies from 2005-2011 when Texas A&M won nine of 11 meetings.
• Last season, the two schools competed in two hard-fought contests on the hardwood ... during the first meeting Mizzou rallied from 11-point down to defeat the Aggies 57-56 in Columbia, Mo. ... the two squads were pitted against one another again on the second day of the SEC Tournament with the Tigers hanging on for a 91-83 double-overtime victory at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
• At Reed Arena, the Aggies own a 6-3 lead in the series, including a 70-68 A&M victory on Feb. 7, 2013, during the most recent meeting in College Station.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M hits the road for back-to-back contests after the Missouri game, beginning Saturday at Tennessee when the Aggies and Volunteers face off inside Thompson-Boling Arena during a noon contest that will be televised on FSN.
TAVARIO'S INCREASED ROLE ON THE COURT
Since turning heads with a 15-point, six-rebound effort on the season's opening night on Nov. 14, Texas A&M fans did not hear Tavario Miller's name mentioned much but that has changed in recent weeks.
After not seeing action in the month of December, Miller is back in A&M's post player rotation and playing a big role as the Aggies take on SEC competition. Praised by coaches for his relentless effort on the court, Miller is averaging just under 18 minutes of playing time and ranks among the team leaders with a 6.0 rebounds per game average during the Aggies' first four games of SEC play.
BALANCED SCORING
Rather than relying on just one or two primary scoring options on the offensive end, Texas A&M has taken a committee approach to scoring this season. In five games already this season, A&M has finished with at least four players in double-digit scoring.
Overall, the Aggies' roster features 10 players who have scored 10 or more points in a game this season, up from nine total players all of last season and just seven during the 2012-13 campaign.
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 (163 career steals). Up next is Darryl McDonald (1986-88), who sits in fourth place with 173 steals.
Additionally, Caruso enters the Missouri game with 372 career assists, which ranks him eighth 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 Missouri game with 704 career boards.