Aggie Basketball Game #28:
Texas A&M (20-8, 11-5 SEC) at Florida (14-15, 7-9 SEC)
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 · 8 p.m. (CT)
O'Connell Center (11,548) · Gainesville, Fla.
TV: ESPNU (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Rich Hollenberg, Play-by-Play
Dino Gaudio, Commentary
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local: WTAW 1620 AM (College Station/Bryan)
Satellite Radio (UF Broadcast): Sirius Ch. 136 / XM Ch. 190
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – For the final time during the regular season, the Texas A&M men's basketball team will hit the road as it travels to Gainesville, Fla., for a date with the Florida Gators inside the O'Connell Center Tuesday night at 8 p.m. (CT).
The late-season SEC contest will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Rich Hollenberg calling the play-by-play and Dino Gaudio 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 (20-8, 11-5 SEC) have enjoyed success on the road during the league play this season, having already notched victories at Auburn, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee to own a 5-3 mark away from Reed Arena against SEC foes.
The success on the road, coupled with a 13-2 ledger at home this season, has helped the Aggies ascend to third place in the SEC stands as the regular season winds down and the chase for NCAA Tournament bids heats up.
Saturday's win over Auburn in College Station gave the team its 20th victory of the season and the programs its 14th 20-win campaign in history as well as the first since 2010-11.
Senior Kourtney Roberson has been steady all season, but during the last month the Arcadia, La., native has taken his game to another level. As the only Aggie to have played in the NCAA Tournament during his career, Roberson is doing his best to ensure the team reaches the Big Dance again this season by averaging 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 66.1 percent from the floor in his last nine games.
During the Aggies' most recent outing against Auburn, Roberson notched his 10th career double-double, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior forward Jalen Jones also played a big role, scoring a game-high 19 points against the Tigers, while Danuel House and Alex Caruso also reached double-digit points.
Florida, meanwhile, enters the week with a 14-15 overall mark and a 7-9 record in SEC games to sit in a tie for seventh in the league standings. Coming off a Final Four appearance last spring, the Gators feature a youthful team that has suffered its share of injuries this season, including playing the last six games without leading scorer Michael Frazier.
The Gators are 10-5 on their home court this season, including a 66-49 victory over Tennessee on Saturday during their most recent action.
Just over two weeks ago, the two teams faced off for the first time this season in College Station with A&M holding on for a 63-62 win inside Reed Arena.
Roberson was again a key for the Aggies' winning recipe as he notched a season-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.
QUICK HITS
• The Aggies look for a season sweep of the Florida Gators on Tuesday inside UF's O'Connell Center ... Texas A&M earned a hard-fought 63-62 win over the Gators at Reed Arena on Feb. 14 behind an impressive 20-point performance from senior Kourtney Roberson.
• Joining Roberson in double-digit scoring during the first meeting with Florida was Jalen Jones, who scored 16 points, and Danuel House, who contributed 14 ... Alex Caruso, meanwhile, dished out nine assists.
• Roberson, who is coming off his 10th career double-double performance during Saturday's win over Auburn, is enjoying a strong finish to his final regular season ... The Arcadia, La., native, who stands out as the only member of the A&M roster to have played in the NCAA Tournament, is averaging 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 66.1 percent from the floor during the last nine contests.
• The victory over Auburn secured Texas A&M's 14th 20-win season in program history and the first since 2010-11.
• Caruso, meanwhile, enters the final two games of the regular season pacing the SEC in both assists (162) and assists per game (5.8) as he seeks to become the first player to lead the league in assists in back-to-back season since Nick Calathes of Florida in 2008 and 2009.
• Jones, who led all scorers with 19 points against the Tigers Saturday, has played an intricate role in the A&M's success with the Aggies owning a 20-1 record when he scores 10 or more points in a game this season ... The Dallas native ranks 11th in the SEC, averaging 13.4 points per conference game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. FLORIDA (UF LEADS 4-2)
• Tuesday will be the seventh meeting between the Aggies and Gators on the hardwood and just the third in Gainesville.
• On Feb. 14 the two teams faced off for the first time this season with the Aggies holding on for a 63-62 win ... Senior Kourtney Roberson led the way with 20 points.
• Last season on Feb. 1, the two teams squared off inside Florida's O'Connell Center ... the third-ranked Gators earned a 69-36 win.
• During the most recent meeting prior to the Aggies joining the Gators in the SEC, the two schools met Dec. 17, 2011, at Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., during the Orange Bowl Classic ... The result was a 84-64 UF victory ... A&M was led in scoring by David Loubeau and Elston Turner, who finished with 20 apiece.
• The two schools first met on Jan. 2, 1992, when the Tony Barone-led Aggies fell to Florida 73-46 in Gainesville ... The next season on Dec. 22, 1992, the Aggies got a measure of revenge by handing the Gators a 84-64 defeat in College Station.
• A&M head coach Billy Kennedy is 1-3 vs the Gators while UF's Billy Donovan is 3-1 vs A&M.
UP NEXT
The Aggies conclude the regular season on Saturday when they host Alabama in a 1 p.m. contest at Reed Arena ... prior to the game, the program will honor its two seniors - Jordan Green and Kourtney Roberson.
HOUSE STANDS OUT AS ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP SCORERS
During his first season in Aggieland junior Danuel House has emerged as one of the SEC's most explosive and consistent scorers. The Fresno, Texas, native enters the Florida game ranking fourth in scoring during SEC play this season, averaging 17.2 points per contest.
Here's a look at some of House's impressive scoring numbers...
• Ranks fourth among all SEC players in scoring during league game at 17.2 points per game.
• During SEC play, leads the league by averaging 2.9 3-pointers made per game; ranks 3rd in 3-point shooting at 43.4 percent.
• Beginning with a 25-point outing vs top-ranked Kentucky on Jan. 10, is averaging 18.0 points per game during his last 15 contests.
• Beginning with a 20-point effort at Missouri on Feb. 7, is averaging 19.4 points per game during his last seven contests.
• Scored 20 or more points in seven games this season, including three outings with 25 or more points.
• Has 1,117 career points (Includes 733 points in two seasons at Houston).
• Only Auburn's Antoine Mason, who scored 28 points vs. Kentucky on Feb. 21, has put up more than House's 25 points against the top-ranked Wildcats this season.
AGGIES BOAST THREE 1,000-POINT SCORERS
The Aggies standout as just one of two SEC schools (Alabama being the other) with three active 1,000-point scorers. Two of A&M's three members of the 1,000-Point Club are juniors, Danuel House (1,117 career points) and Jalen Jones (1,057 career points), with senior Kourtney Roberson (1,037 career points) being the only member of the trio to score all of his points while wearing the Maroon & White.
The next closest Aggie to 1,000 career points is junior Alex Caruso with 750 career points.