2015 NIT Second Round:
No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech (26-8) at No. 2 seed Texas A&M (21-11)
Monday, March 23, 2015 · 6 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: ESPN (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Tom Hart, Play-by-Play
Darrin Horn, 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 – The Texas A&M men's basketball team continues its drive for New York City on Monday night at Reed Arena when the Aggies host Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. during the second round of the NIT.
The winner of Monday's contest will earn a trip to Philadelphia, Pa., to face top-seeded Temple during the NIT quarterfinals as well as advance one step closer to the NIT's semifinal and final rounds which will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, March 31-April 2.
The affair will be nationally televised on ESPN with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play and Darrin Horn 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 (21-11, 11-7 SEC) began their NIT run on Tuesday by defeating Montana 81-64 behind a game-high 25 points from junior forward Jalen Jones. The Dallas native was a force on the interior, making 10-of-14 shots from the field to reach the 20-point plateau for the third time this season.
Rookie point guard Alex Robinson also enjoyed one of his best games of the season against the Grizz, scoring a personal-best 15 points while dishing out eight assists and committing just one turnover in 25 minutes of action.
The Bulldogs (26-8, 15-3 C-USA), meanwhile, come to Aggieland after opening their NIT run with an 89-79 victory over Central Michigan in Ruston, La., last Tuesday. The program is playing in the NIT for a third consecutive season under fourth-year head coach Michael White, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year at the end of the regular season.
A year ago, the Bulldogs also took on an SEC opponent on the road during the NIT second round, defeating Georgia 79-71 in Athens, Ga.
On the court, LA Tech is led by senior guard Speed Smith, who was named C-USA Player of the Year and averages 7.5 assists per game while directing the fast-paced Bulldog offense.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LA TECH (A&M LEADS 4-2)
• Tuesday will be the seventh meeting between LA Tech and Texas A&M on the hardwood.
• The series dates back to 1966 when Louisiana Tech handed A&M a 53-50 loss in College Station.
• Most recently, the two schools faced off on opening night of the 2012-13 season ... A&M earned a 71-59 win at Reed Arena with Elston Turner scoring 15 points ... three current Aggies played in the game (Caruso, Green & Roberson).
TEXAS A&M-LA TECH CONNECTIONS
• Texas A&M's Kourtney Roberson - The Arcadia, La., native has a unique connection to the LA Tech basketball program as his father, Victor King, played at LA Tech from 1976-79 and earned all-conference honors for the Bulldogs in 1978 and 1979 ... King ranks 17th on the all-time scoring list at La Tech with 1,420 career points.
• Texas A&M's Kyle Keller - The Aggie assistant served as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech from 1990-94, helping lead the program to the postseason twice.
• Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy & LA Tech's Dusty May - The Bulldog associate head coach served as an assistant under Kennedy at Murray State during the 2006-07 season.
TEXAS A&M IN THE NIT / POST-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
• The Aggies are making their 20th appearance in a post-season tournament (12 NCAA / 7 NIT / 1 CBI).
• Texas A&M has now made seven trips to the NIT (1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1984 & 2005), owning a 7-6 record in the event.
• A&M has advanced to the NIT's third round on four occasions (1979, 1982, 2005 & 2015).
• In College Station, A&M has hosted four NIT games (3-1), most recently before this year two games during the 2005 NIT.
• A&M head coach Billy Kennedy has led four squads to post-season tournament berths during his career as a head coach, including the 2010-11 Murray State team to an appearance