Saturday, December 12
College Station
4:30 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Kansas State
Aggies Welcome K-State to Reed Arena Saturday
Dec 11, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Aggie Basketball Game #10:
Kansas State (7-1) at No. 25 Texas A&M (7-2)
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 · 4:30 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Roy Philpott, Play-by-Play
Barry Booker, Commentary
Steffi Sorensen, Reporter
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 No. 25 Texas A&M men's basketball team begins a critical four-game homestand on Saturday when the Aggies welcome former Big 12 Conference foe Kansas State to Reed Arena for a 4:30 p.m. contest.
The SEC-Big 12 matchup will be nationally televised on SEC Network with Roy Philpott calling the play-by-play, Barry Booker providing color commentary and Steffi Sorensen reporting from the sidelines. 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).
For the Aggies (7-2), a return to the friendly confines of Reed Arena is a welcome experience after falling at Arizona State last Saturday. Texas A&M is 5-0 on its home court this season and 131-13 (.910) all-time inside the facility against non-conference competition. Dating back to their time in the Big 12, the Aggies are 5-3 against the Wildcats at Reed Arena.
Last season, the two squads squared off inside Kansas City's Sprint Center with KSU emerging with a 71-64 victory after shooting a blistering 61.5 percent from the floor.
This year the Wildcats, led by fourth-year head coach Bruce Weber, are off to a hot start and bring a 7-1 record to Aggieland. KSU is receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll which slots the Aggies at No. 25 this week.
KSU has already ventured to an SEC venue and earned a win this season, as on Dec. 4 the Wildcats defeated Georgia in Athens, Ga., 68-66.
OPENING TIPS
• Reuniting with the second of four former Big 12 Conference foes on its 2015-16 schedule, Texas A&M faces Kansas State inside Reed Arena at 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon … The Aggies defeated Texas 84-73 on Nov. 25 at the Battle4Atlantis and will host Baylor and Iowa State at Reed Arena on Dec. 19 and Jan. 30, respectively.• A year ago on Dec. 20th, the two teams squared off at Kansas City's Spirit Center with the Wildcats earning a 71-64 victory in front of a predominately purple-clad crowd of 14,884 ... Despite holding advantages in rebounding (25-24), points in the paint (40-34), points off turnovers (14-12), second chance points (9-4) and fast break points (9-6) the Wildcats led wire-to-wire in the contest after shooting a blistering 61.5 percent from the floor.
• During last season's match-up Texas A&M placed four players -- Danuel House (13), Kourtney Roberson (13), Jordan Green (11) & Alex Caruso (10) -- in double-figure scoring.
• Caruso enters the weekend second on the NCAA's active steals list (218) and just one of four active players with 200+ steals ... He stands just one steals behind the active leader (Jalan West, Northwestern State) ... Caruso is also sixth on the NCAA's active assists list, just one away from 500 (499).
• Statistically, sophomore Tonny Trocha-Morelos ranks second in the NCAA in 3-point FG percentage at 12-for-18 (66.7) ... Caruso leads the SEC in steals with 18 while ranking 29th nationally and freshman Tyler Davis is eighth in the SEC in free-throws made (34).
• Texas A&M appeared at the No. 57 spot in Dec. 10th's NCAA RPI Report ... Each of the Aggies' next two opponents also occupy a spot in the top 100, Kansas State (33) and Baylor (66) ... A&M has already faced five schools with a spot in the top 100 [Texas (24), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (38) Arizona State (42) Gonzaga (46) and Syracuse (52)], compiling a 3-2 record against the group.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KANSAS STATE (KSU LEADS 18-7)
• Saturday marks the 26th all-time meeting between Kansas State and Texas A&M on the hardwood and the second since the Aggies left the Big 12 Conference following the 2011-12 season.• A year ago, the two schools faced off inside the Sprint Center in Kansas City ... Despite four Aggies in double-digit scoring (Danuel House-13, Kourtney Roberson-13, Jordan Green-11 & Alex Caruso-10), the Wildcats won 71-64.
• The series has been dominated by the home team ... Texas A&M has won six of nine meetings in College Station, while K-State won all nine contests inside Bramlage Coliseum.
• A&M head coach Billy Kennedy is 0-3 all-time vs. the Wildcats ... KSU floor general Bruce Weber, meanwhile, is 1-0 vs the Aggies.
UP NEXT
The Aggies' four-game homestand continues when they welcome another Big 12 foe, the Baylor Bears, to Reed Arena for an 8 p.m. contest on Saturday, Dec. 19 … The game is slated to be televised by ESPNU.REED ARENA SUCCESS
• The Aggies are 5-0 on their home court this year and are now 213-76 (.737) all time in 18 seasons at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 172-35 since.• In the last three seasons, Texas A&M is 36-7 (.837) on its home floor.
• A&M has won 85 of its last 101 home games against unranked opponents (31 of last 43 in league play).
• Texas A&M is 5-0 in non-conference games at Reed Arena this season ... the Aggies are 131-13 (.910) all-time in non-conference games inside the facility, which hosted its first basketball game in the fall of 1998 ... a loss to Rice on Dec. 22, 2011, snapped A&M's 67-game non-conference home win streak at Reed Arena (which dated back to the start of the 2005-06 season) and 80-game regular-season, non-conference home win streak (which dated back to 2003), both school records.
NON-CONFERENCE GAUNTLET CONTINUES VS. KSU
The 2015-16 campaign will see the Aggies play one of the strongest non-conference schedules in program history, facing a total of eight teams who currently own a spot in the top 100 of the NCAA's Dec. 10th RPI report. The Aggies are currently 3-2 against the group.TROCHA-MORELOS DEVELOPING INTO A CONTRIBUTOR
After making his long awaited debut season on the court of the Aggie big man Tonny Trocha-Morelos struggled at times last season to feel comfortable on the court after waiting almost two seasons to hit the court. The Columbian averaged under two points in 10.2 minutes per contest a year ago, but this season is turning heads as one of the most improved players on the A&M roster.Trocha-Morelos' numbers are significantly up across the board through nine games of his sophomore campaign including points per game, shooting percentage, rebounds per game, assists per gameand minutes per game.
Players Mentioned
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