Aggies Host Baylor Saturday in Top 25 Clash

The Matchup:	#16 Baylor (8-1) at #24 Texas A&M (8-2)
Tipoff:	Saturday, Dec. 19 - 8 p.m. CST
Venue:	Reed Arena (12,989)
Watch:	ESPNU (Roy Philpott, Chris Spatola) \| WatchESPN
Listen:	Texas A&M Sports Network (Dave South, Al Pulliam) \| 12thMan.com - TuneIn - 1620 AM in B/CS \| Sirius/XM Ch 81
Live Stats:	Click Here
Game Notes:	Texas A&M \| Baylor \| SEC

COLLEGE STATION – For the first time since 2012 the Battle of the Brazos returns to Reed Arena on Saturday night as the No. 24 Aggies host No. 16 Baylor at 8 p.m. in a clash of nationally-ranked teams.

The former Southwest Conference and Big 12 Conference rivals, whose home arenas are separated by just 88 miles, have met 206 previous times on the basketball court as the Bears are the second-most common opponent in Texas A&M men's basketball history.

The Aggies hold a 127-79 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1914-15 season and was played annually from 1931 until 2012 when Texas A&M joined the Southeastern Conference.

Saturday's contest will stand out as the first home matchup between ranked teams for non-conference game in A&M program history as well as the first overall meeting between ranked teams at Reed Arena since Jan. 31, 2011, when the Aggies hosted third-ranked Texas.

Texas A&M (8-2) enters the game holding the No. 24 spot in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll while the Bears are ranked No. 16 by the AP and No. 14 by in the coaches' poll. The Aggies are seeking their third victory over a Big 12 foe this season, having already earned wins over Texas and Kansas State.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Roy Philpott calling the play-by-play and Chris Spatola 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).

Aggie senior Jalen Jones has been on a tear since returning to the A&M lineup in late November. The Dallas native is averaging 19 points per game during his last four contests, including a season-high 25-point outing during last Saturday's win over Kansas State.

Classmate Alex Caruso also enjoyed an outstanding performance against the Wildcats, contributing 13 points while dishing out a game-high nine assists and committing just one turnover. The four-year A&M standout also notched six steals to give him 224 for his collegiate career and leave him just four behind the school record set by David Edwards from 1991-94.

The Bears (8-1), meanwhile, are also off to a hot start this season under the direction of 13^th year head coach Scott Drew and bring a seven-game winning streak to Aggieland after blasting Hardin Simmons 104-59 Wednesday night at Fort Hood, Texas.

A quartet of Baylor players average double-digit points on the season, led by senior big man Rico Gathers who is averaging a double-double at 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest this fall.

OPENING TIPS

• Battle of the Brazos returns to the hardwood at Reed Arena Saturday night (8 p.m. on ESPNU) for the time since the 2011-12 season ... the meeting will be the 207th between the Aggies and Bears ... Texas A&M leads the all-time series 127-79.
• Last season, Baylor defeated Texas A&M 77-63 at the Ferrell Center in Waco ... The Aggies committed 17 turnovers and were led in scoring by Alex Caruso & Kourtney Roberson, who each finished with 11 points.
• The Bears represent one of nine 2015 NCAA Tournament teams on the Aggies' 2015-16 schedule and one of four in non-conference play (Texas, Gonzaga, Baylor & Iowa State) ... Texas A&M is currently 2-0 against the group with wins over the Longhorns and the `Zags.
• Saturday's contest will also be the Aggies' third of four scheduled match-ups against its former league, the Big 12 Conference ... The Aggies defeated Texas, 84-73, on Nov. 25 and downed Kansas State, 78-68, last Saturday ... During the non-conference season the SEC is 2-5 vs. the Big 12 with A&M claiming both wins ... Next month, the two leagues will square off in Big 12-SEC Challenge on Jan. 30 with the Aggies hosting Iowa State as part of the event.
• A pair of Aggie seniors are coming off two of their top performances of the season with Jalen Jones contributing a season-high 15 points and nine rebounds during the win over Kansas State, while Alex Caruso chipped in 13 points a season-best nine assists vs. the Wildcats.
• Caruso recently hit a major career milestone and stands on the verge of another as the College Station native notched his 500th career assists during the win over KSU and collected four steals to give him 224 for his career ... He needs just five take-aways to surpass the school record of 228 career steals set by David Edwards (1991-94).
• Caruso ranks first among all active college basketball players with 224 career steals.
• Additionally, Caruso ranks fifth in program history with 508 career assists which places him seventh among all active NCAA Division-I players ... Teammate Anthony Collins, meanwhile, ranks second on the list with 612 career assists split between his time at South Florida and Texas A&M.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR (A&M LEADS 127-79)

• Tuesday marks the 208th all-time meeting between Baylor and Texas A&M on the hardwood ... the Bears stand out as the second-most common opponent in A&M men's basketball history behind only Texas (223).
• A&M has beaten Baylor eight of the last 11 times the two have faced off in College Station ... Baylor's three wins over that span have all come in overtime.
• The Battle of the Brazos series dates back to the 1914-15 season when the Aggies defeated the Bears in the first two meetings between the programs
• The teams met twice annually for 81 consecutive seasons beginning during the 1930-31 campaign before Texas A&M moved to the Southeastern Conference in 2012-13.
• A&M has played 11 overtime games against Baylor, more than any other opponent.
• 88 miles separate the two school's home arenas.

UP NEXT

The Aggies will take a few days off to spend time with family during the holiday season before returning to the court and begin preparing for their next contest, which will come at home on Dec. 29^th vs. Cal Poly.

REED ARENA SUCCESS

• The Aggies are 6-0 on their home court this year and are now 214-76 (.740) all time in 18 seasons at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 173-35 since.
• In the last three seasons, Texas A&M is 37-7 (.841) on its home floor.
• A&M has won 86 of its last 102 home games against unranked opponents (31 of last 43 in league play).
• Texas A&M is 6-0 in non-conference games at Reed Arena this season ... the Aggies are 132-13 (.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.

FIRST NON-CONFERENCE GAME BETWEEN RANKED TEAMS IN AGGIELAND

In the era of neutral site games and preseason tournaments, marquee home contests are becoming rarer in college basketball.

If fact, it is so rare for Aggie basketball that Saturday's contest between No. 24 Texas A&M and No. 16 Baylor stands out as the as the first home matchup between ranked teams for a non-conference game in A&M program history as well as the first overall meeting between ranked teams at Reed Arena since Jan. 31, 2011, when the Aggies hosted third-ranked Texas.

CARUSO STANDS OUT AS NCAA-I ACTIVE STEALS LEADER

• Senior Alex Caruso is the NCAA's active Division-I leader in steals (224), one of just four active players with 200 or more steals ... Senior Anthony Collins ranks 14th on the list (166).
• A&M is the only school to have two players in the Top-15 of the active career steals list.

COLLINS & CARUSO RANK AMONG NATION'S ASSIST LEADERS

• Senior Anthony Collins ranks second among all NCAA Division-I players with 612 career assists, while teammate Alex Caruso ranks seventh on the list (508).
• A&M is the only school to have two players in the top seven of the career assists list for active players.

NON-CONFERENCE GAUNTLET

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 108 of the NCAA's Dec. 17^th RPI report. The Aggies are currently 4-2 against the group.

Schedule

OPENING TIPS

SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR (A&M LEADS 127-79)

UP NEXT

REED ARENA SUCCESS

FIRST NON-CONFERENCE GAME BETWEEN RANKED TEAMS IN AGGIELAND

CARUSO STANDS OUT AS NCAA-I ACTIVE STEALS LEADER

COLLINS & CARUSO RANK AMONG NATION'S ASSIST LEADERS

NON-CONFERENCE GAUNTLET

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alex Caruso

Anthony Collins

Jalen Jones

Kourtney Roberson

Footer

Upcoming Events