Aggies Face Vandy in Nashville Thursday

Aggie Basketball Game #22:
^#8 Texas A&M (18-3; 7-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (12-9; 4-4 SEC)
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016 · 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Memorial Gym (14,316) · Nashville, Tenn.

 
TV: ESPN2 (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
   Karl Ravech, Play-by-Play
   Sean Farnham, Commentary
 
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
   Dave South, Play-by-Play
   Mike Caruso, Commentary
   Local: WTAW 1620 AM (College Station/Bryan)
   Satellite: Sirius [Vandy broadcast] (Ch. 84) / XM (Ch. 84)
 
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – Music City is the destination for the Texas A&M men's basketball team this week as the No. 8 Aggies travel to Nashville to face Vanderbilt inside Memorial Gym at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
 
The SEC showdown will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Karl Ravech calling the play-by-play action and Sean Farnham 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 (18-3; 7-1 SEC) seek to retain their position atop the SEC standings as they entered the week with a one-game lead over Kentucky, LSU and South Carolina who are each 6-2 in league play. Texas A&M will host the No. 25 Gamecocks in College Station on Saturday.
 
Vanderbilt (12-9; 4-4), meanwhile, owns a share of sixth in the league standings with the Commodores having earned wins in four of their last five SEC contests. The only Vandy loss during the span came at No. 23 Kentucky on Jan. 23 by the score of 76-57.
 
During Vandy's most recent outing, a 72-58 non-conference loss at Texas on Saturday, Damian Jones led the Commodores with a career-high 26 points on a career-best 12 field goals made. The junior center, who was selected preseason All-SEC by the league's coaches, averages 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season.
 
Thursday's match up will feature two of the country's top defensive teams as Texas A&M ranks first in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing just 64.1 per contest. Vandy is third on the list, yielding only 66.3 points per contest on average while the Commodores lead the SEC in field goal percentage defense by limiting their foes to just 38.1 percent shooting on the season.
 
Texas A&M ranks third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.
 
Vandy's defense will be challenged by the Aggies' senior-laden offensive attack, which is led by Danuel House and Jalen Jones. House is beginning to regain the shooting form that helped him earn first team All-SEC honors last season as the Fresno, Texas, native averaged 22 points while shooting 56 percent from the field during two games last week. Jones, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back double-double performances, including a 13-point, career-best 14-rebound outing in Saturday's win over No. 14 Iowa State.
 
 

OPENING TIPS

• The victory over No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday not only gave the Aggies another marquee win for their post-season resume, but also left the Aggies a perfect 3-0 vs. ranked opponents this season with wins over No. 10 Gonzaga (11/26), No. 16 Baylor (12/9) and ISU ... Following the Vandy game, Texas A&M will host No. 25 South Carolina on Saturday in College Station.
• The Aggies' 18-3 record is tied for the best in program history through 21 games, sharing the same ledger as the 2006-07 and 1921-22 squads.
• Texas A&M remains a top 10 squad this week, appearing as the No. 8 team in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/Coaches Poll ... Last week, the Aggies climbed to the No. 5 position in both polls, marking the highest-ever ranking for the program ... Before this season, the program's highest rank came during the 2006-07 campaign when Texas A&M ascended as high as No. 6 in both polls en route to a Sweet 16 appearance under former head coach Billy Gillispie.
• Senior Jalen Jones has been selected as one of 10 finalist for the 2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award ... Jones paces the Aggies and ranks seventh in the league with a 16.8 point-per-game average that has seen him hit the 20-point mark in eight of 17 games played ... For the season, he is shooting 45.0 percent from the field (98-of-218), 34.0 percent from 3-point range (16-of-47) and 76.3 percent from the free throw line (74-of-97) ... Additionally, Jones leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game while compiling 11 steals, 13 assists and eight blocked shots.
• During SEC play, Jones has been particularly impressive, scoring 20 or more points in five of eight league games while ranking fourth in the league for scoring at 19.3 points per game, sixth in field goal percentage (49.0) and 10th in rebounding (7.6 boards per game).
• Senior Danuel House is beginning to heat up from the field, averaging a team-best 22.0 points during games against Arkansas and Iowa State last week while shooting an impressive 56 percent from the field, including a 55.6 clip from beyond the 3-point arc ... The Fresno, Texas, native kicked off the week by hitting 7-of-12 shots to contribute a season-best 24 points at Arkansas, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from long range in the effort.
• Rookie Tyler Davis continues to be one of the country's most impactful freshmen ... The Plano, Texas, native returned to the Aggie lineup after a brief one-game absence to average 14.5 points and seven rebounds while shooting 64.3 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent from the free throw line during the two games last week.         
              
SERIES HISTORY VS. VANDERBILT (VANDY LEADS 4-1)

• Thursday's meeting will be the sixth between the Aggies and Commodores on the hardwood.
• Last season on Jan. 31, Texas A&M earned a 69-58 win over Vandy in College Station ... Alex Caruso scored 14 points and dished out 10 assists while Jalen Jones scored 15 points and Danuel House added 13.
• The only meeting between the schools prior to Texas A&M joining the SEC for the 2012-13 season came on Dec. 3, 1955, in Nashville ... The Commodores prevailed with a 79-69 victory.
• A&M's Billy Kennedy is 2-4 against Vanderbilt during his career as a head coach.
 

UP NEXT

Texas A&M returns to Aggieland on Saturday where they will host No. 25 South Carolina on Saturday in a 3 p.m. contest that will be televised by ESPNU.
 

A&M GOES 4-0 VS. THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE

The Aggies embarked on one of the most challenging non-conference slates this season, including four tilts against their former home, the Big 12 Conference. The Aggies went 4-0 against the Big 12, defeating Texas, Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State with the closest margin of victory being 10 points in victories over KSU and ISU.   
 
WINS VS. THE BIG 12 THIS SEASON
Date             Opponent                     Score               Leading Scorer
Nov. 25        Texas (Bahamas)           W, 84-73           House (19)
Dec. 12        Kansas State                 W, 78-68           Jones (25)
Dec. 19        #16 Baylor                    W, 80-61           House, Jones (17)
Jan. 30          #14 Iowa State            W, 72-62           House (20)
 

KENNEDY NOTCHES CAREER WIN NO. 300

Aggie head coach Billy Kennedy has enjoyed successful coaching stops at Centenary (1997-99), Southeastern Louisiana (1999-05), Murray State (2006-11) and now Texas A&M (2011-).
 
On Jan. 30 when the Aggies earned a 72-62 victory over No. 14 Iowa State, Kennedy hit a career milestone as he captured his 300th victory as a collegiate head coach.
 
Kennedy enters the Vanderbilt game with a career record of 300-243 in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
 

JONES NAMED FINALIST FOR JERRY WEST AWARD

Senior Jalen Jones has been selected as one of 10 finalist for the 2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
 
Jones paces the Aggies and ranks seventh in the league with a 16.8 point-per-game average that has seen him hit the 20-point mark in eight of 17 games played. For the season, he is shooting 45.0 percent from the field (98-of-218), 34.0 percent from 3-point range (16-of-47) and 76.3 percent from the free throw line (74-of-97).
 
Additionally, Jones leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game while compiling 11 steals, 13 assists and eight blocked shots.

 
A&M RETAINS TOP 10 RANKING

Entering the season with high aspirations, Texas A&M got off to a hot start and raced out to a 4-0 record allowing it to climb back into the Nov. 23^rd edition of the Associated Press rankings at No. 25.
 
It marked the first time the Aggies have appeared in the rankings since they were No. 22 in the AP rankings on Dec. 12, 2011. The Jan. 25^th edition of the rankings saw the Aggies reach No. 5 in both the Associated Press Top 25 & USA Today/Coaches Poll, marking the highest ranking in school history and breaking the previous high of No. 6 set on several occasions during the 2006-07 campaign.
 
Texas A&M is currently ranked No. 8 in both the Associated Press Top 25 & USA Today/Coaches Poll.