Saturday, February 20
College Station
5:30 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Kentucky
Aggies & Wildcats Set to Face Off in National Spotlight
Feb 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Aggie Basketball Game #27:
#14 Kentucky (20-6; 10-3 SEC) at #24 Texas A&M (19-7; 8-5 SEC)
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 · 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas
TV: ESPN (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)Dan Shulman, Play-by-Play
Jay Bilas, Commentary
Shannon Spake, Reporter
RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan/College Station)
Satellite: Sirius (Ch. 81) / XM (Ch. 81)
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – With national seeding and SEC title chase implications on the line, Texas A&M hosts No. 14 Kentucky inside Reed Arena at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in a pivotal SEC clash presented by Opportune.
The Wildcats (20-6; 10-3 SEC) come to Aggieland having won four consecutive contests to claim the top spot in the SEC standings while the Aggies (19-7; 8-5 SEC) are just two games back in a tie for third place.
The SEC showdown will be nationally televised on ESPN with Dan Shulman calling the play-by-play, Jay Bilas providing color commentary and Shannon Spake reporting. 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).
TV viewers will see a sea of white inside Reed Arena as fans will be wearing white t-shirts, courtesy of Opportune.
The Aggies have been one of the best teams in the country on their home court, improving to 14-1 on the hardwood at Reed Arena following a 71-56 victory over Ole Miss Tuesday night.
During the win over the Rebels, senior Anthony Collins enjoyed one of his best games of SEC play as he contributed 10 points and six rebounds while collecting a team-high eight assists. Collins was joined in double-digit scoring by Danuel House (13), Tyler Davis (11) and DJ Hogg (10).
The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-70 victory over Tennessee on Thursday night in Lexington, Ky., that avenged an earlier road loss to the Volunteers.
ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY COVERED BY STATE FARM
Prior to the pivotal SEC contest, ESPN College GameDay covered by State Farm will make its first ever visit to Aggieland. The show, hosted by Rece Davis, who is joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams, will air from 10-11 a.m. Saturday morning on ESPN and preview the highly-anticipated Texas A&M-Kentucky contest as well as all of the action around college basketball.Admission is free for GameDay and the Reed Arena North Entrance doors will open at 8 a.m. with entertainment planned for everyone in the arena as well as the chance for one student to attempt a half-court shot for $18,000 during the show. Free donuts, courtesy of Shipley's, will be provided for fans entering the area.
REED ARENA PARKING INFO
With the larger crowds at Reed Arena this season, fans are reminded that pregame and postgame traffic around Reed Arena may be more congested than it has been in the recent past and they should plan to arrive early for the game.Fans are encouraged to visit http://transport.tamu.edu/parking/events/da.aspx or download the Destination Aggieland App for the best information on campus traffic as well as the best routes to and from Reed Arena.
STUDENT TICKET INFO: KENTUCKY
• Reed Rowdies can enter the arena beginning at 4 p.m. for the game. Regular student entry begins at 4:15 p.m.• Students can enter at the North or South Doors marked for student entry
• To be admitted at the student entry, students must be currently registered and have purchased a Student Sports Pass in the fall.
• Students MUST present their Texas A&M Student ID to be swiped for admission.
• Maps showing designated student seating will be posted in the Arena. All student seating is general admission.
OPENING TIPS
• Texas A&M looks to close the gap in the SEC race Saturday evening when the Aggies host No. 14 Kentucky ... The Wildcats maintain the top spot in the SEC standings with a 10-3 league mark, but the Aggies are close behind in a tie for third with an 8-5 conference record.• The series between the Aggies & Wildcats has been a closely contested one since Texas A&M joined the SEC for the 2012-13 season ... The two schools have faced off four times in league play with two games going into overtime, including last season's double-overtime thriller at Reed Arena that stood out as UK's closest call during an undefeated regular season run.
• Along the way to earning First-Team All-SEC honors last season, senior Danuel House garnered national attention for his impressive outing vs. Kentucky during the Aggies' double overtime loss to the 'Cats ... Only Auburn's Antoine Mason, who scored 28 points vs. Kentucky on Feb. 21, put up more than House's 25 points against the Wildcats during their undefeated regular season run.
• The Aggies have already faced off against four ranked teams this season and own a 3-1 record in those contests ... Two of the wins have come inside Reed Arena where A&M defeated No. 16 Baylor 80-61 on Dec. 19 and No. 14 Iowa State 72-62 on Jan. 31.
• Senior Alex Caruso is coming off a milestone performance, scoring four points Tuesday against Ole Miss to become the 35th member of Texas A&M's 1,000-Point Club with exactly 1,000 points during his A&M tenure.
• Already A&M's all-time steals leader with 258 career take-aways, Caruso is approaching another top spot in program history as he enters the UK game with 591 career assists ... His assist total trails only David Edwards, who dished out 602 dimes for the Maroon & White from 1991-94.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY (UK LEADS 5-2)
• Saturday will be the eighth meeting between the Aggies & Wildcats on the hardwood and the fifth in SEC league play.• The two schools first met during the 1941-42 season when the 'Cats earned a 49-29 victory.
• Last year on Jan. 10, the top-ranked Wildcats got their biggest scare of what would be an undefeated regular season as they edged the Aggies 70-64 in double overtime at Reed Arena ... Danuel House led the way for the Aggies with 25 points.
• A&M's Billy Kennedy is 1-3 against Kentucky.
• Kennedy's head coaching counterpart, UK's John Calipari, is 4-1 all-time against the Aggies ... Before his tenure at UK, his lone contest against Texas A&M came on March 22, 2007, while coaching at Memphis ... The Tigers defeated the Aggies 65-64 during the NCAA Tournament's South Regional semifinal at San Antonio's Alamodome.
UP NEXT
The Aggies conclude their three-game home stand by hosting Mississippi State at Reed Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m. … The game will be televised by ESPN2.TEXAS A&M VS. RANKED TEAMS THIS SEASON
Texas A&M has faced four ranked teams this season, owning a 3-1 in those contests. Two of the victories have come inside Reed Arena while Nov. 26th's victory over then 10th-ranked Gonzaga came in the Bahamas during the Battle4Atlantis.AGGIES VS. RANKED TEAMS
Date Opponent Score Leading Scorer
Nov. 26 #16 Gonzaga (Bahamas) W, 62-61 House (19)
Dec. 19 #16 Baylor W, 80-61 House, Jones (17)
Jan. 31 #14 Iowa State W, 72-62 House (20)
Feb. 6 #25 South Carolina L, 81-78 Caruso, House (16)
CARUSO OWNS SCHOOL RECORD FOR STEALS; APPROACHING ASSISTS RECORD
With a first period steal against Arkansas on Jan. 2, Caruso passed David Edwards on Aggie basketball's list of all-time steals to become A&M's career leader. The College Station native now has 258 career take-aways.Additionally, Caruso notched his 500th career assist during the Dec. 12th win over Kansas State. Caruso currently has 591 assist during his A&M career to rank second in school history behind only David Edwards (1991-94) who owns first place with 602 career assists.
Texas A&M All-Time Steals
Rk Player Years Career Stl
1. Alex Caruso 2012-Present 258
2. David Edwards 1991-94 228
3. Todd Holloway 1983-87 208
Texas A&M All-Time Assists
Rk Player Years Career Assists
1. David Edwards 1991-94 602
2. Alex Caruso 2012-Present 591
3. Bernard King 1999-03 550
A&M SEARCHING FOR NINTH 20-WIN SEASON IN 12 YEARS
An 80-55 victory over Auburn on Feb. 28 of last season stood out as the team's 20th win of the season.The 20-win season was the 14th in program history and the first since the 2010-11 campaign. Texas A&M has won 20 or more games in eight of the last 11 seasons.
Players Mentioned
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