Saturday, February 18
College Station
3:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Auburn
Aggies Return to Reed to Host Auburn Saturday
Feb 17, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Aggie Basketball Game #26:
Texas A&M (13-12; 5-8 SEC) vs. Auburn (16-10; 5-8 SEC)
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 · 3 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,979) · College Station, Texas
TV: ESPNU (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)Kevin Fitzgerald, Play-by-Play
Chris Spatola, Commentary
RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Mike Caruso, Commentary
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius Ch. 137 / XM Ch. 191
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION – A return to its home court inside Reed Arena is a welcome sight for the Texas A&M men's basketball team as the Aggies host Auburn on Saturday at 3 p.m. following a two-game roadtrip.
The matchup will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Kevin Fitzgerald and Chris Spatola calling the action from Aggieland. 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 showdown is the lone meeting between the Aggies and Tigers this season and will be a chance for the Aggies to shake off a two-game losing streak that saw A&M drop road contests at Florida and Vanderbilt in its last two outings.
Saturday will be a special day at Reed Arena as the Aggie basketball program welcomes back around 60 former lettermen who represented some of the most memorial moments and teams in school history. Additionally, Texas A&M partners with Autism Speaks during the contest to spread awareness and support for families in our community and across the country dealing with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Fans will notice Aggie players wearing Autism Speaks shooting shirts during pregame warm-ups and on the bench as well as coaches and staff wearing special lapel pins. Additionally, families who attend the game with loved ones on the spectrum can share the experience during a watch-party set in a sensory-friendly environment which will be held in the lobby of the Cox-McFerrin Center (located on the west concourse of Reed Arena).
TRENDS & SUPERLATIVES
• Texas A&M enjoyed control of the interior during Tuesday's loss at Vanderbilt, finishing with a 42-22 edge for points in the paint as well as a 41-36 rebounding advantage … Vandy, however, was able to hit 10-of-26 3-point field goal attempts (38.5 percent) while A&M converted only 3-of-16 shots from distance (18.8 percent).• Sophomore Tyler Davis tied his career-high with 25 points against the Commodores, converting 11-of-18 shot attempts.
• Sophomore Admon Gilder played all 40 minutes for the eighth straight game Thursday night, finishing with 14 points, five assists and a personal-best eight rebounds.
• Freshman Robert Williams posted his third consecutive and team-leading eighth double-double of the season vs. Vandy, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds … The Vivian, La., native also blocked a pair of Commodore shot attempts, giving him 63 swats on the season and extending his nation-leading blocked shot streak to 25 games.
AGGIES AMONG THE SEC & NATIONAL LEADERS (Through 2/16 games)
• The Aggies rank 13th nationally in blocked shots per game with an average of 5.6 per contest (second in the SEC).• On the offensive end, A&M has been efficient, ranking third in the SEC by shooting 46.0 percent from the field as a team, they are also second in the SEC (34th nationally) in assists with an average of 16.4 per contest.
• In the SEC rebounding column, A&M ranks second in the conference in rebound margin at +5.6 and leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.4) and offensive rebound percentage (.380) ... The Aggies are 19th nationally in offensive rebounds per game.
• Nationally, the Aggies rank 24th in fewest fouls this season (417).
• Rookie Robert Williams continues to stand out as one of the SEC's brightest freshmen, ranking second in the league (18th nationally) with 63 blocked shots for an average of 2.5 per game ... He ranks second in the SEC in rebounding at 7.6 per contest.
• During SEC play, Williams ranks first in both blocked shots (2.5 per game) and field goal percentage (.527) while checking in at second in rebounding (9.2 boards per game).
• Sophomore Tyler Davis leads the SEC and ranks 16th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 61.5 percent from the field ... He also ranks seventh in the SEC in total rebounding at 7.2 per contest while checking in second in the league on the offensive glass at 3.2 offensive rebounds per outing (32nd nationally).
• Second-year guard Admon Gilder appears throughout the lists of SEC statistical leaders, ranking second in steals per game (2.1), second in minutes played (33.9) and ninth in assists per game (3.9) ... Gilder ranks 27th nationally in steals per game.
NOTING AUBURN
• Auburn was picked to finish 11th in the SEC by media that covers the conference … AU is currently tied with Texas A&M in 10th place in the SEC standings with a league record of 5-8.• The Tigers are 2-3 in their last five games and have dropped their two last decisions - at Mississippi State last Saturday and at home to No. 15 Florida on Tuesday
• In true road games this season the Tigers are 5-4 and 2-4 in SEC matchups.
• In conference play, Auburn has been led in scoring by guards Mustapha Heron (14.1 points per game), Jared Harper (11.7) and Ronnie Johnson (10.3).
• Overall, Heron is eighth in the SEC in scoring with 391 points (15.0 per game).
• During conference play, Auburn is first in blocks (65), third in both points per game (80.5) and offensive rebounds (158) … the Tigers are also second to last in points per game allowed (86.5), total rebounds allowed (510) and field goal percentage allowed (.459).
• This is head coach Bruce Pearl's third year at Auburn, where his record is 42-50 … Pearl has a career record of 273-149.
SERIES HISTORY VS AUBURN (A&M LEADS 8-4)
• Saturday will be the 13th meeting between the Aggies and Tigers on the hardwood ... A&M owns an 8-4 edge in the all-time series.• Last season during their lone meeting, Texas A&M defeated the Tigers 81-63 in Auburn on March 1 ... The Aggies were lead in scoring by Danuel House, who notched 20 points.
• The first meeting between the schools came on Dec. 22, 1961, in Houston ... The Aggies prevailed with a 62-50 win.
• Prior to the Aggies joining the SEC, the schools most recently played a home-and-home series in back to back seasons with A&M winning 72-67 in College Station on Dec. 22, 2005, before earning a 87-58 victory in Auburn on Dec. 22, 2006.
UP NEXT AFTER THE AUBURN GAME
Texas A&M hits the road for Fayetteville where it will face Arkansas inside Bud Walton Arena Wednesday ... The game will be televised on SEC Network at 7:30 p.m. (CT).
Players Mentioned
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