Aggie Basketball Game #23:
South Carolina (13-9; 4-5 SEC) at Texas A&M (14-8; 3-6 SEC)
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 • 1:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas
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TELEVISION: ESPNU (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)  Doug Sherman, Play-by-Play
  Sean Farnham, Commentary
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RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
  Dave South, Play-by-Play
  Al Pulliam, Commentary
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SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius Ch. 138 / XM Ch. 391
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Aggies will be in search of a fourth straight victory at Reed Arena on Saturday afternoon when Texas A&M hosts South Carolina at 1 p.m.
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The contest will be televised to a national audience on ESPNU with Doug Sherman calling the play-by-play action and Sean Farnham providing commentary. Additionally, radio coverage will be available on the Aggie Sports Network, which can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW (1620 AM).
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Texas A&M Basketball will partner with Autism Speaks and local Bryan-College Station autism advocacy organizations during Saturday's contest against South Carolina to spread awareness and support for families in our community and across the country dealing with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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Aggie and Gamecock players will wear Autism Speaks shooting shirts during pregame warm-ups and on the bench. Coaches and staff from both schools will wear a special lapel pin.
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The Aggies (14-8; 3-6 SEC) are coming off a home victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night that featured hot second-half shooting by A&M to put the game away. Following the intermission, Aggie shooters knocked down their first five 3-pointers over a stretch of 153 seconds. Additionally, the Aggies connected on their first six shots and 9-of-10 to open up a 21-point advantage on the Hogs.
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South Carolina, which carried the SEC torch en route to an appearance in the Final Four last season, comes to Aggieland with a 13-9 overall mark and a 4-5 SEC record on the year.
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The Gamecocks are looking for a third consecutive win on the road in league play, have notched wins at Florida and Georgia in their last trips away from Columbia.
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SETTING THE SCENE / NOTABLES
- Texas A&M takes aim at a fourth consecutive home victory on Saturday afternoon when the Aggies host South Carolina inside Reed Arena ... the Aggies are 10-2 on their home court this season.
- The Aggies will feature throwback uniforms against the Gamecocks to honor the 1969 Aggie squad which captured the Southwest Conference Championship ... Saturday is legacy day for the program as Texas A&M will welcome back almost 50 former players spanning eras of late 1940s to the 2014-15 squad.
- Freshman TJ Starks has provided a spark since entering the starting lineup last Saturday against Kansas … the Lancaster, Texas, native has started each of the last two contests for the Aggies, averaging 10 points and four assists in 29.2 minutes per game.
- Junior Tyler Davis has been Texas A&M's most consistent player this season, standing out as the only Aggie to start all 21 games ... in his last five games, Davis has produced four double-doubles and is averaging 15.2 points and 12.0 rebounds per outing.
- Additionally, Davis' 11 offensive rebounds during Tuesday's win over Arkansas were the most by an Aggie on the offensive glass since Chinemelu Elonu grabbed 11 against Baylor on Jan. 14, 2009.
- In his last five games, sophomore forward Robert Williams is averaging 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest, while converting 72.3 percent of his field goal opportunities.
- Senior Tonny Trocha-Morelos has been proficient from the floor in recent weeks, shooting 47.1 percent from 3-point range (8-for-17) during the last six games with four contests of at least two 3-pointers made ... during the same stretch, Trocha-Morelos is shooting 50.0 from the field overall while averaging 7.8 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH CAROLINA (SERIES TIED 3-3)
- Saturday will be the seventh all-time meeting between the Aggies & Gamecocks on the hardwood.
- This will be the Gamecocks' third visit to A&M's Reed Arena and their first since Feb. 6, 2016 ... A&M is 2-1 vs. South Carolina inside the facility.
- Last season, the Gamecocks defeated the Aggies 79-68 on Jan. 7 inside Colonia Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. ... the Aggies were lead in scoring by DJ Hogg, who went 7-of-9 from 3- point range to finish with a career-high tying 25 points.
- USC head coach Frank Martin is no stranger to the Aggies after facing the Aggies seven times while head coach at Kansas State (2007-12) ... Martin is 8-5 all-time vs. Texas A&M.
- Aggie coach Billy Kennedy is 3-3 against the Gamecocks.
ONE THE NATION'S BEST FRONTCOURTS
The Aggies' frontcourt duo of Robert Williams and Tyler Davis standout as one the nation's top rebounding duos with both players averaging over nine boards per contest. The Texas A&M pair joins Duke and UNLV as the three teams in the nation with two players grabbing 9+ boards a game.Â
- Duke (Marvin Bagley III - 11.2 rebounds per game / Wendell Carter Jr - 9.3 rebounds per game)
- UNLV (Brandon McCoy - 9.8 rebounds per game / Shakur Juiston - 9.8 rebounds per game)
- Texas A&M (Robert Williams - 9.6 rebounds per game / Tyler Davis - 9.0 rebounds per game)
Texas A&M enters the South Carolina game ranking third nationally in total rebounds per game (42.41), seventh in defensive rebounds per game (29.55), 26th in offensive rebounds per game (12.86) and eighth in rebound margin (+8.0) … A&M has been out-rebounded in just three game this season.
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