Saturday, February 24
Nashville, Tenn.
3 p.m.
Texas A&M
at
Vanderbilt
Men's Basketball Set to Face Vandy in Nashville
Feb 23, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Aggie Basketball Game #29:
Texas A&M (17-11; 6-9 SEC) at Vanderbilt (11-17; 5-10 SEC)
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 • 3 p.m. (CT)
Memorial Gymnasium (14,326) • Nashville, Tenn.
TELEVISION: ESPN2 (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)Beth Mowins, Play-by-Play
Jimmy Dykes, 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, Texas – Texas A&M looks return to its winning ways this weekend as the Aggies travel to Nashville to face Vanderbilt Saturday inside Memorial Gymnasium at 3 p.m.
The contest will be televised on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins calling the play-by-play action and Jimmy Dykes providing color 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).
Texas A&M (17-11; 6-9 SEC) is looking to finish the season strong during the first game of back-to-back road trips. Junior Tyler Davis is coming off a team-high 25 points and 11 boards in a loss to Mississippi State on Tuesday. The performance was Davis's fifth 20-point game as well as his tenth double-double of the season, tying him for the most double-doubles in the SEC this season alongside Georgia's Yante Maten.
Vanderbilt (11-17; 5-10 SEC) is looking to defend its home court and add to the Commodores' five-game home win streak. Senior Riley LaChance enters the showdown with A&M riding the confidence of back-to-back 20-point games, the last coming Tuesday in a road loss at LSU when he scored 26 points including five 3-point baskets.
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SETTING THE SCENE / NOTABLES
- Texas A&M looks to snap a three-game losing skid Saturday when the Aggies face Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym in Nashville ... A&M is winless in four trips to Vandy.
- Junior Tyler Davis tied his career-high with 25 points Tuesday vs. Mississippi State and pulled down 11 rebounds to register his 10th double-double of the season (16th career) … the performance also gave Davis 1,245 points during his three-year career and left him in sole possession of 16th on A&M's all-time scoring list … the 11 rebounds also moved Davis into 13th place on the school's rebounding list.
- Sophomore Robert Williams posted his 17th career double-double during Saturday's contest at Arkansas, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds ... the 17 double-doubles ranks second among all active SEC players, trailing only Georgia's Yante Maten's 26.
- Senior forward Tonny Trocha-Morelos needs just four rebounds to become 27th member of Texas A&M exclusive 500-Rebound ... teammate Robert Williams is also closing in on the honor with 473 boards in only two years.
SERIES HISTORY VS. VANDERBILT (VANDY LEADS 8-2)
- Saturday's meeting will be the 11th between the Aggies and Commodores on the hardwood.
- Last season, the Commodores swept three meetings from the Aggies, including a 66-41 win in the SEC Tournament's second round that ended A&M's season.
- 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 3-8 against Vanderbilt during his career as a head coach.
- During the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Kennedy's 13th-seeded Murray State squad defeated No. 4 seed Vanderbilt during the tournament's opening round in Salt Lake City, Utah.
THE SEC STANDS OUT AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S TOP LEAGUES
- The SEC's six teams in the Top 35 of the Feb.21 NCAA RPI are the most in the nation: No. 7 Auburn, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 17 Kentucky, No. 25 Texas A&M, No. 31 Alabama and No. 34 Arkansas.
- Seven SEC teams rank in the Top 50 of the RPI (Tied 1st in the nation).
- Twelve SEC teams rank in the Top 80 of the RPI (1st in the nation).
- Thirteen SEC teams have Top 60 SOS and seven are in the Top 25
- The SEC's 115 Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 wins are 20 more than any other conference (as of Feb. 19).
- Seven teams are receiving mention in the Associated Press Top 25 highlighted by Auburn (12th) and Tennessee (19th). Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas A&M and Alabama are receiving votes.
- Forty percent (42 of 105) of the SEC's games in league play this year have been decided by seven points or less while 20 percent (21) have been decided by one possession.
AGGIES GRIND THROUGH ONE OF THE NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULES
A&M's non-conference slate has been among the most daunting in the country. The Aggies took on West Virginia (at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as part of the Armed Forces Classic), USC, Arizona (in Phoenix) and, at the end of this month, Kansas, all away from College Station. Additionally, A&M won the Legends Classic (Nov. 20-21) at Brooklyn's Barclays Center where the Aggies defeated Oklahoma State and Penn State to capture the event's title.In addition to the challenging non-conference slate, SEC play looks to be a grind this year as the league has proven to be one the best conferences in recent years and is coming off an attention-grabbing campaign where it posted an 11-5 record in the NCAA Tournament and had three teams advance to the Elite Eight.
- ESPN currently ranks Texas A&M's strength of schedule as the fifth-toughest in the nation.
- 17 total games vs. postseason teams from last season (13 NCAA / 4 NIT) - A&M is currently 8-6
- 11 teams that made the 2017 NCAA Tournament (A&M plays Arkansas, Kentucky twice) - A&M is currently 7-5
- Of A&M's 31 regular season games, only 14 are against teams that did not make the NCAA or NIT last season.
- A&M will play a postseason team away from home (including neutral sites) 10 times - A&M is currently 3-5
UP NEXT AFTER THE VANDERBILT GAME
The Aggies hit the road for the final time during the regular season, taking on Georgia in Athens on Wednesday ... The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised by SEC Network.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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