No. 16 Men's Hoops Hosts UCSB in Home Opener Friday Night

Friday, November 17

College Station

7 p.m.

Texas A&M

UCSB

Tickets

Nov 16, 2017 | Men's Basketball

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By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Aggie Basketball Game #2:
UCSB (1-1) at #16 Texas A&M (1-0)
Friday, Nov. 17, 2017 · 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas

TELEVISION: SEC Network+ (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
   Steve Miller, Play-by-Play
   Tap Bentz, Commentary

RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
   Ted Emrich, Play-by-Play
   Al Pulliam, Commentary

SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius Ch. 119 / XM Ch. 192
LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – For the first time during the 2017-18 campaign the No. 16 Aggies will take to the hardwood inside the friendly confines of Reed Arena when they host UCSB Friday night at 7 p.m.

The game will be shown digitally on mobile devices, tablets, PCs and connect-TVs for SEC Network subscribers whose cable/satellite packages allow access to SEC Network+ content through the WatchESPN app and SECSports.com. Additionally, radio coverage on the Aggie Sports Network can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW 1620 AM.

The Aggies (1-0) ascended to No. 16 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 after making a statement with an 88-65 victory over then-No. 11 West Virginia last Friday during the Armed Forces Classic. The win garnered national attention with junior guard Admon Gilder named SEC Player of the Week and the Aggies selected as college basketball's Team of the Week by Rob Dauster of NBC Sports.

USCB, meanwhile, comes to Aggieland with a 1-1 ledger on the young season after opening the year with an 85-66 win over North Dakota State and dropping a 70-62 decision at Pitt on Wednesday. The Gauchos are led by first-year head coach Joe Pasternack, who faced the Aggies last season while serving as an assistant at Arizona.

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SETTING THE SCENE

• Texas A&M will be in search of a victory during its home opener for the 17^th consecutive year when it hosts UCSB.
• The win over West Virginia made it 17 straight season-opening games for A&M ... It was also the first opener away from College Station since Nov. 18, 2000, when Texas A&M opened Melvin Watkins' third season in Aggieland with a 94-74 loss at George Washington ... A&M is 49-23 in season openers since 1945.
• The Aggies will be without the services of Robert Williams and redshirt freshman guard J.J. Caldwell, who will each miss the UCSB game while serving suspensions for violating Texas A&M policies.
• A&M head coach Billy Kennedy will pace the sidelines at Reed Arena for his seventh season in Aggieland with an overall mark 116-85 (.577) during his tenure in College Station. His 115 victories are the second most all-time among A&M men's basketball coaches, trailing only legendary Shelby Metcalf's 438 from 1963-90.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UCSB (UCSB LEADS 2-0)

• Texas A&M & UCSB have met twice previously with both meeting coming at neutral sites ... On Dec. 17, 1976, the Gachos defeated the Aggies 69-61 during the Bluebonnet Classic in Houston ... Three seasons later, on Dec. 15, 1979, USCB notched another win over A&M, this time in Provo, Utah, during the Cougar Classic.
• A&M is 2-0 against Big West opponents with Billy Kennedy as head coach.
• Historically, the Aggies are 5-5 against opponents that are currently in the Big West.

STARS & STRIPES TRIBUTE: A&M CAPTURES HEADLINES WITH ARMED FORCES CLASSIC WIN

In a move that honored Texas A&M University's strong traditions and connection with the United States military, the Aggie men's basketball team was selected to take part in the 2017 State Farm Armed Forces Classic. During the contest, Texas A&M overcame an early 13-point deficit to defeat No. 11 West Virginia, 88-65, on Nov. 10, 2017, at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The win propelled the Aggies to No. 16 in this week's Associated Press Top 25.

AGGIES BIG THREE JUNIORS ENJOY BIG DEBUT VS. MOUNTAINEERS

They made a splash when they comprised a recruiting class that was considered the best in school history and helped fuel a run to the Sweet 16 as freshmen, but if the season-opener is any indication of things come Texas A&M's impressive junior trio of Tyler Davis, Admon Gilder and DJ Hogg, are each poised for breakout campaigns. During the win over No. 11 West Virginia, the three-headed monster combined for 65 points, 29 rebounds and 13 assists.
• Tyler Davis christened the new season with an impressive showing, posting his seventh career double-double by claiming game highs in both points (23) and rebounds (13) … The SEC's leader in field goal percentage a year ago, Davis was 10-of-12 from the field and converted all three of his 'and-one' chances.
• Earning SEC Player of the Week honors for his performance, Admon Gilder notched 23 points, hitting 8-of-12 field goals with a 4-of-5 mark from 3-point range … Gilder also dished out a game-high seven assists and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds.
• Returning to the court after an injury prematurely ended his sophomore campaign, DJ Hogg hit 4-of-6 3-point field goals attempts to contribute 19 points along with six assists.

AGGIES EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE OF ONE NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULES

A&M's non-conference slate will be among the most daunting in the country as the Aggies take on West Virginia (at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as part of the Armed Forces Classic), USC, Arizona (in Phoenix) and Kansas, all away from College Station. Additionally, A&M will take part in the Legends Classic (Nov. 20-21) at Brooklyn's Barclays Center where the Aggies will play two games as part of a quality field that includes Oklahoma State, Penn State and Pitt.
After the challenging midterm of non-conference action, the Aggies will face the gauntlet of SEC play. As a league, the SEC has proven to been 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.
• 17 total games vs. postseason teams from last season (13 NCAA / 4 NIT).
• 11 teams that made the 2017 NCAA Tournament (A&M plays Arkansas & Kentucky twice).
• Of A&M's 31 regular season games, only 14 are against teams that did not make the NCAA or NIT last season.
• Texas A&M will play a postseason team away from home (including neutral site games) 10 times.

UP NEXT AFTER THE UCSB GAME

The Aggies are back on the road after the home opener, traveling to Brooklyn, N.Y., to take part in the 2017 Progressive Legends Classic at Barclays Center. Texas A&M will open its run at the tournament by facing former Big 12 foe Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. (CT) on Monday before facing either Penn State or Pittsburgh on Tuesday.