Bryan -- The Texas A&M men's basketball team will open a three game homestand Wednesday night when they face Prairie View A&M. It will be the Aggies first game this season as a ranked team. They are number 19 in the Associated Press poll. Tip-off is set for 8:00pm following the Aggie women's game against Stephen F. Austin.

Game 7

#19/22 Texas A&M Aggies

(5-1, 0-0 Big 12)

vs.

Prairie View A&M Panthers

(3-2, 0-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference)

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

8:05 p.m. (CT)

Reed Arena (12,989 cap.)

College Station, Texas

TELEVISION: No TV

RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network

http://www.aggieathletics.com/multimedia/aggies-on-the-radio.html

Dave South, play-by-play

Al Pulliam, commentary

Sirius Satellite Radio: 126

TICKETS: http://www.12thmanfoundation.com/tickets/mb09-homegame.asp

Texas A&M Basketball Digital Media

Weekly Press Conference Audio (Tuesday): http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120109aaa.html

Texas A&M Media Almanac (complete bios, history and records): http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/352a4862

Mark Turgeon’s Virtual Guide to Texas A&M Basketball: http://coachturgeon.com/

Aggie Basketball Fast Break blog: http://blogs.aggieathletics.com/fastbreak/

Texas A&M Aggies

http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/tam-m-baskbl-body.html

Record: 5-1 (0-0 Big 12)

Ranking: #19 (AP); #22 (ESPN/USA Today)

RPI: #7 (CBSSports.com)

Last Game: Beat #16 Minnesota, 66-65, Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.

Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas ‘87)

Record: 207-141 (12th year)

at Texas A&M: 54-22 (3rd year)

vs. Prairie View A&M: 0-0

Projected Texas A&M Starters

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG

5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 So 5.5 3.7 3.2

15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 Sr 16.0 4.5 2.7

3 Derrick Roland G 6-4 190 Sr 13.0 2.8 --

45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Jr 6.0 3.3 --

0 Bryan Davis F 6-9 250 Sr 8.7 7.0 --

Off the Bench

10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 So. 8.5 5.3 --

11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Jr 10.8 2.2 --

22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 Fr 1.5 2.3 --

23 Naji Hibbert G 6-6 200 Fr 2.5 2.3 --

Prairie View A&M Panthers

http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/4407.asp

Record: 3-2 (0-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference)

Ranking: Unranked

RPI: 164 (CBSSports.com)

Last Game: Beat Champions Baptist, 101-38, Sunday at home

Head Coach: Byron Rimm II (Cal State-L.A. ‘99)

Record: 83-101 (7th year)

at Prairie View A&M: 33-68 (4th year)

vs. Texas A&M: 0-1

Projected Prairie View A&M Starters

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG

10 Michael Griffin G 5-8 150 So 10.8 2.6 3.2

11 Christopher Jones G 6-0 190 Sr 7.7 5.7 8.3

41 Tim Meadows F 6-2 185 So 3.2 3.8 --

33 Darnell Hugee F 6-7 205 Sr 15.2 7.4 --

44 Dorian McDaniel C 6-6 210 Sr 8.4 4.4 --

Big 12 Conference: http://www.big12sports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&KEY=&SPID=13134&SPSID=106110

Southwestern Athletic Conference: http://www.swac.org/sports/m-baskbl/swac-m-baskbl-body.html

Series Notes

Texas A&M leads the series, 8-0, including a 7-0 mark in College Station and a 3-0 record at Reed Arena.

The teams last met in 2006-07, with the No. 13-ranked Aggies posting a 81-49 win at Reed Arena.

A&M is 32-1 against members of the SWAC. The last time the Aggies played a SWAC team was when they beat Jackson State (96-78) in the first round of the 2008 South Padre Island Invitational played at Reed Arena.

Key Game Notes

The game is the second of a double-header with the No. 7-ranked A&M women’s team, which plays Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m.

A&M is coming off a third-place finish in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. The Aggies beat No. 19 Clemson (69-60), lost to No. 8 West Virginia (73-66) and beat No. 16 Minnesota (66-65).

A&M has beaten two nationally-ranked teams in non-conference play just once before in its history. The 1978-79 team posted four non-conference wins against ranked opponents. A&M plays at No. 14 Washington Dec. 22 in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series.

The Aggies have won 58 straight regular-season non-conference games at Reed Arena, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. The last loss was to A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 13, 2003 (82-80). A&M is 77-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.895).

The Aggies are 52-6 (.897) at home the last four seasons and are 85-12 (.876) in the last six years, the third most home wins in the country (Memphis has won 97 and Kansas 87).

A&M Coach Mark Turgeon is 33-3 in regular-season non-conference games at A&M, including wins against Arizona, Washington, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU. The losses were at Arizona in 2007-08, to Tulsa in the 2008 South Padre Invitational, and to West Virginia in the 2009 76 Classic. Turgeon is 25-0 in non-conference games played at Reed Arena, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU.

The Aggies are nationally ranked (No. 19 AP; No. 22 coaches) for the first time since Feb. 18, 2008.

About Prairie View A&M

Prairie View A&M is 3-2 after beating Champions Baptist, 101-38, Sunday at home. On Nov. 16, Prairieview dropped a close 69-62 decision at No. 22 Cincinnati after leading by 15 points in the first half and as many as 10 in the second half. The other loss was at Oklahoma State (80-58) last Tuesday.

The Panthers are in their fourth season under Head Coach Byron Rimm II.

Prairie View went 17-16 last year and placed third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 12-6 mark.

The Panthers were picked to finish second in the SWAC this season behind Jackson State. Senior forward Darnell Hugee is a preseason first-team All-SWAC pick and is also the league’s preseason defensive player of the year. Senior guard Chris Jones is a second-team All-SWAC pick.

Minnesota Recap

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Derrick Roland provided unexpected offense to give Texas A&M its second victory over a ranked team in three games. Roland scored 19 points to lead A&M to a 66-65 victory over Minnesota (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) in the 76 Classic on Sunday. A wrist injury limited Roland to 12 total points in the previous two tournament games. Nathan Walkup added 11 points while B.J. Holmes and Donald Sloan scored 10 points apiece for the Aggies (5-1). Colton Iverson had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Golden Gophers (3-2). Paul Carter added 13 points and Damian Johnson scored 12 points. A&M, which led by as many as 11 points, held a 66-59 lead with 1:11 to play. Carter paced a late rally that the Golden Gophers used to narrow the margin to one point. Carter got fouled while making a lay-in and converted the free throw with 1:04 left. Nolen added another lay-in with 26.8 seconds to go, then Carter made a steal, drew a foul and made another free throw with 21.3 seconds to play. After Walkup missed two free throws with 19.4 seconds remaining, Carter missed a 12-footer that A&M’s Bryan Davis blocked from behind. The ball deflected off Carter and out of bounds with 4.1 seconds left. The Aggies’ defense forced Minnesota to shoot 38.6 percent and generated 12 turnovers that resulted in 24 points.

Team Notes

A&M’s senior class needs 18 wins to become the winningest class in school history.

A&M has made four straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to this streak, A&M never played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments and had not made an appearance since 1987. Four of A&M’s 10 NCAA appearances, and five of its eight NCAA wins, have come in the last four seasons.

A&M is one of just six schools to have won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of the last four years. The others are Memphis, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, UCLA and Texas. A&M is one of just 16 schools to play in the last four NCAA Tournaments.

A&M is one of just three schools with a postseason win in each of the last five years (1 NIT, 4 NCAAs). The others are North Carolina (5 NCAAs), and Memphis (1 NIT, 4 NCAAs).

A&M has posted five straight 20-win seasons. Before the 2004-05 season, A&M had only six 20-win seasons in its entire history. The Aggies’ 24 wins last year tied for fourth most in school history.

A&M is 124-48 (.721) in the last five years and 81-29 (.736) in the last three seasons.

A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only three Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last five years.

Reed Arena

A&M has won 59 of its last 66 home games, including 22 of its last 29 in Big 12 play.

The Aggies finished 16-2 at home last season and are the only Big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last five consecutive seasons.

The Aggies have won 58 straight regular-season non-conference games at Reed Arena, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. The last loss was to A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 13, 2003 (82-80). A&M is 77-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.895).

The Aggies are 52-6 (.897) at home the last four seasons and are 85-12 (.876) in the last six years, the second most home wins in the country (Memphis has won 95).

A&M is 125-53 (.702) in its 12th season at Reed Arena. The Aggies were 41-41 (.500) the first six years at Reed.

The $23 million, 68,000-square-foot Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball was officially dedicated in January 2009. The addition includes practice gyms, locker rooms, film rooms, a weight room, training facilities and offices.

Reed Arena is in its 12th season as the home of Texas A&M basketball. The 12,500-seat facility opened in 1998 and was named for Houston veterinarian Chester J. Reed ’47 and his wife, Billie Jean, who contributed the nucleus of the assets used to fund the facility.

Offense Notes

A&M had 17 fast break points against Angelo State, matching last year’s season high (North Dakota). Under Mark Turgeon, the Aggies have had more fast break points just once (33 vs. Texas State in 2007-08).

Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 21-1 when they have at least 8 fast-break points.

A&M is 18-2 under Turgeon when scoring at least 80 points and are 71-10 when it scores at least 60.

A&M is 43-6 under Turgeon when leading at halftime.

The Aggies have shot better than 50 percent from the field in two games. A&M is 23-0 under Mark Turgeon when it makes at least 50 percent and is 48-12 when it makes better than 40 percent.

The Aggies rank among the Big 12 leaders in fewest turnovers, averaging just 12.2 per game.

A&M is 22-6 under Mark Turgeon when it has fewer than 14 turnovers.

Although the Aggies are not as deep inside as in recent years, they remain productive. Bryan Davis (7.0) and David Loubeau (5.3) lead the team in rebounding. Davis is fourth in scoring (8.7) while Loubeau is fifth (8.5).

A&M scored a whopping 48 points in the paint against ASU, its most in a regulation game since it had 62 against Texas State two years ago. Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 53-16 when they score at least 20 points in the paint.

A&M is averaging 29.0 points in the paint this season. The Aggies averaged 30.0 last season.

A&M has had at least three players score in double figures in all but the West Virginia game. Seven Players average at least 5.0 points per contest with nine averaging at least 12.0 minutes.

Turgeon’s teams have always been among the most balanced in college basketball. His first two teams at A&M each averaged more than 70 points per game, but no player averaged more than 14. Each team had at least six players average a minimum of 6.0 points. Turgeon’s seven Wichita State teams were similarly balanced.

A&M is making just .608 from the free throw line, but the Aggies have made only 16 fewer free throws (107) than their opponents have attempted (123).

Last season, A&M was the only Big 12 team to make more free throws (594) than its opponents attempted (577).

Defense Notes

A&M had 24 points off turnovers against Minnesota and is averaging 17.3 points off turnovers this season.

Angelo State had 19 turnovers against the Aggies' quick defense. A&M scored 25 points off turnovers, matching last year’s season high set in season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The last time the Aggies scored more points off turnovers was in the 2007-08 opener against McNeese State (28), Turgeon’s first game as head coach Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 34-4 when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.

A&M has held four opponents to under 43 percent shooting from the field. Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 28-2 when their opponent shoots under 40 percent and are 48-12 when they make under 50 percent.

A&M is 45-9 under Turgeon when its opponent scores fewer than 70 points and has won nine straight, including all five wins this season.

Despite a relatively small lineup, the Aggies have out-rebounded or matched all six opponents this season, including a +6 advantage against No. 8 West Virginia.

The Aggies are 48-9 under Turgeon when out-rebounding their opponent and had won 10 straight before falling to West Virginia. A&M is only 5-13 under Turgeon when being beaten on the boards.

Turgeon said before the season that the smaller but quicker Aggies would have to “rebound by committee.” A&M has done that with nine players averaging between 2.2 and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Five A&M players recorded between 5 and 9 rebounds in the win against Clemson.

Player Notes

BRIAN DAVIS

Leads team in all three “hustle” stats -- rebounds, blocks and steals.

Averaged 8.3 rebounds in 76 Classic.

Had a season-high 10 rebounds vs. West Virginia.

Had a season-high 3 blocks and 3 steals vs. Minnesota.

A&M is 29-7 when Davis scores in double-figures in his career.

Scored 10 points with 8 rebounds against Clemson.

Ranks 18th in A&M history with 522 career rebounds.

Ranks sixth in A&M history with 102 career blocked shots.

Only the fourth Aggie in history to record 500 rebounds with 100 blocked shots.

Has played in 107 career games.

Scored 17 points with 6 rebounds and 3 steals in opening win against Angelo State.

Made 7-of-10 free throws against ASU; Four of his 5 field goals against ASU were dunks.

Had 9 points and a team-high 6 rebounds in win at SMU.

DASH HARRIS

A&M is 12-1 when Harris has at least 3 assists in his career.

ü Averaged 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 76 Classic.

ü Had a career-hi 6 rebounds and tied his career best with 3 steals against West Virginia.

ü Scored a career-high 11 points (2-of-4 treys) with a career-best 7 assists vs. Samford.

ü Had 9 points with 3 assists in opening win against Angelo State Has made 4-of-7 from three-point range after making 3-of-15 all of last season, when he started the year 0-of-9. Since that start, he’s 7-of-13.

NAJI HIBBERT

ü Scored 7 points in opener against Angelo State.

Has had at least 3 rebounds in four straight games.

Had a career-high 4 rebounds vs. Minnesota.

Had 8 points with 2 blocks in unofficial debut in exhibition game against Commerce.

Added 4 points and 3 rebounds vs. Samford, including his first career three-pointer.

B.J. HOLMES

Averaged 16.0 points in the 76 Classic, making 7-of-11 three-pointers (.636).

Had a season-high 20 points with 5 rebounds in win against Clemson, making 3-of-5 treys and 11-of-12 free throws.

Scored 18 points vs. West Virginia.

Made 17-of-21 free throws in the 76 Classic.

Scored 11 points, making 3-of-10 three-pointers, in win at SMU.

Slowed by thigh bruise in first three games.

Scored 16 points with 7 assists in exhibition game against Commerce.

Made 4-of-6 three-pointers in exhibition vs. Commerce.

DAVID LOUBEAU

Scored a career-high 20 points and matched his career best with 9 rebounds against Angelo State...made 10-of-14 from the field.

Scored 12 points and tied career high with 9 rebounds in win vs. Clemson.

Had 7 points and 5 rebounds at SMU but earned praise from Coach Turgeon for his defensive performance.

A&M is 9-2 when he scores at least 8 points in his career, with both losses coming to top-five ranked teams (Oklahoma and Connecticut) last year.

Had 12 points with 9 rebounds in exhibition game against Commerce.

KHRIS MIDDLETON

Started in first two games.

Scored 7 points with 3 steals in win vs. Clemson and made his first career three-pointer.

Had 2 points with 8 rebounds and 3 assists in opener vs. Angelo State.

Tallied 6 points with 6 rebounds in unofficial debut in exhibition game vs. Commerce.

DERRICK ROLAND

Has scored in double figures in games this season.

Scored a team-high 19 points vs. Minnesota and made key three-pointer late in game.

Limited by wrist injury vs. Clemson and West Virginia at 76 Classic.

Leads team with four three-point plays (FG+FT).

Had a career-high 21 points in win at SMU, making 8-of-8 from the free throw line.

Leads Big 12 in free throw percentage (.889, 16-18).

Scored 14 points with 5 rebounds vs. Samford.

Scored 12 points with 3 assists in opener vs. Angelo State...made 2-of-5 three-pointers.

A&M is 15-2 when Roland scores in double figures in his career.

Has played in 96 career games.

DONALD SLOAN

Scored a career-high 24 points with a team-high 4 assists in win at SMU.

Had 22 points with 4 assists and a team-high 6 rebounds vs. Samford, making a career-best 5-of-6 three-pointers.

Scored 18 points vs. West Virginia, adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

Has made .500 (9-18) from three-point range, but is 0-of-6 in Anaheim.

Ranks 30th in A&M history with 1,014 career points Ranks 10th in A&M history with 307 career assists.

The sixth A&M player to score 1,000 career points with 300 assists.

Has played in 110 career games and has an 81-29 record (.727).

Had 14 points with 5 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists in opener vs. Angelo State.

A&M is 42-8 when Sloan has at least 3 assists in his career, including a 19-3 mark over the last two seasons. The Aggies are 36-14 when he scores in double figures.

Scored a team-high 17 points in exhibition game against Commerce.

NATHAN WALKUP

Has started in the last four games.

Averaged 10.0 points in the last two games.

Scored a season-high 11 points with six rebounds and made a pair of three-pointers in win against Minnesota.

Scored 9 points against West Virginia.

Had 6 points and 3 rebounds vs. Samford.

Has made 6-of-14 (.429) three-pointers this season.

Scored 5 points with 4 rebounds in win at SMU and made key three-pointer in second half to break the game open.

A&M is 17-3 when Walkup scores at least 5 points in his career.

MARK TURGEON

A former player and assistant coach at Kansas, 44-year-old Mark Turgeon is entering his third season at Texas A&M. He cut his coaching teeth at Kansas under legends Larry Brown and Roy Williams.

Turgeon’s 49 wins at A&M in his first two seasons in the Big 12 are a record by a league coach. The previous mark was 47 wins by Kansas’ Bill Self (2003-05) and Iowa State’s Larry Eustachy (1998-00). Others near the top of the list are Texas Tech’s Bob Knight (45), Texas’ Rick Barnes (43) and A&M’s Billy Gillispie (43).

Turgeon’s two-year win total ties for the second-best debut in the entire history of any Big 12 school. Eddie Sutton won 52 games his first two years at Oklahoma State (1990-92), while Tom Penders won 49 in his first two seasons at Texas (1988-90).

Turgeon is 33-3 in regular-season non-conference games at A&M, losing on the road at Arizona in 2007, to Tulsa last year at the South Padre Island Invitational and to West Virginia this season at the 76 Classic.

He is only the second coach to lead A&M to consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Turgeon led the Aggies to a 25-11 record in his first season and a 24-10 mark last year. Turgeon’s 25 wins in 2007-08 were the most by a Big 12 coach in his debut and tied for the most by a first-year coach in the history of any Big 12 school. Tom Penders went 25-9 in his first year at Texas in 1988-89 prior to the Big 12.

Turgeon was inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame in June. Turgeon helped lead Hayden High School to back-to-back state titles in 1982 and 1983, including a perfect season his senior year. He was an all-city pick and also received all-state recognition.

Turgeon went on to play at Kansas, becoming the first Jayhawk to play in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (1984-87), including a Final Four appearance in 1986. He played in 12 NCAA Tournament games, helping the Jayhawks to an 8-4 record. Turgeon served as head coach at Wichita State for seven seasons before moving on to A&M in 2007.

Turgeon has led his teams to at least 20 wins in five of the last six seasons (His WSU team won 17 games in 2006-07). His teams have advanced to postseason play six times in the last seven years.

Turgeon’s record in the last seven years is 140-66 (.680).

Turgeon has led his teams to three NCAA Tournaments in the last four years, winning at least one NCAA game each year.

In 2006, he led Wichita State to the Sweet Sixteen, where it was eliminated by eventual Final Four participant George Mason (63-55). The Shockers beat Seton Hall (86-66) and Tennessee (80-73) in the first two rounds. In 2008, Turgeon’s first A&M team went 1-1, beating BYU (67-62) in the opener and falling to eventual Final Four participant UCLA (51-49). Last year, the Aggies again downed BYU (79-66) before falling to Final Four-bound Connecticut (92-66).

As an assistant coach at Kansas under Larry Brown, Turgeon helped the Jayhawks to the 1988 NCAA Championship. As an assistant at KU under Roy Williams (1988-92), he participated in three NCAA Tournaments in four years, including the 1991 national championship game.

As a player, assistant coach and head coach, Turgeon has compiled a 25-11 NCAA Tournament record (8-4 as a player, 13-4 as an assistant, 4-3 as a head coach). Turgeon is the only active Big 12 head coach to play and coach in an NCAA Final Four.

Turgeon also participated in the 1995 NCAA Tournament as an Assistant coach at Oregon under Jerry Green. It was the Ducks’ first NCAA appearance in 34 years.

In 12 NCAA Tournament appearances as a player, assistant coach and head coach, Turgeon has lost a first-round NCAA game just once (Oregon in 1995 under Coach Jerry Green).