No. 11 Texas A&M looks to get back into the win column Saturday afternoon when the Aggies host LSU at 1:15 p.m. (CT) inside Reed Arena.
The contest will be televised on SEC Network with Richard Cross calling the play-by-play action and Jon Sundvold 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).
The Aggie lineup will boosted on Saturday by the return of forward DJ Hogg, who recently completed a three-game suspension for a violation of Texas A&M policy. The 6-foot-9 wing leads the Aggies with a 14.6 point-per-game scoring average while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range this season to stand out as the team’s most proficient long-range threat. A&M is also looking forward to the return of guards Admon Gilder and Duane Wilson, who each are rehabbing injuries and are listed as day-to-day.
In the absence of Gilder, Hogg and Wilson, the talented freshmen on the Aggie roster stepped to the forefront. Rookies JJ Caldwell, Jay Jay Chandler and Savion Flagg each drew the starting assignment during Tuesday’s contest vs. Florida and highlighted a 36-point night by A&M freshman as a group. Chandler led the way by scoring a career-best 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 3-of-4 mark from long distance.
On the interior, A&M’s Tyler Davis and Robert Williams continue to give the Aggies steady production as one of the nation’s top front-courts. Williams notched his 14th career double-double with a 12-point, 11-rebound effort against the Gators while Davis added 12 points and seven boards. Additionally, the duo combined for six blocked shots in the contest.
LSU (9-4, 0-1 SEC) makes the visit to Aggieland after dropping a 74-71 decision to No. 17 Kentucky in Baton Rouge Wednesday night. The Tigers are under the direction of first-year head coach Will Wade, who took over the reins of the program last March after head coaching stints at Virginia Commonwealth University and UT-Chattanooga.
As a team, LSU ranks fourth in the SEC by averaging 83.6 points per game this season while leading the conference in field goal percentage (51.0). Individually for the Tigers, freshman guard Tremony Waters ranks first in the SEC in both assists (6.15) and steals (2.5) per game while averaging 17.2 points per contest, a figure that ranks fifth in the league.
Texas A&M has won six of the last seven meetings against their cross-Sabine River rivals as the series between the schools, which dates back the World War I era, is knotted at 18-18.
