Lawrence, KS – The Kansas Jayhawks will try to remain undefeated in league play as they host the Texas A&M Aggies in a Big 12 battle on at the Allen Fieldhouse this evening.
This will be the 19th meeting in the series history. The Jayhawks have won all but one of the previous encounters. Texas A&M has not defeated Kansas since Feb. 3rd, 2007.
Texas A&M comes into the matchup with a 11-7 overall record after defeating the Oklahoma Sooners 81-75 in an overtime thriller on Saturday. The victory was the second of the year in league play for the Aggies, as they now carry a 2-4 mark in Big 12 action. Head coach Billy Kennedy has a strong defensive philosophy which have given his team has the worst scoring offense in the conference (62.8 ppg), but the best scoring defense (59.2 ppg). The victory over the Sooners was the second in three games after an 0-3 start to the Big 12 Conference season. The Aggies had only scored more than 80 points twice this year, in their opening two games of the season. A&M is one of just 12 schools in the nation to have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons.
Khris Middleton and Elston Turner are the leaders on the A&M roster. Middleton is questionable for tonight after leaving the Oklahoma game with a knee injury after 12 minutes of action. Middleton's presence is a huge factor in A&M's success as he had averaged 14.7 points and seven rebounds per game in his three games before sustaining the injury. After Middleton went down against the Sooners, Turner stepped up and put the team on his back. The junior guard pushed the Aggies to victory as he scored 23 points in 42 minutes of action. Dave Loubeau chipped in 16 points in the victory while Dash Harris netted 14 points and dished out six assists. Harris is a pest on the defensive end as he is second in the league in steals with 2.3 per game.
Kansas comes in with a 16-3 overall record after extending its winning streak on Saturday. The Jayhawks will be protecting their 16-game home winning streak and their perfect 6-0 league record. Head coach Bill Self led his team to its ninth straight win on Saturday as it took down Texas, 69-66. The Jayhawks shot 44.6 percent from the field, but made just 14-of-23 from the charity stripe in the win over the Longhorns. Kansas played well at the defensive end, as it held Texas to 34.4 percent shooting. The Jayhawks' six turnovers was its lowest total since entering Big 12 play. Kansas's +16.0 average scoring margin is the second best in the Big 12.
Kansas has an array of weapons at the offensive end. Thomas Robinson is the team's top scorer (17.7 ppg) and the Big 12's top rebounder (12.1 rpg). The junior forward recorded his Big-12 leading 13th double-double of the season in the team's win over Baylor before finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds against Texas. Tyshawn Taylor has been a big factor to the Jayhawks' success as well. Taylor has been absolutely on fire lately as he has averaged 26 ppg and 5.3 apg in his last three outings. Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson are both helping the cause with scoring averages above nine points per game.
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