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COLLEGE STATION–No. 19 Texas A&M returns to the court on Sunday when the Aggies (1-0) host Southern (1-0) at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest.

A&M opened the year on Wednesday with a convincing 81-59 win over Liberty, while the Jaguars began their year Friday with a 67-48 home win over Dillard. The game marks the Aggies’ final tune-up before heading to Madison Square Garden for the 2K Sports Classic next Thursday and Friday.

Fans attending the game are asked to support Aggie Athletes Involved’s (AAI) annual coat drive, benefiting Twin City Mission in Bryan, and receive free admission to the game. AAI will have locations set up at Reed Arena at the north, east and main entrances, and any person bringing a new or used coat, blanket or sweater will receive a game ticket for free admission. The locations will be manned from 2 to 3:15 p.m.(#19/20) Texas A&M AGGIES (1-0) vs Southern JAGUARS (1-0)Sunday, November 13, 2011 • 3:06 PM • TV: FOX Sports SouthwestReed Arena (12,989) • College Station, Texas

Media CoverageTELEVISION FOX Sports Southwest Kevin Eschenfelder Play-by-Play Reid Gettys Commentary Satellite DirecTV 676/Dish 416RADIO Texas A&M Sports Network Dave South Play-by-Play Al Pulliam Commentary Local WTAW-AM 1620 Satellite Radio n/a

Series HistoryA&M leads, 2-1in College Station: A&M leads, 2-0at Reed Arena: A&M leads, 1-0current win streak: A&M, 1 gamelast meeting: A&M 88, Southern 44 (11/20/05 in College Station)

Texas A&M AggiesRecord 1-0, 0-0 big 12Ranking 19th (USAT/ESPN), 20th (AP)NCAA RPI / Sagarin — / —Streak Won 1Last 5 / last 10 1-0 / 1-0Last Game def. Liberty (H), 81-59 (Wed.)Head Coach Billy Kennedy (SE Louisiana ’86)Record 212-179 (14th year)at Texas A&M 1-0 (first year)vs. Southern 4-1

A&M Probable Starters (based on previous game)No. name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min 2 Naji Hibbert G 6-5 192 Jr. — 1.0 1.0 1 / 15.0 5 Dash Harris G 6-1 171 Sr. 3.0 2.0 4.0 1 / 23.010 David Loubeau F 6-8 234 Sr. 14.0 4.0 — 1 / 24.031 Elston Turner G 6-5 211 Jr. 16.0 6.0 4.0 1 / 31.035 Ray Turner F 6-9 232 Jr. 20.0 6.0 — 1 / 25.0

Southern JaguarsRecord 1-0, 0-0 SWACRanking NRNCAA RPI / Sagarin — / —Streak Won 1Last 5 / last 10 1-0 / 1-0Last Game def. Dillard (H), 67-48 (Fri.)Head Coach Roman Banks (NW State ’93)Record 1-0at Southern 1-0vs. Texas A&M never faced

Southern Probable Starters (based on previous game)No. name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP / Min 2 Derick Beltran G 6-4 190 Jr. 7.0 2.0 3.0 1 / 23.0 5 Jameel Grace G 6-0 185 Jr. 5.0 4.0 6.0 1 / 31.023 Quinton Doggett F 6-8 220 Sr. 13.0 6.0 1.0 1 / 28.031 Fredrick Coleman G 6-6 215 Sr. 5.0 5.0 3.0 1 / 26.032 Mike Celestin G 6-0 180 so. 14.0 4.0 2.0 1 / 31.0

Starting Five• A&M opened the year with a dominating 81-59 win over Liberty on Wednesday at Reed … the Aggies shot 65.4 percent from the floor, the fifth-best shooting outing in school history. • Sunday’s matchup with Southern marks the final tuneup for Texas A&M before it heads to new York City to participate in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs Cancer. • For the first time in league history, Texas A&M has been picked to win the big 12 Conference men’s basketball championship … the Aggies sat atop the preseason coaches’ poll in a tie with Kansas. • A&M has won 61 straight non-conference games at Reed Arena (dating back to start of 2005-06 season) and 74 consecutive regular-season, non-conference home games (dating back to 2003). • Texas A&M is coming off its fifth consecutive 24-plus win season, one of only 8 schools nationally to accomplish that … the Aggies are one of 12 programs in the country that have been to 6 straight NCAA Tournaments.More Quick Hits• with an 81-59 win over Liberty, the Aggies have now won 11 straight season-opening games and 12 straight home openers.• Texas A&M opens the year ranked in the top 20 nationally (19th/USAT, 20th/AP) for just the fifth time in school history, but the third time in the last six years … the Aggies’ previous preseason ranked teams were: 1979-80 (14th/AP); 1980-81 (15th/AP); 2006-07 (13th/USAT, 13th/AP); and 2007-08 (14th/USAT, 16th/AP).• Texas A&M is one of only 8 schools in the entire country that have won 24 or more games in each of the last 5 seasons (Butler, BYU, Kansas, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, VCU, Xavier). • A&M is one of just 12 schools that have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 6 seasons (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin, Xavier). • A&M took a 10-day tour of Switzerland and France in August, touring some of the most famous landmarks the countries have to offer and playing a four-game schedule. Series History: Southern• Texas A&M leads the all-time series, 2-1, which dates back to 1997 … the Aggies won the only meeting so far between the schools at Reed Arena, doubling up the Jaguars 88-44 on Nov. 20, 2005.A&M/Southern Connections• First-year Southern coach Roman Banks was a player on the 1988-89 Northwestern State team, one which featured Aggie coach Billy Kennedy as an assistant … while head coach at Southeastern Louisiana, Kennedy hired Banks as an assistant prior to the 2003-04 season … the two were on the staff together for two seasons before Kennedy moved on to Murray State, helping lead the Lions to back-to-back Southland Conference titles and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2005.• Aggie senior transfer Zach Kinsley hails from Baton Rouge, the home of Southern University … in addition, three members of the coaching staff (Kennedy, associate head coach Glynn Cyprien, athletic assistant Mitch Cole) are all natives of Louisiana.last Time out: A&M 81, Liberty 59• COLLEGE STATION (Nov. 9)—Ray Turner scored a career-high 20 points and no. 19 Texas A&M shot 65 percent from the field while cruising past Liberty 81-59 on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams … the Aggies put away the Flames early with a 24-4 run midway through the first half … A&M shot 59.3 percent (16 of 27) from the field in the first half and jumped to a 37-14 lead at the break before a crowd of 6,118 at Reed Arena … Elston Turner had 16 points and David Loubeau added 14 for the Aggies.A&M/Liberty Notables• A&M’s 65.4 percent (34-of-52) effort from the floor was the fifth-highest total in school history and the highest in four seasons … the Aggies actually missed their first three shots on the night, thus shooting 69.4 percent over the game’s final 36 minutes.• A&M held Liberty to 14 points on 4-of-24 shooting in the first half … it was the fourth-lowest first-half output by an opponent in school history, and the lowest since the Aggies held The Citadel to 11 points on Dec. 19, 2009.• five players saw their first career action in the maroon and white-senior Zach Kinsley (Baton Rouge, La.); junior Elston Turner (Sacramento, Calif.); redshirt freshman Daniel Alexander (Austin); freshmen Jamal Branch (Arlington) and Jordan Green (Flower Mound).Middleton to miss Action• Texas A&M junior forward Khris Middleton had successful surgery Friday morning (Nov. 11) to repair a partially-torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss three to four weeks … Middleton (North Charleston, S.C.) suffered the injury in the first half of Wednesday’s 81-59, season-opening win over Liberty … it was originally thought to be a hamstring injury but a precautionary MRI after the game revealed the partial tear.Picking up the Pace• A main goal of Coach Billy Kennedy and his staff heading into the season was to play fast and try to score in the first seven seconds of the shot clock … A&M showed a very fast-paced style in the season-opening win over Liberty, racking up 16 fast-break points on the night … it’s the most fast-break points in nearly a year and the most since the Aggies scored 21 against Prairie View last season (Dec. 8, 2010).Getting Physical Inside• nearly 60 percent of Texas A&M’s points against Liberty (48 of 81) came in the paint … it was the most points in the paint by an Aggie team since putting up 48 against Angelo State in 2009 (Nov. 13).• The Aggies’ 5-spot trio of Keith Davis, Kourtney Roberson and Elston Turner had a strong showing … the group combined to score 27 points (on 12-of-14 shooting), grab 15 rebounds and block 3 shots.on Point• Senior Dash Harris played in his 100th career game against Liberty on Wednesday, knocking down a 3-pointer and dishing out 4 assists … A&M is 40-9 over Harris’ career when he has at least 3 assists (1-0 this year, 14-5 as a junior, 15-3 as a sophomore and 10-1 as a freshman).• true freshman Jamal Branch had a strong Aggie debut in Wednesday’s win over Liberty … the Arlington, Texas product scored 6 points and dished out 6 assists in 20 minutes of action, including several highlight-reel finishes.• Combined, the A&M tandem scored 9 points, dished out 10 assists, grabbed 4 rebounds and posted a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.100 Years of Aggie Basketball• The Aggies are in the midst of the 100th season of basketball at Texas A&M University … the first team was fielded for the 1912-13 campaign.• The inaugural team was coached by F.D. Steger and won its first ever game (date unknown) over Marlin (Texas) High School, 78-8 … the first “collegiate” opponent for the program was later that season with a pair of games against Sam Houston Normal Institute (now Sam Houston State University) … the Aggies will play SHSU later this winter.up next: 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs Cancer• The Aggies will join St. John’s, Arizona and Mississippi State at famed Madison Square Garden in new York City for the championship rounds of the 17th annual 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs Cancer on Nov. 17 and 18 … A&M will face MSU in the first semifinal (Nov. 17, 6 p.m. CT) while St. John’s and Arizona will play in the nightcap (8:30 p.m. CT) … the consolation (3:30 p.m. CT) and championship (6 p.m. CT) games will take place the following day … all four games will air live nationally on ESPN2.• The trip to The Garden will be Texas A&M’s first since winning the 2007 Preseason NIT.• Other schools in the 14-team field are Akron, Duquesne, Eastern Kentucky, Lehigh, Liberty, UDC, Valparaiso, William & Mary, Hiram and Indiana-Kokomo.Coach Billy Kennedy Taking Leave of Absence• Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy was recently diagnosed with an early stage of Parkinson’s disease and has taken a leave of absence … Kennedy made the announcement on Oct. 27 through the statement below … associate head coach Glynn Cyprien is running the team until Kennedy’s return.• STATEMENT FROM TEXAS A&M MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH BILLY KENNEDY: “As some of you know, I have been experiencing neck and shoulder pain for several months. while not debilitating, the pain has affected my ability to sleep with any duration or regularity. As a result of this and my schedule, I had reached a state of exhaustion and was advised by my attending physician to take some time to restore my strength and to further explore the underlying cause of my discomfort. through testing, it has been discovered that I am dealing with an early stage of Parkinson’s disease. at this time, I am heeding the advice of my doctors and addressing the disease and its symptoms. We have begun a long-term treatment plan and recovery. my doctors are encouraged and are telling me I will be able to come back soon. I am very grateful for the outpouring of support and the prayers from friends, family and the Aggie Network. We have a good prognosis, be encouraged, and join with me in eager anticipation for the success that awaits us. my intention is to return to the court as soon as it is prudent. Until my return, I have great confidence in Coach (Glynn) Cyprien and the staff I have assembled to lead this great group of young men and this basketball program.”• STATEMENT FROM BILL BYRNE, TEXAS A&M DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: “Our foremost concern is for Coach Kennedy and his family. Billy knows he can count on us and the Aggie Network for support. I fully expect Billy to have a long and illustrious coaching career here in Aggieland when he is cleared to return to the court. Meanwhile, I have confidence in the staff Billy has hired and in our basketball team. I’m anxious to get the season started and to get Billy back on the basketball court as well.”• STATEMENT FROM SENIOR DASH HARRIS, AGGIE BASKETBALL PLAYER: “After speaking with coach today, he knows that we’re there for him and we know that he’s there for us. He’s doing better and we’re just trying to get him back on the floor as soon as possible. He left this team in great hands. We have great leadership to a man on this team and on this staff, and everyone knows what he expects so once he comes back it’ll be a smooth ride. He looks well, he seems happy and he’s the same Coach Kennedy that he always has been. our prayers are with him. We’re looking forward to a great season, a season with him on the sideline.”• those interested in sending well-wishes may do so via mail at Coach Billy Kennedy, Aggie Basketball, P.O. Box 30017, College Station, TX 77842-3017 or via email at .edu.More on Billy Kennedy• Billy Kennedy was named the 21st coach in Texas A&M men’s basketball history on may 16, 2011 … Kennedy is a native of new Orleans and enters his 14th season as a head coach.• The 47-year-old Kennedy, the reigning two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, comes to Aggieland after five seasons at the helm at Murray State University in Kentucky … there, he guided the Racers to a winning record in each year of his tenure … in the last two seasons, his team posted a combined 54-14 record, back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships and consecutive trips to the postseason.• His teams have won 6 conference titles and made 4 trips to the postseason and has posted 7 straight winning seasons as a head coach.• Over his last seven years as a head coach, Kennedy’s teams have averaged 21 wins per season, earned four conference titles and made three trips to the postseason–two to the NCAA Tournament and one in the NIT.• Kennedy is making a return trip to College Station, as he was an assistant on the 1990-91 team under Kermit Davis.Championship-Caliber Staff• Billy Kennedy has put together a veteran staff in his first season in Aggieland … the group has a combined 89 years of collegiate coaching experience.• Over the last decade, the group has been a part of 18 conference titles and 22 postseasons (15 NCAA, 7 NIT) … in 2010-11, each staff member won a championship at his respective school and as a group averaged 25 wins on the year.Rarified Air• The Aggies are one of only 4 big 12 schools to post winning conference records in each of the last 3 seasons … in fact, when looking at the “Super 6” conferences, it puts A&M in some pretty elite company … only 18 of the 73 teams who have competed in those leagues over the last 3 years have accomplished that feat:big 12 4 A&M, Kansas, Kansas State, TexasBig East 4 Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, West VirginiaACC 3 Clemson, Duke, Florida StateBig ten 3 Ohio State, Purdue, WisconsinSEC 2 Florida, Mississippi StatePac-10 2 Cal, WashingtonBig 12 Favorites• For the first time in league history, Texas A&M has been picked to win the big 12 Conference men’s basketball championship … the Aggies sat atop the preseason coaches’ poll in a tie with Kansas.• The previous high for an A&M team was second, in the 2006-07 season.2011-12 BIG 12 PRESEASON COACHES’ POLLTeam (1st place Votes) Points1. Kansas (5) 73 Texas A&M (2) 733. Baylor (2) 634. Missouri (1) 615. Texas 516. Kansas State 397. Oklahoma State 338. Iowa State 279. Oklahoma 15 Texas Tech 15• The Aggies have met or exceeded the preseason poll’s prognostications in 6 of the last 7 seasons … a look at A&M’s history in the poll and eventual league finish:A&M’s PRESEASON BIG 12 POLL HISTORYYear Preseason Rank Finish Year Preseason Rank Finish2011-12 t1st ?? 2003-04 9th 12th2010-11 6th t3rd 2002-03 12th t12th2009-10 5th t2nd 2001-02 11th 12th2008-09 5th t4th 2000-01 10th t12th2007-08 3rd 6th 1999-00 11th t8th2006-07 2nd 2nd 1998-99 t11th t10th2005-06 7th 4th 1997-98 11th 12th2004-05 11th 7th 1996-97 10th t10thWhat’s Back• Texas A&M returns 3 starters and 10 letterwinners from a 2010-11 team that went 24-9, finished third in the big 12 at 10-6 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season.• The 2011-12 Aggie roster will feature 25 games of NCAA Tournament experience, with Dash Harris (5), David Loubeau (5) and Elston Turner (5) leading the way.• A&M will bring back 60 percent or more statistically in 7 of 8 major categories …WHAT’S RETURNING IN 2011-12Category Total back Pct.Starts 165 99 60.0Minutes 6,699 4,436 66.2Points 2,254 1,517 67.3Rebounds 1,194 864 72.4Assists 444 268 60.3Blocks 51 43 84.13-Point FGs 181 73 40.3Free Throws 557 400 71.8What’s New• Texas A&M welcomes in a three-member freshman class, all hailing from the Dallas/Ft Worth area—guard Jamal Branch (Arlington), guard Jordan Green (Flower Mound) and forward Grant Jolly (Southlake) … in addition, the Aggies have one transfer—senior Zach Kinsley (Baton Rouge, La./Univ of new Orleans)—who is eligible to play this fall.Emerging big 12 Power• Texas A&M opened the 2009 big 12 campaign with a 3-7 record … from that point on (starting with an 81-66 win over Texas on Feb. 16 of that year), the Aggies have posted a 27-11 big 12 record (6-0 to close 2009, 11-5 in 2010 and 10-6 in 2011) … it’s the second-best record over that span among conference teams, trailing only Kansas (34-4).• The Aggies posted back-to-back 10-plus win seasons in big 12 play for just the second time ever (2006-2007) … it is only the second time in the last 25 years that an A&M team has accomplished that feat … prior to ‘06-07, the last time an Aggie squad recorded consecutive double-digit win seasons in conference play was in 1985 (10) and 1986 (12).• 2011 was A&M’s third consecutive winning season in big 12 play, the first time the Aggies have accomplished that feat in the big 12 era … A&M finished 9-7 in 2009 and 11-5 last year … it marked the first time since the late 60s (1967-70) that a Texas A&M team finished above .500 in league action for three straight seasons.• The Aggies have won 49 big 12 games since the start of the 2007 league season … prior to that, A&M had totaled only 43 victories in the first 10 years of big 12 play.NCAA Tournament: Make that Six Straight• Texas A&M is coming off its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 12th overall … prior to this streak, A&M had never played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments and had not been to the NCAAs since 1987 … 6 of the Aggies’ 12 appearances, and 6 of their 9 NCAA wins, have come since 2006.• A&M is one of just 12 schools that have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 6 seasons … the Aggies join Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier in that elite field.Racking up the Ws• Texas A&M is coming off a 24-9 season … the Aggies reached the 24-win mark for the fifth straight year and for only the seventh time in the program’s 99-year history.• only three A&M teams totaled more wins than the 2010-11 Aggie squad: 2006-07 (27), 1979-80 (26) and 2007-08 (25).• The Aggies recorded their seventh-consecutive 20-win season … before this stretch, which began in 2004-05, A&M had six in its entire history (1974-75, 1975-76, 1978-79, 1979- 80, 1981-82 and 1985-86).• A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last 7 seasons.• Texas A&M has won nearly 75 percent of its games since the start of the 2006-07 season (124-45, .734) … the Aggies are 167-63 (.726) since the start of the ‘04-05 campaign.Reed Arena Dominance• The Aggies have won 61 straight non-conference games at Reed Arena … the streak dates back to the start of the 2005-06 season and includes wins over Arizona, Alabama, LSU and Washington, among others … the last home non-conference loss for the Aggies was to St. Joseph’s (58-51) in the 2005 NIT quarterfinals … A&M is 93-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.912).• Texas A&M has won 74 consecutive regular-season non-conference home games … the last non-conference team to beat the Aggies at Reed Arena was Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (82-80) in 2003.• The Aggies are the only big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last seven consecutive seasons.• A&M has won 34 of its last 37 home games, including 16 of its last 19 in big 12 play … the Aggies are 47-5 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with an 19-5 mark in conference games … those losses have come to Kansas (#1), Texas (#3), Oklahoma (#5), Baylor and Kansas State.• The Aggies are 81-8 (.910) at home since the start of the 2006-07 season and are 113-14 (.890) since the start of the 2004-05 campaign.• A&M has won 29 of its last 30 home games against unranked opponents (12 of last 13 in big 12 play).• A&M is 155-56 (.735) in 13 seasons at Reed Arena … the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 114-15 since.• Texas A&M has averaged crowds of 9,000 or better for five straight seasons (averaged 9,000 in 2010-11).2011-12 Schedule: A look Ahead• Texas A&M will play a minimum of 11 games against NCAA Tournament teams this season and host 19 games at Reed Arena.• The Aggies will play at least three games against teams that advanced to the Elite eight of the NCAA Tournament this past March in Florida and Kansas—and that’s not counting a potential matchup with another Elite eight squad in Arizona.• A minimum of 21 of A&M’s games this year will come against teams with .500 or better records last season.• Texas A&M will battle Florida in the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. (home of the NHL’s Florida Panthers) … the game will tip at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and will be the second of a doubleheader, which also features Miami and FAU (11 a.m. CT).Aggies’ Summer Features European Tour• Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy got an early start to his tenure in Aggieland with a 10-day tour of Europe in August. In what was the program’s first foreign excursion since 2003, the team spent time in Switzerland (Lucerne and Bern) and France (Paris).• A&M played 4 games—a pair against the Swiss National Team and two more against AMW Elite, which is a group comprised of players that participate in the French pro leagues (LNB A and B) … the Aggies dropped both games to the Swiss (62-51 and 85-73) before sweeping AMW (90-61 and 80-78) to finish 2-2.• The Aggies averaged 73.5 points per game and dominated their opponents on the boards (46 to 34) … leading scorers were Elston Turner (13.8 ppg), Khris Middleton (12.0), David Loubeau (11.3) and Kourtney Roberson (8.0) … leading rebounders were Loubeau (9.3 rpg) and Roberson (7.0).• Among the off-the-court highlights included a Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise, a trip up Mount Pilatus, a ropes course at Outdoor Interlaken, a cruise on the River Seine and a night-time ascent of the Eiffel Tower … complete coverage of the tour, including blogs, videos, photos and much more, can be found on the men’s basketball page at aggieathletics.com.