Free Men's Basketball Game Tonight

If you’re looking for some cheap entertainment on the Monday after Christmas, Aggie basketball has just the thing for you. The Aggie men are hosting a free game against the Crusaders of Dallas Christian College tonight at Reed Arena at 7:00 PM. Parking is free, and there will be a limited concessions menu available as well. There will be no television coverage for this one, but you can join me in enjoying the dulcet tones of Andrew Monaco on the Texas A&M Sports Network via the 12th Man Mobile app.

This game against Dallas Christian serves as a replacement for the Tulane matchup that was cancelled due to COVID concerns with the Green Wave program. For those who are unfamiliar, Dallas Christian is based in Farmers Branch and is a member of the NCCAA - National Christian College Athletic Association. Their schedule to this point has largely consisted of exhibition matches against the likes of McNeese State, Tarleton State, Angelo State, and Northwestern State, who the Aggies defeated 80-61 last Tuesday. The Crusaders’ regular conference schedule includes teams like Arlington Baptist, College of the Ozarks, and Southwest Adventist University. On the season, Dallas Christian is officially 1-2, with a win over Ozark Christian College and losses to Manhattan Christian and Champion Christian.

DCC’s leading scorer is Nick Erves, a 6’ 3” guard from Fort Worth who averages 16 points per game. The Crusaders are composed of a small, all-guard roster - their tallest players, sophomore Tilyr Hobson and freshman Joseph Allen, are each 6’ 4”. It will be interesting to see how Buzz Williams approaches this matchup. Will he use this as an opportunity to get his big men more experience guarding smaller players on the perimeter in a low leverage situation? Or will he match the Crusaders with more frequent smaller all-guard lineups?

The Aggies are currently 9-2 on the year following back-to-back wins over Oregon State in Corvallis and the aforementioned home victory over Northwestern State. The Aggies balanced offensive attack has continued to be the emphasis in the non-conference schedule. Fifth year senior guard Quenton Jackson is the team’s leading scorer and the only player averaging double digits at 12.2 points per game. However, there are five additional players on the A&M roster averaging better than 8 points per contest, including Marcus Williams, Henry Coleman, Tyrece Radford, Andre Gordon, and Wade Taylor. Radford leads the Ags in rebounding, and Coleman has established himself as a presence on the offensive glass. Point guards Williams and Taylor are the team’s assist leaders at 35 and 34, respectively.

The Aggies’ next game will welcome the Central Arkansas Bears to Reed Arena on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM in the final non-conference tuneup before the start of SEC play.