Lone Star State Showdown

College Station, TX (Sports Network) - Another edition of the Lone Star State Showdown is on tap this afternoon in College Station, as the 22nd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies play host to the 21st-ranked Texas Longhorns in Big 12 action from Reed Arena.

Both teams are 8-5 in league play and although the conference title already resides in Lawrence with the Kansas Jayhawks, there is still conference work to be done to determine positioning behind the top-ranked team in the country. This is the 217th all-time meeting in this longstanding rivalry. The Longhorns hold a 132-84 edge and are seeking the regular-season sweep after recording a 72-67 victory in Austin on January 16th.

The Longhorns have won two straight games to right the ship a little bit down the stretch and enter this game off a 69-59 home win against Oklahoma State. Road wins have been a bit harder to come by for UT, which is 5-4 as the visitor this season.

The Aggies on the other hand, have dropped two of their last three games, after a 70-66 setback at Baylor this week. Still, the team is an impressive 13-1 in College Station this year.

Damion James led four Longhorns in double figures with a game-high 19 points. Dexter Pittman added 16 points, followed by Justin Hamilton and Avery Bradley, who finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively. The defense did the rest, holding the Cowboys to a mere .404 shooting and forcing them into 16 turnovers. Texas has shown the ability to win games at both ends of the floor. The numbers certainly reflect that, as the Longhorns enjoy a +14.8 scoring margin. Offensively, they are netting 82.5 ppg, getting it done on 47.2 percent shooting. James is one of the most dominant frontcourt players in the country, averaging a double-double with 17.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Bradley provides perimeter support with 12.5 ppg, while Pittman aids the cause down low with 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing.

The Aggies lack the offensive depth that Texas possesses, averaging 71.9 ppg on a .438 shooting clip. The team has been solid defensively though, limiting the opposition to just 65.2 ppg and 41 percent from the floor. A&M does have some scoring options though, including standout guard Donald Sloan, who ranks fourth in the conference at 18.1 ppg. Bryan Davis (10.2 ppg) and B.J. Holmes (9.1 ppg) provide limited support and have needed to do more with the loss of Derrick Roland (10.5 ppg), who broke his leg just before Christmas. The loss to Baylor spoiled a 22-point effort by Sloan, who was 9-of-17 from the floor. Davis recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Holmes add 11 points for Texas A&M, which shot just .362 from the floor and was outrebounded 42-35.