COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The FGCU men's basketball team (4-3) returns to action Wednesday night against No. 18 Texas A&M (6-1) as the Eagles will battle their second SEC opponent in six days on the road at Reed Arena.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
This will be the first nationally-ranked opponent FGCU will have faced since its historical run to the Sweet Sixteen as a 15 seed in 2013, and this will be the first meeting between the Aggies and Eagles. The Eagles are coming off a dominant 91-34 victory over NAIA member Ave Maria on Sunday, while Texas A&M fell to Syracuse in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
The game will be broadcast on SEC Network +, and it can be accessed via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com by clicking here. Additionally, live stats and a multitude of social media platforms are also available for fans to keep up with the action and behind-the-scenes coverage.
 
TWEETABLES
1) This will be FGCU's second SEC opponent in less than a week as the Eagles had a halftime lead at Florida on Friday before short.
2) FGCU's 57-point win over Ave Maria on Sunday was the second-largest in program history, and the 34 points allowed were the third-fewest all-time.
3) Freshman Reggie Reid ranks 4th in the nation in assist rate at 47.2% – the percentage of field goals made that a player assists on while in the game.
4) Reid is the only freshman in the top 20, and the only other freshman in the top 40 is Ohio State's JaQuan Lyle (39.7%) at 24th.
5) Through seven games, sophomore Christian Terrell is just 17 points shy of eclipsing his entire 2014-15 scoring output – 110 points in 33 games.
 
FGCU vs. TOP 25 TEAMS
Texas A&M will be the eighth top-25 team FGCU will face since joining Division I in 2007-08. The Eagles are 1-6 all-time versus ranked opponents, with the lone win coming against No. 8 Georgetown (2nd seed) in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
 
11/18/08: #23 Kansas, 85-45
12/22/08: #24 Michigan, 76-59
11/13/09: #2 Michigan State, 97-58
12/15/10: #2 Ohio State, 83-55
11/18/12: #9 Duke, 88-67
3/22/13: #8 Georgetown, 78-68*
3/29/13: #12 Florida, 62-50*
* Ranking entering the NCAA Tournament; Georgetown seeded 2nd, Florida 3rd.
 
YOUNG, TALENTED AND DEEP
FGCU has just two seniors on its roster, and so far this year 81 percent of its scoring, 84 percent of its rebounding (excluding team rebounds) and 86 percent of its assists have come from non-seniors.
 
Not only are the Eagles young and talented, but they are deep as already this year 10 different players have reached double-figure points in a game. Additionally, FGCU has had four different leading scorers through its first seven games.
 
Below is a list of players who have already scored 10 or more points in a game, their season high and how many times they've led the team in scoring.
 
R-Jr. Marc-Eddy Norelia (3): 34
R-Fr. Zach Johnson (1): 26
So. Christian Terrell (2): 24
R-Sr. Filip Cvjeticanin (1): 18
Fr. Reggie Reid: 18
R-Sr. Julian DeBose: 16
R-So. Antravious Simmons: 13
R-So. Kevin Mickle: 12
R-Jr. Demetris Morant: 11
Fr. Rayjon Tucker: 10
 
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
^ Texas A&M defeated Texas (84-73) and then-No. 10 Gonzaga (62-61) in the Battle 4 Atlantis before losing to now-No. 14 Syracuse (74-67) in the championship game last week.
^ The Aggies have already played one other Atlantic Sun Conference member this year, and that was a 104-64 victory over USC Upstate in the season opener.
^ A&M boasts four double-digit scorers in Danuel House (16.4), Tyler Davis (12.7), Jalen Jones (12.7) and Tonny Trocha-Morelos (11).
^ The Aggies were picked to finish 3rd in the SEC this year, with House being named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team.
^ ESPN ranked Texas A&M's 2014 recruiting class (this year's freshmen) as the second-best in the nation, behind only Arizona, as the Aggies signed four top-65 players.
 
PLEASANT SURPRISES
NCAA officials cleared Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) to play around mid-day on Nov. 13, the day prior to the start of the season, as he was expected to sit out through the completion of the fall semester after transferring from VCU in December of 2014. Simmons has made an immediate impact for the Eagles as he's averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
 
Uber-athletic and lengthy Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) returned about a month earlier than expected on Nov. 22 against North Dakota following surgery to help repair a stress fracture in his right leg (medal rod remains in the leg). The forward's surgery was performed on Oct. 2, and he was expected to be out 3-4 months. After an expected slow start, Morant has started to come on of late as he just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds Sunday against Ave Maria.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will remain on the road to face cross-state foe FIU on Sunday afternoon at 3:30. The Panthers are 4-3 on the year and will face Elon on Friday before entertaining the Eagles in a contest that will be broadcast on the American Sports Network. Fellow A-Sun member Stetson won at FIU Monday night, 81-75.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are currently on sale for all remaining home contests. For the latest ticket information, log on to FGCUAthletics.com or call the Alico Arena Ticket Office at 239-590-7145.

SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, Like us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB and watch us on Snapchat at FGCU_MBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his third year with the Eagles in 2015-16 and coached six all-conference selections during his first two seasons. He guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to their third-straight 20-win season and third-straight postseason appearance with a berth in the CIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship. Dooley is in his seventh season overall as a head coach and has a record of 105-79 (.571), and in his two years with FGCU is 48-27 (.640).

SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.