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Aggies and Bruins lock horns in fight to reach Sweet 16

Sat 22nd, March 2008

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - A chance to advance to the Sweet 16 will be on the line tonight at the Honda Center, as the top-seeded UCLA Bruins will tangle with the ninth-seeded Texas A&M Aggies in West Regional second-round action.

The Aggies opened their tournament run with a hard-fought, 67-62 victory over BYU. It was the third straight first round victory for Texas A&M, which is now 7-9 all-time in this event. With the win over the Cougars, the Aggies now have 25 victories on the season, and stand just two wins away from tying the school's single season mark of 27.

As for the Bruins, this is their 42nd appearance at the NCAA Tournament, and fourth in a row. The Bruins pushed their all-time record in this event to an outstanding 95-34 with a record-breaking 70-29 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Thursday. The Bruins, who lead the nation with 11 National Championships, have appeared in two consecutive Final Fours and with a win this evening the team will be a step closer to making its 18th overall Final Four trip. UCLA is currently 32-3 on the year and with a victory over the Aggies the Bruins will set a school record for most wins in a single season.

With respect to the all-time series between UCLA and the Aggies on the hardwood, the Bruins have won all three meetings, including a 65-62 win over Texas A&M back in 2006.

Tonight's winner will move into the Sweet 16 and will take on either Western Kentucky or San Diego.

The Aggies were able to limit BYU to just 62 points in their first round victory. Texas A&M held the Cougars to a 44.4 percent shooting effort from the floor, which also consisted of a mere 7-of-22 clip from long range. The Aggies also dominated the glass in the contest, outrebounding the Cougars by a 37-25 margin. Throughout the season the Aggies have been tenacious defensively, holding teams to just 61.9 ppg and a meager 39.4 percent shooting effort. At the other end of the floor, Josh Carter had an outstanding performance, scoring 26 points in the win. Carter has been the top scoring threat for Texas A&M all season and is currently pacing the team with 12.3 ppg. Bryan Davis added 11 points and seven rebounds against BYU, wile Joseph Jones tallied a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Jones has also been a tremendous contributor on the year and is posting 10.4 ppg to go along with 5.3 rpg. Donald Sloan, who has dished out 121 assists on the season, led the way against the Cougars with six helpers and also chipped in eight points and five rebounds. On the season, the Aggies as a whole have been mediocre offensively, producing 71.4 ppg.

The Bruins put forth one of the best defensive performances in NCAA Tournament history, as they held Mississippi Valley State to a pathetic 29 points. The 29 points allowed were the lowest ever in this event during the shot-clock era. UCLA has been one of the toughest defensive teams in the entire nation and has held opponents to a meager 58.2 ppg. In the 41-point victory over the Delta Devils, the Bruins limited MVSU to an embarrassing 19 7 percent shooting effort, which included a mere 1-of-14 showing from long range. UCLA also dominated the glass in the win, outrebounding the Delta Devils, 52-34. However, that should not be surprising considering they are averaging 8.6 rpg better than the opposition on the season. Offensively, the team was led by Kevin Love, who scored 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocks. Love has been one of the top players in the nation and is averaging a double-double on the year with 17.2 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Lorenzo Mata-Neal added nine points and nine boards, while Russell Westbrook also tallied nine points to go along with a team-high seven assists. Westbrook is chipping in 12.5 ppg on the year and is leading the team with 4.4 apg. As for Darren Collison (14.9 ppg), he was held to just five points and three assists. While UCLA is more known for its defensive play, do not overlook the team's efforts offensively, as the squad is posting 74.0 ppg.

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