COLLEGE STATION, TX. — The Jacksonville men's basketball team heads west to face the Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday, Dec. 14, marking the second matchup between the two schools, both having taken place in College Station.
Jacksonville Men's Basketball vs Texas A&M Aggies
Sunday, December 14th | 7:00 PM EST | SECN | Reed Arena
Records: Jacksonville 5-5, Texas A&M 7-3
Last Meeting: 12/16/2006, Texas A&M Won 97-58
All-Time Record: Aggies Lead 1-0
Aggies By The Numbers
The Aggies have officially entered the first year of the Bucky McMillan era. McMillan, the former Samford Bulldogs head coach, made the leap to the Power Four after guiding the Bulldogs the last five seasons. In Birmingham, he earned a 99-52 record (65.6%), securing two SoCon regular-season titles and one conference tournament championship. Under his leadership, Samford made the 2024 NCAA Tournament and earned a 2025 NIT berth. McMillan was named SoCon Coach of the Year in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Texas A&M underwent a significant roster overhaul in the offseason, bringing in 14 new players, including nine transfers from major conference programs. Chris McDermott, the lone returning starter, has appeared in seven games this season.
Offensively, the Aggies are led by Rubén Dominguez, who averages 14.5 points per game. Dominguez ranks seventh nationally in three-pointers per game (3.70) and total three-pointers made. He is also one of the most efficient shooters in the country, ranking 22nd in three-point percentage by converting 47.8% of his attempts this season.
Rashaun Agee is the only Aggie to have started every game this season. The USC transfer leads the team with 8.8 rebounds per game and has recorded four double-doubles, including three consecutive heading into Sunday's matchup. Against FSU, he delivered an impressive performance with 17 points and 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.
Texas A&M excels in several statistical categories as a team. The Aggies rank fourth nationally in assists per game (20.7) and receive significant production from their bench, ranking eighth with over 40 points per game. They're also among the nation's best at drawing fouls, ranking 10th in free-throw attempts (28.4 per game), fourth in free throws made (21.8 per game) and 38th in free-throw percentage (76.8%).
Reunion With Jacari Lane
Jacksonville is set to take on a familiar opponent in guard Jacari Lane this Sunday. The senior, who spent the last three seasons at North Alabama, faced the Dolphins five times in his career in Florence. He started in four of those matchups and averaged an impressive 36.2 minutes per game. Lane boasts a 3-2 career record versus Jacksonville, with all three victories coming on his home court and both losses occurring at Swisher Gymnasium.
The Dolphins clashed with the Lions three times last season, twice during the regular season and once in the ASUN Tournament Semifinals. Of the nine Dolphins who appeared in that March contest, just two remain on the roster this season: Chris Arias and Donovan Rivers.
Lane joined the SEC ranks after earning back-to-back All-ASUN First Team honors as a sophomore and junior. In his freshman year, he collected both the Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year nods. This season Lane has appeared in all 10 games for the Aggies and started nine, averaging 6.8 points per game and leading the team with 35 assists.
Last Time Out
Jacksonville recorded its second largest margin of victory ever on Thursday defeating Trinity College of Jacksonville, 122-49. The contest gave the Dolphins their fifth win of the season and brought them back to .500, while improving their home record to 3-0.
The 73-point rout was Jacksonville's second triple-digit scoring effort this season. Earlier, the Dolphins overwhelmed Trinity College of Florida, 132-45. These two games now stand as the top two games in terms of margin of victory in JU men's basketball history.
The team's 30 assists against Trinity College of Jacksonville matched the fifth-highest single-game total in program history, while their 14 made 3-pointers tied for the sixth-most ever by a JU squad. In addition, JU shot an impressive 44-for-69 from the field, converting at a 63.8% clip, the ninth-best single-game shooting performance in program history.
Career Nights For The 'Phins
Several Dolphins notched career milestones Thursday. Freshman guard Hayden Wood paced all scorers with a personal-best 21 points and set a new career-high with four three-pointers.
Charles Caporaso recorded a collegiate-best 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds, a game high that tied his career mark.
Three Dolphins set new career highs in assists. Even Sterck handed out 10 assists, the most of his career and the first double-digit assist game by a Dolphin since 2019. Jaylen Jones tallied a career-high nine assists, while Chris Lockett Jr. recorded five.
Freshman guard Roman Loux also set a personal scoring best with four points in just four minutes of play, finishing a perfect 2-for-2 from the field.
Dolphins Notes
Despite having to overhaul their roster in the offseason, Jacksonville still boasts one of the deepest teams in the nation. The Dolphins currently rank 30th nationally in bench points per game and hold the highest mark in the ASUN Conference.
In their last three games, Jacksonville has averaged 17 offensive rebounds per contest, consistently generating valuable second-chance scoring opportunities.
The Dolphins have taken better care of the ball over the past five games, exceeding 10 turnovers just once. After averaging 15.2 turnovers in their first five games, JU has reduced that number to 10.6 per game since then.
Rivers is one of only two Dolphins to start every game this season. He leads the team in offensive, defensive and total rebounds per game, and has contributed four steals and five blocks. He has also reached over eight points in seven games this season.
