Prairie View A&M visits No. 19 men

With a Top 25 ranking and two upsets over Top 20 teams in the past week, the Texas A&M men's basketball team (5-1) has its first home game in over two weeks tonight when they face the Prairie View A&M Panthers (3-2) at Reed Arena.

The Aggies, who went 2-1 at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., against three teams in the top 25, return to face an unranked opponent. But in a previous matchup with Cincinnati, the Panthers took an eight point lead into the half before falling to the Bearcats on the road.

"They'll be really loose, and fired up now that there's a ranking with our name," Head Coach Mark Turgeon said. "I watched them play that way against Cincinnati, and I expect them to play a lot better than everybody thinks."

A smaller team than most, Prairie View relies more on its speed and its pressure defense to keep their squad in matchups with more talented teams.

"They press and trap, which we've seen," Turgeon said. "They're very athletic and can put a lot of pressure on you."

This Aggie team hopes playing at home can heal their inconsistencies on the floor. Slow starts have plagued A&M in a majority of their matchups, especially against lesser opponents.

"I don't know why we start off so slow all the time," guard B.J. Holmes said. "Sometimes we start off with less energy."

Texas A&M has also had a tough time at the charity stripe throughout the 2009 campaign. The Aggies have shot a woeful 61 percent from the free throw line, 5 percent below their opponents.

"I know how our guys can shoot the ball," Turgeon said. "I'm more worried about our execution on offense. That's a bigger concern to me than foul shooting."

Despite their problems in the last few games, the team has won some big matchups and believes it can get even better.

"We need to be more consistent throughout the entire game," forward Nathan Walkup said. "We know we can be good. We have great pieces that we can put together. "

Tipoff for the game is set for 8 p.m.