Kennedy considering medical redshirt for Roberson

The injury situation for the Texas A&M men's basketball team took another turn on Monday.

There were no new injuries to report -- a lot of knocking on wood there -- but for the first time coach Billy Kennedy talked about redshirting injured forward Kourtney Roberson.

Roberson's ankle injury, which occurred against Rice on Dec. 22, was originally expected to keep the 6-9 sophomore out for 4 to 6 weeks.

Kennedy said a few weeks back that he thought it would be closer to six weeks because of Roberson's size.

On Thursday it will be six weeks.

"We have to re-evaluate what we want to do with Kourtney since we only have 9 or 10 games left in the regular season," Kennedy said at his weekly press conference on Monday. "Is it worth bringing him back for 5 or 6 games, or possibly medical redshirt?"

The decision will likely be made this week. Roberson attended a funeral over the weekend and Kennedy wants to see where Roberson stands this week.

"This week is a big week for him to see if we can get him on the floor in practice first," said Kennedy.

Roberson was averaging 4.6 points and 4.9 rebounds (third on the team) in less than 13 minutes a game.

Five games into the season, he was averaging 6.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, but his minutes dropped after bruising his left foot.

A medical redshirt may be granted if a player appears in less than 30 percent of his team's games with none coming after the midway point.

A&M will play at least 31 games this season, which means Roberson has played in 29 percent of the Aggies' games.

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Kennedy listed senior point guard Dash Harris as day-to-day with an arch injury, while junior forward Khris Middleton will miss Wednesday's home game against Baylor.

"He's had swelling in his knee after a workout, and it's stiff or sore the next day," said Kennedy of Middleton. "I think he could play tomorrow, but then he may not be good in practice the next day. I want him to be good in practice before he gets good in games, because I think that's how it should be."

Middleton has missed half of A&M's 20 games. He would not be eligible for a redshirt because he played in the 17th game of the season, which is past the midway point.

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With only eight scholarship players going for sure on Wednesday at Reed Arena against Baylor, Kennedy is looking for the kind of team effort he got in the 76-61 win over Oklahoma State.

"That's what winning, championship play is all about," Kennedy said. "When you have that kind of attitude and get that kind of performance. The reality on the other side of it is you've got to be able to do it every day, day in and day out, against a high level of competition."

A&M lost 61-52 at Baylor on Jan. 2, but outscored the Bears in the second half. The Aggies will have to get productive games out Elston Turner and David Loubeau and have someone else step up or get the kind of production from the bench it did on Saturday to upend No. 6 Baylor (19-2).

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Wednesday will likely be the end of a rivalry that has lasted 97 years and has included 204 games. A&M leads the series 127-77. On Monday, Texas comes to College Station and it could be the end of a 94-year rivalry, which UT leads 136-86.

Kennedy, who is in his first season at A&M and in the Big 12, said he hadn't thought much about it possibly being the last scheduled games between the teams, but that if it helped motivate his team he would use it.

Kennedy added that he'd like to keep the competition going, suggesting a neutral site as a way to do it.

"I hope to be playing Baylor or Texas sometime soon, if they'd agree to play us, in Dallas or Houston, a one-game deal," said Kennedy. "I'd love to continue to play another Texas school with the success and tradition that those programs have and the relationships we've had over the years. I think it's good for basketball, good for Texas and good for both programs."

Kennedy said he talked to one of Texas' assistants about the teams meeting again when the Aggies were in Austin on Jan. 11.

"The last time we were up there we were talking about how it's a shame we're not coming back any time soon and we need to change that," said Kennedy. "But we both agreed it's out of our hands."

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With the possibility of Wednesday being the last time Baylor drives the 90 miles down Highway 6 to play at Reed, Kennedy hopes there will be a big crowd. He noted how it helped the A&M women get past Iowa State 66-64 on Sunday.

"I had a chance to be at that game -- that was the difference in them winning," said Kennedy. "The [Iowa State] girl didn't get a shot off [at the end]. We need Baylor to not get a shot off. Everyone says home-court advantage is 10 points a game, we need those 10 points."