By ROBERT CESSNAThe 13th-ranked Aggies (7-1) will play the 14th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (7-1) at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the South Point Arena in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. ASU ended the Aggies' season last year with a 84-69 victory in the Sweet 16.
A&M will conclude the Hoops Classic against Gonzaga (9-2) at 10:45 p.m. Sunday.
"I like playing anyone in nonconference that's going to make me better," Blair said.
The Aggies are playing their toughest nonconference schedule in Blair's seven seasons in preparation for what's ahead. A&M's road games to open Big 12 play are at Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor and Nebraska.
As luck would have in Vegas, the other team in the four-team bracket is fifth-ranked Baylor (9-1), the Big 12 preseason favorite. The Lady Bears defeated A&M three times last season, the last one for the Big 12 tournament championship.
"I was really hoping to go into the weekend undefeated," Blair said. "I wanted to look my conference foe right in the eye and say, 'Here we are, here you are -- the two best teams in the conference.'"
Blair didn't think about being unbeaten heading to the desert until the Aggies defeated host California two weekends ago to win the Colliers Classic.
"That's why I really wanted that TCU game," Blair said.
TCU rallied from a 15-point deficit for a 56-54 victory over A&M last Saturday in Fort Worth. The Aggies have been off for finals since, trying to correct recent problems.
Blair said TCU was the third opponent in the last four games that took the fight to A&M.
"But we cannot have that happen again -- a team play harder than us," Blair said. "That's what we're known for here at A&M just about in every sport. It can't happen again."
TCU converted a season-high 23 A&M turnovers into 24 points. The Aggies had four turnovers and a missed shot in the final three minutes as TCU ended the game on a 10-0 run to knock A&M from the Top 10.
"Our point guard play will be very much improved in this ballgame," said Blair, who liked his team's practices before leaving for Las Vegas.
A&M will have 6-foot-1 forward Danielle Adams, who didn't play against TCU while she recovered from concussion-like symptoms after hitting her head early against North Texas. She's averaging 14.6 points and 4 rebounds in only 16.7 minutes per game.
The Aggies need their inside depth against ASU, which has six players at least 6-2, has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 12 per game and is getting 18.5 offensive rebounds per contest. A&M is allowing almost 15 offensive rebounds per game.
"I really like Arizona State, because they play our style of ball," Blair said. "They are very, very aggressive on defense and they've always had great point guard play and that's what makes a basketball team."
Blair doesn't think intensity will be a problem.
"They are wanting to move up in the polls and we are wanting to move up," he said. "It's going to be a great ballgame."
ASU took a five-point halftime lead in last year's game and never looked back, in shooting a season-high 62 percent from the field against A&M (31 of 50) behind point guard Briann January, who was a first-round WNBA pick.
"It's time for us to go out there and get redemption," A&M junior point guard Sydney Colson said. "It was a big game last year and we didn't do a very good job. We didn't play the type of defense Texas A&M always goes out and plays."
*
NOTES -- ASU has two starters back from last season's 26-9 team. ... Gonzaga is led by West Coast Conference player of the year Courtney Vandersloot, who is averaging 9.7 assists per game.
A&M WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
* Saturday's game: No. 13 Texas A&M (7-1) vs. No. 14 Arizona State (7-1), 8:30 p.m., Las Vegas
* TV/radio: None/ KZNE, 1150 AM
TEXAS A&M-ARIZONA STATE LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M (7-1)
NAME POS. HT. CL. PPG RPG
Sydney Colson G 5-8 Jr. 8.3 *5.5
Tanisha Smith F 6-0 Sr. 16.9 4.0
Tyra White G 6-0 So. 8.4 2.4
Adaora Elonu F 6-1 So. 10.6 4.1
Damitria Buchanan F 6-2 Sr. 3.6 5.3
ARIZONA STATE (7-1)
NAME POS. HT. CL. PPG RPG
Tenaya Watson G 5-9 Jr. 5.9 *3.1
Danielle Orsillo G 5-9 Sr. 13.1 2.1
Kimberly Brandon F 6-2 So. 5.9 4.6
Kayli Murphy F Sr. 6-2 9.0 6.5
Becca Tobin F 6-5 Jr. 9.1 7.5
*assists per game
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