True Road Test Saturday for A&M-Corpus Christi at No. 7 Houston

HOUSTON – In its first road game of the season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program will get a stiff test against seventh-ranked Houston at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Fertitta Center.
 
The Islanders (1-0) are going for their first-ever win over a ranked opponent in program history. The last victory over a Power Five program came on Nov. 13, 2009 when they topped Oregon State 67-43. The Cougars are the highest ranked team A&M-Corpus Christi has faced since Nov. 23, 2010 when it played No. 6 Kansas.
 
The Jim Shaw era began Tuesday in a record breaking wire-to-wire 111-46 win over Southwestern Adventist. The 65-point win broke the program's previous margin of victory record of 58 set on Nov. 21, 2005 in a 116-58 win over Texas A&M-International. The Islanders also tied the school record for most field goals made in a game with 46 first set on Jan. 18, 2001 against Cal Poly.
 
Every student-athlete on the roster scored for A&M-Corpus Christi, which built a 33-point halftime lead and never looked back. Junior Jordan Roberts led the way with a team-high 16 points and was 7-of-11 from the field. Additionally, 15 of the 16 student-athletes grabbed a rebound and none played over 17 minutes.
 
Tuesday's game tipped off the 25th season of basketball on The Island. A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 22-3 all-time in home openers and 21-4 all-time in season openers. The program is now 225-108 all-time at home.
 
Including Tuesday's win over SW Adventist, A&M-Corpus Christi is 18-0 over the last two seasons when holding the opposition to 70 points or less. The Islanders are 18-0 over the last three seasons when shooting over .500 FG%.
 
Shaw, a San Antonio native, was elevated to head coach after spending the last two seasons as assistant coach. Shaw has spent the last 19 years at the Division I level with stops at Texas Tech, Nebraska, UTEP, Texas State and Tarleton State.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi will be going up against a Houston squad that opened its season with a convincing 84-31 win over UL-Monroe. The Cougars were picked to finish second in their first year in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. Last year, Houston reached the Sweet 16 after a 33-4 season, including a 17-1 mark in the AAC.
 
The game can be watched live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. It can also be heard live for free on 1140 AM NewsTalk K-E-Y-S with Steven King on the call.
 
NOTES
- It's the first meeting between the Islanders and Cougars since Nov. 30, 2013 and the eighth overall in the series. A&M-Corpus Christi's lone win over the Cougars came on Dec. 18, 2010 in an 81-78 overtime decision in Corpus Christi.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi is looking to win its first road opener since Nov. 16, 2018 when it ousted UT Arlington 73-67. Since head coach Jim Shaw has been on staff, the Islanders have opened on the road against Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
 
- The new-look Islanders brought in 11 newcomers, similar to when Shaw first arrived in 2021-22 when the team welcomed 10 newcomers and ultimately advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Two of this years transfers played within the league as Lance-Amir Paul is a transfer from Nicholls and Dayne Prim from Northwestern State.
 
- The Islanders are one of nine teams in the nation who have student-athletes from 10 or more different states on their roster along with Navy, UW-Milwaukee, Missouri, Youngstown State, VMI, Louisville, Boston College and Richmond.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi returned five student-athletes from last year. Most notably, sophomore Owen Dease had a coming out party in the 2023 SLC Championship game where he registered 16 points and seven rebounds and was four-of-five from three-point range in the win over Northwestern State. He went on to tally 14 points against No. 1 Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. Dease averaged 10.0 points per game over the last three contests where he was 6-of-9 from beyond-the-arc.
 
- Shaw helped the Islanders win three conference championships in the last two seasons. It included back-to-back SLC Tournament titles and the 2022-23 SLC regular season crown. The Islanders earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons.
 
- Last year, the Islanders won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game with a 75-71 victory over SEMO in the First Four as A&M-Corpus Christi led for over 38 minutes. Ironically, the 75-71 score was the same as the SLC Championship against Northwestern State.
 
- The Islanders faced Alabama, the No. 1 overall team in the country, in the NCAA Tournament First Round. A&M-Corpus Christi cut a 20-point halftime deficit down to 13 in the second half and were outscored by the slimmest of margins 42-41 in the second.
 
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