GAME NOTES: The Texas A&M Aggies are set to host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the second round of the NIT at Reed Arena.

The winner will take on top-seeded Temple in the quarterfinals Wednesday night in Philadelphia. This marks the seventh meeting in the all-time series between these two schools. Texas A&M notched a 71-59 win over the Bulldogs in the 2012-13 season opener on this same floor.

Third-seeded Louisiana Tech knocked off Central Michigan by an 89-79 final in the first round, which was the 100th win for fourth-year head coach Michael White, who was named this season's Conference USA Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs had gotten hot and won eight of nine prior to losing in overtime against UAB in the second round of the conference tournament. This is the Bulldogs' third straight trip to the NIT. Ironically enough, last year they faced another SEC opponent on the road in the second round as they knocked off Georgia in Athens.

Texas A&M, a No. 2 seed, cruised past Montana in its first-round matchup, 81-64. It was a resurgent performance from an Aggies team that brought a three-game losing streak into the contest. It would not be wise to sleep on the Aggies, however, considering they took unbeaten Kentucky to double- overtime in January, the closest any opponent has come to beating the top- ranked Wildcats this season.

Louisiana Tech shot a season-best 57 percent from the field and 58 percent from the perimeter (11-of-19) against Central Michigan on Tuesday night. The bench even contributed a season-high 43 points, most notably freshman Jacobi Boykins, who was a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range en route to a career-high 18 points. The Bulldogs ran their home winning streak to 30 with that victory, but now they must try and beat the Aggies in their house.

Certainly, it will take another strong effort from leading scorer Raheem Appleby (15.4 ppg), who had a game-high 22 points against CMU. Senior point guard Kenneth "Speed" Smith (6.1 ppg, 7.5 apg, 4.1 rpg), the C-USA Player of the Year, finished with 13 assists to go with eight points and eight rebounds. Alex Hamilton (14.7 ppg) and Erik McCree (11.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) have also been regular contributors throughout the season, although that duo combined for only six points

Texas A&M also played well offensively in its last game with a 58-percent shooting performance against Montana. The Aggies scored 44 of their points inside the paint, although they did allow the Grizzlies to claw their way back from an 18-point deficit at one point. Junior forward Jalen Jones was 10-of-14 from the field and led all scorers with 25 points, his third 20-point game of the season. Rookie point guard Alex Robinson added a personal-best 15 points while dishing out eight assists and only one turnover in 25 minutes.

The Aggies were without leading scorer Danuel House, a first-team All-SEC pick. House averaged 16.2 ppg during conference play and is a 40-percent from the perimeter, but he has been dealing with a foot injury and is considered questionable for Monday's game. Should he be unable to go, players like Jones (13.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Robinson will have to step up along with others. Jordan Green and Peyton Allen chipped in with 15 and 12 points, respectively, against the Grizzlies.

There is no telling which Aggies team will show up here, the one that looked primed for a deep run in its first-round game or the one that had lost three straight prior. The Bulldogs are no doubt a formidable foe with 26 wins, but the Aggies -- even without House -- are a bit more battle-tested, and they have the homecourt advantage here.