Men's Basketball | 1/29/2026 3:56:00 PM

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• The Aggies are coming off two of their biggest wins since joining the CAA in 2022. After opening the week with a loss at Hampton on Monday, the Aggies followed by defeating Hofstra 79-78 at Corbett Sports Center on Thursday.
• Hofstra came into the game with conference's highest NET ranking. The Aggies followed that win with an 80-73 win over Towson at Corbett on Saturday.
• Towson came into the game winners of four straight, and the Tigers are the preseason CAA favorite. The Aggies came into the week 0-6 in conference play before securing the two wins.
• A&T's second-half defense was excellent in both games. Hofstra shot 6-for-25 (.240) in the second half on Thursday before the Tigers shot 13-for-37 (.351) in the second half against A&T.
• CAA opponents came into the last week shooting 48.8 percent against the Aggies. A&T held Hofstra and Towson to a combined 41.9 percent shooting.
• A&T outstanding freshman Lewis Walker is coming off his second CAA Rookie of the Week honor after leading the Aggies to wins over Towson and Hofstra. Walker had an off night against Hampton with only five points, but he followed by scoring 24 against Hofstra and 33 against Towson.
• Walker's 33 tied his career high and it tied A&T's single-game freshman scoring record he set at William & Mary on January 9. For the week, Walker averaged 20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 50 percent (18-36) from the floor, 61.5 percent from 3-point range (8-13) and 94.7 percent (18-19) from the foul line. Walker leads the CAA  in free throw percentage (88.1).
• Lewis Walker continues to lead the Aggies in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game. Walker has scored 20 or more points eight times this season that also is a record for a freshman player at A&T.
• He is also vying for two other freshman records. He needs 116 points to pass Sean Booker for most points in a single season by a freshman. The highest scoring average by an A&T freshman in program history was set by James Sparrow who averaged 15.5 points per game during the 1974-75 season.
• Weluche-Ume has scored in double figures in his last seven games. Weluche-Ume, a London, England native, is averaging 14.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game over his last seven outings. He also has three double-doubles in his las four games.
• A&T is still eagerly awaiting Lureon Walker's return to the court. Walker showcased the ability to score the basketball over the Aggies first three games, scoring 22, 22, and 25 against South Carolina, S.C. State and Washington Adventist. He missed A&T's next three games with an ailment before returning on Dec. 6 to score 13 points off the bench in a win over archrival North Carolina Central University (NCCU). He played 21 minutes against Howard on Dec. 9, but has not played since.
• A&T has surpassed its win total from the previous two seasons when the Aggies won seven games apiece. A&T enters today's game 9-10, and they are looking for its first winning season overall since going 11-10 during the 2020-21 season.
• The Aggies have a roster full of transfers, but they are still inexperienced in the Division I men's basketball world. The Aggies leading scorer Lewis Walker is a redshirt freshman after not playing as a true freshman at UMass last season. Starting point guard Dwayne Powell is a sophomore who played at a junior college last season.
• Forward Zamoku Weluche-Ume played one game last season at George Washington University after sustaining a wrist injury. He played only 15 games as a true freshman at GWU. Meanwhile, starting center Amadou Doumbia played 15 games as a true freshman at UMass.
• The Aggie with the most experience is junior guard Trent Middelton, Jr. Going into today's game, Middleton has played in 78 Division I college basketball games. The next closest Aggie in terms of experience is junior Bryson Ogletree who has played 37 DI games. Even Will Felton, who graduated high school in 2021, has only played 27 DI games.
• A&T is one of the best teams in the country at getting to the free throw line. The Aggies are third in the nation and leads the CAA in free throw attempts per game (27.8). The Aggies also lead the league in free throws made per game (19.7). The Aggies also lead the CAA in defensive rebounds per game (27.53).

Freshman Lewis Walker scores 30+ points for the second time??????#AggiePride???? pic.twitter.com/5vnbkNnZFn

— N.C. A&T Athletics (@NCATAGGIES) January 25, 2026

• Monmouth is coming off of a week where they went 2-1 after defeating Northeastern on Monday, losing at Hampton on Thursday, and defeating Campbell in Buies Creek on Saturday.
• Justin Ray led the Hawks last week. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.67 assists while shooting 52.8 percent from the field (19-36) and 50 percent (13-26) from 3-point range.
• Ray had 27 points in Monmouth's win over Northeastern and 24 points in the win over Campbell. He is the team's second-leading scorer, and he comes into Thursday's game leading the team in 3-pointers made (44).
• Jason Rivera-Torres leads the Hawks in scoring at 15.5 points per game. He came to Monmouth via Vanderbilt and San Franciso University. His best conference game came against Hofstra on January 10 when he scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 67-64 overtime loss to Hofstra. Rivera-Torres is third in the CAA in double-doubles with five.
• Rivera-Torres also makes the Hawks one of the best shot-blocking teams in the nation. Rivera Torres is second in the conference in total blocks (31) and blocks per game (1.48). Monmouth leads the conference in blocked shots per game (5.2) and ranks 16^th nationally. Dok Mouder is second on the team in total blocks with 30.
• Monmouth has the assist leader in the conference in Jack Collins at 5.7 per game. His 113 total assists also lead the conference. In addition, Collins averages 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
• Monmouth went 6-7 during the non-conference season. They had impressive wins over Ball State and Princeton.
• King Rice is in his 15^th season with the Monmouth Hawks. He is 230-239 overall as the Hawks are playing in their third different conference since he became head coach.
• They started out in the Northeast Conference before moving to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Hawks have been in the CAA since 2022. Monmouth is 29-33 in league play since joining the CAA.

• Drexel opens the week at home against Hampton. The Dragons come into the game 4-4 in the conference.
• The Dragons have won four out of their last five games. Their only loss since January 8 came on the road against the Towson Tigers on Jan. 19. But in the past three weeks they have defeated Stony Brook, William & Mary, Monmouth, and Northeastern.
• Shane Blakeney has led the Dragons in their last five games, averaging 14.4 points over that span. Blakeney leads the Tigers, averaging 13.1 points. He has scored in double figures in six straight games. Blakeney leads the team in 3-pointers made (44).
• Josh Reed has played well coming off the bench for the Dragons over the past five games. He is averaging 10.4 points and shooting 50 percent (21-42) over the previous five contests. He comes into the weekend averaging 8.8 points and shooting 45.4 percent for the season.
• Drexel went 6-7 during the non-conference, earning impressive wins over Old Dominion and Maine. A&T and Drexel have two common opponents on their schedule in Morgan State and Howard.
• The Dragons beat Morgan on November 25 before losing to Howard on December 16. The Aggies also split with Morgan and Howard, beating Morgan in Baltimore before losing to Howard in Durham, NC.   
• Drexel has the best scoring defense in the league, holding teams to 66.7 points per game. The Dragons rank 29^th in the nation in scoring defense.
• Kevon Vanderhost is the second-leading scorer at 10.0 points per game. He is also shooting 47.1 percent from the field.
• Zach Spiker is in his 10^th season as the head coach at Drexel. He holds a 141-156 record at Drexel. Before arriving in Philly, he coached at Army, where he compiled a 102-112 record in seven seasons. He is 243-268 overall, leading the Dragons to the 2021 NCAA tournament.

• A&T will have its sixth meeting against Monmouth. The Aggies have lost their previous five matchups, including a game back in 2013.
• Drexel leads the all-time series, 3-1. A&T's only win over the Dragons came on January 26, 2023 when the Aggies defeated the Dragons 68-55 in Greensboro.
• The Aggies have never won in Philadelphia, and Ross is 0-3 against Drexel since returning to A&T.