WOMEN

From page 11 here with a purpose and a reason and so far I feel like we're headed in the right direction to achieve the goals she had in mind when she came here.”

Howard and her teammates will have a tough matchup to account for in sophomore guard Chennedy Carter, who is one of the best scorers in the country. Carter leads the SEC with 22 points per game.

Schaefer has gotten the better of his former mentor Gary Blair in recent years, but he knows how difficult Blair's teams are to prepare for. Playing the Aggies in their gym in College Station makes it no easier. He's pushing his team to respond.

“Coach (Blair), as he always has in his career, is doing a great job with that group," Schaefer said. "They're playing as well as probably anybody in the league right now. I'm sure that we'll have our hands full (today). It will be a packed house and a great environment, so we'll have to see how we respond. It's how you respond that defines you.”