Tennessee basketball heads to College Station on Saturday night where they’ll face Texas A&M in a critical SEC showdown.
The matchup is of huge importance for both teams. The Vols need to pick up the road win badly for their SEC Championship hopes while Texas A&M needs a win badly for its NCAA Tournament resume.
Here’s everything to know ahead of the SEC matchup.
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How to Watch – No. 6 Tennessee (17-5, 7-2 SEC) at Texas A&M (14-8, 5-4 SEC)
- Start Time: 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT
- Location: Reed Arena
- TV: ESPN. PxP: Tom Hart. CC: Jimmy Dykes
- Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
Betting Lines
- Tennesse -1.5 Texas A&M
- Over/under: 142
- Tennessee -5 Texas A&M
- Over/under 141
What Tennessee AHC Justin Gainey Said About Texas A&M
On rebounding issues against LSU
“That’s something we got to clean up moving forward, especially preparing for Texas A&M, who was one of the best, if not the best rebounding team in the country.”
On Texas A&M’s rebounding prowess, what else stands out
“The rebounding is real and they have two guards that are as good as any backcourt in the country with Wade (Taylor IV) and (Tyrece) Radford, and those guys are playing really well right now. So being able to slow them down, I mean, guys like that, that are volume to the level that they are— it’s really hard to stop. Right. And they’re high level guys and so just doing a good job on them is going to be a key.”
On Texas A&M playing in a lot of close games
“The challenge is that if it’s close down the stretch, you know you’re in for a dog fight. And it is going to be a tough game anyway. I mean, the environment is great. Coach Williams is a great coach. They have great players, they’ve been together. So it is going to be a tough one, but you I think being in that many tough game shows you the mental toughness of their group and the togetherness of their group. And so it is going to be a great matchup and something that we’re going to have to be able to match or surpass their mental toughness and physical toughness for the duration of the game. And knowing coming down that stretch that they have been in those battles, but we have too and we’re confident in ourselves and what we do that, you know, we can match that.”
Probable Starters
Tennessee (via UT Game Notes)
Texas A&M (via last game’s starters)
Team Statistics (via Sports Reference)
Stat Leaders
Rebounds: Andersson Garcia — 8.9 RPG, 4.5 DRPG, 2.6 ORPG
Assists: Wade Taylor IV — 3.6 APG, 2.8 TOPG, 32 MPG
Last Four Games
Tennessee:
- 88-68 win versus LSU
- 103-92 win at Kentucky
- 63-59 loss versus South Carolina
- 75-62 win at Vanderbilt
- 91-71 win versus Alabama
Texas A&M:
- 79-60 win at Missouri
- 67-66 win versus Florid
- 71-68 loss versus Ole Miss
- 63-57 win versus Missouri
- 73-69 win at LSU
Prediction
This is an under the radar huge game for Tennessee when it pertains to its SEC Championship hopes. After this game, the Vols have four straight games they’ll likely be double-digit favorites in before a gauntlet four-game stretch to end the regular season that includes matchups with Auburn, at Alabama, at South Carolina and Kentucky.
If Tennessee wins this one they’ll be in a great spot to win at least a share of the SEC regular season crown. If they lose, they’ll be fighting an uphill battle.
But on to the game, Texas A&M has disappointed this season but is still a very capable team. The Aggies struggle with all but about two things offensively: they’re the best offensive rebounding team in the country and they’re fantastic at getting to the foul line.
Those are the two keys for Tennessee after LSU controlled the glass against them on Wednesday and they play a very physical defensive style which can lead to fouls. On the offensive end, Zakai Zeigler is the key guy in this one, in my opinion.
If he can continue his recent success he’ll put pressure on Texas A&M’s defense and get others involved. Vols get it done on the road.
Tennessee 74, Texas A&M 70
