Texas A&M (21-7, 13-2 SEC) is set to hit the road to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-10, 6-9 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, as one of the toughest defenses in the country will look to stifle the surging Aggies in the midst of their six-game win streak. Coming off of their season-defining 68-63 home victory against Tennessee on Tuesday night, Head coach Buzz Williams’ determined squad has reached 13-2 in the SEC, and remains one game behind Alabama for the top spot in the conference.
The Aggies were led once again by sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV, who matched his career high in points with 25, while forward Julius Marble scored 21 points and recorded 9 rebounds as both were clutch down the stretch to seal the win in the final moments of the game. The biggest takeaway was Texas A&M’s performance at the free throw line, which has been their bread and butter all season, hitting 28-34 (82%), including 16-17 from Taylor, and 9-13 from Marble, accounting for 41% of the team’s offense on the night. After 28 games played, Texas A&M averages 74 ppg, 37 rebounds, shooting 44% from the field, and 33 percent from beyond the arc.
It was surely an emotional roller coaster for one of the hottest, and still, slightly disrespected programs in the country, going on the road to take on a Mississippi State team that ranks 7th in total defense, only allowing 59.5 ppg, the Aggies need to put Tuesday’s win behind them and focus on the job at hand if March 4th’s season finale vs. Alabama will continue to have any meaning regarding a conference championship.
Mississippi State and first-year Head coach Chris Jans are not to be overlooked by any means inside Humphrey Coliseum, holding a 10-4 home record this season, the Bulldogs have held their own against some of the best competition the SEC has to offer, but have recently come up short, losing two out of three, including a heart breaker on the road against Missouri on Tuesday night. The team is led by senior forward Tolu Smith, who’s currently the leader in points per game (14.9), rebounds (8.4), and blocks (0.8), paired with junior guard Shakeel Moore, (9.1 ppg) and senior forward D.J. Jeffries (8.9 ppg, 6.0 rebounds).
Defensively, The Bulldogs are one best in the country in nearly every metric, most notably ranked 6th in opposing field goal percentage at 38.8% per game, and steals per game (9.0) compared to Texas A&M’s equally aggressive 23rd-ranking opposing field goal percentage of 40% per game. However, this is definitely an offensively challenged squad, only averaging 65.8 ppg, shooting 42% from the field, 64.1 % from the free throw line, and 28% from 3-point range, ranked 348th in the country.
As a current bubble team according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Mississippi State is desperate for what would be a Quad 1 win against the Aggies on Saturday, but going back to the Bulldog’s below-average 3-point percentage, Texas A&M has faired well defensively this season against poor perimeter offenses on a consistent basis.
Texas A&M vs. Mississippi is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25th, at 2:30 PM CT. and will air on the SEC Network.
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